The New Albany Company is looking to rezone 591 acres on the city’s south side. The development, Marysville South, will likely resemble the company’s innovation park proposed for the Marysville East development.
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At its meeting this month, the Marysville Planning Commission approved a pair of sketch plans — one to annex and develop 244 acres in the Marysville East development and the other to rezone 591 acres for the Marysville South development.
Both plans were brought forward by officials from the New Albany Company, which has been active annexing land into the city’s east side for development. The New Albany Company has a master plan to create a cohesive development from a variety of parcels surrounding the city.
A sketch plan is a simplified drawing of a proposed subdivision that allows the city to provide advice and help guide a developer before extensive site planning and engineering work is done.
One of the approved sketch plans outlined the Marysville South project, a planned 591-acre development between the Union County Airport and Scottslawn Road, between the CSX railroad tracks and Weaver Road.
Officials from the New Albany Company have said they would like the land rezoned as part of a Planned Unit Development (PUD). The land is currently zoned for manufacturing and light manufacturing. City Engineer Kyle Hoyng said the PUD text will be nearly identical to the plan used for the Marysville East.
According to the sketch plan application, “this PUD will eliminate less desirable uses that are permitted under the existing zonings while also clarifying the nature of certain uses that will be permitted or conditional in this PUD.”
The application does not list any specific end users. PUD permitted uses would include artisan workshops, commercial and industrial equipment and machinery sales, rental and leasing, commercial printing and publishing, contractor offices, essential public and private services and utilities, laboratory research facilities, manufacturing, professional offices, educational facilities, wholesale and distribution centers, data processing/call centers, data centers, wireless telecommunications antenna, facility, and/or tower.
Officials have said the PUD design standards and open space allotment exceed city standards. Officials have said the PUD design standards will create a cohesive look for the development.
Even if the PUD is eventually approved, the project will still need exterior and landscaping plan approval from the city’s Design Review Board and final plat approval from the Planning Commission.
Hoyng said the site has some challenges, specifically traffic concerns. He explained that a new public road will be built off Scottslawn Road to access the site.
Hoyng said residents in the area should be pleased with the development. He explained that under the current zoning, “a heavy manufacturing company could locate there and generate a lot of traffic and wouldn’t need to come to the city for approval because that’s what it is zoned for.”
“This would definitely improve what is allowed to go in there and what is not allowed to go in there,” Hoyng said.
He said the project allows the New Albany Company to “acquire 500 plus acres, close to their Marysville East development.”
Planning Commission also approved a sketch plan for the third phase of the Marysville East development.
The Marysville East Phase Three will be primarily residential with a proposed 286 single-family homes, 90 single-family attached homes, 140 multi-family townhomes and about 487 garden-style and traditional multi-floor apartment buildings. The third phase of the development will be north of Route 36, between the business park on Square Drive and the Union County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Training Facility
The plan also calls for about 16 acres of commercial development along Route 36.
City council has already said it can provide city services to the site, but has not yet been presented with a formal annexation request. Currently, the city and the developer are working on a traffic impact study to determine what infrastructure improvements would be needed to accommodate the increased traffic. Hoyng said the development would likely necessitate a roundabout at Route 36 and the main road into and out of the development.
If annexed, the land would also need rezoned. The New Albany Company has said it will be included in the company’s master plan PUD zoning.
Earlier this year, city council approved annexation of more than 600 acres for the Marysville East master planned community phases one and 2. The first two phases will largely be an innovation district but will also have several hundred multi-family units and about 55 single-family homes.
The entire Marysville East development will have a community authority that will enforce standards and impose a fee on all land in the community — an additional 9.5 mils on industrial and commercial land and 4.5 to 5.5 mils on residential properties. Money raised by the community authority will be used to support police, fire, schools, parks and infrastructure with in that area of the city and county.
Properties in the Marysville South development are also expected to have a similar community authority.
Hoyng said community authority money will be used to make certain the Marysville East and Marysville South developments pay for needed community improvements.