Westland Area Commission

Westland Area Plan

WAC Comments and Recommendations

Westland Area Commission

Comments & Recommendations in Response to
Area Plan Update Draft

September 30, 2003

Observations, Comments & Recommendations

ESDA Boundaries

In the 1994 Westland Area Plan, the far northwest area of the Westland Area was designated as an “Environmental Conservation District” (ECD). The boundaries of this ECD were the Conrail tracks on the north; Hamilton Ditch on the west; just north of Tamara Avenue on the South; and Alton Darby Creek Road, in a straight line down to the South border (which captured large portions of the 100-year floodplain), on the East.

In the 2003 Westland Area Plan Update Draft, the far northwest area of the Westland Area is now referred to as an “Environmentally Sensitive Development Area” (ESDA), however the boundaries have changed. The new boundaries are: the Conrail tracks on the north; Hamilton Ditch on the West; Clover Groff Ditch on the South and on the East.

It is the changes to the South and East borders that are of concern. With this change, portions of the 100-year floodplain that were previously protected from development are now open for development. The impacts of developing this floodplain property could have disastrous environmental effects on the Hellbranch Run Ditch and on the Big Darby Creek, as well as lead to additional flooding and other environmental related concerns of surrounding properties.

In an effort to better protect the Hellbranch Run Ditch and the Big Darby Creek and to prevent further flooding, we request that the south and east borders of the ESDA be moved to their previous positions in the 1994 Westland Area Plan.

Recreation & Parks

With regard to Recreation and Parks, the 2003 Westland Area Plan Update Draft does not include any land use recommendations for open space, a community recreation center, or in any way address this need for the Westland Area. Regardless of any current budget situation, it is of vital importance that these issues be addressed in the updated plan.

It is also important to note that the Westland Area has a great need for more usable, active parkland, not just floodplain or wetland areas that developers can’t use and thus donate to the City as a park or for retention ponds.

The need continues to exist for 30 to 40 acres for a community recreation center. If this need is not specifically detailed in the updated area plan, it is not reasonable to expect the City to set aside any areas or make any further demands on developers for this purpose.
Residential Development

With regard to the Residential Development Standards as outlined in the draft, we recommend that base residential density be 3 units per acre gross. We further recommend that any bonus density be not greater than 1 unit per acre gross.

Additionally, with regard to standards that must be met to achieve bonus density, we recommend that the percentage of residential units in any proposed development that would be devoted to “move-up” housing be increased to 45%.

We further recommend that the language in sentence two of paragraph A, dealing with standards, be changed to: “Developers must meet all of the following standards to achieve this objective”.

Anything less than these suggestions fails to meet the spirit of the entire “Move-Up Housing” exercise that members of the Westland Area Commission participated in with City Development staff and representatives of the development community over the past year.

Further, the statement that economic diversity can be seen in the residential market in the Westland Area due to the fact that single-family homes ranged in price in 2002 from $119,000 to $163,000. That is only a range of 37%. Homes in Upper Arlington range from $125,000 to greater than $800,000, a difference of 540%. Even German Village has a larger range of price diversity.

Commercial Development

With regard to Commercial Development Standards, we don’t object to the concept of a Regional Commercial Overlay being established along West Broad Street and other commercial nodes in the area, such as near the intersection of Hall Road and Galloway Road. Such standards will raise the bar for what is required for commercial development.

With regard to the proposed map however, we do feel that the areas suggested for commercial zoning be revised, in particular, the proposed commercial zoning along West Broad Street. The existing development in the area west of Alton Darby Creek Road and on the north side of West Broad Street is currently one unit, at the most, per acre. Most homes in that area have lots larger than one acre. We believe that by allowing commercial zoning so close to this area is too intense of a use and should not occur. As an alternative, we believe that any new commercial zoning along West Broad Street, on both the north and south sides, should go no further west than Doherty Road.

By accepting the suggested change in item 3) above to a base residential density of 3 units per acre gross, and by accepting the suggested change in item 4) of limiting new commercial zoning to no further west than Doherty Road, it allows for a gradual increase in land use intensity, as well as residential density between the area west of Alton Darby Creek Road and existing residential developments to the east of Galloway Road, which are typically closer to 5 units per acre.

Safety Issues

Another area of concern that is not addressed in the Westland Area Plan Update is that of safety. As the Westland Area continues to grow, this issue must be dealt with. We cannot be expected to plan for additional residential and commercial development without recognizing the need for increased police and fire protection and planning for it appropriately.

We recommend that the issue of public safety be included in the Westland Area Plan Update, and specifically that it address the need for additional police and fire officers in order to accommodate the continued growth in the area.

Environmental Planning

In an effort to protect the Darby Watershed, we must protect the Hellbranch subwatershed. There are several multi-jurisdictional efforts currently underway which are addressing the issues that need to be dealt with, and upon completion will be releasing recommendations for further environmental protection.

A watershed cannot withstand dense build-outs without being severely impacted. Moreover, the Hellbranch already does not meet the EPA's water quality goals. Everything that happens in a watershed impacts the stream, and all must be taken into account if planning is to be effective. It is impossible to make an environmentally safe update for the Westland area without considering the results of the planning efforts currently underway. Additionally, completion of the Westland Area Plan Update prior to the completion of a comprehensive land use plan violates the spirit of the two-year development moratorium, which was enacted by Columbus City Council last year.

We suggest waiting until all the planning efforts currently underway are complete before deciding what development is appropriate for the Westland Area.