The Columbus Plan Commission voted unanimously to forward a favorable recommendation to the city council regarding the annexation of nearly 100 acres of property in Columbus Township to be used to aid future development.
Force Holdings, LLC is asking to annex 96 acres at the east dead-end of McKinley Avenue, about 1400 feet from its intersection with Marr Road. The Columbus City Council makes all final decisions regarding annexation applications.
Most of the annexation area is zoned Agriculture: Preferred (AP). The property is currently used almost exclusively for agriculture, according to planning staff. About 21 acres on the west side of the proposed annexation area is zoned Residential: Singe-Family 4 (RS4).
“Our main objective here is to kind of clean up what’s a messy definition, or line that jumps back and forth between city and county jurisdiction,” Harold Force, of Force Holdings, told commission members.
“We’ve had great response from both county officials and city officials relative to some of the vagrancy issues that occur on the sites. So it’s not that we’re trying to correct the problem, but it’s a little bit like Ghostbusters, so we know who to call when something comes up, and that’s really our driver here.”
The area is almost completely located in the Clifty Creek floodway and floodplain. Just 5.38 acres of the area is not, according to a report by planning staff.
Notably, the proposed annexation would result in one half-acre property becoming surrounded by the city limits, while remaining unincorporated.
Commission member Zack Ellison asked what would come of the “little postage stamp of an area,” which the county GIS system identifies as being owned by Gordon and Barbara Lake.
“We’ve had some conversations with the Lakes and really presented them the opportunity, if they’d like to have that property annexed also,” city/county Planning Director Jeff Bergman said. “We’d be glad to have it for the same goals, to make sure it’s clear and consistent with the jurisdiction over there, and I think it’s fair to say, Noah (Pappas, associate planner) based on your conversation, they’re I think actively entertaining having that property annexed as well.”
Bergman noted the annexation of the Lake property could potentially be folded into Force Holding’s request as it makes it way to city council.
“If they file (the annexation) in a timely manner, our intent would be to fold it into a single action for city council, it’s more efficient for everybody,” Bergman said.
Council member Tom Dell, D-at-large, said over WebEx that he was in favor of the annexation.
“I think this just makes sense from a continuity standpoint, and gives the city an opportunity to look at additional growth and development out to the east side of Columbus,” Dell said.
