Council approves contested Demarest Road rezoning after amendment to reduce building height at entrance

Columbus City Council voted to approve an ordinance rezoning 2410 Demarest Road from the city's default rural district to LAR‑1 (limited apartment residential) to allow a multiunit apartment development, after the applicant agreed to amend the project to reduce the height of the building at the site entrance from three stories to two.

The amendment, offered by the developer during council consideration, reduces the project's unit count by eight and was accepted by council before the final roll call. Councilmember Dorrance, chair of the zoning committee, moved the measure; the rezoning passed on a roll‑call vote with all present members voting yes.

City planning staff and the Columbus Department of Public Service described the proposal as a high‑quality design that meets updated city design guidelines and helps meet local housing needs. "Planning is in full support," said Chris Lohr of the Division of Planning, citing the proposal's site‑level design features such as tree preservation, buffering and open‑space activation.

Traffic and access issues were discussed at length. Dan Bushman of the Division of Traffic Management said the developer's traffic access study met city requirements and that the proposal includes turn‑lane work and a fee in lieu to the Franklin County Engineer to support a future regional path on Demarest. The project also commits about $193,000 toward regional roadway improvements, the city said.

Jeffrey L. Brown, the applicant's attorney,…