Council rejects rezoning for 33rd Avenue site after residents raise traffic, safety and drainage concerns

Columbus City Council on Jan. 20, 2025 rejected Ordinance No. 25-01, a rezoning request for property east of 33rd Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets that applicant K Herman Development LLC said would allow multifamily housing and storage.

The proposal would have changed the parcel from R‑1 (single‑family residential) to B‑2 (general commercial). Developer Kelby Herman told the council the project designs include either five or six two‑story buildings for about 100 or 120 two‑bedroom apartment units and a low‑impact storage facility; he described the site as roughly 9 acres and said preliminary engineering indicates the project can meet city and state stormwater standards. "There would be 5 buildings and there is a design where there are 6 buildings, so either a 100 or a 120, 2 bedroom units," Herman said.

Neighbors told the council the site is already strained by peak‑hour traffic and unsafe for additional residential density near two schools. "This is adding at…