Powell City Council held the first reading for the proposed Liberty Reserve development during Tuesday’s meeting. The proposed development is a residential subdivision on approximately 8.6 acres located at 4026 Home Road. Liberty Reserve LLC is proposing to construct 42 twin-single residential units in 21 buildings on the site.
The homes, which will be available for rent, will be a mixture of two-story and two-and-a-half story buildings with a gross density of 4.88 dwelling units per acre. Homes would be 2,100 square feet and include a finished basement, two bedrooms, and a den. During a meeting with the Powell Planning and Zoning Commission last year, Attorney Aaron Underhill, who is representing the developers, said he expects the homes to have a “relatively high rent with an average tenant annual income of $110,000.”
Access to the development would be off of Home Road with a street connection to the northern development in the works in Liberty Township. At the prior recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the primary access point has been shifted further east to accommodate the considerations of the existing Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church and Preschool on Home Road.
Included in the proposal is approximately 43% open space, most of which would be along the area fronting Home Road. A 10-foot-wide bikepath and a large central open space are also included in the plans. The path will connect the development to Olentangy Liberty High School, which sits just east of the site.
The site was annexed into the city on Jan. 21 of last year, and the Powell Planning and Zoning Commission approved a zoning map amendment and preliminary development plan on Feb. 24, 2020. Council approved the preliminary developmennt plan during its Aug. 17, 2020 meeting, at which time Councilman Brian Lorenz expressed the need for that type of housing in the area.
“I think, from a regulatory standpoint, that this is a development that makes a lot of sense,” Lorenz said during discussions of the preliminary development plan. “We are seeing demographically the need for this type of housing component within our community and across central Ohio. It’s not overburdened from a density standpoint. You could use the generic term of smart growth.”
During the commission’s Dec. 15, 2020 meeting, the final development plan was recommended to council for approval. The final development plan is expected to gain final approval during the next council meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 15.
