Explanation
Council Variance Application: CV26-016
APPLICANT: Ohio Historical Society; c/o Jeffrey L. Brown, Atty.; 172 East State Street, Suite 550; Columbus, OH 43215 .
PROPOSED USE: Primary and non-accessory parking.
NEAR EAST AREA COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Approval.
CITY DEPARTMENTS' RECOMMENDATION: Approval. The site consists of three parcels: one developed with the Poindexter Village Museum (Parcel 1), one with a parking lot (Parcel 3), and one with a multi-unit residential development (Parcel 4), all zoned in the ARLD, Apartment Residential District. The applicant requests a Council variance to allow parking as the primary use of Parcel 3, and to allow off-site parking (non-accessory parking) on Parcels 1 and 4. Variances for dumpster location, drive aisle, driveway, parking lot landscaping and screening, maneuvering, parking setbacks, parking space, required parking, vision clearance, building setbacks, required side yards, side or rear yard obstruction, and perimeter yard are also included in this request. The site is located within the boundaries of the Columbus Growth Strategy (2026), which recommends “Mixed Use 1” land uses at this location. Staff supports the requested variances as the proposed parking arrangement will help serve multiple uses at the same time and does not introduce an incompatible use to the area.
Title
To grant a Variance from the provisions of Sections 3332.02, AR-12, ARLD, and AR-1 Apartment residential district use; 3312.01, Dumpster Area; 3312.09, Aisle; 3312.13, Driveway; 3312.21(A)(D)(1), Landscaping and screening; 3312.25, Maneuvering; 3312.27, Parking setback; 3312.29, Parking space; 3312.49(C), Required parking; 3321.05(A)(1), Vision clearance; 3333.18, Building lines; 3333.22, Required side yards; 3333.25, Side or rear yard obstruction; and 3333.255, Perimeter yard, of the Columbus City Codes; for the property located at 290 N. CHAMPION AVE. (43203), to allow primary and non-accessory parking with reduced development standards in the ARLD, Apartment Residential District (Council Variance #CV26-016).
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WHEREAS, by application #CV26-016, the owner of the property at 290 N. CHAMPION AVE. (43203), is requesting a Variance to allow primary and non-accessory parking with reduced development standards in the ARLD, Apartment Residential District; and
WHEREAS, Section 3333.02, AR-12, ARLD, and AR-1 Apartment residential district use, prohibits parking, whether a primary or non-accessory use, while the applicant proposes parking as the primary use of Parcel 3, and non-accessory parking on Parcels 1 and 4, as depicted on the submitted site plan; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.01, Dumpster Area, requires sufficient maneuvering area on the property it serves, while the applicant proposes maneuvering over property lines for the dumpster located on Parcel 4; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.09, Aisle, does not allow drive aisles to cross parcel lines, while the applicant proposes a drive aisle divided between Parcels 1 and 3; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.13 (B), Driveway, requires a minimum width of 20 feet for driveways, while the applicant proposes a reduced driveway width of 1.5 feet on Parcel 1; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.21(A)(D)(1), Landscaping and screening, requires the interior of any parking lot containing 10 or more parking spaces to provide one deciduous shade tree per 10 spaces or fraction thereof, for a total of three parking lot shade for 23 parking spaces for the parking lot on Parcels 1 and 3; and that screening be provided along abutting residential districts and public streets within a landscaped area at least four feet in width, while the applicant proposes no shade trees and no headlight screening for the parking lots on Parcels 1 and 3, and no screening for the parking spaces located on the western side of Parcel 4, as demonstrated on the submitted site plan; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.25, Maneuvering, does not allow maneuvering across parcel lines, while the applicant proposes to allow maneuvering across property lines for Parcels 1, 3, and 4, and to allow parking spaces to be divided by parcel lines; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.27, Parking setback, requires a parking setback line of 10 feet along Phale D. Hale Drive, while the applicant proposes a parking setback line of 4.67 feet for Parcels 1, 3, and 4; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.29, Parking space, requires parking spaces to be nine feet wide by 18 feet long, while the applicant proposes parking spaces to be divided by parcel lines with reduced sizes of 4.33 feet wide for one parking space in Parcel 1, 4.42 feet long for five spaces in Parcel 1, 4.67 feet wide for one space in Parcel 3, and 13.75 feet long for five spaces in Parcel 4, subject to the overall parking space meeting the required dimensions; and
WHEREAS, Section 3312.49(C), Required parking, requires 60 spaces for the uses on Parcel 1, while the applicant proposes a reduced total of nine spaces; and
