Peters Township council votes down zoning amendments
A tied vote among Peters Township council led to a failure of a zoning ordinance that would have allowed for a proposed 250-unit apartment complex.
The measure would have made three amendments to the Peters’ zoning ordinance that applied specifically to the mixed-use activity center district in the most southwestern portion of the municipality. The district includes Donaldson’s Crossing and Waterdam Plaza.
At a February meeting, council discussed plans by Cincinnati-based real estate developer Al. Neyer to purchase property at 259 Galley Road for the company’s upscale apartments. To that end, the developer was requesting amendments to the zoning ordinance and variances before moving ahead with purchasing the property.
The ordinance upon which council voted Monday would have reduced the maximum floor area ratio, the size of a building’s floor area in relation to the size of the parcel the building is on, from 1 to 0.85. It also would have eliminated the requirement that 50% of required parking spaces for new multi-family developments be covered on three sides.
The ordinance also eliminated the upper limit of 36 units in an apartment building. Structures in the district are also limited to three stories, or four with a variance.
The complex would have offered one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with the smallest costing about $1,200 a month, and the largest about $2,000. There were also plans for a fitness center, dog park and pool.
The final vote was 3-3, with council members Frank Arcuri, Robert Lewis and chairman Gary Stiegel Jr. voting against the measure. Matt Rost was absent from Monday’s meeting, but expressed support for development at the February meeting.
“This is definitely the type of housing we don’t have in the township,” vice-chair Frank Kosir Jr. said at the February meeting. “I’ve always been a fan of housing diversity. I’m certainly more excited about this than the idea of putting a hotel there.”
Explaining his vote against the ordinance, Arcuri said he did not have an issue with the changes regarding parking and the floor area ratio, but the proposed size of the complex gave him pause.
“I think it’s just too big of a project,” Arcuri said.
Arcuri added that he was concerned about how it would affect traffic. Already a busy area, Arcuri feels the complex would only exacerbate those issues.
“I don’t think we need more traffic. It’s bad enough trying to get through the crossroads,” Arcuri said.