The Troy Planning Commission voted unanimously Jan. 13 to recommend the city council reject a request to rezone light industrial land off State Route 55 for a development of ranch-style apartment homes.

With the negative recommendation, the council would only consider the rezoning request if the applicants ask the council to vote on the proposal within 20 days of the commission’s recommendation.

A three quarters vote of city council would be needed to overrule the commission’s negative recommendation.

Mid-Ohio Development Corp. filed the request to rezone the 15.4 acres located north of State Route 55, south of Fenner Road and west of Barnhart Road from M-2 light industrial to R-7 multiple-family residential. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati owns the land.

The city staff recommended the commission deny the request, noting the proposed zoning was in conflict with the city comprehensive plan. It also said the housing would not achieve the full economic potential of the property that lies near Interstate 75 and on a major street.

Concerns about increased traffic on Barnhart and nearby Fenner Road also were listed as a negative to be considered.

Roney Murphy, president of Mid-Ohio Development Corp., told the commission the company looked at potential sites in the city for 18 months and had been told “no” behind the scenes. The project moved to the official proposal stage once the Archdiocese agreed to consider selling the land to them, Murphy said.

The company has built the market rate rentals homes in other areas including off State Route 202 near the Carriage Trails area of Huber Heights. A marketing consultant working with Mid-Ohio said the company needed to come to Troy to offer the housing that has attracted young professionals and senior citizens in other areas, Murphy said.

“I don’t see this benefiting the community,” Commission member Larry Wolke said.

Mayor Mike Beamish said the city recently approved plans for a seniors development north of Wal-Mart and the city is hoping to attract millennials to the east side of town as part of the riverfront development.

“We don’t have that much land set aside for business or industrial,” Beamish said of considering how the land would be used.

The commission voted unanimously to not hold a public hearing on the rezoning request and to recommend council deny the request if asked to consider it.
In other business the commission agreed a public hearing would not be held on a proposed rezoning of land as part of a project at the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.

After hearing information on the project, the commission agreed to recommend it to the council for a public hearing and decision.

The request is for rezoning one parcel from dual zoning of M-2 light industrial and R-4 single family and a second parcel zoned R-4 single family to M-2 light industrial. The rezoning is needed to accommodate additional parking for the welding institute, said Tim Davis of the city planning and zoning office.

The new parking area would include mounding and trees to help as a buffer, Davis said.

A neighborhood meeting for the Westbrook area of the city has been organized for Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Hobart Institute at 6 p.m.

The commission also recommended city council approves the final plan for section of the Nottingham subdivision on the city’s north side.

The section includes 15.15 acres with 25 buildable lots ranging from 0.274 acre to 0.500 acre. The project will include installing an aggregate base construction/emergency drive to Piqua-Troy Road.

In other business, the commission:

- Elected Alan Kappers as chairman and Tom Force as vice chairman for the year.

- OK’d a wall sign for the front of the building at 116 S. Market St. housing the Pachamama business.