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Council amends and approves Mill Run PUD text to enable flex office uses, lowers warehouse cap to 30%
Summary
Council adopted a PUD text modification for the former call center at Mill Run, approving broader flex-office uses and voting to lower an allowed warehousing component from 50% to 30% by tenant; staff and the applicant’s attorney said the changes are intended to make the long-vacant building marketable.
Hilliard City Council on Feb. 10 voted to amend and adopt a planned-unit-development (PUD) text modification for a former call center on Melmeadow Drive in the Mill Run area, concluding with a council-approved amendment to limit warehouse space to 30% per tenant.
City staff said the property has been vacant for several years and that the proposed PUD text seeks to align permitted uses with the city's community plan calling for flex office. "The text and the specific permitted uses were modified to be reflective of that category within the community plan," staff said. The Planning Commission recommended approval and noted a final development plan could be effective for 12 months if a user committed to the plan.
Mike Shannon, attorney for the property owner, told council the site has been vacant about seven years and that staff and the city’s economic-development direction around flex office motivated the application. "With these modifications, we could make it more marketable," Shannon said, and he asked council to approve the changes to attract tenants who would provide skilled jobs.
Council members debated the appropriate cap for warehousing as part of a flex use and several expressed discomfort with a 50% allowance. One council member asked whether tenant-level limits would apply; staff confirmed the percentage is reviewed by tenant and tied to zoning/certificate review. After discussion, council moved to amend the proposed text to reduce the warehouse threshold to 30% per tenant. The council also approved a separate amendment removing language that referenced the original investor group no longer associated with the application.
The amended PUD text was adopted on a 6-0 roll call. Staff and council noted that if a tenant later sought a larger warehousing component, the code provides for subsequent text modifications or appeals through the zoning process.
