Far Northwest Coalition

JUNE 2011 - FNWC MINUTES

Far Northwest Coalition

Columbus, OH

June 29, 2011

 The Far Northwest Coalition (FNWC) met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the Northwest Library on Hard Road.  Members present were John Best, Kelly Thompson and Rich Herner.

Best called the meeting to order.  He reported that he had spoken with John Kennedy, the attorney for the civic consortium opposing the proposed apartment complex at Smoky Row and Snouffer, and that the purchase option for the property had run out and the project had been dropped by the developers.  He noted that there had been no apparent work on the Hard Road Park started but it was mentioned that the timeline was to have bids put out in May and work to actually start perhaps in August. 

Best then reported that there were signs sitting in the right-of-way in many spots in this part of town but code enforcement has not done much about it.  It was noted that residents could call 645-3111 or go online to www.311.columbus.gov to report problems of this sort.

Herner asked about a resident request for information on the Park-n-Ride sign at the church on Smoky Row.  After a brief discussion, it was recommended that the resident contact the City directly for further information thru one of the above channels.

Jeff Greetham of Central Ohio Residential Plans then made a presentation concerning a variance request for property located at 2411 Sovran Court.  Applicants are John Albrecht and Heidi Sorin.  The variance is necessary to allow them to add on a 12’ by 32’ garage for a 3^rd car to the home.  The variance is needed because the square footage of the garage area would exceed that allowed based upon the size of the home.  To be within current zoning regulations, they would only be able to build a 12’ by 16’ garage addition.  The remainder of the garage space is to be used for storage, not for any type of commercial purpose.  The addition will tie into the current home’s roof line, so the look will be more aesthetically pleasing.  They also plan to match the current brick & other exterior materials.  It was noted that there are several other 3 car garages in the immediate area.  All rear and side yard setbacks would be within code.  The request is to go to the Board of Zoning Appeals on August 23.  The 10 homeowners within 125’ of the property were contacted, with 8 of the 10 in agreement with the work.  However, they have still not been able to make contact with the neighbor next door who would be most impacted by the addition.  Mr. Greetham noted that even though that resident had yet to be contacted, the building would still be within the setback lines and should not be an issue with that neighbor.

Nancy Reger of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Center (MORPC) then made a presentation to those in attendance concerning the 2035 Transportation Plan.  Reger outlined in general terms what MORPC is and what it does for the Central Ohio area.  They are in the midst of working on the 2035 transportation plan now.  She talked about the process of working on the plan; including strategic planning, internet surveys, as well as other means of communicating with local groups and residents about the plan.  She said the long-range plans are updated every 4 years and are available for review on the MORPC web site www.morpc.org.

Reger noted that the north central outerbelt work will be starting in the next year or so, with the Route 23/High Street piece being the first phase.  She said that the next phase of the Hard Road improvements will be starting shortly and that the Linworth Road bridge work over I-270 will start this year.  She also noted that the I-70/I-71 split downtown will be starting next year and will be an ongoing project for some time.  She said residents can contact Paving the Way (645-PAVE or pavingtheway.org) for road construction information, as well as contacting Nate Vogt at MORPC for the same type of information by calling 233-4183 or by email at nvogt@morpc.org

The FNWC then briefly discussed the request for variance on the property located at 2411 Sovran Court.  The FNWC was appreciative of the fact that most residents in the area were okay with the planned construction and that the addition would fall within the setback requirements; however the concern was that the immediate neighbor who would be most impacted by the addition had yet to be contacted.  The group was reluctant to give approval to any plans without the input of that resident. 

There being no further business to come before the FNWC, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Rich Herner

FNWC Secretary