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Pataskala development committee reviews revised Redwood Apartments plan, orders code review on extended-stay hotels
Summary
The council's development committee reviewed a revised site plan from Redwood Apartments that increases setbacks, commits to added buffering and architectural upgrades, and directed staff to research zoning changes and regulations for extended-stay hotels, with a six-month research target.
Pataskala City's development committee on Monday heard a revised plan from Redwood Apartments that removes units adjacent to existing homes, increases setbacks and pledges architectural and buffering upgrades, and instructed staff to research zoning changes for extended-stay hotel uses.
The committee report said Redwood's amended site plan removes the units that backed onto existing residential housing, increases the setback along Link to the 100-foot maximum referenced in the comprehensive plan (up from the previously proposed 50 feet), and includes commitments to strengthen building materials and design details on facades that face private streets and adjacent neighborhoods. Committee members also discussed connectivity to nearby Volunteer Park and potential trail links to city-owned property to the north and east.
Committee members said the developer indicated a willingness to formalize buffering measures similar to those used at the Mill Run project and to modify exterior color palettes and siding treatments. No final approvals for the revised plan were recorded; the matter will return to the planning and zoning process and then to council for any required approvals.
The committee also discussed a separate, recurring issue: extended-stay hotels and gaps in city code that allow some operators to classify multi-unit lodging in ways that reduce typical hotel requirements. Committee members instructed staff to research zoning and code options and return recommendations, estimating roughly six months to complete research and propose code changes. That review will include parking standards and other regulatory measures other municipalities have employed. The committee additionally asked staff to research whether the city can impose or participate in any local lodging ("bed") tax and to report back on how such a tax is administered in other jurisdictions.
The discussion also touched on process: staff should prepare whatever applications are required for planning and zoning review after the developer files formally, and councilmembers asked that the city independently verify any external determinations about permits for changes near streams or wetlands (for example, by requesting written confirmation from the approving authority, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, if the Corps is consulted).
Committee members said residential densities in the Redwood plan fall within the medium-density ranges in the comprehensive plan; the consultant materials reviewed cited densities of about 4.3'to 4.5 units per acre against a medium-density cap described as up to 10 units per acre.
The committee will schedule follow-up meetings to continue the residential TIF and code discussions and to invite the county economic development representative for an informational session on tax-increment financing options.
The revised plan and the requested code review will next proceed through the planning-and-zoning application process before returning to council for any formal zoning or development approvals.
