A developer is seeking city approval to annex and rezone acreage along Goeller Road to build an assisted living facility.
Leo Brown Group, based in Indianapolis, received initial approval to rezone about 17.3 acres at 4300 Goeller Blvd. in Tipton Lakes for the project, and annex 8.5 acres of the property at 4441 W. County Road 25 South into the city.
The Columbus Plan Commission on Wednesday voted 7-1 to recommend approval to the Columbus City Council, who will consider the request next month.
Commission member Dennis Baute was the lone member who voted against the rezoning and annexation requests, saying he was concerned about the impact the development would have on neighboring properties.
The proposed development would be known as Traditions of Columbus, a mixture of 126 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom assisted living residences, said Jeff Rocker, a Columbus attorney, who appeared before the commission with Leo Brown Group president Mike Wagner.
Under the company’s plans, there would be 64 assisted living units, 30 independent living garden home units and 32 memory care units, which provides care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory impairments, Rocker said.
“It’s intended to be very residential,” Rocker said.
A small park would also be located on-site for residents, who would have 24-hour nursing staff available, a movie theater, fitness center, laundry facilities and other amenities. Residents at the facility would have the opportunity to be transported to doctor’s appointments if needed, Wagner said.
Assisted living is a housing option that combines housing, support services and health care, according to the developer. A majority of assisted living residents are unable to live independently and receive assistance from trained employees, including management of medications, bathing, dressing, toileting, moving and eating.
Residents do have access to meals and other services such as housekeeping, linen service, transportation and social and recreational activities.
In the independent living units, amenities include full kitchens, attached garages, an emergency response system and a maintenance-free environment, the developers said.
At full occupancy, the facility would have 65 employees and would expect 10 to 15 visitors each weekday, with the majority of those visitors arriving between 6 and 7 p.m., the developers said. The facility would anticipate 20 to 25 visitors on throughout the day on Saturdays and Sundays.
In a summary of traffic impact, the developers said the facility would generate about 153 daily trips on weekdays and 163 per day on weekends, compared to 732 daily trips generated by a 100-unit apartment complex.
Larry Love, who lives on Goeller Avenue next to the proposed site, was among about six people who spoke with the commission Wednesday about the project.
Love said his primary concern from the proposed development was runoff water during rain storms.
City Engineer Dave Hayward, who serves on the Columbus Plan Commission, said that shouldn’t be a concern once the project is developed.
“There should be less runoff for the site once it’s developed than there is currently,” Hayward said.
Chelsea Spickelmier, an attorney with the Wooden McLaughlin law firm representing Westwood Pines Apartments near Goeller Boulevard, also asked the commission to approve a buffer or maintenance of green space. She said some residents were concerned about the effect of lighting from the proposed development.
Dr. Daria Demkovich Schooler, who lives on Timber Ridge Drive, also questioned the location and the amount of traffic on Goeller Boulevard that would be created as a result of the proposed development.
She also said that elderly residents will require daily transport for doctor visits.
“We have a long distance to get care at (Columbus Regional Health),” she said. “That could be a scary road for regular folk to go up and down.”
Planners noted that ColumBUS Transit’s Route 5 serves the west side of Columbus and has a designated stop less than four-tenths of a mile from the proposed development.
The report also noted that public sidewalks will be required for the project, and an existing sidepath along Goeller provides a connection to two nearby public parks and also to the intersection of Goeller and Jonathan Moore Pike.
The People Trail provides bicycle and pedestrian connections to the Westhill shopping center, the planners noted.
In the staff report submitted by the City of Columbus-Bartholomew County Planning Department, planners said the history of the property at 4441 W. County Road 25S was previously involved in another annexation and zoning request in 2016 along with 4570 and 4450 Goeller Blvd., where other developers had sought to build 288 market-rate apartments in eight buildings on the property.
The request to build the Columbus Place apartments received an unfavorable recommendation from the plan commission in January 2016 after about 50 people protested the number of residents it would bring to the area and allegations of speeding and increased traffic on Goeller Road.
In a traffic impact summary, the Traditions of Columbus developers said the previous applicants request for 288 apartment units would have generated 2,100 daily trips, compared to the facility’s projected 153 to 163 a day.
Planners noted that developing the property will require water and sewer extensions to provide both services to the property, which Columbus City Utilities said the developer must provide.
While the project received a favorable recommendation from the plan commission, it will now go before the Columbus City Council, which will consider the annexation and rezoning requests during its 6 p.m. meeting Feb. 5.
Wagner said after the meeting that the Leo Brown Group has built similar projects in cities such as Louisville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, adding that Columbus fit into its overall market.
Construction on the project is set to begin in May if final approval is granted by the city council next month.
The project could take about 15 months to complete, Wagner said.
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The Columbus City Council will consider rezoning and annexation requests from the Leo Brown Group for the proposed assisted living facility during its 6 p.m. meeting Feb. 5.
If approved, the company intends to begin construction in May.
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