Upper Arlington zoning board, community development report emphasizes permit volume, code updates and Henderson Road study

The Board of Zoning and Planning and the City of Upper Arlington Community Development Department gave City Council a combined update Tuesday evening outlining high permit volumes, recent policy changes and next steps for long‑range planning.

Shannon Tolliver, chair of the Board of Zoning and Planning, told council the volunteer board uses a mix of professionals to review applications and that it generally meets once a month for a work session and once for a planning meeting. “We typically have 1 work session and 1 planning meeting per month,” Tolliver said. She said the board evaluates variance applications to ensure proposals “meet the intent of the ordinance,” are minimal in scope and do not negatively affect neighborhoods.

The update detailed the department’s workload and how that work is managed. Director Chad Gibson said the city processes roughly 3,600 permits per year on average and that, over the past five years, permitted construction value has averaged about $200 million per year. “We are consistent. That is a robust number,” Gibson said, and he credited improvements to the city’s permit intake system and use of contract inspectors to manage spikes.

Why it matters: Council members said the volume of work and redevelopment in a land‑locked community affect policy choices on neighborhood compatibility, lot splits and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The board’s decisions shape zoning variances, redevelopment expectations on corridors such as Lane Avenue and Kingsdale, and how the city implements its master plan and smaller corridor studies.

Council members pressed for clarity on process and timing. Vice President Close asked how staff manage the permit load; Gibson said the city uses contract inspectors for peaks and has modernized electronic plan intake. Close also asked whether the board and council could deepen coordination so urgent code changes don’t wait for the master plan; Tolliver and Gibson said staff track recurring issues and bring batch code amendments forward when ready.

Highlights and details

- Workload and output: Tolliver said the board handled 22 meetings and 78 applications in 2024. Gibson said the department averages roughly 3,600 permits per year and that permit revenues run a little over $1.5 million annually after a recent fee schedule rebalancing.

- Policies and tools: Tolliver credited the city’s neighborhood compatibility policy (adopted in 2023–2024) with reducing contentious rezoning outcomes by providing objective standards for building height and street‑segment compatibility. The board also uses the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), corridor plans (including the Lane Road corridor plan) and third‑party architectural reviews to guide decisions.

- Major studies and next steps: Gibson said the city will issue an RFP for an updated master plan (presentation to council expected in June) and is considering how to implement findings from the recently adopted housing study and the Henderson Road study (Envision Henderson). He said LinkUS regional transit work will return bus service to Lane Avenue in September 2026 and that first‑/last‑mile micromobility changes are scheduled to roll out later this year.

- Trends the board is seeing: Tolliver and staff said common applications include detached accessory structures being repurposed as work‑from‑home offices, ADU requests, enclosed breezeways and requests to attach previously detached garages. The board evaluates such requests for neighborhood impact and minimal variance requirements.

- Staffing and process improvements: Gibson named recent hires by division (code enforcement, building inspections and an economic development analyst) and said a new permit intake system and process changes have increased efficiency. He also described use of a third‑party architect to provide objective design review before applications reach the board.

Council requests and staff commitments

Council members asked staff to provide a code compliance report in June showing year‑to‑date metrics; Gibson confirmed staff will present that report. Council members also asked staff and the board to identify when targeted code cleanups (the “low‑hanging fruit”) should be brought forward rather than waiting for the master plan; Gibson and Tolliver said staff track recurring issues (Justin Milam, senior planner, is the tracking point) and will bundle amendments when appropriate.

Quotations

“Sometimes when we have, like, an architecture question, we look to our architects to say, hey, what do you guys think specifically?” Shannon Tolliver, chair, Board of Zoning and Planning.

“We are consistent. That is a robust number,” Chad Gibson, Director, Community Development Department, on annual permit volumes.

Ending

Council members praised the volunteer board’s workload and asked for continued coordination as the city moves into the master plan and housing‑study implementation phases. Staff said they will return with the code‑compliance report in June and will finalize an RFP for the master plan later this spring.