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BZA grants density variance for 10‑unit townhome concept at Oak Meadow Drive
Summary
The Board approved a variance reducing the minimum lot area per dwelling unit to permit up to 10 units per acre on a 0.64‑acre site rezoned to multifamily; conditions include a transportation corridor overlay application within one year.
The Pataskala Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance to reduce the minimum lot area per dwelling unit for a vacant 0.64‑acre property on Oak Meadow Drive, allowing a maximum density equivalent to 10 units per acre and enabling a 10‑unit townhome concept, the board said June 10.
City staff explained the request would raise allowable density on the site from roughly 6.4 units per acre (the default for the zoning) to 10 units per acre. The applicant’s concept shows two rows of five three‑story townhomes with two‑car garages, six guest parking spaces, a trash area and a community amenity area facing Oak Meadow. Staff noted the property was rezoned from general business to multifamily on May 5 and that future approvals — including a transportation corridor overlay district application and construction plans addressing stormwater and utilities — would be required before building permits could be issued.
Applicant Richard Houck said the proposal trades between a lower‑density, six‑unit, three‑bedroom layout that would require above‑ground storm retention and a denser 10‑unit, two‑bedroom townhome layout that would use underground retention. He said the building footprint would be similar under both concepts and that the 10‑unit plan would “be nicer quality townhomes.”
Staff told the board that the city’s sanitary system currently had capacity for roughly 65 homes and that planned upgrades would double capacity when the wastewater treatment plant expansion is online, projected in 2028; staff cautioned that capacity reservations require an approved zoning permit.
Board members debated the scale of the change (from about 6 to 10 units) and whether it would alter neighborhood character. Members noted nearby multifamily and business uses and determined the proposal did not materially change the area’s character. The board approved the variance with two conditions: the property’s total dwelling units must not exceed 10, and the applicant must submit a transportation corridor overlay district application under Pataskala Code section 12.59 within one year.
Staff said subsequent steps — the transportation overlay review and construction‑plan submittal — would address stormwater, underground retention footprint, final utilities connections and final parking counts before a building permit could be issued.
