Daycare Construction Begins At State And County Line
Crews began clearing trees last week for a new daycare at North State Street and County Line Road, marking the first visible construction activity on the site.
The daycare building will face County Line Road, with a driveway extending through the site to State Street. The project will occupy most of the property except for the separate corner parcel and will include parking, landscaping, and stormwater facilities.
The clearing stops short of the vacant parcel directly at the corner of State Street and County Line Road. That parcel is not part of the approved daycare project. Vacant land north of the new State Street entrance is also outside the development area.
Access to the daycare will be limited. Drivers will be able to enter from State Street only by making a right turn. The County Line Road driveway will be exit-only, with right turns required. The daycare parking lot will also connect with the neighboring office development’s parking lot.
A stormwater basin will occupy much of the area between the daycare building and State Street. The project also includes a bioswale, a shallow landscaped channel designed to collect, slow, and filter runoff.
The Westerville Planning Commission originally approved the daycare in January 2023 as part of a larger development that also included an office building along State Street.
Revised plans approved by the commission remove the office building from the current project while leaving the daycare largely unchanged, including its layout, architecture, fencing, and signage.
The revision also changed the stormwater plan. The original development called for underground retention beneath the parking area. With the office building no longer part of the current phase, the developer received approval for an above-ground stormwater basin on land that could be used for future development.
If a second phase is proposed later, the stormwater system would have to be modified. The developer told the planning commission there are no immediate plans to build the office because of construction costs and conditions in the office market.
Minor landscaping and lighting changes were also approved and could allow additional tree planting while meeting city requirements.
The tree clearing marks the start of construction on a project first approved in 2023.
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