More high-density zoning backed on US 224 east

FINDLAY — More high-density zoning could be heading to the U.S. 224 east corridor. Both the City Planning Commission and Findlay City Council's Planning and Zoning Committee voted Thursday to recommend council's approval of a rezoning request in the Eastern Woods area. Mid-Ohio Development Corporation, Grove Port, working for Blanchard Valley Health Systems, is asking the city to rezone a vacant parcel at U.S. 224 and Township Road 243 from "C-1 Local Commercial" to "M-2 Multi-Family High Density." The land has sat undeveloped for years, and city planners say the market has moved away from commercial uses in this part of the city. The parcel lies about a half mile east of the Shady Grove Golf Course. Proposed high-density zoning of the golf course, upon annexation to the city, has met with public opposition. The Hancock Regional Planning Commission has recommended approval of the Mid-Ohio Development proposal in the Eastern Woods area, noting the parcel is already bordered by other multi-family zoning to the north and west. They said the change would simply extend the high-density pattern that has taken hold in Eastern Woods, where medical offices, apartments and institutional uses now dominate the landscape. According to Regional Planning, the proposed rezoning would align with that pattern and create a more cohesive land-use layout than leaving the parcel as a commercial holdover. Shawn Murphy, vice-president of Mid-Ohio, said the project would extend the existing Eastern Woods apartment community, which the company already manages. The new units would be single-story, age-targeted (not age-restricted), four- and six-unit buildings with shared amenities, including a pool and clubhouse. A nearby resident expressed concern about potential traffic impacts, property values and the possibility of taller apartment buildings at the commission meeting, and was relieved to hear the project would mirror the existing single-story units. Traffic, access points and safety services will be reviewed during the site-plan process, and neighbors will be notified again at that stage, according to city planners. The City Planning Commission is chaired by Mayor Christina Muryn and includes Service-Safety Director Rob Martin, secretary, Dan Clinger, Kyle Inbody and Kerry Trombly. The Planning & Zoning Committee is chaired by Councilwoman Heather Kensinger, R-at-large, and includes council members Nichole Coleman, R-1; Kevin Cullen, I-5; Dan DeLong, R-7; and Brad Wagner, R-at-large. Legislation approving the Shady Grove annexation and zoning is expected to be given its second reading before council at its next regular meeting on Tuesday. Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Findlay Municipal Building, 318 Dorney Plaza. All council meetings are open to the public and are livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel: Findlay Ohio. The annexation and high-density zoning of Shady Grove have been recommended by the Hancock Regional Planning Commission, the City Planning Commission and council's Planning and Zoning Committee.