Planning Commission approves Meridel arena, pavilion and final plat with conditions

The City of Delaware Planning Commission on May 7 unanimously approved a development plan (PD25-1 DVP No. 1) and a conditional-use permit (PUD25-1 CU No. 1) for a proposed Performance Impact Arena and Pavilion in the Meridel subdivision and separately approved the Meridel final plat (S25-8) covering about 258 acres.

The approvals allow a roughly 27,000-square-foot facility proposed by Ohio AAA Blue Jackets that would include three indoor ice sheets and an outdoor amphitheater that the applicant says would be converted to an outdoor ice sheet in winter months. The commission’s action included multiple staff-recommended conditions covering parking, landscaping, tree placement, noise and lighting controls, and coordination with emergency services.

Staff and applicant summary

City planning staff, represented in the hearing by Anna (city planner), said the project site sits in Subarea A of the Meridel PUD on the northeast corner of the development and covers about 13.5 acres. The application included a development plan (site layout, elevations, landscaping, lighting and signage) and a conditional use (hours, sound and lighting limits, site restrictions and revocation provisions).

Anna told the commission the applicant proposes 263 on-site parking spaces but acknowledged that is “obviously not sufficient for this particular use.” Staff and the applicant agreed on a required shared- and cross-parking plan across the larger Meridel campus; a condition of approval will withhold final zoning inspections until the additional parking facilities described in the shared-parking plan are completed. Anna said developers will also work with the city forester and parks staff to shift proposed street trees “outside of the ditch” where practical and that a fee-in-lieu option (per chapter 11 68) could be used where planting space is inadequate.

Project design and operations

The proposed building materials are primarily metal with some limestone. Staff noted mechanical equipment must be screened. The pavilion would host concerts and events; staff’s recommended conditional-use provisions include adherence to the city’s sound ordinance, compliance with lighting regulations to avoid light spill beyond what city code allows, and an agreement or memorandum of understanding with the city police and fire divisions covering emergency service staffing and traffic direction for special events.

The conditional-use conditions also prohibit sales of merchandise or concessions outside fenced areas, require the site to be kept free of debris, and require that amphitheater events conclude by midnight. Staff warned that violation of conditions could result in revocation of the conditional-use approval.

Applicant remarks and capacity, parking and transit questions

Ed Ginger, who identified himself as the applicant and representing the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets, said, “We're a 5 0 1 c 3 youth hockey organization. And with the forecasted ice shortage in Columbus, we started looking 4 years ago at what a game plan could look like.” He described the pavilion as intended for year-round programming and said the outdoor rink could draw larger tournaments and holiday events.

In response to commissioner questions, the applicant said the outdoor rink would hold about 4,000 people when configured for ice and that a concert configuration could reach about 6,000 people total, with roughly 2,000 floor seats. A concert-provider estimate cited during the hearing put parking demand for large events at roughly 1,100 spaces; staff and applicant said the campus parking plus planned lots and shuttle/transit coordination would be used rather than building a single enormous lot.

Anna said the city is conducting a regional traffic impact study and expects Meridel applicants to reimburse their share of that study; project access to Sawmill Parkway will be subject to approval by the city engineer after the traffic study. The city advised the commission that Delaware County Transit service (led by Andy Volnick, formerly a county commissioner) is primarily door-to-door at present and that staff has encouraged the applicant to coordinate directly with the transit agency on event shuttles or set routes.

Timeline, financial notes and infrastructure

The applicant gave a target opening of May 2027 for the pavilion, acknowledging the rink construction could extend later. Staff added the developers had submitted mass grading and preliminary engineering plans for the area, and that the internal backage road (to be privately owned and maintained by the master association) and phased parking lots are already in engineering review. Staff said the final plat (S25-8) divides the roughly 258-acre Meridel site into 10 lots and documents private ownership of the backage road and cross-parking agreements.

Commissioners and votes

Commissioners asked about non-hockey uses and seasonality; the applicant said the concrete pavilion slab would be flexible for concerts, roller hockey, volleyball or other event programming during non-ice periods. Staff recommended approval of both the development plan and the conditional-use permit, and the commission voted to approve both applications with staff conditions.

Actions

- Development plan: PD25-1 DVP No. 1 (Performance Impact Arena and Pavilion) — motion to approve by Vice Chair Hoffman (Councilman Hoffman), second by Commissioner Cross; roll-call vote: Commissioner Stelzer — yes; Commissioner Cross — yes; Commissioner Stroud — yes; Commissioner Nana — yes; Vice Chair Hoffman — yes; Chairman Simpson — yes. Outcome: approved (unanimous).

- Conditional use: PUD25-1 CU No. 1 (Performance Impact Arena and Pavilion conditional use) — motion to approve by Vice Chair Hoffman (Councilman Hoffman), second by Commissioner Nana; roll-call vote: Commissioner Stelzer — yes; Commissioner Cross — yes; Commissioner Stroud — yes; Commissioner Nana — yes; Vice Chair Hoffman — yes; Chairman Simpson — yes. Outcome: approved (unanimous). Note: staff recommended that the conditional use becomes effective only upon the effective date of the development plan; if the development plan is denied by City Council, the conditional use would be null and void.

- Final plat: S25-8 (Meridel final plat, ~258 acres) — motion to approve by Commissioner Nana, second by Commissioner Stelzer; roll-call vote: Commissioner Stelzer — yes; Commissioner Cross — yes; Commissioner Stroud — yes; Commissioner Nana — yes; Vice Chair Hoffman — yes; Chairman Simpson — yes. Outcome: approved (unanimous).

Clarifying details

- Building area: ~27,000 square feet (three indoor ice sheets; one outdoor amphitheater convertible to ice). - Initial on-site parking shown: 263 spaces; additional campus/shared parking required and a condition that zoning final inspections not be released until required parking facilities are finished. - Event capacities cited: outdoor rink ~4,000; concert configuration ~6,000 with ~2,000 floor seats. - Estimated city tax revenue cited in meeting materials: about $18,000,000 (payment streams noted as payroll and hotel taxes; no further breakdown specified in the hearing record). - Timeline goal stated by applicant: pavilion open by May 2027 (subject to change). - Lot ownership: internal backage road and open space privately owned and to be maintained by a master association (Lot 10 on plat). - Relevant code references cited by staff: tree fee-in-lieu reference (chapter 11 68); subdivision chapter references (chapter 11 11); sound and lighting to comply with city ordinances.

Why it matters

The facility is presented as a regional youth- and adult-hockey hub intended to address a cited ice shortage in the Columbus area and to host events that could increase hotel nights, traffic and downtown visitation. The approvals tie future occupancy and event operations to infrastructure commitments (shared parking, traffic study approvals and agreements with police and fire), leaving key implementation steps tied to later engineering reviews and City Council action on the development plan.