251 new apartments proposed on Morse Road east of Hamilton in Gahanna
A project called Morse Road 14, consisting of 251 apartments, is being proposed on 13.96 acres at 5503 Morse Road by applicant Scott Harper of Harper Architectural Studio, LLC.
The plans would have to go through a string of approvals with the city first, though, and the Gahanna Planning Commission would be the first step in that regard. It'll meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 at City Hall, 200 S. Hamilton Road.
The commission will focus on three items: rezoning the property from estate residential to multifamily residential, a conditional-use application and a variance application, according to Michael Blackford, Gahanna’s director of planning.
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In a staff report, Blackford said multifamily housing is unique in Gahanna in that many development standards, such as building height and density, require conditional-use approval.
He said six conditional uses have been requested.
• Buildings containing more than eight units: The site plan shows up to 24 units per building.
• Two or more residential buildings on a lot: The site plan depicts 11 residential buildings on a single lot.
• Density between six and 18 units per acre: The plan proposes 17.96 units per acre.
• Buildings exceed 2 stories: Three-story buildings are requested.
• Flexible arrangement of buildings: Variances are requested to some of the development standards of multifamily residential and the zoning code.
• Accessory-use buildings: The proposed development includes a clubhouse, pool, garages and other amenities that are common and highly desirable in multifamily development.
Variances also have been requested related to lot width, parking setback from residential buildings and length (two years instead of one) for a zoning certificate.
Blackford said staff recommends approval of all three applications as submitted and a fees-in-lieu-of-onsite-parkland dedication in the amount of $175,000.
He said the zoning and density are consistent with the recommendations of the city’s land-use plan.
The commission is to make a recommendation to City Council regarding the rezoning and approve or reject the conditional-use and variance applications.
If approved, a final development plan and design review application would be required prior to any construction.
The requested conditional uses and variances are consistent with other recently approved requests, according to Blackford. He said it’s staff’s opinion that multifamily residential is the most appropriate zoning classification for the property.
@ThisWeekMarla
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: 251 apartments proposed on Morse east of Hamilton in Gahanna
