Jerome Township officials approved a rezoning along Currier Road that will allow for the development of more than 700 homes for older adults.
In a 2-0 vote, the trustees approved an application from Pulte Homes to rezone 356 acres on the east side of Currier Road, south of U.S. 42, from Rural Residential (RU) District to Planned Development (PD) District.
Trustee Barry Adler, an adjacent property owner, recused himself from the hearing.
On that land, Pulte plans to construct a 712-home, master planned neighborhood restricted to residents who are 55 years or older. The community will include one existing single-family home, so 711 new homes will be constructed.
The “Del Webb” branded neighborhood will be the first of its kind in central Ohio, though they already exist in 21 states throughout the country.
During an extension of the public hearing Tuesday, developers addressed a number of concerns first expressed on Dec. 12.
Zoning Inspector Eric Snowden said, since the initial public hearing, the developers formally restricted the neighborhood to those who are 55 years or older, in accordance with federal Housing and Urban Development requirements.
He said they also refined the landscape buffering requirements as requested by the trustees.
Additionally, Snowden said developers submitted draft “Good Neighbor Agreements” that will be finalized with adjacent property owners to address specific buffering needs.
“I think these additions, for me, really assuaged my concerns,” Trustee Megan Sloat said.
Still, several residents were not as satisfied.
Tara Kunzelman reiterated concerns she shared previously regarding the development’s impacts on the natural environment.
She said she wanted to ensure that Sugar Run tributaries and other “no-name” tributaries are clearly identified and protected in the plan.
Kunzelman also said she is worried about the acres of woodlands that will be “destroyed” by the construction of the Del Webb neighborhood.
In response, Hart explained that there will be a 390-foot riparian setback along the Sugar Run stream corridor, while other streams will have a minimum of 200-foot riparian setbacks.
He said 32 acres of farmed fields will be returned to natural stream corridor buffer areas and 45 acres of greenway will be permanently preserved and protected along stream corridors.
As far as woodlands, Hart said 55 acres of woods will be permanently preserved and 22 acres will be removed.
However, at least 3,400 trees will be replanted.
Hart said that means “the canopy coverage will be greater than it is today.”
Trustee Wezlynn Davis said it is her understanding that the current landowners could remove all trees on that property if they so desired. Snowden and Township Legal Counsel Jennifer Huber affirmed her statement.
Still, Kunzelman recommended reducing the proposed density of the development, 2 units per acre, to 1.6 units per acre. She said she feels this aligns with Jerome Village development standards.
However, Bart Barok, who previously worked with Nationwide Realty on the development of Jerome Village, said it would actually be between 1.8 and 1.9 units per acre if only residential areas were considered. He added that a consent decree approved by the township allows a density of 2 units per acre in Jerome Village.
Michael Madry, an adjacent property owner, also raised concerns surrounding the proposed Good Neighbor Agreements.
He said representatives from Pulte toured his property on Tuesday, but he was still unclear as to what the buffering along his land would entail. Madry said, based on those conversations, he feels the buffering will be dictated by Pulte’s engineers more than resident desires.
“What’s the use of an agreement if they just go back to the plan?” Madry asked.
He added that the buffering agreement would not be made until the developers complete a final development plan.
“We won’t know for another year what might happen,” Madry said. “We might get nothing.”
Hart agreed that buffering cannot be finalized until engineering is completed during the final development plan stage. However, he said Pulte is committed to working together “in good faith” to come to an agreement with neighbors, although “we reserve the right to say, ‘That’s not going to work, let’s try something else.’”
Ultimately, Sloat said she feels appropriate modifications were made to address any concerns.
She said she feels “comfortable with the way (developers have) addressed the environmental impacts,” adding that preserving 55 of 77 acres of woodlands is “really substantial.”
Davis also said she feels “encouraged that Pulte has reached out to adjacent property owners.”
“I think it’s a very well put-together development,” she said.
Both members voted in favor of the rezoning.