Just as it was nearing completion, the Southwest Area Plan has encountered a problem.
Commissioners and residents recently noticed a change in the plan’s land use map during a presentation with Columbus City Council members.
“The new diagram shows changes from commercial development along Gantz Road to Hardy Parkway to light industrial development,” said Miller.
The new land use map also called for light industrial developments along Frank Road, which residents stated they did not want to see during numerous Southwest Area Plan public input meetings with the Franklin County Planning Department and the City of Columbus Development Department.
Instead, they stated they wanted to see commercial developments, such as small restaurants or retail shops for those areas.
“We don’t want to be overrun by industrial development,” said area resident Don Parsons. “Not only will it hurt our property values, but increased industrial developments will ruin our area forever.”
Miller said while the new designation may have been a simple error, he is still concerned about its implications.
Commissioners said they would gather more information about the land use map in question, and would make an amendment to the area plan’s blueprint if needed.
The Southwest Area Plan has already been adopted by the commission, the Franklin Township Board of Trustees, the Columbus Development Commission, the Jackson Township Zoning Department, the Jackson Township Board of Trustees, the Franklin County Planning Department, the Franklin County Rural Zoning Commission and the Columbus City Council.
The final stop for the plan’s adoption phase is with the county commissioners. They will discuss the plan during their meeting on April 10 at 10 a.m.
Vacated seats filled
At the last meeting, the commission announced the resignation of longtime commissioner and fiscal officer, Roy Bertossi. During that meeting, they appointed first year commissioner Kathy Hatfield as the new fiscal officer, but left his vacated seat empty until the March 18 meeting.
At that meeting, the commissioners appointed first year, at-large member Jason Waltke to fill his seat, and then appointed Marilyn Sandusky to fill Waltke’s at-large seat.
Waltke will serve the remainder of Bertossi’s commissioner term, which expires in 2011, while Sandusky will remain an at-large commissioner until elections are held in August.
The commission also appointed Waltke as chairman of their election committee.
