Photo provided The yellow square shows the location of a proposed community market and cafe in Harrison Township.
Columbus Plan Commission members are forwarding a favorable recommendation to the Columbus City Council for a rezoning request for an applicant to create a community market and cafe in Harrison Township in what was once believed to be a meth lab.
James Neal of Doc Chumley LLC is seeking to rezone an acre at 8030 W. Goeller Blvd. from Commercial: Neighborhood (CN) and Residential: Single-Family 1 (RS1) to Commercial: Community (CC).
It was given unanimous approval, with commission member Dennis Baute recusing himself because he attends a nearby church, he said.
Columbus City Council members make all final decisions about rezoning requests, and must give approval two-times over for them to be finalized. Planning Director Jeff Bergman said the council could consider the request as early as their meeting on Aug. 5.
Neal, who lives within a mile of the site, said the location had become an “eyesore” in recent years, indicating that at one point it was an “active meth lab.” Now retired, Neal said he decided to purchase the property and develop it in hopes that it would be a type of gathering place for neighbors.
“Just as a service to myself and the neighbors, I decided the purchase the property and create something that would bring more value to the neighborhood,” Neal told plan commission members.
He mentioned it could be a community market and cafe, where neighbors could get coffee and peruse locally produced products.
The proposed site plan shows a picnic area, a “dog-friendly play area,” a herb and flower garden, outdoor seating and a beer garden on the outside.
“It’ll hopefully be a place for people to stop in and have a cup of coffee and do some socializing,” Neal said.
The favorable recommendation came with three commitments: one related to landscaping and another regarding limitations in signage size. A third lists eight different commercial uses that are permitted in the proposed CC district, but will be subject to conditional approval by the board of zoning appeals if a future property owner decides to do something different there.
The permitted uses that will essentially be conditional uses on the site include four auto-related uses, a builder’s supply store, equipment rental and a hotel or motel.
The property is surrounded by a mix of single-family residential, commercial and agriculture zoning, with two worship facilities nearby, the Hindu Society of Southern Indiana and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Notably, the 1-acre site has two zoning districts: CN and also Residential: Single-Family 1 (RS1). The zoning ordinance states that when a lot has multiple zoning districts, the district that includes the majority of the lot area applies to the entire property, per Bergman.
The location would tentatively be in operation from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but could end up just being open seasonally depending on customer traffic, Neal said.
The property was bought by Neal in 2023 for $132,000, according to the city/county GIS system.
