The Pataskala City Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 2 approved a transportation corridor overlay district application (TCOD-24-002) for a proposed veterinary clinic on Corliss Drive, subject to conditions requiring the applicant to address staff comments, submit construction plans within one year and provide a secondary access if required by the fire district.

Commissioners heard a staff presentation laying out the site and design details and several department comments before taking the vote.

Planning staff said the parcel is about 4.14 acres on the west side of Corliss Drive just north of Payswood Plaza and that the application seeks approval for a veterinary hospital and associated site improvements. Staff described the proposed structure as an approximately single-story commercial building with a listed height of 23 feet, 11 inches and noted setbacks and buffer requirements in the code, including 200 feet from the north and west property lines, 50 feet from the east frontage and 25 feet from the south side.

Staff detailed site elements: a two-way access from Corliss Drive; an extension of a five-foot sidewalk along the west side of the street; 50 on-site parking spaces including two ADA spaces (staff later counted 46 effectively usable accessible spots); three pole-mounted parking lights at 22 feet, 6 inches; a dumpster enclosure on the south side of the parking area; and a stormwater facility in the southwest portion of the lot. Staff also noted screening and landscaping requirements along residential boundaries and that some required plantings or dimension labels were missing from the submitted plans.

“We will absolutely, the the the the screening on the west side of the property was an oversight on our part. Therefore, you know, we we do feel that we we need and we'll have to do that if it's recommended,” said Brett Fraley of Fraley & Fraley, the applicant representative, after confirming the applicant would comply with the fire district if a second access were required. Fraley also said the applicant had not budgeted for road resurfacing and that resurfacing would be a separate conversation with the city.

Commission discussion focused on three staff-flagged items that the commission may approve, modify or deny: parking amounts, buffer/setback screening and driveway/access requirements. Commissioners discussed whether landscaping/screening along the west property line should be required immediately or deferred until additional development occurs; staff recommended the applicant address all planning comments as a condition so the required screening and other details would be resolved in the construction plan review.

Other technical comments from public service and engineering included a potential turn lane on Corliss Drive (striping/paint on existing pavement may suffice), the need to confirm detention outlet locations and stormwater sizing during construction plan review, and possible requirement of a traffic impact study if future development on the parcel increases trips.

A motion to approve the TCOD application with three conditions — (1) the applicant address all comments from planning staff, public service, the city engineer and utilities; (2) the applicant submit construction plans within one year of approval; and (3) if the fire district requires a secondary access, the applicant shall update plans for review and approval — was moved and seconded and carried. The commission recorded the motion as approved.

The commission closed the item after asking the applicant to work with staff on the remaining plan details and to finalize screening, dumpster placement and stormwater details during the construction plan phase.