Denison’s faculty housing plan gets final OK
Granville Village Council has given the final approval for a Denison University project that will bring 70 units of faculty and staff housing to Granville’s New Burg Street.
Council members unanimously approved the project’s final development plan at Wednesday’s meeting.
The project, which was first proposed a year ago, will bring 70 one- and twobedroom apartments to 12 acres of the 31-acre parcel that was annexed into the village from Granville Township. The housing is clustered to preserve the forested area. The units will be built in two phases, with about 30 units included in the first phase, which is expected to take 14 months.
Because of increasing housing costs and low availability, Denison wants to provide affordable housing options for faculty and staff, especially those new to the area, according to a Denison website about the project.
“Over the past several years, more and more employees have been living outside of Granville, and our goal is to provide an affordable rental option for those who want to live nearby,” the website states. “These units are not intended to be a long-term solution; they are designed to support employees joining Denison for a short time or while they identify other housing.”
Granville Village Manager Herb Koehler said in a Thursday interview that Denison has already cleared some trees on the property and is clear to start construction now that the final development plan is approved. The development, which is across from the Granville Middle and High School campus, will be accessed from New Burg Street.
Koehler said Thursday that a traffic study showed the Denison project will not significantly contribute to congestion on New Burg Street to warrant a turn lane. The congestion on New Burg Street is episodic because of school drop off.
Koehler said during the meeting that changes made by Granville schools has already lowered the morning congestion time from about 23 minutes to under 15 minutes.
The village’s first roundabout, at New Burg and North Pearl streets, will be built this summer, and Koehler said the village and school district are waiting until next school year to see if that further reduces traffic congestion before pursuing additional changes.
Before council members voted, resident Jennifer Graham, who lives adjacent to the site, raised concerns about how Denison will handle stormwater, especially after heavy rains Monday and Tuesday that left roads around Licking County flooded.
She said over the past 13 years, the site has periodically flooded after heavy rains. Water than flows from the current open field onto her property to the east.
Koehler said a stormwater management plan was included as part of Denison’s plans for the site.
David English, Denison’s chief financial officer, said stormwater will be diverted into a detention pond in the northeast corner of the site.
“The water off the site will be better because right now it’s just a field and it flows down,” he said.
Graham also voiced concerns over about how the development will connect into existing water and sanitary sewer lines on Chapin Place because of the age of the water lines.
Koehler said the water lines on Chapin Place are among some of the village’s oldest infrastructure, but there is a plan to replace them in a three-phase project. The village is seeking funding for the project and could begin the first phase this year, he said. mdevito@gannett.com 740-607-2175
Twitter: @Mariadevito13