Golf course could have new look

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A lapsed rezoning of the former Sunbury Golf Course was approved by the Sunbury Planning and Zoning Commission at a meeting Dec. 23.

“They had been here a previous time,” said Sunbury Mayor and commission member Tommy Hatfield, of the applicant, RW Sunbury Investment LLC. “This is a rezoning on a property that happened three years ago that the village had been working on with the developer to get sewer to the property, and it’s been delayed. In that time, the zoning had expired, and the zoning that is here is exactly the same that was presented three years ago, but we’re going to go through that process again.”

“We’re here to reinstate a previously-approved rezoning application that has already been vetted, gone through planning and zoning, and council,” said Sara Radcliffe, an attorney for Kephart Fisher, representing the applicant. “It was approved in August 2016. We’re not changing anything.”

The site, on the fittingly-named Golf Course Road, would be rezoned to a Planned Residential District. Proposed for the site is a 150 single-family home development with a density of 1.93 units per acre and 22% dedicated open space.

Radcliffe said the property is on about 68 acres “on the very western edge of the village.”

“During that time, one of the contingencies was dealing with the sanitary sewer service to the property,” said Village Solicitor Dave Brehm. “Over that time, there have been discussions over various routes of the sanitary sewer, but until that was rectified, they couldn’t move forward with their final engineering.”

There was also a delay because there was uncertainty if the Big Walnut Local School District would choose the site to put a school, Brehm said. The district is now constructing a new elementary and high school between Kintner Parkway and Miller Drive. He said no one was to blame for the lapse in the rezoning.

Brehm noted that in its last meeting of the year, Sunbury Village Council “approved an easement for a sanitary (gravity) sewer to extend to this property from the south, which is outside the village. We’re approving your prior approval. We’re looking forward to getting this back on track.”

Commission members discussed divergences, trees, and there was a request to extend a walking trail all around a pond that is on the grounds. One person remarked that there were 100 years worth of golf balls in that pond.

Following the commission’s unanimous approval, the matter will now go to council in 30 days.

A public notice sign at the former Sunbury Golf Course on Golf Course Road.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2020/01/web1_DSC04055.jpgA public notice sign at the former Sunbury Golf Course on Golf Course Road. Gary Budzak | The Gazette

By Gary Budzak

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Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0906 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.

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