National Church Residences proposes new headquarters and senior housing; neighbors cite privacy, traffic and path concerns

National Church Residences (NCR) presented a revised campus redevelopment plan at the Sept. 3 Upper Arlington Board of Zoning and Planning work session that would replace existing campus buildings on Northbank Drive with a new corporate headquarters and two senior housing buildings. Staff described elements of the major site plan and a related plat amendment and identified one variance. Dozens of residents attended public comment, with many expressing concerns about privacy, building height, construction traffic and a proposed lake-side trail.

What the proposal includes: The plan before the board would demolish NCR's dated office buildings, build a roughly 59,000-square-foot corporate headquarters closer to Northbank Drive, and construct two senior housing buildings: an immediate 80-unit age-restricted building and a future 120-unit senior living building. The design includes two levels of structured parking under the office building, three stories in the senior building design shown to the board, and a recreational path along the south side of the property adjacent to the lake. Staff and the applicant said structured parking would reduce surface asphalt and free space for a green area along the lake.

Staff context and required approvals: Planning staff reminded the board that the city's Envision Henderson plan and a rezoning process in 2022 established the area's redevelopment framework and height limits. Staff said the overall submission requires a major site-plan review by the board (scheduled for a public hearing Sept. 17), a plat amendment (a recommendation to city council), and an easement dedication that goes to council only. Staff identified one variance: a 10-foot front-yard setback from the right‑of‑way that the proposed buildings would exceed and for which the applicant is seeking relief. The city engineer concluded the utilities have adequate capacity, and staff said they will prepare a full staff report in advance of the hearing.

Applicant response and design changes: Amy Rosenthal, vice president of housing development for National Church Residences, said the team has increased outreach since the prior presentation, held community meetings, and revised designs in response to feedback. Rosenthal said the proposal "increases the setback to 42½ feet" for the office building from the lake compared with the existing structure and that upper office floors are set back farther, yielding about 60 feet from the lake on higher floors. She also said the project team had modified south-facing balconies, noting that "the roof structures over the south facing balconies have been removed or significantly shortened." Rosenthal said the applicant is committed to preserving existing mature trees, planting supplemental trees and adding landscaping between the lake and the buildings. She also told the board the applicant is aiming to meet LEED or similar sustainability standards.

Staff technical comments and constraints: City staff provided a multi-department comment letter covering traffic, utilities, easements, landscaping, lighting, signage, emergency access, and construction mitigation. Staff said a 15-foot-wide utility easement runs along the south side of Arlington Center Boulevard and widens into a corridor that contains sanitary sewer, storm sewer, electric and fiber; vacating that easement would be costly and technically complex. Staff said most buildings have been pushed north as far as feasible given the easement and existing utilities. The lighting submittal is generally compliant but staff asked for a few fixture shields to keep illumination on site; the parks department will separately review any trail design and illumination along the recreational path.

Public comments: The board heard about a dozen public comments from Concord Village residents and others. Several residents said they support senior housing in principle but asked for substantive design changes: moving the headquarters north, reducing building height, burying or further lowering parking to reduce overall massing, removing balconies that face the lake and eliminating the proposed walking path along the narrowest part of the pond. Representative comments included:

- Marge Blunt, Concord Village resident: "I feel what NCR is doing is taking away our privacy... and the walking path I'm upset with that it's right next to the water."

- Carol Witherspoon, Concord Village resident: "The road leading into the village... should be closed during all the construction."

- Edwina Thrush, Concord Village resident: "The proposed size and height of the new buildings are too large, too intrusive for a setting that backs up to a beautiful residential neighborhood."

Some speakers proposed temporary traffic routing during construction, greater setback or design changes to reduce visibility from lakefront homes, and asked the board to ensure the plat language about lake ownership and maintenance be clarified before any plat amendment is approved.

Next steps: Staff will finalize a staff report and return the major site-plan application for a public hearing and vote on Sept. 17. City council will separately review the development agreement, plat amendment and easement dedication; school-board review of the development agreement was scheduled for Sept. 9, according to staff. No formal action was taken at the Sept. 3 work session.