Explanation
Council Variance Application: CV25-094
APPLICANT: Stimmel Properties LLC; c/o Laura MacGregor Comek, Esq., Atty.; 17 South High Street, Suite 700; Columbus, OH 43215.
PROPOSED USE: Major auto service and repair facility with an accessory storage yard.
FRANKLINTON AREA COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Approval
CITY DEPARTMENTS' RECOMMENDATION: Approval. The site consists of two parcels being used for a major auto service and repair facility with an accessory storage yard in the UCT, Urban Center District. The property has an active Zoning Code violation for outdoor storage uses. A Council variance is required because neither a major auto service and repair facility nor a storage yard are allowable uses in the UCT district. Variances to drive aisles, driveway, maneuvering, paving and marking of parking spaces, improved surface, wheel stops, fencing, light fixture shielding, parking lot shade trees, headlight and dumpster screening, and vision clearance are also included in this request, and are required to legitimize on-site conditions. The site is located within the boundaries of the Columbus Growth Strategy (2026), which recommends “Mixed Use 2” land uses at this location. Staff notes the subject site was previously zoned M, Manufacturing District before establishment of the 2024 Zoning Code and districts. The applicant has included a site plan with this request showing the previously existing curbcut to Jones Avenue removed, at the request of the Department of Public Service, and shows planters along Jones Avenue, and fencing with black mesh screening around the site’s perimeter. As the property has been historically used as a repair facility with a storage component, staff are supportive of the proposal conditioned on the existing development. Upon termination of the use or demolition of the existing building, the variance will expire.
Title
To grant a Variance from the provisions of Sections 34.E.20.100.A, Uses, Use Table; 3312.09, Aisle; 3312.13(B), Driveway; 3312.25, Maneuvering; 3312.39, Striping and marking; 3312.43, Improved surface required; 3312.45, Wheel stop device; 34.E.20.030.J.1.2, General Requirements, Miscellaneous; 34.G.20.020.C, Lighting, Shielding; 34.G.20.030.D, Landscaping, Parking Lot Shade Trees; 34.G.20.040.A, Screening, Headlight Screening; 34.G.20.040.B, Screening, Dumpster and Bulk Refuse Pick-Up Area Screening; and 34.G.20.050.A.2,Vision Clearance, of the Columbus City Codes; for the property located at 100 JONES AVE. (43222), to allow major auto service and repair and accessory outside storage with reduced development standards in the UCT, Urban Center District (Council Variance #CV25-094).
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WHEREAS, by application #CV25-094, the owner of the property at 100 JONES AVE. (43222), is requesting a Council variance to allow major auto service and repair and accessory outside storage with reduced development standards in the UCT, Urban Center District; and
WHEREAS, Section 34.E.20.100.A, Uses, Use Table, does not allow either a major auto service and repair use, or a storage yard, while the applicant proposes to maintain a major auto service and repair use and to legitimize an accessory storage yard as shown on the submitted site plan; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.09, Aisle, requires a minimum aisle width of 20 feet, while the applicant proposes no drive aisles to access the gravel parking spaces; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.13(B), Driveway, requires a driveway width of 20 feet, while the applicant proposes no formal driveway to access the gravel parking area; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.25, Maneuvering, requires parking spaces to have sufficient access and maneuvering area on the lot where the parking spaces are located, while the applicant proposes to maneuver across parcel lines; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.39, Striping and marking, requires parking spaces to be striped, while the applicant proposes a gravel parking area with no striping; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.43, Required surface for parking, requires the surface of any parking area to be improved with Portland cement, asphaltic concrete, or other approved hard surface, while the applicant proposes a gravel parking area with no hard surface; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.45, Wheel stop device, requires parking spaces to have wheel stop devices, while the applicant proposes no devices within the proposed gravel parking area; and
WHEREAS, Section 34.E.20.030.J.1.2, General Requirements, Miscellaneous, does not allow barbed wire or chain link fences, and limits fences between the maximum building setback and public street right-of-way to four feet in height, while the applicant maintains an existing eight foot tall chain linked fence with barbed wire along the north, south, east, and west property lines; and
