Planning commission approves Kroger Marketplace plan, grants most signage and access variances but denies canopy lighting increase

The Canal Winchester Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 11 approved the final development plan for a Kroger Marketplace and granted most related variances for signage and access, but denied the applicant's request to increase lighting under the fuel canopy.

Staff presented the Kroger applications as a package for the 14.2-acre Kroger outlot in the Green Gate Plaza development (ORD 25-015). The marketplace is proposed at 122,910 square feet with an attached fuel center. Planning staff concluded the size and setbacks of the Kroger building justify additional wayfinding signage and the requested truck-access widths, but recommended the fuel-canopy lighting variance be denied because staff found no special circumstances to permit illumination above the overlay district limit.

Why it matters: the decisions clear the way for Kroger to move forward with a large grocery and fuel center at the center of the Green Gate Plaza site but preserve the city's adopted photometric limits intended to limit glare and light pollution for nearby apartments.

Most significant approvals: the commission approved variance VA25-004 to allow more than one wall sign and a total wall-sign area larger than the 125-square-foot limit for a single business; VA25-005 to permit three digital LED fuel-price signs on the canopy with conditions limiting brightness and requiring automatic dimming; VA25-006 to allow two 7.4-foot monument signs (staff required revisions to base materials and dimensional lettering); and…