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Council advances alley vacation for MLJ Properties redevelopment on first reading
Summary
The council passed, 9-0, a first-reading ordinance to vacate platted alleys in the Falls Place Addition to allow MLJ Properties to replat five lots into a single parcel and pursue redevelopment into five duplexes (10 units); utility providers raised no objections, and staff will withhold second reading until a subdivision plat is filed.
The Columbus City Council voted 9-0 on first reading March 18 to advance Ordinance No. 2025, a petition from MLJ Properties to vacate a network of platted alleys in the Falls Place Addition to facilitate redevelopment on the east side of Columbus near Wallace Avenue and Oak Street.
City planning staff said the applicant seeks to consolidate five originally platted lots and the intervening alleys into a single parcel and redevelop the site with five duplex buildings (10 residential units), a plan that is the subject of a pending application to the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals. Staff noted the alleys appear on the plat but were never paved and contain no utility infrastructure. City staff and local utility providers reviewed the alley-vacation request and reported no objections or present need for the alleys.
At the meeting, the council heard a brief presentation from planning staff and acknowledged the applicant was present. A council member moved to pass the ordinance on first reading and the motion carried on roll call, 9-0. Planning staff explained the typical process for an alley vacation: the applicant must file an administrative subdivision plat documenting the alley vacation and altered property lines; staff typically withholds the item from second reading until that plat is reviewed and accepted.
Why it matters: Vacating the platted alleys will allow MLJ Properties to replat and redevelop the site. The staff review found no current utility use of the alleys, reducing the risk of future conflicts, and the vacation is a preliminary step that does not itself grant zoning approvals or building permits. The Board of Zoning Appeals will consider the companion request for a 10-unit redevelopment separately.
No public opposition was recorded in the meeting record. Council members voting aye on the first reading were Frank Miller, Kent Anderson, Jerome Wood, Elaine Hilber, Chris Bartels, Grace Kessler, Tom Dowell, Josh Burnett and Jay Boyce.
