Powell Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting - May 13, 2026

The Powell Planning & Zoning Commission met on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers, 47 Hall Street, Powell, Ohio. The commission elected a chair and vice-chair, approved its April 8, 2026 minutes, acted on a Certificate of Appropriateness for 62 Scioto Street, and considered the Powell Gateway zoning map amendment and combined preliminary/final development plan. The next regular meeting is June 10, 2026.

Election of Chair and Vice-Chair

• The commission elected a chair and vice-chair by roll-call vote; the names and vote tally are not recorded in the transcript excerpt.

Approval of Minutes

• The commission approved the minutes of the April 8, 2026 regular meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No one spoke during the hearing of visitors for items not on the agenda.
• On the 62 Scioto Street demolition request, one resident commented on the value of preserving small towns and said Powell is one of the small towns that has not been lost.
• On the Powell Gateway case, several members of the public said the revised proposal was better than the January version, but raised concerns including: parking counts on the plan did not match; the project would demolish the sidewalk on the south side of Susan Lane and replace a shared-use path with a five-foot sidewalk; a five-foot wall was shown; dumpsters would create odor and pest problems; and no two-story structures exist in the surrounding neighborhood, so the building design should relate to downtown rather than act as an abrupt gateway.

Certificate of Appropriateness Review - 62 Scioto Street (Case 2026-10CA)

• The applicant requested approval to demolish an approximately 1,630-square-foot residential structure on a 0.172-acre site at 62 Scioto Street, on the north side, west of Olentangy Street, in the DR district. The agenda described the structure as commercial, but staff corrected it to a residential structure.
• Staff recommended approval of the demolition. The Architectural Advisor's comments were primarily about the tones and colors of the proposed replacement architecture. The commission was not approving that replacement architecture.
• The commission took a roll-call vote on the request; the transcript excerpt does not state the vote tally.

Powell Gateway - Zoning Map Amendment & Combined Preliminary/Final Development Plan (Case 2026-06Z/PDP/FDP)

• The applicants, Sarah Freiheit and Max Hardings of Equity, requested: (1) a zoning map amendment, (2) combination of two parcels, and (3) combined preliminary and final development plan approval to build an approximately 21,600-square-foot commercial building on 1.93 acres on the north side of East Olentangy Street, west of Liberty Road. The site is currently zoned Planned Commercial District on the east and Downtown Business District on the west.
• The oral staff introduction said the building would be approximately 1,600 square feet, but the written agenda and case materials state 21,600 square feet. This summary uses the written figure.
• The transcript refers to the case as 'PAL Gateway' in portions of the discussion; the written agenda and case title are 'Powell Gateway.'
• Staff recommended approval of the zoning map amendment/preliminary development plan to City Council, with conditions that the applicant soften architecture and retaining walls along Church Drive and add landscaping and patio spaces at street level. Staff described the parcel combination as administrative. Staff recommended tabling the final development plan review because of outstanding items and inconsistencies in the plan sheets.
• The applicant said the east walls were intended as an open canvas for a possible public-art installation to soften the 'hard' walls, and the applicant was willing to work with staff on outstanding items.
• Discussion raised concerns about a utility room and open plaza in the center between the two buildings, the chamfered corner at the Olentangy entry drive, the need for a better east elevation, and the continuing requirement to follow historic guidelines that staff were working to update.
• A City Council member offered a council perspective, saying that phase one of a 15-month study told Council that, regardless of the Village Green outcome, the city's greatest financial impact will be determined by decisions along Powell Road east to State Route 315. The member urged traffic impact and success planning before the project proceeds.
• Commissioners and public commenters raised traffic and neighborhood concerns, including cut-through traffic, the potential of making the road north of the shopping center one-way eastbound, and a statement that the school district expects '5,000 additional head in the next 10 years in the school district.' Staff said traffic controls can change as traffic comes, citing recent work at the 100 North project and the safety crossing.
• One commissioner said the preliminary plan was acceptable but the final plan was not ready, supporting the rezoning and preliminary plan while sending the final plan back to the drawing board.

Key Outcomes

• The commission elected officers and approved the April 8, 2026 minutes.
• The commission passed a motion, by roll-call vote, to recommend approval to City Council of the Powell Gateway zoning map amendment placing the two parcels into one Downtown Business District. The vote tally is not stated in the transcript.
• The commission voted to table the final development plan review for the Powell Gateway project; the final plan will return at a future meeting, with the next regular meeting on June 10, 2026.
• The meeting then adjourned.