Commission approves drive‑through and site plan for convenience store at 812 Columbus Ave; applicant asks about adding pumps

The Sandusky Boards & Commissions unanimously approved a conditional use permit and an associated site plan for a convenience store with a drive‑through at 812 Columbus Ave, an application submitted by Mark Ruby Architect on behalf of Lasmenarian 5 LLC.

A city staff member described the parcel at the five‑point intersection as split‑zoned and said staff had no reason to expect the drive‑through would be injurious to neighboring properties. Staff reported the applicant anticipates the drive‑through hours to be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, that the design uses a one‑way entry from Division Street with on‑site circulation to handle vehicles, and that site‑plan approval (the next agenda item) would cover paving, curb‑cut location, landscaping and stormwater tie‑ins.

Commissioners asked whether customers would enter from the back, and staff confirmed entry would be from a rear approach and that the lane is designed for one‑way traffic. After discussion commissioners voted to approve the conditional use permit on a roll‑call vote.

The commission then considered the related site plan. Staff said the proposed building more than doubles the current footprint to about 2,680 sq ft, proposes 12 parking spaces (meeting the code minimum), includes repaving the parking lot, shifts a curb cut to align with the crosswalk, and shows new landscaping and down‑lighting that complies with dark‑sky practices. A commissioner asked that derelict aprons and broken sidewalks be rebuilt; staff confirmed the plan explicitly includes a new 5‑ft sidewalk and that the plan as submitted satisfies that request.

A motion to approve the site plan, subject to the standard building and engineering permits and final approvals, passed unanimously.

After approvals, the applicant — speaking from the podium — asked if it would be possible to add a two‑pump gas station later. The applicant said, “my first plan was a convenience store, but my understanding is adding a gas station will bring in more business.” Commissioners and staff replied that adding pumps, underground tanks and the circulation changes that entails would require a new submission and more review; several commissioners noted electric vehicle charging as a potential alternative that requires substantial power but does not require tanks or the same site footprint.