Gahanna planning panel approves Biggby Coffee development, five variances for 348 Granville St.

The Gahanna Planning Commission voted unanimously Sept. 24 to approve a development plan and five variances that will allow a 445-square-foot Biggby Coffee with a drive-through at 348 Granville Street.

City planning staff presented the application as a permitted commercial use in the city’s general commercial zoning and said it conforms to the city’s mixed-use land-use designation. “This particular request does meet all of our applicable standards of the zoning code and other ordinances, with the exception of the variances,” Michael Blackford, director of planning, told the commission.

Blackford said the 0.3-acre parcel has a long development history, was rezoned for commercial use in 2022, and that prior lot-split actions and the 2024 zoning-code rewrite left the site in a configuration where nearly any commercial development would require relief. The staff report recommended approval of the major development plan and all five variances, and said city engineering and police had reviewed circulation and…