Westerville Planning Commission Approves Asking For Approval

Planning Commission Recommends Village at Central College Expansion for Council Review

The Westerville Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend approval of a proposal to expand The Village at Central College with 232 new multi-family housing units, while forwarding the plan to City Council for final consideration.

The commission approved rezoning that would incorporate two small parcels, totaling 1.28 acres, along Central College Road into the existing 15.62-acre site. This change would bring the land under the Planned Development (PD) zoning district. The adjustment slightly revises the 2014 development plan, reducing the total unit count from 240 to 232.

A key point of discussion during the public hearing was the inclusion of a new through street connecting the nearby neighborhood to Sunbury Road. City planners said the connection would improve circulation and emergency access. Still, nearby residents expressed concern that the road could be used as a shortcut by drivers trying to avoid heavy traffic at the two Sunbury Road traffic lights. Residents complained that their neighborhood, designed with a single entrance off Central College, has narrow streets that often cause problems for school buses navigating when cars are parked on both sides.

Commissioners asked the city planner about the street design and why it needs to connect to the neighborhood. They were informed that the new road was part of the original plan for the neighborhood's construction, and it is the expected connection.

Commissioners and the planner acknowledged concern and noted that final details on traffic controls and intersection design will be reviewed during later engineering phases.

Stormwater runoff and site drainage were also discussed. Staff clarified that those technical details will be handled in subsequent engineering reviews and should not be included in the development text. The plan maintains green space near the clubhouse and civic area, along with landscaping and buffer zones separating the apartment buildings from existing single-family homes.

The proposal reserves two tracts, totaling 2.89 acres, along Sunbury Road for future commercial development. This continues the original mixed-use concept approved more than a decade ago.

If the City Council approves the rezoning and modifications, Casto would then submit a Final Development Plan detailing building architecture, landscaping, and phasing.

Planning Commission Approves Aldi, Sends Mixed-Use Development to Council for Review

The Westerville Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans for a new Aldi grocery store on Polaris Parkway and recommended City Council review of a larger mixed-use development proposed for the southeast corner of Polaris Parkway and Worthington Road. Both projects are linked, since the grocery store site lies within the Zumstein development area.

Commissioners approved a 20,664-square-foot Aldi store on a 2.56-acre site along Polaris Parkway, about 900 feet east of Worthington Road. The plan completes the design phase for the store, which has already received earlier approval from the City Council.

Construction, however, cannot begin until the council decides whether to approve Zumstein’s request to modify road construction requirements within the larger development.

The main point of contention is a connector road that was originally intended to link Polaris Parkway and Worthington Road through the 37.6-acre mixed-use development. Developer Franz Geiger has asked the city to allow construction of only one section of that road, saying the full connector is unnecessary during the project’s first phase and would be prohibitively expensive.

Planning staff agreed the project aligns with the city’s revised development plan and standards, but attached specific conditions to the approval recommendation. The commission voted to forward the proposal to City Council, with the planning department’s recommendation that the main internal access drive connecting Polaris Parkway and Worthington Road, including the signalized intersection at Polaris Parkway, must be completed before final building occupancy.

The commission noted that approval of the Aldi project is contingent upon the City Council’s approval of the Zumstein plan, since both developments share road access and infrastructure.

Both proposals will move to the Westerville City Council for final review. The council’s decision will determine whether the grocery store and the first phase of the Zumstein development can proceed to construction. Council has the option to accept the city planner’s recommendation, accept Zumstein’s proposal to build only the connector off Polaris Parkway, or formulate its own design for how the Aldi site and related road improvements will be built.

The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.

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