A proposed market-rate apartment development along Dublin Road just south of Hayden Run Road in Norwich Township near Hilliard has stirred up a whirlwind of opposition among neighbors who say it doesn't fit in an area of single-family homes.

Some of those same single-family homes go for upwards of $500,000 in nearby Hilliard between Dublin Road and the Scioto River. And the opposition could be another indication of what may happen across the region as central Ohio struggles with a housing shortage while companies and communities search for sites for development.

The proposed Rock Run apartment development would have 232 apartments, including two- and three-story buildings.

More: As Columbus booms, its suburbs limit affordable housing options

The developer revised plans this week. Originally, it had planned to build 256 units, including four-story buildings, but changed them "after reviewing community feedback, design, and engineering aspects," according to an email from Daniel van Hoogstraten, a spokesman for the developer, a new company called MYKO Development of Columbus.

There would be 19 apartment buildings on 14.7 acres in Norwich Township. The developer is asking the city of Columbus to annex the property, which would need a zoning change for the apartments to be built. The site at 4723, 4747 and 4781 Dublin Road is now occupied by a house and other structures, including a white barn.

Attorney Sean Mentel, a partner with the Columbus law firm Kooperman Mentel Ferguson Yaross, Ltd. who is representing the developer, did not respond to phone calls from The Dispatch asking for an interview. He said in an email that understanding the housing challenges in central Ohio, the developer believes that there is a good opportunity to expand options along Dublin Road.

"As you know, we shared our initial ideas with the community and are in the process of analyzing those comments and evaluating possible changes to the project," Mentel said. "While we understand that change can be challenging, we also understand that sometimes change is necessary.  We will continue the process and share any changes that may be made."

Mentel and others from the development team held an informational meeting on May 1 at the Norwich Township Safety Services Building with an overflow crowd of close to 250, some with Scioto Property Owners Collective signs.

Asked about rents at the meeting, Mentel said they could run from $1,000-$3,000 a month.

He said the proposed development would give people an opportunity to live in a community where they couldn't afford a down payment on a house.

"Will this be Section 8?" someone in the audience asked him, referring to the federal rental assistance program that helps low-income residents with rent.

No, Mentel replied.

Asked if some of the city of Columbus' $200 million in bond money for affordable housing that voters approved in November would be used in the development, he again said no.

When asked if he'd like this kind of housing near his home, Mentel said, "I would support it," a comment met with laughter by some in the crowd.

People also mentioned worries about property values. One in the audience said, "Columbus will approve anything."

Jon Melchi, executive director of the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, said this sounds like any number of situations people are going to see inside and outside Interstate 270 in future years.

"We're fortunate to be in a growing region. With that, there are going to be growing pains," he said.

Melchi said developers are willing to go back to the drawing board in these types of cases. "But what it leads to is a loss of housing units and increased costs for everyone else," he said.

Holly Hollingsworth, a former local TV anchor who has since been a media or public relations affairs director for several government and corporate entities, helped coordinate the meeting. She lives near the site and said she was "shocked and stunned" when the apartments were first proposed.

Hollingsworth said that she knows Greater Columbus needs more housing. But she said developers have to respect established communities.

"We want it to be compatible with the strong neighborhood we’ve had and have had for decades," Hollingsworth said.

Among those in the audience with concerns at the May 1 meeting was Tom Calhoon, a local real estate agent and a former Hilliard school board member.

Four days after the meeting, Calhoon told The Dispatch that the developers could have asked the land to be annexed to Hilliard.

"Why didn’t they?" Calhoon said. "The audience believes it's easier to get zoning in Columbus than in Hilliard."

Calhoon called the site an island in a sea of single-family homes, inappropriate for the area.

He said there is land to build apartments on Riggins Road, an area of Hilliard west of Interstate 270 that already has apartments.

Calhoon said patio homes for seniors would be a better fit for the site being proposed for apartments.

Kyle Miller, who also attended the meeting, lives in a subdivision west of the site and works as an architect in downtown Columbus.

Miller said the apartment plan doesn't fit the neighborhood. He said it works better in a place such as Downtown, where dense development is more compatible.

Apartments on that part of Dublin Road would be a dramatic shift from what's already there, he said.

Bob Koenig, another homeowner who lives nearby, said the developers just want to maximize their profits no matter if it's appropriate or not.

"They make a good profit building a lot of houses," he said.

Koenig said he lived in apartments for 15 years, and said there's nothing wrong with them. He just wants to keep the neighborhood of single-family homes similar to what it is now.

"There are plenty of places where they can put apartments," he said.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hilliard area residents decry apartment complex on Dublin Road