Graphic provided Arbor Homes provided this illustration of lot sizes and configuration for a Genesis development.
The Columbus City Council has given initial approval for annexation and rezoning requests for a new Arbor Homes development in north Columbus.
The city council unanimously passed on first reading two ordinances that would allow the city to annex 98.9 acres, including 8.7 acres of right-of-way, and rezone 90.2 acres from Agricultural: Preferred to Residential: Two-Family. Ordinances require two readings to be fully approved.
The properties for both requests are located on the east and west sides of County Road 200W, about 3,600 feet south of Lowell Road, in Columbus Township. These requests are for a new residential subdivision just south of Arbor’s existing Abbey Place homes.
The developer plans to build a mix of both its typical homes and a new product known as “Genesis,” which is intended to be more affordable for first-time homebuyers. Genesis homes are designed in clusters centered on shared motor courts. Each home would include a two-car garage and fenced yard. The current concept plan proposes 188 lots for Arbor Homes and 92 for Genesis.
Tuesday’s vote came after the Columbus Plan Commission voted to send the requests forward to the city council with favorable recommendations. Both requests were approved 9-1, with commission member Barry Kastner voting in opposition.
The commission previously discussed both applications at the January meeting before voting on a continuance.
At that time, Kastner expressed concern about adding more residential development to the area, given the lack of services and amenities located nearby, and suggested taking more time to think about how the region should develop.
Some residents also expressed concerns about the project during the time for public comment at the Feb. 9 meeting. These included traffic conditions in the area, landscaping, the capacity of local schools to serve additional children, and potential watershed to a nearby property. The planning department also received a number of emails about the development.
The Columbus Department of Public Works has estimated that it would cost $30,000 to $40,000 to provide trash and recycling toters for the development, city officials said during the meeting.
The department also might need to add an additional sanitation route to cover the new development, “which for them equates to either additional overtime (pay) or the possibility of … additional employees,” said Planning Director Jeff Bergman.
However, the department has indicated that it is confident that it would able to serve the new development, Bergman said.
The rezoning application includes a number of commitments for Arbor Homes. These commitments, as recommended in the staff report, include aesthetic requirements for side façades of Genesis homes, size of amenity areas, pedestrian connections to cluster homes, buffering, road improvement and developing the property in a manner consistent with the concept materials.
