Riverside Civic Association

Write Your Concilman about Rezoning at West Case and Riverside

Mar 03, 2002

We need everyone to write to our concilmen to get them to understand our opposition the te rezoning of W. Case Road and Riverside Drive. If you have not done so please do it now.

Councilman Michael Mentel
City Hall, 90 West Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-9015
RE: 3334 W. case Road
Dear Councilman Mentel:

I am a resident of the community surrounding the proposed development at 3334 W. Case Road. I am opposed to rezoning this land to PUD-6. My neighbors and I ask that City Council hear our concerns and reject this rezoning request.


I AM OPPOSED TO THIS REQUEST FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

1. THIS SPOT ZONING WILL SET A BAD PRECEDENT FOR THE PROLIFERATION OF CONDOMINIUMS OR APARTMENTS NORTH ALONG THE BLUFF OF THE SCIOTO RIVER. CURRENTLY, THE OPEN SPACE AND VEGETATED AREA ARE AROUND THE EXISTING HOMES PRESERVE THE NATURAL CHARACTER OF THE BANKS OF THE RIVER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE IN COLUMBUS.

2. THE CURRENT ZONING TEXT FOR 3334 WEST CASE ROAD, ALLOWS FOR THE CONTINUATION AND CONNECTION OF FUTURE ROADWAYS AND/OR DRIVEWAYS TO BE USED WHEN THAT LAND, TO THE NORTH, REDEVELOPS. THE AREA SET ASIDE IS LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THIS PROPOSAL.

3. THE CURRENT SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES THAT ARE LOCATED ON THIS SITE ENJOY A NICE SETBACK FROM RIVERSIDE DRIVE, THEREFORE, THEY DO NOT HEAR THE TRAFFIC AND NOISE THAT IS CURRENTLY GENERATED BY THE 50 MILE PER HOUR SPEED LIMIT ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE. THE CONDOS ON THE OTHER HAND WILL NOT HAVE A SETBACK THAT MATCHES THAT OF THE SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES ON THE SITES TO THE NORTH OF IT. THE CONDOS WILL HEAR THE TRAFFIC AND NOISE.

4. THE CURRENT WIDTH OF W. CASE ROAD IS 20 FEET. THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC THAT WILL GENERATED ON W. CASE ROAD FROM THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 86 CONDO UNITS PROPOSED, ON THE NORTH EAST CORNER OF RIVERSIDE DR. AND W. CASE ROAD. THE NEW ACCESS FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL SIT ON AHILL WITH A 6% GRADE.

5. ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF RIVERSIDE DRIVE AND W. CASE ROAD, THERE ARE CONDOS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THESE UNITS WERE APPROVED BY THE CITY ON JUNE 4, 2001. THERE WILL BE ANYWHERE FROM 128 TO 170 UNITS BUILT, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF AND STYLE OF THE CONDOS BEING BUILT. PHASE I AND PHASE II OF BARRY TRACE CONDOS,ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF W. CASE ROAD WERE ALREADY THERE PRIOR TO THE NEW CONSTRUCTION GOING ON. THERE IS APPOXIMATELY 100 CONDOS IN THE BARRY TRACE DEVELOPMENT.
THE CONDO DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR YEARS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF W. CASE ROAD.

6. THE PROPOSED SITE SITS ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF W. CASE ROAD AND RIVERSIDE DR. THE LAND IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPED WITH SINGLE-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT. THE LAND TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THIS SITE IS ALSO DEVELOPED WITH SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES. THIS IS AN ESTABLISHED AREA OF DEVELOPMENT WHERE SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES HAVE EXISTED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF W. CASE ROAD.

7. THE PEOPLE, WHO BUILT THEIR SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES ON THE CUL-DE-SACS IN RIVERSIDE GREEN DID SO WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS. THIS IS CHANGING THE RULES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME.

8.THE CITY'S DIVISION OF SAFETY HAS ASKED THE DEVELOPER FOR THEIR OWN ENTRANCE OFF OF RIVERSIDE DRIVE. THIS WILL BE UTILIZED AS "EMERGENCY USE ONLY". THEY SAID W. CASE ROAD IS TO NARROW, ONLY 20 FEET WIDE, AND TOO CONGESTED.

9. THE SITE IN QUESTION, 3334 W. CASE ROAD, HAS SOME ACREAGE IN THE COLUMBUS
AND DUBLIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THERE COULD BE CHILDREN IN BOTH SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIVING IN THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT. THAT MEANS COLUMBUS AND DUBLIN WILL HAVE BUSES GOING TO THE DEVELOPMENT AT THE SAME TIMES TO PICK-UP STUDENTS. COLUMBSUS BUSES WILL GO INTO THE DEVELOPMENT TO PICK UP THE CHILDREN. DUBLIN, HOWEVER, WILL NOT. CHILDREN WAITING FOR THE DUBLIN BUS WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR PICK-UP OUT ON W. CASE ROAD. THERE ARE NO SIDEWALKS ON W. CASE ROAD, IN FACT, IT IS LINED WITH DITCHES. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE, IT IS DANGEROUS FOR AN ADULT TO STAND ON W. CASE, LET ALONE A CHILD. MR. WAGENBRENNER TOLD US THAT IS DUBLIN'S PROBLEM, NOT HIS!

10.THE LAND THAT SITS TO THE NORTH OF THIS SITE, WHERE THE FUTURE ROADWAYS WILL CONNECT TO THE NEXT REDEVELOPMENT, IS ALL DUBLIN SCHOOL LAND. THAT MEANS ALL THE CHILDREN FROM PHASE II WILL BE GOING THROUGH TO THE PHASE I ACCESS, OFF W. CASE ROAD, IN ORDER TO CATCH A SCHOOL BUS! THERE ARE CURRENTLY 40 SCHOOL BUSES A DAY ON W. CASE ROAD.

11. THE SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES THAT NOW SIT ON THIS PROPERTY WILL BE REPLACED WITH CONDO UNITS. SOME OF THE CONDO UNITS WILL BE ATTACHED, CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

12. W. CASE ROAD HAS SERVED AS A DIVIDING LINE, A NATURAL BOUNDARY, IF YOU WILL. THE DEVELOPMENT THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS ON BOTH THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDE OF W. CASE ROAD IS ESTABLISHED DEVELOPMENT. WE ARE SATURATED WITH CONDOS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF W. CASE ROAD. IT MAKES NO SENSE TO START STRIPPING OUT RIVERSIDE DRIVE TO THE NORTH. ONCE THIS PRECEDENT IS SET, THERE WILL BE NO WAY TO STOP IT.

13 WE HAVE RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR MIX RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. THE NEED HAS BEEN MORE THEN MET BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONDO UNITS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF W. CASE ROAD, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SINGLE FAMILY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF W. CASE ROAD.

I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY LETTER. I WOULD LIKE CITY COUNCIL'S HELP IN DEFEATING THIS REZONING REQUEST.

SINCERELY,


YOUR NAME

CC: COUNCIL PRES. MATT HABASH, COUNCILMAN KEVIN BOYCE, COUNCILMAN RICH SENSENBRENNER, COUNCILWOMAN JENNETTE BRADLEY, COUNCILWOMAN MARYELLEN O'SHAUGHNESSY, AND COUNCILWOMAN CHARLETA TAVARES.

WRITE ONE LETTER TO COUNCILMAN MICHAEL MENTEL, THEN COPY IT AND SEND IT TO ALL 7 MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL, AT THE SAME ADDRESS STATED ABOVE. OR FAX THEM TO EACH MEMBER AT 645-6164.