A businessman is fighting to revive a homeless campground on his private property. And the city of Akron is ready to appeal if he wins.

Sage Lewis, who operates the nonprofit Homeless Charity at 15 Broad St., will appear before the Board of Zoning Appeals at City Hall, 166 S. High St., at 3 p.m. Wednesday. His attorneys intend to use the public hearing like mediation, asking that the mayor-appointed board allow the tents to return but with limits and new rules that might appease neighbors and city officials.

For months, Lewis had operated what was first called Second Chance Village without city permission. The homeless campground grew to more than 40 tents.

The city received nuisance complaints and threatened to close it down if Lewis didn’t apply for special zoning.He filed that conditional zoning request, which Mayor Dan Horrigan and most of the city council ultimately rejected in September.

In the 60 days that followed, homeless service providers worked with Lewis and the city to get nearly everyone out of tents and into apartments, houses or shelters. Lewis sent the few who remained back to the streets on Dec. 6, which is when the city issued its final notice to clear out.

The next day, Lewis’ pro-bono attorneys told the city they would appeal. A week later, Horrigan’s legal staff sent the city council a proposed law that would ensure that the mayor has the right to challenge if the Board of Zoning Appeals, or any other municipal commission, overturns a city decision.

Before unanimously passing the new law on