By Christine Bryant
Staff Writer
Reynoldsburg City Council has set a public hearing to address the rezoning of property belonging to Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church – a necessary move should the church decide to expand in the future, city officials say.
Currently, various pieces of the property, located on Graham Road, are zoned differently. The ordinance placed before council would rezone the entire property owned by the church so that it falls under one zoning label – a process that is called “conforming” the zoning district, said Eric Snowden, planning administrator for the city.
“Part of the land owned by RUMC is zoned S-1 Special District, which permits schools, institutions and public uses,” he said. “Over the years, the church as acquired additional land, which is still zoned residential.”
While churches are permitted on parcels zoned residential, the setbacks and lot area regulations are different, Snowden said.
The public hearing, set for 7:15 p.m. March 14, will address the rezoning of the property so that the church will have one cohesive zoning assigned to all of the property it owns, making it less complicated for any future development on its property, said Dan Havener, development director for the city.
While the city has not received any submittals for future projects at the church at this time, city officials at the Feb. 22 city council meeting said the church is considering the development of a family center that may include features like meeting rooms, event space and a gym. In order to move forward with any considerations of expansion, however, conforming the land’s zoning is the first step in a long process.
If approved, the ordinance would rezone all of the church’s land to S-1, Snowden said. “They will need to apply for a major site plan approval once the rezoning is complete,” he said.
“Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church has a long-standing history of community involvement and service,” said Karin Dragonette of the RUMC. “One of the current unmet needs in our community is the availability of event space for programs, meetings, meals and recreation. As a first step to determining how to best meet that need, we are assuring that the land south of our existing buildings (which we purchased several years ago) is zoned appropriately. Ours is a missional church serving the world—beginning with those right here in our neighborhood. We believe that one way we can accomplish this mission is to become a thriving hub of life and a center for learning, working and playing in our community.”
