Council approves landscape plan for 245 S. Skidmore with bioswale and planting conditions

At a meeting of the Columbus City Council, members approved the landscaping plan for COA2400500, a private development at 245 South Skidmore, subject to modifications requested by staff and board members.

Council and staff said the proposal is generally consistent with the East Franklin and Creative Community District plan but asked the applicant to revise planting locations and details so the landscaping will better support stormwater management and survive urban conditions.

Staff presented the application and recommended approval while noting concerns raised at an earlier review about plant selection and maintenance in the floodplain and along sidewalks. The staff report described the project as proposing new landscaping intended to provide shade and aesthetic improvements and to support soil management goals including filtration, percolation and erosion control. The plan lists plantings such as coneflower, little bluestem, swamp white oaks and red maple trees; staff noted the applicant submitted a photograph clarifying existing soil and planting conditions.

During discussion board members and staff questioned whether the proposed planting arrangement along sidewalks would be durable in an urban environment and whether the bioswale planting as shown in photos constituted a fully vegetated bioswale. A board member suggested moving several of the lower grasses and perennial plantings closer together and aligning them with the bioswale so the landscaped strip reads as an integrated stormwater feature rather than disconnected planter areas. Staff recommended completing the design out to the existing pavement edge where the drawings showed irregular property and pavement lines.

Steve Barnett, identifying himself as representing Finance Fund Construction and the applicant, answered questions about the soil conditions and confirmed the applicant would work with staff on the recommended adjustments.

A board member made a motion to approve the plan as submitted with the following conditions: relocate four perennial planting groupings on Rich Street and Sycamore to integrate with the bioswale; extend the rock swale to the south to meet the existing pavement edge; and evaluate the proposed red maple tree on Sycamore to ensure it better blends with adjacent street trees and right-of-way plantings. A second was made and the motion carried.

The council record indicates the street trees noted in the plan are already planted in the public right-of-way; the applicant was asked to confirm and, if necessary, adjust the proposed on-site planting to avoid conflict. Staff and board members also asked the applicant to confirm species, spacing and maintenance arrangements for sidewalk-adjacent plantings so the landscaping will be durable in high-traffic conditions.

The applicant agreed to return revised drawings addressing the relocation of planting clusters, the extension of the rock swale, and the red maple evaluation. No specific timetable for installation was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Staff cited the East Franklin and Creative Community District plan in recommending the proposal proceed with the requested adjustments; the meeting record does not show additional permits or external approvals beyond standard site and right-of-way coordination.

Votes at a glance: COA2400500 — Motion to approve with conditions; mover and seconder recorded in the meeting but not named in the transcript; outcome: approved.

Implementation: Staff will record the required plan revisions and the applicant will submit updated landscape drawings for the administrative record.