Slim majority of Peters Township Council expresses support for apartment project
Gail J. Rodgers
Rendering presented to Peters Township by Al. Neyer
Rendering presented to Peters Township by Al. Neyer
The development is proposed for 10-plus acres near the southwestern corner of Peters Township.
An informal poll of Peters Township Council shows support, if on a narrow basis, for plans to develop an upscale apartment complex near the southwestern corner of the municipality.
Representatives of Cincinnati-based real estate developer Al. Neyer had requested discussions with township officials to ascertain whether the company should proceed with the acquisition of property at 259 Galley Road as the potential site of the project.
To develop the site as planned, Al. Neyer is seeking two amendments to the township zoning ordinance and the granting of two variances. A memo from assistant planning director Seth Koons to council reported members of township staff and the planning commission recommended initiating the process.
During their meeting Monday, four out of seven council members spoke in favor of the development. Joining Frank Kosir Jr. were the three who took office at the start of the year, Tom Pirosko, Matt Rost and Allison Shanafelt.
“This is definitely the type of housing we don’t have in the township,” Kosir said. “I’ve always been a fan of housing diversity. I’m certainly more excited about this than the idea of putting a hotel there,” referencing a previous proposal.
One-, two- and three-bedroom rental units, totaling about 250 apartments, are planned.
“The smallest units would be in the $1,200 range, with the largest units being over $2,000 a month,” said Patrick Byrne, Al. Neyer manager of real estate development, adding amenities would include a fitness center, tenant lounge, dog park, courtyard pool and grilling area.
Council members Frank Arcuri, Robert Lewis and chairman Gary Stiegel Jr. expressed opposition to the project, citing the scale of what is proposed for the 10-plus acres, including three-quarters of an acre for retail space.
“I think it’s too much for the size of the parcel,” Lewis said.
As is usual with regard to development in Peters Township, traffic weighed heavily into the discussion.
The main access to the complex, called Wynter’s Circle, would be from Waterdam Road between Route 19 and Old Waterdam Road.
At Waterdam Road’s intersection with Galley Road, slightly to the east, the only traffic control is a one-way stop sign for vehicles on Galley.
“Quite frankly, I find it hard to believe, given the nature of this, that they’re going to be able to get a highway occupancy permit without improvements to that intersection,” township manager Paul Lauer said regarding a decision to be made by the state Department of Transportation.
Despite the property’s address, Wynter’s Circle connection to Galley Road would be “emergency access,” according to Gateway Engineers project manager Michael Galet, who is working in collaboration with Al. Neyer.
To proceed with the project as envisioned, the developer seeks to amend the township code to allow more than the current maximum of 36 units per building in the zoning district in which the property is located.
“If we were going to do this development meeting that ordinance, we would likely have seven to eight very similar-looking structures stacked within our site that would make it really look kind of mundane,” Galet explained.
Another amendment would eliminate the requirement that 50% of all parking for a multifamily development be roofed and enclosed on three sides.
“We are, at this point, trying to come as close as we can to meeting that requirement,” Galet told council. “We’ve got a conceptual layout that shows covered parking for about 30 to 40% of the overall parking.”
The amendments would require final approval by council, while variance requests go before the township zoning hearing board. As for the latter, Al. Neyer is seeking relief from setback requirements with regard to a building’s distance from its property line and the top floor of a four-story building compared with the third floor.
According to Byrne, his company’s goal is to fill a perceived gap.
“Through our market analysis, we see a rising demand for high-quality multifamily rental housing in the area, with limited supply,” he wrote in a letter to Koons and township planning director Ed Zuk.
“Our proposed development would help to expand housing choices for a wider range of age groups, from young adults to empty nesters downsizing, a need that was also identified in the Peters Township Comprehensive Plan and Market Study.”