Grove City OKS Pulte Homes’ plan, 3-2
Traffic is concern for 399-home development near Routes 665, 104
A residential development proposed by Pulte Homes of Ohio will move toward a final development plan, but the developer will work with the city to address traffic and other issues.
Grove City Council narrowly approved the preliminary development plan June 7 by a 3-2 vote.
Pulte is proposing a total of 399 homes on a 145-acre site north of London Groveport Road (state Route 665) and east of Jackson Pike (state Route 104.)
As with other developments that have been approved for the area, the question of whether the 665/104 corridor safely and adequately could handle the expected increase in traffic was a major topic of discussion.
Council president Christine Houk and Ted Berry voted against approving the preliminary development plan as submitted by Pulte.
The planning commission on May 4 recommended approval of the preliminary plan but with three stipulations.
One requirement is that the developer complete a traffic study to consider potential road improvements, including deceleration and turn lanes on London Groveport Road or Jackson Pike and reconfiguring the “S” bend on London Groveport Road at the southeast corner of the site.
The other stipulations are for a 70foot minimum width for the singlefamily lots in the development to be consistent with the Scioto Meadows subdivision to the north and that the applicant work with the city to determine how the central open space could be activated to make it accessible and an amenity to area residents.
The applicant is agreeable to all three stipulations, said Tom Hart, a zoning attorney for Pulte.
Regarding the lot-width stipulation, “we want to work with staff on finding the right combination of lot sizes because we want some diversity in lot sizes,” Hart said.
Having some flexibility in lot sizes would help achieve the largest amount of open space in the development, he said, and home buyers want more common open space in their neighborhoods, he said.
Houk said her concerns about this
East Main Street and west of Summit Road, across from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
The Oliver
Developer Michael Oliver of Principle Homes LLC originally planned a community of 56 apartments and 32 townhomes on 4.5 acres at 1170 Lancaster Ave.
However, developers returned to the commission June 3 with amended blueprints for 126 apartments and 24 townhomes with attached garages on 7.6 acres as well as a pavilion and a dog park.
“When I was first approached by Michael (Oliver), and we started to develop that first proposal, it was always his intent to increase this neighborhood into a larger area,” project architect and planner Lori Gunzelman told the commission. “I don't think he anticipated getting that parcel to the north as quickly as he did. And when we were presented with that opportunity, it just made sense for us to be able to acquire that and incorporate it into the current designs.”
The one- and two-bedroom apartments will range in size from 615 square feet to 998 square feet, according to plans submitted to the city.
The two- and three-bedroom townhomes, which will be sold to private owners, will include attached two-car garages and will range in size from 1,870 square feet to 2,350 square feet.
The planning commission staff supports the updated site layout with twostory townhomes on the exterior and three-story apartment buildings in the development's interior.
Residents have been vocal against the development, citing concerns over traffic, flooding and whether three-story buildings fit the character of the surrounding neighborhoods.
In an email to the commission, Tom and Amy Fee of Bryden Road said the development will create a “huge increase in population density” and “a big problem for traffic in the Main (Street) and Lancaster (Avenue) area.”
They said more than 680 people have signed a petition urging the commission to deny the development.
“I've lived here longer than many people here have been alive,” commission member Keith Benner said. “And, you know, Brookside is an old, old, established neighborhood, and a threestory apartment building right in the middle of it is going to be difficult to take.”
Benner added that developers and city officials are trying to “make it a viable product.”
Oliver purchased the property from Grace Apostolic Church to the south on Lancaster Avenue. The site is zoned residential medium.
In a September email to city officials, Grace Apostolic pastor Robert Linder said the congregation is “grateful for (the Oliver's) commitment to our area and willingness to invest in our neighborhood.”
Eastwood development
Ciminello's plan for approximately 35 acres along East Main Street will consist of 159 “single-story apartment units with attached garages” and 264 “apartment units with detached garages and amenities,” according to a summary of the project.
“What's before you … are two multifamily sites,” Ciminello told the commission. “A diverse product, single-story ranch, attached two-car garage … geared more toward empty-nesters, young professionals. Then we have the three-story walk-up multifamily as well for younger, and sometimes older.”
Eventually, Ciminello's plan calls for a mix of more than 700 homes and apartments with 11.5 acres of commercial property fronting East Main Street. Six types of single-family, owner-occupied homes are planned, including traditional houses, attached single-family townhomes and estate lots with custom homes on larger parcels.
Other plans include a neighborhood community center with an outdoor pool and park space.
The commercial property will include retail and office space, like the Westar development on Cleveland Avenue and Polaris Parkway in Westerville, Reynoldsburg Development Director Andrew Bowsher told City Council in February when it approved annexing the land.
Council also established three zoning districts for the project: Main Street district, residential medium (RM) and suburban residential (SR). editorial@thisweeknews.com @Thisweeknews
PORTLAND, Maine – Former California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher confirmed he attended the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol after anonymous investigators online identified him in footage.
Rohrabacher told the Portland Press Herald on Monday that he did not go into the Capitol building.
The Republican served 15 terms in Congress representing parts of Orange County before losing a reelection bid in 2018.
“I marched to protest, and I thought the election was fraudulent and it should be investigated, and I wanted to express that and be supportive of that demand,” Rohrabacher said. “But I was not there to make a scene and do things that were unacceptable for anyone to do.”
In the video clips posted online, Rohrabacher appears in a winter hat and jacket standing with a man he told the newspaper was a friend from Japan active in the cannabis industry. The online researchers did not find footage showing Rohrabacher on the steps of the Capitol or inside the building.