Commission approves final development plan for Forest Ridge Section 4, clearing 45-lot phase

The Pataskala City Planning and Zoning Commission on April 2 approved the final development plan for Section 4 of the Forest Ridge plan-development district (FP-25-001), authorizing 45 single-family lots across 18.628 acres with approximately 5 acres of open space and roughly 3 acres in right of way.

Staff reported the preliminary plan for Forest Ridge was approved in September 2022 for a total of 254 single-family lots to be developed in seven phases at a gross density of 1.98 units per acre; Section 4 represents one of those phases. Construction plans for Section 4 had been approved by city reviewers, and staff recommended final-plan approval after minor plan corrections are added, including showing the width of building lines on skewed streets and submitting a mylar for signatures.

The staff presentation noted several engineering-driven adjustments made during final engineering review: utility easement locations were modified, wetland buffers were adjusted consistent with approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and OEPA, and some driveway layouts could not meet the code’s driveway-grouping standard. Staff said eight of the 45 drives would not be grouped because grouping would interfere with streetlight placement, stormwater devices, or create slopes in excess of the 10% code maximum, and an additional 13 lots were ungrouped due to lot orientation or numbering. Staff said these deviations are tied to on-site conditions and were reviewed by utilities, public service, and the city engineer.

Joel West, representing the applicant, told the commission the developer is progressing through construction and that sales and occupancy are underway in earlier sections: "We have 30 sales to date and nine residents have closed and moved in," he said. West said the applicant will resubmit the one plan note requested by staff concerning lot-width on skewed streets.

Commissioners asked about buffers to adjacent developments, emergency access and turnaround requirements where streets currently dead-end, and drainage given the area’s topography and wetlands. Staff said existing tree cover on the south side (adjacent ravines) would be retained in part but that no additional buffer is specifically required by the preliminary plan conditions. Staff also said dead-end street design must include emergency turnarounds if future phases are not constructed immediately so fire, waste collection and school buses can turn around safely.

A motion to approve FP-25-001 pursuant to section 12.25.93 of the zoning code, including the two staff modifications, passed on roll call with all present commissioners voting yes. The applicant must submit an updated final plan mylar for signature and any outstanding plan corrections before recordation.