Planning commission approves One Church development plan and three variances after neighbors raise pond, drainage, noise and screening concerns

The Gahanna Planning Commission on May 14 approved a major development plan for property at 817 North Hamilton Road that will add an approximately 19,500-square-foot auditorium and expand on-site parking, and it granted three associated variances for parking location, electric vehicle infrastructure, and buffer/screening requirements.

Planning staff recommended approval of the development plan and all three variances, finding the revised proposal reduced previously proposed tree removal and parking area changes and added a six-foot privacy fence around most of the site. The commission voted to approve the development plan and each variance after extended public comment from nearby residents and a response from the applicant and the project civil engineer.

What was approved

The project as approved would increase the total on-site parking to 785 spaces; the zoning code requires a minimum of 280 spaces for the site. The applicant proposed 61 parking-lot trees and about 11,000 square feet of parking-lot landscaping, and the plan proposes a six-foot-high white vinyl privacy fence around nearly the entire property perimeter except along Hamilton Road. The applicant requested and received variances for three items: placing a new parking area in front of the main building (the proposed lot sits 27 feet from the front property line), not installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations now (the new code requires one charger per 25 parking spaces, which would equate to 16 chargers), and not planting 55 new buffer trees within 10 feet of the property line (staff noted many existing trees along the line will remain but some may be at risk during construction).

Neighbors’ concerns

Dozens of neighbors spoke during the public-comment portion. Common concerns included moving or removing an existing pond in the northwest corner of the site, stormwater and drainage impacts, potential increases in noise and light (including a large outdoor projection screen already visible to nearby condominiums), the adequacy and color of the proposed 6-foot white vinyl fence, and the risk that mature trees retained along property lines could be damaged during construction.

"I continue to have significant concerns that the removal of the pond will result in increased flooding and drainage issues on my property," said Josh Weiner, a resident immediately adjacent to the northwest corner. Several neighbors asked the commission to require replacement plantings if existing trees are damaged during construction, and to preserve the pond rather than relocate it.

Applicants’ response and engineering details

Tony Torres, the architect representing the church, said the revised plan reduced parking by about 100 spaces compared with an earlier proposal, reduced the addition’s square footage from a previously proposed 22,000 to roughly 19,500 square feet, added a full perimeter fence (except along Hamilton Road), and retained many mature trees around the site. "The three main things are that we've reduced the parking spaces by about a hundred spaces. The size of the auditorium has reduced in size, a fence, a vinyl fence, a 6 foot fence is surrounding the site now," Torres told the commission.

Sean Lanning, the project civil engineer, told commissioners and neighbors that the current on-site pond appears to be manmade and not spring-fed; the new design places a detention/pond feature at the southwest low point of the site and uses swales and basins to collect and treat stormwater before release. He said the project drainage design is intended to meet a 100-year storm standard and to reduce off-site runoff by capturing and routing water through on-site swales and a detention basin. "Any drainage issues that neighbors may have will be fixed with the construction of this parking lot," Lanning said on the record, while noting engineering plan resubmittal to the city was expected after the commission decision and that staff review of engineering details remained part of the practical permitting process.

Screening, lighting and EV infrastructure

Staff said the proposed six-foot fence and retained trees will provide screening while the parking-lot landscaping and tree plantings meet applicable interior landscape requirements. The code's new EV-charging requirement would have required 16 chargers for the enlarged lot; the applicant proposed installing an electrical power pole and conduit for future chargers instead of installing them now, and the commission approved the variance allowing that substitution.

Votes and next steps

The Planning Commission approved the major development plan and each of the three variances (parking location, EV charging, buffer/screening) after roll-call votes. The commission record shows abstentions for at least two members on grounds of conflict of interest; a majority voted in favor of the applications and variances. Engineering plan details, final erosion-control measures, and any required signage or additional permits will follow as part of the city's engineering review and subsequent permit approvals.

Context and community note

This property has an extended application history: the planning department summarized past submissions (including a June 2017 design review, multiple 2023–2024 applications, and an August 2024 submittal that was denied). The applicant redesigned the project after the earlier denial and after the city’s May 2024 zoning-code update introduced new buffering and EV requirements that apply to applications filed after that date. Residents and the applicant said communications improved since the August hearing; several neighbors and the applicant praised the outreach process but urged further assurances on tree preservation, pond/drainage handling, and fence color and placement.

Commissioners and staff noted the city engineering review (hydrology, erosion control and final grading) will be required before construction permits are issued. Neighbors asked the commission to consider conditions that would require replacement plantings if existing buffer trees are lost during construction; the approved record indicates staff will continue technical review and that the applicant has committed to some concessions (fence color discussion, conduit for EVs, fence gap closure).