Developers recently shared a conceptual site plan for a three-story, mixed-use apartment building to be constructed on Alcott Drive and U.S. 42. The development, illustrated above, would have storefronts on the first floor and apartment units on the second and third floors.
(Graphic submitted)
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Plain City officials got a first look at a new apartment complex developers hope to build on the corner of Alcott Drive and U.S. 42.
David Blair, with Shremshock Architects, spoke to council on behalf of Mekter Group, which plans to create a three-story, 20-unit apartment building including mixed-use and retail space on the first floor.
Blair said access to the 3.26-acre site, which he described as a “very odd shape,” will be exclusively off of Alcott Road.
In the future, Blair said developers would like to add an additional access point off of U.S. 42, but because that involves the Ohio Department of Transportation, it is “a little bit more of a chore.”
He said the traffic study completed for the 20-apartment building does not require the addition of a traffic light but, in the future, a signal would likely be necessary at the intersection.
Approximately two acres of the site, which is a narrow strip with a piece connecting it to U.S. 42, are currently within Darby Township rather than the village.
Developers said the ultimate goal is to purchase the adjacent piece of land to create a cohesive, five-acre development.
Conceptual plans for the multi-use, apartment building submitted to the village indicate there will be four one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments and 16 two-bedroom, two-bathroom units.
He said the first floor, which includes 12,000 square feet of space, could be restaurants or retail stores.
A conceptual site plan from Shremshock Architects illustrates seven retail spaces and one restaurant space.
Blair said there will be a “one-story element” on the eastern side of the development that is identified as restaurant space. A conceptual illustration shows space for an outdoor patio attached to the restaurant.
There will be landscaping installed in front of each of the storefronts.
The development will have buildings fronting Alcott Drive and U.S. 42 with parking located behind the building.
“It’s really designed to push the buildings to the street side,” Blair said.
There is also parking along the east side of the development, which Blair said is to keep light pollution from the adjacent area with existing residents.
Mounding and additional landscape buffering will also line the east side of the site, which separates it from the Copperfield neighborhood.
Additionally, Blair said the existing trees and fencing along Alcott Drive will remain. He noted that a few large trees will need to be removed, but developers will attempt to replant them.
The sidewalk along Alcott Drive will also remain.
Mayor Jody Carney, who also sits on the Planning and Zoning Commission, said she appreciates the developer’s efforts to incorporate resident feedback into the conceptual plan, as evidenced by the addition of parallel parking on the east side and more mounding and trees.
Council member Michael Terry agreed, adding he feels “significant progress” has been made by “listening to as much of the residents as possible.”
Council member John Rucker said he appreciates seeing a mixed-use development rather than solely residential.
“I like the fact that it’s a little more commercial development for a change,” he said.
However, he said he feels having only 80 parking spaces will pose an issue.
“I’m just seeing the Facebook drama in two years about the parking spaces,” Rucker said.
Blair said the number of parking spaces for the apartments is fixed, but different businesses have different parking requirements. So, depending on which tenants locate in the storefronts, the number of parking spaces could go up or down.
Village Planner Derek Hutchinson said the next step for the development is to submit a preliminary development plan that will go before the Planning and Zoning Commission. He said engineering for the development will coincide with the final development plan.