Explanation
Council Variance Application: CV21-153
APPLICANT: Campus Hotel LLC; c/o Jeffrey L. Brown, Atty.; 37 West Broad Street, Suite 460; Columbus OH 43215.
PROPOSED USE: Hotel and extended stay hotel.
FIFTH BY NORTHWEST AREA COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Disapproval.
CITY DEPARTMENTS' RECOMMENDATION: Approval. The site consists of one parcel in the M, Manufacturing District that is developed with two hotels, one fronting on King Avenue, and one fronting on Olentangy River Road. The requested variance will allow the King Avenue hotel to be redeveloped with a 117-room extended stay hotel which is a prohibited use of the M district. The 55-room hotel that fronts on Olentangy River Road will remain, and an existing 300 square foot drive-thru window connected to the hotel which is used for checking in/out, will be repurposed to include guest food service. Variances are included to increase building height, eliminate a bypass lane and stacking for the drive-thru, reduce the landscaping and screening requirements, reduce the parking setback line on King Avenue from 10 feet to 0 feet, reduce the minimum number of parking spaces from 176 required to 97 provided, permit the loading space to be located in a drive aisle, and reduce the building setback along King Avenue. The site is within the planning boundaries of the 5th by Northwest Area Plan (2009), which recommends “Community Commercial” land uses at this location. The “Community Commercial” land use designation includes multi-story mixed use projects including office/retail and multi-unit residential development, which is consistent with the proposed extended stay hotels. Additionally, the Plan includes early adoption of the Columbus Citywide Planning Policies (C2P2) Design Guidelines (2018), which recommends that buildings be parallel to and facing the street, landscaping and street trees be provided, high quality and durable materials be utilized, and any drive-thru pickup windows be located to t...
Click here for full text