WHEREAS, Section 3321.05(A)(1), Vision clearance, requires clear vision triangles of 10 feet at the intersection of a parking lot entrance and the street right-of-way, while the applicant proposes a reduced vision clearance triangles of four feet at the parking lot entrance on Parcels 1 and 3 at Phale D. Hale Drive, and at Phale. D. Hale Drive and the private alley on Parcel 4; and
WHEREAS, Section 3333.18, Building lines, requires a building setback of 25 feet along Granville Street, while the applicant proposes a reduced building setback line of 14 feet for Parcel 1; and
WHEREAS, Section 3333.23, Required side yards, requires a side yard setback of five feet along the common parcel lines for the parking lot on Parcels 1 and 3, while the applicant proposes a reduced side yard of zero feet along common parcel lines for the parking lot on Parcels 1 and 3; and
WHEREAS, Section 3333.25, Side or rear yard obstruction, requires that the minimum area in a required side yard must be open from the established grade to the sky unobstructed, while the applicant proposes the dumpster enclosure and parking spaces on Parcel 1, and parking spaces on Parcel 3 to encroach into the required side yards; and
WHEREAS, Section 3333.255, Perimeter yard, requires a perimeter yard setback of 25 feet, while the applicant proposes a reduced perimeter yard of zero feet along the west property line for Parcel 4; and
WHEREAS, the Near East Area Commission recommends approval; and
WHEREAS, City Departments recommend approval because the proposed parking arrangement will help serve multiple uses at the same time and does not introduce an incompatible use to the area; and
WHEREAS, said ordinance requires separate submission for all applicable permits and a Certificate of Zoning Clearance for the proposed parking uses; and
WHEREAS, said variance will not adversely affect the surrounding property or surrounding neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, the granting of said variance will not impair an adequate supply of light and air to adjacent properties or unreasonably increase the congestion of public streets, or unreasonably diminish or impair established property values within the surrounding area, or otherwise 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 owners of the property located at 290 N. CHAMPION AVE. (43203), in using said property as desired; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That a variance is hereby granted from the provisions of Sections 3332.02, AR-12, ARLD, and AR-1 Apartment residential district use; 3312.01, Dumpster Area; 3312.09, Aisle; 3312321(A)(D)(1), Landscaping and screening; 3312.25, Maneuvering; 3312.27, Parking setback; 3312.29, Parking space; 3312.49(C), Required parking; 3321.05(A)(1), Vision clearance; 3333.18, Building lines; 3333.22, Required side yards; 3333.25, Side or rear yard obstruction; and 3333.255, Perimeter yard, of the Columbus City Codes; for the property located at 290 N. CHAMPION AVE. (43203), insofar as said sections prohibit parking, whether primary or non-accessory, in the ARLD, Apartment Residential District, with maneuvering across property lines for the dumpster located on Parcel 4; a drive aisle to be divided between Parcels 1 and 3; a reduced driveway width of 1.5 feet for Parcel 1; no shade trees for the parking lot on Parcels 1 and 3, no headlight screening for the parking lot located on Parcels 1 and 3, and no screening for the parking spaces located on the western side of Parcel 4, or along the internal property lines between Parcels 1, 2, 3 and 4; maneuvering for parking spaces across parcel lines for Parcels 1, 3, and 4, and parking spaces divided by parcel lines; a reduced parking setback line from ten feet to 4.67 feet along Phale D. Hale Drive; parking spaces to be divided by parcel lines with reduced sizes of 4.33 feet wide for one parking space in Parcel 1, 4.42 feet long for five spaces in Parcel 1, 4.67 feet wide for one space in Parcel 3, and 13.75 feet long for five spaces in Parcel 4, subject to the overall parking space meeting the required dimensions; a reduction in the number of required parking spaces from 60 to nine spaces for Parcel 1; a reduced vision clearance triangle from ten feet to four feet at the parking lot entrance on Parcels 1 and 3 at Phale D. Hale Drive, and at the intersection of the private alley on Parcel 4 with Phale D. Hale Drive; a reduced building setback from 25 feet to 14 feet along Granville Street; a reduced side yard from five to zero feet along common parcel lines for the parking lot on Parcels 1 and 3; encroachment into the required side yards by the dumpster enclosure and parking spaces on Parcel 1, and parking spaces on Parcel 3; and reduced perimeter yard from 25 to zero feet along the west property line for Parcel 4; and said property being more particularly described as follows:
290 N. CHAMPION AVE. (43203), being 4.21± acres located at the southeast corner of North Champion Avenue and Granville Street, and being more particularly described as follows:
TRACT 1:
