MOUNT VERNON – The Municipal Planning Commission recommended approval on June 9 for Ohio Eastern Star Home’s plan to expand at the north end of its property with 96 rental units in cottages and a two-story multi-unit building.
The proposed development would add 16 cottages with 56 residential units and a 102,863-square-foot building with an additional 40 units. The cottages and two-story buildings would provide 44 two-bedroom units and 52 one-bedroom units.
“There is a building that exceeds the height of 35 feet. We can motion if we choose to waive that height requirement as a commission,” Safety Service Director and Planning Commission member Rick Dzik said.
The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval for the project, but left the height variance – 39 feet, or 4 feet above zoning requirements – for the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals to make a decision.
The project would be a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) for elder and senior care, Michelle Englebach, CEO and administrator for The Ohio Eastern Star Homes, told the Planning Commission.
The 96 independent living units also will free up some homes in Knox County, which could help alleviate the housing shortage, Englebach said.
All of the units would be month-to-month rentals, with opt-out through a 30-day notice.
Some of the units have attached garages, whereas others have carports. All of them have full kitchens, she said. They range from approximately 800 square feet to 1,200 square feet.
The company hopes to break ground on the three-year project in early fall. The first phase would include the “boomerang” two-story, 40-unit building and the dining room.
Susan Silverwood said she and her husband already deal with light pollution from the conference center, so she wanted the city to make sure Ohio Eastern Star didn’t install that kind of lighting in this part of the property.
“There is the argument of safety, but it's more like a shopping mall,” she said.
Englebach said they want to use 14-foot-tall lighting for the streets within the property to keep the residential feel. Walking paths would have low-cap lighting.
David Messerly of New Gambier Road worried that as residents pull up to the cottages, their headlights will shine into his and his neighbors’ houses.
City Engineer Brian Ball said the deciduous trees in the gas utility easement won’t be removed. And agreements can be made with the city’s Shade Tree & Beautification Commission to increase plantings.
Benjamin Niederhauser of New Gambier Road raised traffic concerns. He said 96 apartments are being added to an area with a road that is too narrow and over-driven.
‘We have speeding problems, we have deer, and my concern is just we have zero sidewalks,” he said. “It's actually a very dangerous road for being in the city.”
Ball said multiple plans have been drawn up to address problems with Eastern Star Drive and New Gambier. He met with Councilmember Mel Severns recently and they are trying to put the projects into the city’s strategic plan and get funding for the corridor.
“I think this is where it's a good time to get some of these projects moving instead of just laying around in my office,” Ball said.
City Council will hold a public hearing on the request at 6:45 p.m. on July 25 in Council Chambers at 40 Public Square.
