The Columbus Plan Commission has forwarded a favorable recommendation to the city council regarding revisions to the city’s zoning ordinance that will create a new zoning district on the west side in order to ensure “cohesive development” at Columbus’ I-65 front door using a uniform set of architectural design guidelines.
The commissioners unanimously approved a general resolution on the matter.
On May 21, the city council will consider three amendments to the zoning ordinance: one to create a new “Columbus Front Door Overlay Zoning District,” another to include properties near the I-65 and Jonathan Moore Pike intersection in the new district and a third to rezone Columbus Crossing from PUD (Planned Unit Development) to CR (Commercial: Regional Center).
The proposed amendments won’t require any changes to existing buildings, but will apply to property that is vacant or that will develop in the future, according to the planning department.
“The majority of everything that does exist in this area does meet these standards, but there are some other ones that are on the west side of the I-65 interchange that would be questionable, and they would not be required to meet those,” Senior Planner Jessie Boshell told the commission.
Topics addressed by the guidelines include building facade materials and features, roof top mechanical equipment, downspouts, building orientation, screening signs, and accessory/incidental structures. Boshell said that the guidelines were based off what has been built within the Columbus Crossing PUD and the properties directly north along State Road 46.
“These are just general architectural guidelines, it’s not saying that you have to do every single one, it’s just giving some idea of what would be cohesive for this area,” according to Boshell.
The Columbus Crossing Planning Unit Development (PUD) was created in 2003 to provide a framework and basic architectural design guidelines for the development of the Menard’s and surrounding properties.
“I think that what it’s become in the PUD, outside of the big box (stores), is avoidance of bad outcomes, more so than it is establishing some notably higher architectural standards,” city/county planning director Jeff Bergman said. ” …What I think this does is sort of equitably extend those same protections to that whole interchange.”
Future properties Bergman noted that this could apply to in the future include the former Wendy’s and former Denny’s.
The proposed new overlay district is intended to replace the Columbus Crossing PUD, according to the city.
A PUD is a custom set of zoning regulations that are negotiated on a case-by-case basis between a developer and the city for new, unique development projects.
“Properties that are located within the Columbus Crossing PUD will see no change in regard to development standards with the rezone from PUD to CR, they’ve already been underneath the site development plan, they’ve already had the architectural requirements, they’d just be brought into the CR and it’d be a more equitable and simplified thing for you all as a body to make decisions,” Boshell said.
Boshell also added that existing structures not meeting the new standards that are damaged by natural disaster, government action, or criminal acts should meet standards in the zoning ordinance that say that reconstruction of the “legal nonconforming structure” would have to be identical to what it was before in terms of features and size or smaller.
Commissioner Evan Kleinhenz brought up the area’s Culver’s as an example why he believed the new district and guidelines to be worthwhile.
“Culver’s is a good case study, it’s right outside the PUD, so not included, but they pretty much met all of (the guidelines)” Bush said. “So for a restaurant to go in right next to them to the north that is opposite of what Culver’s did, for example, or Texas Roadhouse, it’d be unfair to Culver’s.”
