It’s not unusual for the Sunbury Village Council to approve a rezoning application. However, it is unusual for council to have to approve it again a couple years later.
Such was the case at the council meeting held Wednesday.
The meeting began with a public hearing for RW Sunbury Investments, LLC on rezoning 67.6 acres at 1349 Golf Course Road to Planned Residential District. It was a renewal of rezoning first granted by ordinance in 2016.
“This zoning ‘expired’ in 2019,” states the Engineering Status Report. The applicant had submitted the exact same zoning package previously. The project was to develop the former Sunbury Golf Course into 150 single-family lots, with connections to Sunbury Meadows (at Clover Street, off of Saffron Drive) “and to the future development to the north on Price Farms.”
Village officials said the original plans were so extensive they filled a 3-inch binder.
Sunbury’s Planning and Zoning Commission forwarded the application to council for approval after a public hearing Dec. 23.
On Wednesday, council was told by the applicant’s lawyer that sewer issues, which had backed up the original plans, were now resolved. Council was asked to pass the rezoning ordinance by emergency on first reading, since it was a renewal. Village Solicitor David Brehm said the development would be put two-and-a-half months behind schedule if it had to go the standard three readings.
Since two of the seven members of council were absent, it was asked if that night’s vote would still be official. Mayor Tommy Hatfield said that yes, since the Charter Commission recently gave him voting rights as a council member, the five remaining members could vote.
Council granted the emergency and passed the rezoning unanimously. In a related matter, council also approved purchase orders for sewer work near Little Walnut Creek.
In other business, council approved purchase orders for windows along the fire escape of the village hall, road salt, and bucket truck repair. Also, a date was set for Halloween in Sunbury — Thursday, Oct. 29.
