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Development commission approves rezoning for Harlem Road self-storage after resident objections
Summary
The Columbus Development Commission voted to forward a rezoning application allowing a self‑storage facility on Harlem Road to city council after residents raised traffic, precedent and notification concerns; commissioners included conditions in an updated limitation text.
The Columbus Development Commission voted Wednesday to approve updated limitation text and forward to city council a rezoning application (case Z24‑059) that would allow a self‑storage facility on two parcels along Harlem Road.
Neighbors urged the commission to deny the rezoning, saying a 17,000‑square‑foot, two‑story storage building would encroach on a residential neighborhood, worsen traffic at the Harlem Road/Central College intersection and set a precedent for limited manufacturing uses next to homes. "This is the first commercial building to invade an otherwise residential area," resident Lori Kiefer said, asking the commission to withhold approval.
The applicant and project representatives told the commission the development team had worked through multiple iterations with planning staff and added buffering, fencing, landscaping and a 10‑foot shared‑use path connection. Applicant representative Tom Gustafshek said the facility would be "secure, well‑lit and very, very safe," and noted a 1.8‑acre parcel between the proposed building and the nearest single‑family homes.
Planning staff recommended conditional approval pending resolution of Department of Public Service comments, including showing shared‑use path connectivity and other technical revisions. The limitation text before the commission restricted use of the property to self‑storage and specified development standards for setbacks, height, parking, lighting, landscaping, fencing and signage.
Commissioners debated neighborhood notification, the 2003 Rocky Fork/Blacklick Accord referenced in public testimony and whether the proposal fit long‑range land‑use guidance. After a motion and a roll call vote, the commission approved the updated limitation text and the zoning recommendation to city council; staff will prepare an information sheet summarizing the commission’s findings for council review.
The project will next appear before Columbus City Council, where outstanding technical comments from the Department of Public Service (including shared‑use path details) must be resolved. The commission’s approval does not yet authorize building permits; construction and final site design remain subject to city review and the council variance process.
Votes at the commission were recorded with commissioners calling roll on the motion to send the item to council. The commission’s approval was accompanied by at least one recorded no vote and staff noted that an information packet will be transmitted to council documenting outstanding questions and the conditions commissioners relied on.
