Lebanon council opens public hearing on 105‑acre mixed‑use PUD proposal near I‑71

Lebanon — The Lebanon City Council opened a public hearing on a proposal to rezone roughly 105 acres adjacent to Interstate 71 and Bypass 48 to a mixed‑use Planned Unit Development intended to implement the Envision Lebanon comprehensive plan's Innovation District vision.

City staff said the applicant (identified in the presentation as "Inco Schuler," with agent "Pete Seros") submitted a concept that includes hotels, an apartment complex, a sports venue with indoor and outdoor athletic fields, research and development space, small‑scale retail and restaurants, and substantial open space. "45% of the development is dedicated to open space," City Manager stated during the presentation, noting Area 13 accounts for about 23 acres of that total.

The proposal would rezone the property from General Commercial to PUD to allow a broader mix of uses and design flexibility while limiting heavier automotive uses: staff said automotive uses such as fuel service and vehicle sales would be prohibited under the proposed PUD standards. The plan also calls for design review by the planning commission, a minimum 40‑foot natural buffer along residential properties to the north and an additional 20‑foot mounded landscape buffer planted with evergreen trees "13 foot on center," and a cap on multifamily housing to R‑2 density with a maximum of 200 units.

Members of the public and council asked whether low‑impact recreational uses in the open space — such as trails or disc golf — would be allowed and whether indoor sports like volleyball could be accommodated. A developer representative said the team is "in active conversations with hoteliers" and described options for on‑site partners, ground leases and potential off‑site arrangements. He also estimated a heavy build‑out during the first several years with a total build‑out timeframe of about seven years.

Planning staff noted that any substantive modification to the concept plan would return to the planning commission and city council for review. Planning commission recommended the map amendment at its December meeting and the council recorded a motion for first reading of Ordinance 2026‑006, the map amendment to rezone the 105 acres to a mixed‑use PUD.

Next steps: the rezoning will proceed with the formal ordinance process, including the scheduled first reading and subsequent readings or hearings as required; staff said technical requirements such as a traffic impact study and more detailed design standards will be evaluated before final council action.