City planning officials will soon consider a rezoning request that was tabled at a previous meeting.
Joli Development LLC is seeking to rezone about 19 acres at 3272 Taylor Road from Residential: Single Family 2 (RS2) to Residential: Single Family 4 (RS4). The Columbus Plan Commission voted in May to continue the request until its next meeting, which is set for 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 8.
According to the planning department’s staff report, Joli Development is seeking to develop a new subdivision with a lot size/density that requires RS4 zoning. The concept plan shows 89 buildable lots on the site.
Attorney Jeffrey Rocker, who is representing the applicant, told the commission that the zoning choice is more about lot size than the number of houses.
RS2 zoning requires a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet and minimum lot width of 65 feet. For RS4, minimum lot area is 5,500 square feet and minimum lot width is 50 feet. The current concept plan proposes “typical lot dimensions” of 60 by 112 feet (or 6,720 square feet each). The typical lot widths of nearby subdivisions — including Skyview Estates, Windsor Place and Greenbriar — range from 80 to 92 feet, with lot sizes of 8,800 to 10,580 square feet.
While there is a Residential: Single Family 3 zoning option that falls in between RS2 and RS4, this has a minimum lot area of 7,200 square feet, meaning that the current concept plan wouldn’t qualify.
“The market continues to demand a range of housing which must be, in part, provided in a scale that requires a lot size/density that requires RS4 zoning,” Joli Development stated in its application. “This parcel has been undeveloped in the midst of long-established neighborhoods and this infill development opportunity supports more efficient provision of services by the city and provides much-needed workforce housing.”
The staff report noted that the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map designates the subject property as residential. It also recommends housing expansion in areas that can be supported by the city’s infrastructure and services. In this case, the subject property is already served by infrastructure and located near other amenities.
“This is an excellent infill site that adds needed housing to the community in an area that is designated for residential that also does not result in increased sprawl,” said staff. “The plan also includes policies that encourages the development of various housing types, encourages development of a sufficient supply of housing. Rezoning from RS2 to RS4 zoning would allow for a greater range, type, and quantity of housing. The Comprehensive Plan encourages more density through these policies. The RS4 allows for this increased flexibility due to the reduced lot size requirements.”
The report added that the proposed development has the potential to create new affordable housing.
While planning staff recommended sending the request forward to Columbus City Council with a favorable recommendation, some members of the public expressed concern about the development. According to city/county planning director Jeff Bergman, the department received 21 letters and emails on the matter, and he estimated that a similar number of people spoke at the May 11 meeting.
In regards to the continuance, he said that it is his understanding that the commission is seeking additional information on the applicant’s “willingness and ability to address some of the concerns that the neighbors brought up during the public hearing.” Concerns from the public included housing density, traffic, tree preservation, open space and drainage.
“The commission, I think, specifically was interested in whether or not a road connection directly from the subdivision to Taylor Road was feasible,” said Bergman, “and they also wanted to know if including some amount of open space and/or tree preservation was feasible on this property.”
He added that it’s important to remember that at the moment, the discussion is about what set of laws should apply to the property, specifically around maximum density.
“That’s the question that the plan commission and then city council will be considering, not specifically the project that this applicant is basically using as their intent,” he said.
The plan commission has four options when it comes to rezoning applications: forwarding the request to city council with a favorable recommendation, forwarding with an unfavorable recommendation, forwarding with no recommendation, and continuing the review until the next commission meeting. The commission can also recommend that conditions or commitments be attached to the rezoning request; however, city council makes all final decisions on rezoning applications.
The commission voted 8-1 to continue Joli Development’s request at its May 11 meeting with commission member Evan Kleinhenz voting against the action. He said this was due to his desire to reach a compromise during that meeting “so that the 66-89 families dreaming of home ownership in the wonderful city of Columbus would not be delayed in realizing their dream.”
“I recognize and appreciate the concerns shared by adjacent property owners and I agree that an unrestricted RS4 rezoning would be out of character for the area,” said Kleinhenz. “I feel that between an unrestricted RS4 and what is economically feasible for the developer lies a responsible and agreeable compromise.”
