Dublin rejects proposed neighborhood for 100-acre site divided by railroad

DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- Developers again failed to persuade Dublin officials to greenlit a proposal that would have built a new neighborhood on part of a 101-acre site divided by railroad tracks.

Faris Planning and Design's proposal called for the "Farms at Cosgray" development to feature 51 single-family homes west of Cosgray Road and east of the existing railroad. If completed, the development would have also featured 14 acres of open green space and a large 200-foot buffer along the railroad.

The firm revamped the original proposal, which called for 63 homes to be built east of the railroad and 90 homes west of the railroad, after it was reviewed by the Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission in January. The commission shot down the design, arguing a more creative development should be proposed for a site that is divided by a railroad.

However, Faris' new proposal, which aimed to only develop the site's northeast corner rather than build on both sides of the railroad, did not fair better when presented at a June 20 commission meeting.

"Residential seemed to make sense on the east side, the west side, no. We went back to the drawing board," said Todd Faris, CEO of Faris Planning and Design. "We moved forward on this project just looking at this east portion next to the railroad track as residential. The rest of the plan … we'll be developing that at a later phase."

Still, Commissioner Jamey Chinnock said the updated design is still "a very generic layout" and again advocated for a development that is "more creative." Commissioner Kathy Harter noted the development would not align with city's soon-to-be updated community plan.

Known as the "Envision Dublin Plan," the outline is undergoing an 18-month update that occurs every 10 years. In the upcoming version, the plan designates the 101-acre property as a "flex and innovation" site that should be developed for business, not residential.

"I'm not supportive of the proposal for the residential use," said Harter. "It's not aligned with the upcoming future land use plan, and with the railroad conditions and so forth, I have some concerns."

Commissioner Gary Alexander echoed Harter and said, while he understands the difficulty of advancing a proposed development through Dublin's approval process, he cannot support this design.

"If you came here in 10 years and nobody developed that site as the plan suggests, I think maybe it might be reconsidered, but I think you have to give the plan a chance," said Alexander. "I sympathize with where you are, but I'm sorry, I can't support your proposed use."