WHEREAS, Section 34.G.20.020.C, Lighting, Shielding, requires light fixtures up to 14 feet in height must be shielded to prevent upward lighting, while the applicant proposes no shielding for the existing lights; and
WHEREAS, Section 34.G.20.030.D, Landscaping, Parking Lot Shade Trees, requires one parking lot shade tree per ten surface parking spaces or fraction thereof, for a total of one parking lot shade tree for five parking spaces, while the applicant proposes no parking lot shade trees for five parking spaces; and
WHEREAS, Section 34.G.20.040.A, Screening, Headlight Screening, requires a four foot wide landscaped area with a maximum screening height of 48 inches that does not include chain link fencing, while the applicant proposes to maintain the existing eight foot chain link fence, in combination with black meshing, to reach 75 percent opacity without a landscaped area; and
WHEREAS, Section 34.G.20.040.B, Screening, Dumpster and Bulk Refuse Pick-Up Area Screening, requires 100 percent opaque screening on all sides for a dumpster enclosure and does not allow chain link fencing, while the applicant proposes to utilize the existing eight foot barbed wire chain link fence in combination with black meshing to be used for screening; and
WHEREAS, Section 34.G.20.050.A.2, Vision Clearance, requires a ten foot vision clearance triangle at the intersection of a street and alley between 2.5 feet and ten feet above grade, while the applicant proposes no vision clearance triangle on the southwestern corner of the property at the intersection of Jones Avenue and the adjacent alley; and
WHEREAS, the Franklinton Area Commission recommends approval; and
WHEREAS, the City Departments recommend approval as the requested major auto service and repair and contractor’s storage yard will be developed in accordance with the submitted site plan which demonstrates both the removal of a previously existing curbcut to Jones Avenue and adequate screening from adjacent uses; and
WHEREAS, said ordinance requires separate submission for all applicable permits and a Certificate of Occupancy for the proposed major auto service and repair and contractor’s storage yard; and
WHEREAS, said variances will not adversely affect the surrounding property or surrounding neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, the granting of said variances will not impair an adequate supply of light and air to the adjacent property, unreasonably increase the congestion of public streets, increase the danger of fires, endanger the public safety, unreasonably diminish or impair established property values within the surrounding area, or in any other respect impair the public health, safety, comfort, morals or welfare of the inhabitants of the City of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, the granting of said variance will alleviate the difficulties encountered by the owner of the property located at 100 JONES AVE. (43222), in using said property as desired; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That a variance from the provisions of Sections 34.E.20.100.A, Uses, Use Table; 3312.09, Aisle; 3312.13(B), Driveway; 3312.25, Maneuvering; 3312.39, Striping and marking; 3312.43, Improved surface required; 3312.45, Wheel stop device; 34.E.20.030.J.1.2, General Requirements, Miscellaneous; 34.G.20.020.C, Lighting, Shielding; 34.G.20.030.D, Landscaping, Parking Lot Shade Trees; 34.G.20.040.A, Screening, Headlight Screening; 34.G.20.040.B, Screening, Dumpster and Bulk Refuse Pick-Up Area Screening; and 34.G.20.050.A.2,Vision Clearance, of the Columbus City Codes, is hereby granted for the property located at 100 JONES AVE. (43222), insofar as said sections prohibit a major auto service and repair facility and an accessory storage yard in the UCT, Urban Center District, with no drive aisles to the proposed parking area; no formal driveway to serve parking spaces; no hard surface for parking spaces; maneuvering over parcel lines; no striping or marking for the proposed parking spaces; and no wheel stop devices for the proposed parking spaces; an eight foot tall chain link fence with mesh screen with barbed wire between the maximum building setback and street right of way, also used for required headlight and dumpster screening; no shielding on light fixtures over 14 feet tall; no parking lot shade trees; and no vision clearance triangle at the southwestern corner of the property at the intersection of Jones Avenue and the public alley; said property being more particularly described as follows:
100 JONES AVE. (43222), being 0.57± acres on the east side of Jones Avenue, 170± feet north of Scott Street, and being more particularly described as follows:
