Assistant city attorney outlines charter review; staff previews zoning code vote and first ADU application

The assistant city attorney told the Gahanna Planning Commission on May 13 that the Charter Review Commission is narrowing proposals for the ballot and is considering whether to remove the Municipal Court-concerned VCBA provision because court appeals already provide due process. The assistant city attorney said the Charter Review Commission is also discussing whether to lengthen the review interval from five years to 10 years to avoid ballot fatigue.

"One of the things they are considering is eliminating the VCBA," the assistant city attorney said, adding that the commission is "weeding out" items to focus on what will be put before voters.

Staff member Blackford briefed the commission on planning-related items: proposed zoning code changes were presented to city council last Monday and staff expects a council vote the following Monday. Blackford said the planning department expects a few applications for the June meeting, including the city's first accessory dwelling unit (ADU) application currently in review, and that he will present a construction activity update at the next meeting.

Blackford said that if zoning changes are approved, some procedural responsibilities may shift slightly — for example, certain appeal functions now handled by the BZBA could transfer to the planning commission if charter or code changes move forward. He described the change as minor and said appeals historically have been infrequent.

The commission received the reports; no formal action was taken on charter items or zoning changes during the meeting.