A proposed rezoning was requested for about six acres in Harlem Township, shown here. However, the county’s planning commission denied the request.
Courtesy | DCRPC
The Delaware Regional Planning Commission (RPC) denied a rezoning request in Harlem Township at its Aug. 31 meeting.
Applicant CJT Development was seeking the rezoning of 5.7 acres in Harlem from agricultural to industrial “to allow for a storage facility and business offices,” the meeting minutes said. The vacant land is on the south side of Fancher Road west of Miller Paul Road in the Big Walnut Local School District.
The commission cited Harlem’s 2021 Comprehensive Plan for its unanimous vote to deny.
“The request does not conform to the plan’s recommendations, which are for residential and limited commercial uses in this area, or to the recently adopted overlay,” the staff recommendation said.
The RPC did grant conditional approval to text amendments for Harlem Township’s Zoning Resolution. “The township is proposing a County Line Road Overlay District … to specific properties in the eastern portion of Harlem Township.”
There are three portions of the overlay, all bordered by Green Cook and South County Line roads. The top section of the district is state Route 37 down past Needles Road (1,640 acres), the middle includes properties around Center Village Road (365 acres), and 700 acres from Center Village down to Robins roads.
“Given that growth pressures continue to come north from the Columbus and New Albany areas, the City of Columbus has initiated the planning and construction of a tunnel which will bring sewer service to this part of Delaware County, and the recent announcement that Intel is making significant investments in Licking County just to the east, Harlem Township is now taking additional proactive steps in updating its zoning code,” the staff comments said.
Next, applicant John Wicks requested rezoning 11.6 acres in Orange Township on the north side of East Orange Road, east of Walker Woods Boulevard (Olentangy Local Schools) from farm residential to single-family planned residential for 23 single-family homes called Orange Cove. Conditional approval was granted, with the only vote in opposition from the Berlin Township representative.
Metro Development requested a rezoning of 27.4 acres at the southeast side of the intersection at the Wilson and Rider roads from agricultural to planned mixed use development. This would be for The Carlton, 312 multi-family units in 13 three-story buildings in Berkshire Township and Big Walnut schools. No vote was taken, but staff recommended approval of the request.
The sketch plans were shown for Piatt Road Development (20 lots on 14.6 acres in Berlin Township), Delaware Skilled Nursing (one lot on 19 acres) in Berlin, Triple J Farms driveway (4 lots on 10 acres) in Berkshire and Bevelhymer Lot 97 (2 lots on nearly 2 acres) in Genoa.
Two plats in the Olentangy Local School District and using Del-Co Water and central sanitary sewer were approved by RPC: Berlin Farm West section one (52 lots on 40.5 acres out of 434 lots on 278 acres) in Berlin Township on the north side of Berlin Station Road, west of Roloson-Piatt Road; and section 11 of Liberty Grand District (47 lots on 13.5 acres out of 489 lots on 175 acres in Liberty Township) on the east side of Boone Drive south of Hyatts Road and Old Glory Loop.
RPC is also working on comprehensive plans for Berlin, Liberty and Troy townships, as well as the village of Ostrander.
In other business, a year-long extension for a common access driveway in Radnor Township (three lots on eight acres) was granted; Robin Duffee (Orange Township) and Ed Snodgrass (Porter Township) were elected to the RPC’s Executive Committee; and chairman Dave Stites, of Kingston Township, was recognized for his 15 years of service on the commission.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
