Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The purpose of this legislation is to authorize the Director of the Department of Public Service to execute those documents necessary to vacate the right-of-way identified within ordinance 1973-96 to allow Battelle to combine parcels, clear title, and as a result allow the area and Battelle’s adjacent headquarters complex to be redeveloped.
In 1996, pursuant to Ordinance 1973-96, the City agreed to transfer various streets and alleys (“right-of-way”) to Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle) in exchange for $70,700.00 and a bike path easement along the Olentangy River. These streets and alleys run east and west in an area generally located north of Third Avenue, south of Vermont Place, west of Perry Street, and east of the Olentangy River. City records indicate Battelle paid the City the $70,700.00 for the right-of-way and granted the bike path easement, as recorded under Instrument No. 199606240161205, Recorder’s Office, Franklin County. A quit claim deed was also prepared by the City of Columbus Attorney’s Office and signed by the Director of Public Service on December 16, 1998, but it was just recently discovered while Battelle was in the process of combining certain parcels that there is no record of that quit claim deed having been recorded and the original cannot be located. Therefore, Battelle, as the owner of all abutting property to the right-of-way, is now requesting that the City vacate the right-of-way to clear any title issues and allow the parcels to be combined by the County Auditor’s Office, which will then allow the area to be re-developed. Per current practice, comments were solicited from City agencies and it was determined that, subject to the retention of easements for those utilities currently located within these rights-of-way, the City will not be adversely affected by the vacation of these rights-of-way. The right-of-way consists of 5 strips, running west of the west right-of-way line of Perry Street to the...
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