Pataskala board approves lot-split variance for 14617 Morse Road with floodplain conditions

On Aug. 12 the Pataskala Board of Zoning Appeals voted to grant two variances to permit a lot split at 14617 Morse Road in the rural residential district that will create two parcels under the 5-acre minimum in the code.

The existing property is nearly 5 acres with roughly 490 feet of frontage on Morse Road and contains a 2,500-square-foot house and a shed. The applicant proposed creating one parcel of approximately three acres (with about 272 feet of frontage) and a residential parcel of about two acres (with roughly 217 feet of frontage). Planning staff said the residual lot and the new lot would both be below the 5-acre minimum required under Pataskala codified ordinance section 12.27.05(b); the residual lot width would be about 217 feet, a reduction from the 250-foot minimum.

Staff noted that most of the property lies in a designated floodplain and that the buildable area for the proposed new lot lies entirely within the floodplain. The staff report said future development would need to comply with chapter 12.57 (floodplain regulations), obtain any required floodplain development permits, and likely require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers review for driveway work. The Licking County health department indicated a lot-split review would be required because water and sewer are on-site (private systems). Staff suggested conditions requiring the applicant to address engineering, planning and health department comments, clearly indicate floodplain boundaries on the survey submitted with the minor subdivision application, and secure necessary city permits within one year of approval.

A neighbor, Matt Stewart of Morse Road, spoke to concerns about local stream flow and prior Corps of Engineers work to redirect flow nearby; he said flooding on Swisher (Swisser) Stream can be substantial and asked how future septic, driveways and excavation would be controlled if a new lot were ultimately developed. The applicant’s representative, attorney David Hodge, said any future work would be subject to review by the city’s floodplain administrator, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies, and that the applicant intended to disclose the floodplain on the survey and follow all regulatory requirements.

After reviewing Duncan-style variance findings, the board concluded the floodplain and lot layout create conditions that justify the variances and approved the request with the staff-recommended conditions. The board recorded findings that the variance represented the minimum relief and that prospective buyers should be made aware of floodplain risks through the survey requirement.

The approvals require the applicant to resolve outstanding comments from planning, engineering and health staff, show floodplain boundaries on the subdivision survey and obtain necessary permits from the City of Pataskala within one year of approval.