Plain City Council recently rejected the rezoning request and preliminary development plan that would pave the way for a second phase of the Madison Meadows residential development. The 79.734-acre site is directly south of the existing Madison Meadows development, on the east side of Lafayette Plain City Road. Several council members said they feel the proposed lot sizes are too small, while others said they feel the village needs to pause new housing in the area. (Graphic submitted)
Several Plain City Council members said they feel that they need to pause incoming new housing, leaving developers in the middle of the approval process asking what to do next.
In a split vote on Monday, council rejected the rezoning of 79.734 acres on the east side of Lafayette Plain City Road and a preliminary development plan that would have paved the way for a second phase of the Madison Meadows residential development.
Council members John Rucker, Jim Eudaily and James Sintz voted against the rezoning recommendation from the planning and zoning commission, while Frank Reed and Kerri Ferguson were in favor.
Council President Michael Terry was absent but previously expressed opposition during the public hearing Feb. 14.
During the first reading of the ordinance, several council members expressed their dislike for the lot sizes – 60-foot and 70-foot – proposed in the development plan.
Zoning Administrator Taylor Brill noted Monday that the average lot size of several new developments in Plain City is 70 feet, which she said is comparable to what Madison Meadows Phase II would create.
“Conceptually, they’re not much different,” she said.
Eudaily disagreed.
He said the majority of the lots in the Phase II preliminary development plan are 60-foot lots. He said he likes the 70-foot “patio homes” and feels they should comprise most of the development.
While lot sizes remained a point of contention on Monday, several council members took a step further and shared an overarching opposition to residential developments.
“I’m tired of houses on top of each other, on top of each other, on top of each other,” Rucker said.
He added he feels it is “almost irresponsible” to approve any residential developments, given the lack of existing infrastructure in the village.
Sintz echoed his sentiments.
He said, while campaigning for his council seat, he repeatedly heard residents say they do not want more new homes in the village which led him to vote against the measure.
“I just feel like we’re bursting at the seams,” Sintz said.
Despite this, he said he “wouldn’t commit” to saying he is opposed to all residential development.
If an applicant would like to proceed following the denial of a rezoning request and preliminary development plan, they are required to resubmit an application to restart the process at the planning and zoning committee stage.
Randy Loebig, with Highland Real Estate, asked if it would be worthwhile to resubmit altered plans, if council was ideologically opposed to residential development as a whole.
“What is it you want us to do with it?” he said of Phase II.
Rucker said he would like to see much larger lot sizes, adding that his ideal scenario would be homes on 1-acre lots. Still, he acknowledged that is “not economically feasible” for developers.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” he told Loebig.
While some larger homes may be desirable in Plain City, Reed said he feels there are still some buyers who want comparatively smaller homes like those offered by Madison Meadows Phase II.
“People want crack cocaine too, it doesn’t mean we should provide them with it,” Rucker responded.
Loebig said he is in a poor situation because the plan is “in compliance with your standards” and the planning and zoning commission recommended approval.
He said this led developers to believe Madison Meadows Phase II was a desired project in Plain City and pay engineering and planning fees.
“Frankly, from our standpoint, you’ve put us in a very difficult situation,” he said.
Mayor Jody Carney said she understands the developer’s frustration.
She said the village is currently rewriting its zoning code and, through that, working to determine a vision for future development.
Carney said she understands that “housing is not going to slow down in this area,” so officials are working to determine “where do we draw the line” surrounding what type of development is acceptable.
Council also needs to provide clearer guidance to the planning and zoning commission, Carney said, so situations in which the two bodies disagree – like this – do not arise in the future.
The developer said he ultimately wants Madison Meadows Phase II to be the type of development that council members desire. Still, he said the submitted plans meet the requirements that are currently in place.
“You’re changing the rules in the middle of the game,” he said.
Loebig said he and the developers would consider reworking their development plan for resubmission.
As of Tuesday morning, Brill said she had not had a follow-up conversation with the developers and could not say whether they planned to resubmit their application.
The timeline can vary, but she said the rezoning process in Plain City generally takes between four and six months, which would restart with new plans for Madison Meadows Phase II.
Both Rucker and Sintz told Loebig they would be more inclined to consider the development if it offered larger lot sizes.