Sunbury council opens hearing on KCH Investments rezoning for daycare near Miller's Cove

Sunbury City Council opened a public hearing Jan. 8 on a rezoning request from KCH Investments LLC to allow a roughly 1.35-acre daycare at the corner of Gibbet and Harrison Drive, just north of the fire station and adjacent to the Miller's Cove neighborhood.

The applicant, Robert Giuliani, described the proposal as a locally owned daycare modeled on existing Kiwi's Clubhouse locations in Lewis Center and Columbus, and presented site plans, elevations and lighting diagrams. Giuliani said the building will be ‘‘board and batten, stone on all four sides’’ and emphasized screening and emergency-only access at the rear of the building.

The hearing drew objections from nearby residents who said existing traffic patterns and private roads will be strained if the facility is approved. Steven Wilmeski, who said he lives at 380 Norris Cove Court behind the site, told council that the area already sees heavy congestion at the West Cherry Street/North Miller Drive intersection and warned that the rezoning and daycare would ‘‘create a significant increase in traffic, which is already there and congested, negatively affecting Miller's Cove bridal roads and exacerbat[ing] traffic or public safety for all neighbors in the area.’’

Another nearby resident, Scott Heller of 361 Millers Cove Court, said Miller's Cove roads are private and maintained by residents and that they would bear maintenance costs from higher use. ‘‘We're looking at roughly 97 kids, plus employees. That's a lot of traffic in and out of there that we pay for the maintenance on our road,’’ Heller said.

City staff noted an item in the planning packet: a memo from Alisa Graciano that the Planning and Zoning Commission approved three divergences requested by the applicant and a fourth divergence related to the multi-use trail connection. Mr. Hennessy summarized that the approved divergence ‘‘does not require a multi-use trail connection, but there is a sidewalk connection’’ on the western side along Harrison Drive and that a new sidewalk on Harrison Drive is proposed to connect to the neighborhood.

Council members asked the applicant whether a traffic study had been completed; Giuliani said, ‘‘Don't intend to do so, and we have not.’’ Council also asked about parking; the applicant said the site plan shows about 24 parking spaces.

The rezoning item is listed for ordinance action and is on the agenda as a first reading; council closed the public hearing and scheduled additional readings. Staff was asked to research questions raised in public comment—specifically the need for a traffic study, requirements that apply to private roads, and other concerns raised by residents—before the next reading.

Next steps: the rezoning ordinance will return for at least two more readings before the council takes a final vote.