Heath planning commission tables proposed 11-acre planned development after concerns on design, traffic and undefined parcel

Developers seeking a Planned Development (PD) zoning for an 11.06‑acre tract near Lawrence Drive and Heath Hawk Drive returned to the City of Heath Planning and Zoning Commission on April 12 to present a concept plan showing eight lots for retail and office uses, including a proposed PNC bank with a drive‑through, medical offices, a daycare and supporting retail.

The applicant, Grant Keller of Vicara Ventures, told commissioners the project is intended to follow Heath’s aesthetic and that the concept plan is a framework for future tenant discussions: “we do think that, you know, this development will be beneficial to the city of Heath.” He said the design is conceptual and that tenant interest will further refine building footprints and uses.

Commissioners and staff focused much of the hearing on design standards, traffic and site details. Several commissioners said the proposed building elevations and materials did not align with the Town Center Overlay District’s character, and they asked whether the developer would commit to architectural criteria used for the Overlay despite the site lying outside its formal boundary. David (city planning staff) said the commission could attach language from the overlay to the PD ordinance but could not unilaterally require overlay standards where the property is not within that district.

Traffic and circulation questions also dominated the discussion. Commissioners and a nearby resident urged a traffic study and asked how the site would affect the existing bottleneck at Heath Hawk Drive and Ridge Road near the high school and the Tom Thumb intersection. The applicant and his civil engineer, Michael Mazzolo, said a traffic study was included in the application materials and that additional traffic analysis would be submitted and reviewed; they also said drive‑through uses other than the bank would require a conditional use permit (CUP).

Other technical concerns raised at the meeting included impervious‑surface ratios and parking counts, location and screening of dumpsters, building height limits (25 feet in the underlying local retail district; two‑story buildings would require a CUP), and Lot 7 — a roughly one‑third portion of the tract without a defined use on the concept plan. Several commissioners said approving a zoning change across all 11 acres while leaving Lot 7 undefined would cede control over future outcomes; others argued the request conforms to the city’s comprehensive plan vision for mixed use and that the PD process provides later controls.

Kennen Young of Daeco Group and civil engineer Michael Mazzolo said the concept plan is intentionally flexible to permit lease negotiations and refinements during the PD/site‑plan process. Residents and one public commenter raised concerns about traffic, the daycare location, and the visual character of the proposed elevations.

After discussion, a motion to table the zoning application and return with a drafted PD ordinance that includes design criteria and additional information (including traffic analysis and a more defined concept for Lot 7) passed, with one commissioner opposing. The commission set a special meeting date to continue consideration on April 16 so staff and applicants could return with a draft ordinance and supplemental materials.

The tabling preserves the commission’s discretion to seek specific architectural standards and traffic mitigation before making a formal recommendation to city council.