Planning commission approves Bridge Park Block J final development plan with conditions

The Dublin Planning & Zoning Commission on Thursday approved the final development plan for Bridge Park Block J — a roughly 5.3‑acre mixed‑use project at Bridge Park Avenue and Dale Drive — along with 17 waivers and two administrative departures, and recommended the preliminary and final plats to city council. The commission also granted a conditional‑use permit to allow a future relocated park‑and‑ride with 100 reserved spaces inside the proposed parking garage.

Staff presented the application as a coordinated set of four cases: final development plan (FDP), preliminary plat, final plat and a conditional use for the park‑and‑ride. Jenny Rausch, planning staff, told commissioners that staff is supportive of many of the design changes and recommended approval subject to a list of conditions addressing streetscape details, window and wall‑section information, screening of mechanicals, and coordination on the temporary park‑and‑ride location during Phase 2 construction.

"Overall this site is located within the Scioto River neighborhood within the Bridge Street Code," Rausch said, and staff "is supportive of the changes that were made to this building type." Her presentation summarized required waivers and explained that some departures are typical given the site constraints.

Applicant Russell Hunter and the design team described the project as a three‑building block organized around a roughly half‑acre open space. "One of the things that makes Bridge Park really special is the activations," Hunter said, noting a design focus on events and a "terminal vista" created by the garage tower. Jeffrey Pongones of MKSK said the central open space will have a natural character with meadow grasses, a small pedestrian bridge and relocated sycamore trees to give the park an established feel.

Design team members described material changes since the last review: the office building will use ACM metal panels instead of high‑pressure laminate, the office and condo buildings will employ different brick palettes and vertical bays, and the garage will feature a new tower element with accent lighting and colored fins. Dan Tees (MA Design) said the team intentionally kept some open corners on the garage to preserve depth and texture while using landscape to screen cars where code restrictions limit infill.

Commissioners scrutinized several elements: the scope and number of waivers, façade continuity on the office building, the safety and practicality of the proposed boulder treatment on Green Street (a private woonerf designed to prioritize pedestrians), and parking impacts tied to reserving 100 garage spaces for COTA. Staff and engineers said parking analyses and adjacent garages provide capacity for visitors and retail users, while the reserved COTA spaces are intended for future transit use.

Engineers explained stormwater management in detail: the team will place a series of deep corrugated metal storm‑storage pipes under the open space (initially described as 11‑foot diameter pipes being refined to 10 feet) and use upstream water‑quality devices and an outlet control structure to meet Ohio EPA requirements. Brian Quackenbush (EMH&T) said the underground system will manage roof and surface drainage for Phase 1 and the planned Phase 2 condo block.

Several commissioners praised the overall plan but asked for refinements. Commissioner Alexander recorded a dissent on waivers, saying he could not support the proposed façade divisions for the office building: "I will not support any of the waivers for the office building because I think the facade elevations are not unified." Other commissioners supported the waivers and the project with conditions, noting the design's responsiveness to prior comments.

The commission's approval included 14 conditions. Key requirements added to the record require the applicant to: work with staff on final streetscape design of Bridge Park Avenue and Green Street (with explicit consideration of the boulder delineation); provide window details and wall sections for the condominium elevation identified in deliberations; submit transformer and mechanical screening details for staff review; show seating on the primary ADA route through the open space; and coordinate any tenant improvements or COTA integrations with staff so they can be administered without returning to the commission when appropriate.

Votes were cast on a sequence of motions: the commission approved two administrative departures and the package of 17 waivers (Commissioner Alexander recorded a 'no' on those votes), then approved the FDP with the stated 14 conditions, granted the conditional use for the park‑and‑ride, and recommended the preliminary/final plats to city council. The motions carried by majority vote.

The project team said negotiations with COTA were close but not finalized; staff noted that the application should "stand on its own two feet" if the transit tenant does not ultimately occupy the garage and that any tenant‑driven changes could return for staff review or to the commission as required.

Next steps: the applicant will work with staff to satisfy the conditions and submit private site improvement and building permit plans. The commission's recommendation on the plats will move to city council for final consideration.