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Residents urge Sunbury to tighten light‑industrial setbacks, heights and berm standards
Summary
Two residents told the Sunbury City Council the city llowances for light‑industrial setbacks, building heights and berms would place large, 85–95 foot buildings and parking within 100 feet of homes and urged the council to adopt more protective standards used elsewhere.
Two Sunbury residents asked the City Council on July 15 to overhaul the city's proposed light‑industrial zoning rules, saying current standards would place heavy industrial development too close to homes and allow buildings that are much taller than any in town.
"Why would the city grant a road like State Route 37 2 and a half times more distance from the development than the people who live next to it?" Alicia Doty told the council. Doty, who said she lives at 12649 Van Stroud Road, described the code's minimum setbacks: 100 feet from agricultural and residential lots and a 50‑foot pavement setback, while setbacks from principal arterial roads are 250 feet. She said the practical result could be 60–65 foot structures and parking lots within 100 feet of neighborhood homes.
Her husband, Jeremy Doty, who lives at 12649 Zanes Valley Road, presented technical and comparative details. "Allowing buildings to reach heights of 85 to 95 feet do not fit within the parameters of your light industrial zones," he said, adding that many light‑industrial buildings are 24–30 feet and that the ordinance's 85‑foot limit (95 feet including mechanical equipment) is “nearly the equivalent of a 10‑story apartment building.” He urged larger berms and more robust planting standards, calling the existing 5‑foot berm allowance ineffective for visual and noise buffering.
Both speakers cited other jurisdictions for comparison: Doty noted Plains City's proposed 750‑foot residential setback and said Fayette County and Carroll, Ohio, use 1,000‑foot setbacks in some cases. Jeremy Doty referenced U.S. Forest Service guidance on berms and said New Albany requires a 10‑foot residential buffer with mixed plantings.
The council did not take action on zoning changes at the meeting. City management later told the council it plans a special public meeting on Aug. 27 focused on land use, zoning and data centers, and said those topics — including code weaknesses and practices used elsewhere — will be discussed at that session.
Supporters of tighter standards emphasized neighborhood character and livability. The Dotys asked the council to revisit setbacks, height caps and berm standards to better protect residents adjacent to the proposed limited industrial district.
The council did not announce a timetable for code revisions; the special meeting Aug. 27 was identified as the next venue to consider land‑use and zoning questions raised by residents.
