The Bellefontaine Board of Zoning Appeals voted Tuesday night to approve zoning variances for a housing development at the intersection of Township Road 216 & County Road 11, next to Southview Park.
BUT there are conditions.
Around two dozen area neighbors to the property testified against the variances, asking for more of a buffer zone and other limits.
The vote allows the housing project to move forward on the roughly 143-acre property known to many as the Detrick property.
The requests were made by Bart Barok of Sox Real Estate, based in Delaware, Ohio.
All five zoning board members were present: Brian Osterfeld, Jason Robson, Doug Elton, Mike Vetorino, and Joe Daniels.
Several residents who live near County Road 11 spoke against the request, asking for better protection of the area’s rural feel.
One neighbor suggested mature trees, berms, and wider buffers to reduce noise, trash, dust, and debris from nearby farm fields, and another questioned whether the variances met the legal standard required for approval.
After public comments ended, Barok told the board the changes were designed to create more shared green space and allow room for walking and biking trails inside the development.
City officials requested the no-tax-abatement condition before annexation.
Barok asked that it be included in the zoning decision as confirmation that the developer is not seeking tax breaks.
The board approved the following changes to city zoning rules:
- Minimum lot width set at 60 feet
- Minimum lot size set at 7,800 square feet
- Front yard setback reduced to 20 feet
- Rear yard setback reduced to 30 feet
- Side yard setbacks reduced to 5 feet on each side, with a total of 10 feet
- An exception keeping side yard setbacks at five feet with no additional adjustments
Each variance was voted on separately, and all were approved with conditions.
Robson, head of the board, explains:
At the end of the meeting, Barok explained that a plan for the property should be ready in about 45 days for review by the Bellefontaine Planning Commission.
The project will then move to the Planning Commission for detailed review of design, landscaping, and buffering, ensuring that the developer follows all zoning approvals.
The zoning board set its next regular meeting for March 3, and hopes to be a more normal meeting with fewer serious topics.
