A meeting of the Village of Riverlea Planning Commission was held January 13, 2025 at the Old Worthington Library. Members present were Bryce Jacob (Planning Commissioner), Christopher Bedell, Paul Collini, Rich Skowronski, and Jennifer Zipfel. Also present were resident Andy Sears and Mike Sheridan of Owens Construction. The Planning Commissioner called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.

  1. The minutes of the regular Planning Commission meeting of December 9, 2024 were not read since each member had received a copy. Skowronski moved and Collini seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 5, Bedell, Collini, Jacob, Skowronski, and Zipfel; Nay: None; Abstain: None. The motion carried 5-0.
  2. An application for a Certificate of Appropriateness by Andy & Carrie Sears at 5872 Olentangy Blvd to add an addition with a covered porch along with a small patio at the rear of the house. This project will relocate the kitchen from the front to the rear of the house. The planning Commissioner stated that he received a sheet stating the lot coverage and setbacks on the project and there are no issues with either of these. The lot coverage is estimated to be 22%.

The new porch will have a vaulted ceiling and the walls will be coated in the same stucco as with the current house. The columns will be clad in Boral wood analogue. The materials for the flooring will match those of the existing floor as closely as possible. There will be a vent-free fireplace on the porch. There will be Marvin quad sliding doors from the house to the porch, clad-wood, with no grill. The roof of the porch will maintain the same 5/12 pitch as the existing house and the shingles and gutters on the entire house will be replaced as part of this project. The materials and color for the shingles are currently undecided. As part of the project, the entire house will be repainted, though the color is not yet decided. The new patio is to be 13 ft by 22 ft and will use the pavers from the current patio. Construction on the project is to start in March. The Planning Commissioner asked the homeowner to finalize the details of the project and bring these to the February meeting.

Skowronski moved to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for the project pending the submittal of materials and colors for the paint, shingles, and gutters. Bedell seconded this motion. The following vote was recorded on the motion: Yea: 5, Bedell, Collini, Jacob, Skowronski, and Zipfel; Nay: 0; Abstain: None. The motion carried 5-0.

  1. The Planning Commission reviewed their potential revisions to the Village ordinances concerning fences. Zipfel recommended that applicants be required to submit a survey verifying the impact of lot lines and setbacks on fence placement with a fence application. She also questioned whether the Village should maintain an approved list of fence types. The Planning Commissioner suggested that the ordinances state that fences should be maintained with a uniform coloring. For wooden fences, this would require that they be stained and for metal fences, these colors would be black, white, bronze, or neutral.

The Planning Commissioner questioned if the Committee felt that it should be required to have a neighbor’s approval for fence installation or changes. The Committee felt that this should not be needed as neighbors have the opportunity to attend Planning Commission meetings and make their voices heard, but that the final decision should be made by the Committee.

Zipfel felt that the ordinance should include language prohibiting chain-link fences. The Committee members were under the impression that this language already existed in the code, but it does not appear to be the case. The Planning Commissioner stated that he felt that fences should not be permitted to be more than 48 inches tall and the Committee discussed potential exceptions to this height restriction and what potential fences over 48 inches in height would look like.

The Planning Commissioner stated that he would review the Committee’s proposals with the Village Council and the Solicitor at its meeting in January.

Skowronski moved and Bedell seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (5-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:23 p.m.

 

Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner

Josh Mehling, Clerk