ThisWeek CW 05/10/2012
Zoning code changes for Canal Winchester’s Old Town District are headed back to City Council for a vote.
The latest draft includes a conditional use for automobile repair and services and car washes when they are not the primary business use for a property; otherwise, they will be considered a prohibited business.
“We also added a section to allow sale items in a 25-square-foot or smaller area outside of Downtown businesses,” Zoning Administrator Andrew Dutton said. “Also, (we added) a section to allow outdoor seating, which includes indemnity for the city in case there is an accident.”
In March, council members tabled action on proposed changes to the code, asking that several concerns be addressed by staff members and committees first.
At the April 30 Committee of the Whole meeting, Dutton and Development Director Lucas Haire presented the revisions and answered questions for committee members.
“We’ve made some changes just for clarification, and we added some things based on what (council) said they were looking for,” Dutton said. “We’re also going front to back through the preservation guidelines with the Landmarks Commission, but it’ll take a few more months to do that.”
The Landmarks Commission uses the preservation guidelines in making decisions on whether to approve a requested certificate of appropriateness when a property owner in the historic district proposes an alteration or new construction.
The zoning code changes presented by Dutton and Haire are intended to streamline rehabilitation and redevelopment in the historic district by creating setbacks and development codes that conform to the smaller lot sizes and pedestrian focus of the area.
“Under current requirements (for new construction Downtown), you’d have to put the house back 30 feet (from the street) like the rest of the city, but with these changes, you’ll now match the setback of your neighbors’ houses without needing to request a variance,” Haire said.
Councilman Joe Abbott said he believes exterminators or other businesses that deal with chemicals should be allowed to open an office Downtown, as long as they don’t store chemicals on-site.
“We will need to change that text because right now, (an exterminator’s office) would be prohibited, even without the chemicals,” Dutton said.
Abbott requested that be changed.
“We used to have one right next door (to Town Hall),” Abbott said. “This should be a conditional use and not allow the chemicals so that … an exterminator’s office would just fall under office space.”
Dutton said any final proposed changes will be made before council votes on the guidelines.
According to the current council rules, because the proposed code changes were tabled on the third reading, a vote to approve the changes will be taken following a fourth reading, tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. May 21 at Town Hall, 10 N. High St.