Delaware council hears large, contested proposal for motorsports complex, ice arena and youth driving school; zoning left open for future review

Developers and the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets on Monday described a multi-use commercial planned unit development on roughly 260 acres at the southwest corner of Sawmill Parkway and U.S. 42 that would include a driving school, a three-sheet ice arena and a motorsports driving park with an outdoor-covered pavilion for concerts and community events.

The zoning request, filed as PUD 25‑1 and considered under ordinance 25‑05, is for a Commercial Planned Unit Development within the Southwest Focus Area Plan and Southwest Zoning Overlay. Planning staff and the applicant emphasized that the council was deciding only whether the land use/zoning framework is appropriate; detailed site design, traffic mitigation and noise controls would be addressed later at the development‑plan stage when specific uses, building orientations and engineering are submitted.

Why it matters: The proposal drew large public turnout and extended council discussion because the project would be among the largest land‑use changes in the city’s Southwest planning area. Supporters cited sport, workforce and youth development benefits; opponents cited traffic, noise and impacts on adjacent rural residential properties in Concord Township.

Applicant presentation and proposed community benefits Bruce Daniels, one of the lead proponents, described a “School of Drive” tied to a nonprofit…