6545
Havens Road, Blacklick, OH 43004
Phone: 614-855-4265
Fax: 614-855-1759
Monday thru Friday, 9am to 5pm
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In Jefferson Township, all zoning activity is supervised by the Zoning Administrator/Inspector
Charles
McCroskey. Assisting him with inspections and routine applications is Ed
Gerhold. Lorri Coupland is the Zoning/Building Clerk and serves as the zoning secretary
for the Board of Zoning Appeals & Zoning Commission.
Charles joined Jefferson Township in 2000; prior to
that, he was zoning inspector for the Franklin County Development Department. Ed joined Jefferson Township in
2005; he is retired from the private sector. Lorri joined Jefferson Township in
1998 as the zoning secretary and started full-time in the zoning office in 2006;
prior to that, she worked in the public sector.
Charles and Ed perform inspections, receive &
review applications, follow up on zoning violations and answer questions
having to do with land use from a variety of individuals and businesses. Lorri performs various administrative office duties
for the Zoning Department.
In addition, Charles is Jefferson Township’s Zoning Inspector;
charged with the
responsibility to ensure that the Zoning Resolution is followed. McCroskey also
represents Jefferson Township during the review process of a rezoning application
with Franklin County and Jefferson Township officials; provides monthly reports on all activities of the zoning
department; reviews each zoning-related application for compliance with the regulations; submits a staff report on each application
to assist the Board of Zoning Appeals and Zoning Commission members; works with
the Chairman and sets the agenda for each Board.
Jefferson Township zoning is governed by Section §519 of the Ohio Revised
Code which provides for the regulation of land uses through a five-member
Zoning Commission. The commission must consider each request in a public hearing; make a recommendation
to the Township Trustees. Any zoning change requires a three-step process — first, a recommendation from the Franklin County Planning Commission must be received;
second, the Zoning Commission must conduct a public hearing to submit a recommendation
for the Township Trustees to review and third, the Township Trustees must conduct
a public hearing before any action can be taken on the
recommendation. The zoning
change process could be completed within ninety – one hundred twenty days and any
zoning change becomes effective thirty-days from the date the Township Trustees
take action.
A separate body, also required by law, hears variances from
certain zoning standards, appeals from a code enforcement action and cases
where the zoning code allows certain uses with conditions. These latter are
commonly referred to as "conditional uses." This Board of Zoning Appeals also
has five members.
The Board of Zoning Appeals is judicial in nature and therefore
its decision is final and may be appealed only to common pleas court.
In Jefferson Township, members of both bodies work very hard, studying
the data about the cases scheduled to come before them, traveling to the site
so they have a clear idea of its physical characteristics and those of the
neighboring parcels, and listening patiently to all who want to speak during
the public hearings. Both bodies meet each month and check the COMMUNITY
CALENDAR for the next scheduled meeting.
Since the Zoning Commission is tasked with recommending an actual change in land
use; board members encourage any applicant to first meet informally at a
public meeting, while there is time to discuss the idea and
outline the Jefferson Township
vision clearly to the applicant. The informal
"workshop" session occur at the Zoning
Commission regular meeting and are
open to all.
Jefferson Township was the first Franklin County Township to adopt their
own zoning regulations and map specifying the location of certain zoning
categories (in 1974). This act brought this important—and sometimes
emotional—function under the control of Jefferson Township residents who best know the
area and share a common vision for it. Prior to 1974, all land use decisions
for Jefferson Township were made by Franklin County officials. Of the seventeen Townships in
Franklin County, five have
followed Jefferson Township and created zoning regulations.
The Ohio Revised Code provides that the Township Trustees may
adopt a plan for future land use and this document is most frequently called a
Comprehensive Land Use Plan which includes a map. The text of Jefferson Township’s comprehensive plan is
simple and straightforward. It is the map that our officials look to most
frequently when they deliberate rezoning requests.
Jefferson Township’s current comprehensive plan was adopted in 1996 and
the land use map has been updated from time to time since then.
The plan and map are used to implement the Jefferson Township’s Community
Core Values
which call for Jefferson Township to be a "Green Community," with
managed growth and large amounts of open space.
The comprehensive plan promotes "conservation development"
which allows housing to be grouped in portions of the site away from natural
resources and environmentally sensitive areas. These undeveloped areas are then
set aside as permanent open space, thus retaining Jefferson Township’s rural
character.
Most communities call their land use plan a "development plan."
Jefferson Township’s land use plan is truly a "preservation plan."
Using Jefferson Township’s conservation zoning category and the comprehensive plan
most of the township is being developed with a very "light
touch," to preserve the rural character and natural beauty currently
enjoyed by our residents. Open space is required in nearly all of Jefferson
Township’s residential developments. In nearly every case, a minimum of 35% of each tract zoned in Jefferson Township since 1990 has been set aside as
open space.
The plan is a guide by which the Zoning Commission and Jefferson Township Trustees
can determine if a request for zoning change to a specific land
use fits with the overall vision for Jefferson Township as outlined by the
comprehensive plan and map.
If the plan is followed, the Township Trustees will have one-third less population
when it is completely built out (in 30 years or so) than it would
if each tract were allowed to develop as it is currently zoned.
The original zoning map was adopted in 1974 and much of the
zoning remains unchanged from that time.
About 5,100-acres (most of the land north of Havens Corners Road and
west of Waggoner
Road) is zoned to RESTRICTED SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL
DISTRICT (RSR) and allows
homes on 1-acre lots. However, the land use plan calls for no more than one
home for every three to five acres when this area is completely built out -- probably twenty -thirty years from now.
When a residential zoning change occurs, the primary zoning category used is PLANNED SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT (PSRD). This use allows
homes to be clustered to save open space and natural features. Greater (or
fewer) homes per one-acre can be approved, but no more than 2.5 dwelling units
per acre is permitted and no less than 35% of the entire site must be retained
as open space. Most parcels zoned to this category have no more than 1 dwelling unit per acre and many sites have much more than 35% of the site set aside as
permanent open space. Subdivisions zoned PSRD include Kitsmillers Crossing
(1du/acre), Jefferson Estates (1du/acre) Blacklick Ridge (2.2 du/acre) Morrison
Farms (2.5 du/acre) and The Woods
at Swisher Creek (0.7 du/acre).
SUBURBAN PERIPHERY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT
(SPRD)
is confined to approximately 445-acres in Jefferson Township which
all of it is located along the Waggoner Road corridor area next to the City of Columbus containing very high density. This
zoning category gives Jefferson Township a competitive edge to retain development in Jefferson Township and stop the loss of Township ground to the City of Columbus
through annexation. This zoning category cannot be used elsewhere in the
Township.
The zoning map has other zoning categories as listed. It’s rare
that categories other than the “planned district” categories are used thus
giving Jefferson Township officials much greater control over density, design and open
space preservation
with better ability to manage growth.
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