Columbia Gas seeks variance for Brandon Road utility station replacement in Upper Arlington

Upper Arlington planning staff and representatives of Columbia Gas of Ohio reviewed a proposal Sept. 3 to replace and expand a utility station at 2723 Brandon Road, and staff identified a variance that the company will need to request before the project can move to a public hearing. The item was discussed during a work session of the Board of Zoning and Planning and no formal vote was taken.

Why it matters: The property sits in a single-family residence (R-1C) district directly north of an existing station and abuts residential lots. Staff said the project must meet the city's residential design standards and conditional-use criteria because utility stations are a conditional use in the district.

Staff summarized the application and the site changes the company has made since an earlier approval in July. According to the staff presentation, Columbia Gas purchased a single-family home north of the existing station in May 2025 and combined the parcels, creating a larger site with mature trees along the rear property line and two existing driveways that will be consolidated to one. The current proposal shows a primary utility building designed to resemble a single-family home, a smaller secondary building, and new driveway and green space south of the buildings. Staff said most standards — including building height, number of permitted buildings and materials — appear to be met, but that setbacks and development coverage have not yet been fully documented by the applicant.

Staff noted one outstanding land-use exception: a variance for the side-yard lawn-wall setback. Staff told the board the applicant could either request the variance or consider moving the primary building farther south to avoid it. The staff presentation also recommended screening and landscape revisions, and that exterior lighting be shielded to "reduce glare on adjacent residential properties, or [the applicant] could explore recessed lighting as well." The board was told a third-party city architect will review scale, massing, height and materials.

Leah Lewis, public affairs specialist for Columbia Gas, told the board the company and its engineering team are reviewing staff comments and will respond. "We are reviewing all of the comments. Our engineering firm is reviewing all of the comments that were delivered, and we're working on those right now. We will have those prepared shortly," Lewis said.

Board members asked for clarification about the secondary (SCADA) building's materials and appearance and about fencing and screening. Staff said the smaller prefabricated secondary building will be an earth‑tone color rather than brick and that landscape screening is expected to provide at least 50 percent opacity to limit visibility from adjacent properties. The applicant agreed to annotate the design and to return revised materials.

Next steps: The applicant must submit a conditional-use statement that responds to each listed standard in the Unified Development Ordinance and provide complete setback and coverage figures. Staff said outstanding landscape, fencing and photometric (lighting) details must be addressed before staff can finalize a packet for a formal hearing; the project will return to the board later in the month for continued review. No motion or formal action was taken at this work session.