Situated in the State of Ohio, County of Franklin, City of Columbus, Half Section 14, Township 5, North, Range 22 West, of the Refugee Lands, being all of Lots 9 through 14, and Lot 35, being parts of Lot 36, Lot 42, Lot 43 and vacated 20 foot alleys of the Garner and Prentice’s Subdivision as delineated in Plat Book 3, Page 25, destroyed by fire, said portions of right of way as vacated by the City of Columbus in Ordinance Number 352-39 are redefined by Ordinance Number 2-40 and being a tract of land conveyed to Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority by Volume 1850, Page 165, all records herein are from the Recorder’s Office, Franklin County, Ohio and being more particularly described as follows:
Beginning at an iron pin set in the intersection of the easterly right of way line of Champion Avenue (formerly Ridge Street - 50 foot) of the Bethauser Rankin Samuel & Walker Subdivision as delineated in Plat Book 2, Page 234 and the southerly right of way line of Granville Street (50 foot) as delineated in said Plat Book 3, Page 25, said point also being the northwesterly corner of said Lot 14;
Thence, South 86 deg. 25’ 13” East, a distance of 234.66 feet in the southerly right of way line of said Granville Street and the northerly line of said Lot 14, vacated 20 foot alley, Lot 35 and Lot 36 to an iron pin set;
Thence, South 03 deg. 03’ 38” West, a distance of 300.00 feet through said Lot 36, vacated 20 foot alley and Lot 43 to the northerly right of way line of Phale D. Hale Drive (formerly Clifton Avenue - 50 foot) as delineated in said Garner and Prentice’s Subdivision;
Thence, North 86 deg. 25’ 22” West, a distance of 30.66 feet in the northerly right of way line of said Phale D. Hale Drive and the southerly line of said Lot 43 to an iron pin set in the southeasterly corner of a 0.132 acre tract conveyed to Union Grove Baptist Church by Deed Book 2777, Page 237;
Thence, North 03 deg. 03’ 38” East, a distance of 90.00 feet through said Lot 43 and in the easterly line of said 0.132 acre tract to an iron pin set in the northeasterly corner of said 0.132 acre;
Thence, North 86 deg. 25’ 22” West, a distance of 64.00 feet through said Lot 43, Lot 42 and a vacated 20 foot alley and in the northerly line of said 0.132 acre tract to an iron pin set in the easterly line of said Lot 9, said point also being the northwesterly corner of said 0.132 acre tract;
Thence, South 03 deg. 03’ 38” West, a distance of 20.00 feet in easterly line of said Lot 9, and the westerly line said 0.132 acre to an iron pin set in the northeasterly corner of Lot 8 of said Garner and Prentice’s Subdivision conveyed to Union Grove Baptist Church by Deed Book 507, Page 17;
Thence, North 86 deg. 25’ 22” West, a distance of 140.00 feet in the common line of said Lots 8 and 9 to an iron pin set on the easterly right of way line of Champion Avenue;
Thence, North 03 deg. 03’ 38” East, a distance of 230.01 feet in the easterly right of way line of said Champion Avenue and the westerly lines of said Lots 9 through 14 to the True Point of Beginning containing 1.259 acres, more or less, subject to legal highways and other easements of records.
Iron pins set are 5/8” diameter by 30 inch long rebar with a cap that reads “CW Design Group”.
The bearings described herein are based on the Ohio State Plane Coordinate System, South Zone, NAD83 (CORS96). Said bearings originated from a field traverse which was referenced to said coordinate system by GPS observations and observations of selected stations in the Ohio Department of Transportation Virtual Reference Station network. The centerline of Champion Avenue having a bearing of South 03 deg. 03’ 38” West is designated the “basis of bearing” for this description.
The described tract is a part of Auditor’s Tax Parcel Number 010-001624 and is based on Plat Book 2, Page 234, Plat Book 3, Page 25, Ordinance Number 2-40 and Volume 1850, Page 165.
A plat survey is attached hereto and made a part of.
I hereby certify this description was based field survey conducted by CW Design Group, LLC under my guidance in March 2017 and to the best of my knowledge depicts the boundary lines.
TRACT 2:
Real property in the City of Columbus, County of Franklin, State of Ohio, described as follows:
Lot 7 of Poindexter Village Section 2, according to the plat thereof recorded as Instrument No. 201802090018655, records of the Recorder’s Office, Franklin County, Ohio.
Address: 290 North Champion Avenue, Columbus, OH 43203
Parcel Numbers: 010-297720, 010-38096, and 010-298010
SECTION 2. That this ordinance is conditioned on and shall remain in effect only for so long as said property is used for parking in the ARLD, Apartment Residential District.
SECTION 3. That this ordinance is further conditioned on the subject site being developed in general conformance with the site plan titled, "SITE PLAN C201," dated May 27, 2026, and signed by Jeffrey L. Brown, 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.
SECTION4. That this ordinance is further conditioned upon the applicant obtaining all applicable permits and a Certificate of Zoning Clearance for the proposed parking uses.
SECTION 5. That this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.