Situated in the City of Columbus, County of Franklin, and State of Ohio, Half Section 45, Township 12. Range 21 of the Refugee Lands, and being part of a 31.567-acre parcel of land conveyed to Franklin Progressive Assets, LTD, an Ohio Limited Liability Company, as recorded by Instrument Number 201111230153491, all references being to the Franklin County Recorder's Office, Franklin County, Ohio, and being bounded and more particularly described as follows:
Being a parcel of land lying on the north side of the centerline of existing right-of-way of Chantry Drive, being located within the following described points in the boundary thereof;
Beginning, for reference, at a 5/8'' iron pin found with an unreadable cap in the existing northerly right-of-way line of said Chantry Drive, as shown in Dedication of Scarborough Boulevard, Chantry Drive, Park Crescent, Alshirc Road and Easements, as recorded in Plat Book 46, Page 52 of the records of Franklin County Recorder's Office, Franklin County, Ohio being 40.00 feet left of Station 36+40.16 in said centerline;
Thence along said northerly line with a curve to the right having a radius of 960.00 feet, a central angle of 6° 39' 13", an arc length of 111.48 feet, a chord bearing North 88° 58' 30" West, and a chord distance of 111.42 feet to a point 40.00 feet left. of Station 35+24.03 in said centerline;
Thence continuing along said northerly line North 85° 38' 54"' West a distance of 9.37 fret to a 5/8" iron pin found with an unreadable cap, said pin being at the Grantors southeast corner, also
Being the southwest corner of a 1.507 acres parcel of land conveyed to Franklin Progressive Assets II, LLC, and Ohio Limited Liability Company, as recorder by Instrument Number 202109020156662, being 40.00 feet left of Station 35+14.66 in said centerline, and being the TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING for the parcel herein described;
Thence along said northerly line and the Grantor’s southerly line the following two courses:
1. North 80 degrees 38’ 54” West a distance of 1,135.58 feet to a point 40.00 feet left of station 23+79.08 in said centerline, witnessed by a 5/8” iron pin found with an unreadable cap, said pin being North 7 degrees 16’ 05” east a distance of 1.17 feet from said point’=;
2. With a curve to the right having a radius of 35.00 feet, a central angle of 19 degrees 27’ 57”, an arc length of 11.89 feet, a chord bearing North 75 degrees 55’ 06” west, and a chord distance of 11.83 feet to an iron pin set 42.00 feet left of Station 23+67.42 in said centerline;
Thence crossing the Grantor’s tract along a new line south 85 degrees 38’54” east a distance of 1,147.25 feet to an iron pin set in the Grantor’s easterly line, and westerly line of said 1.507 acre tract being 42.00 feet left of station 35+14.67;
Thence along said Grantor’s line south 4 degrees 35’ 39” west a distance of 2.00 feet to the TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING, containing 0.052 acres, of which the present road occupies 0.000 acres.
Of the above described tract 0.052 acres, including 0.000 acres of present road occupied, is located in the Auditor’s Parcel Number 010-198708.
The bearings for this description are based on Grid North, of the Ohio State Plane Coordinante System, South Zone, NAD83 (2011) as determined by GNSS measurements tied to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Real Time
Address: 100 & 106 Jones Avenue, Columbus, OH 43222
Parcel Number’s: 010-009976 & 010-005616
SECTION 2. That this ordinance is conditioned on and shall remain in effect only for so long as said property is used for a major auto service and repair facility with an accessory storage yard.
SECTION 3. That this ordinance is further conditioned on the subject site being developed in general conformance with the site plan titled, "SITE PLAN," dated August 10, 2026, and signed by Laura MacGregor Comek, Attorney for the Applicant. The plan may be slightly adjusted to reflect engineering, topographical, or other site data developed at the time of the development and when engineering and architectural drawings are completed. Any slight adjustments to the plan shall be subject to review and approval by the Director of the Department Building and Zoning Services, or a designee, upon submission of the appropriate data regarding the proposed adjustment.
SECTION 4. That this ordinance is further conditioned upon the applicant obtaining all applicable permits and for the proposed use.
SECTION 5. That this ordinance is further conditioned upon the existing development, as shown on the submitted site plan, and upon demolition of the existing building, the requested variances are no longer applicable.
SECTION 6. That this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.