Arbor Homes Proposes 146-Home Brice Orchard Subdivision in Southeast Columbus

Regional homebuilder Arbor Homes has submitted a rezoning application to the City of Columbus proposing Brice Orchard, a 146-home single-family residential subdivision across more than 42 acres of farmland at 3701 Brice Road in southeast Columbus [source:accela-portal] [source:application-affidavit]. The application seeks to reclassify the agricultural site from Rural to a Planned Unit Development framework to allow single-family detached homes on smaller individual lots [source:accela-portal] [source:site-data-sheet].

Farmland Site and Project Team

The proposed development site spans 42.51 gross acres on engineering layout drawings and 43.13 acres on county property records [source:accela-portal] [source:site-data-sheet]. The agricultural land is situated along the western edge of Brice Road south of Chatterton Road and Winchester Pike, currently owned by David and Lisa Schacht of the Schacht Family Farm [source:application-affidavit] [source:ownership-disclosure]. According to surrounding property records, the parcel is bordered to the north by 35 acres owned by the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District and to the west and south by agricultural holdings [source:legal-description] [source:site-data-sheet].

According to project disclosure statements filed with the Department of Building and Zoning Services, Arbor Homes and the Schacht Family Farm represent the principal stakeholders with ownership interests in the development [source:ownership-disclosure]. Columbus-based engineering and planning firm American Structurepoint prepared the boundary survey, zoning descriptions, and preliminary site plan submitted with the rezoning filing [source:legal-description] [source:site-data-sheet].

Subdivision Layout and Dedicated Open Space

Preliminary engineering plans filed by American Structurepoint show that the 146-lot community would dedicate 23.83 acres to residential building sites, generating an overall gross density of 3.43 units per acre [source:site-data-sheet]. The proposed neighborhood layout includes 126 lots with 50-foot frontages and 20 lots with 60-foot frontages, with each parcel meeting a minimum lot standard of 6,250 square feet [source:site-data-sheet]. Planned dimensional standards specify 25-foot front setbacks, 5-foot side setbacks, and rear setbacks of 30 to 31 feet [source:site-data-sheet].

The developer has reserved 12.45 acres—nearly 30 percent of the property's gross acreage—for open space, recreational buffers, and stormwater management [source:site-data-sheet]. The site plan outlines several common reserve tracts alongside a proposed stormwater detention basin and an adjacent compensation basin [source:site-data-sheet] [source:subdivision-plat]. An additional 6.23 acres are set aside for public infrastructure and road rights-of-way, including five internal residential streets, a 10-foot shared-use pathway, and a 0.62-acre right-of-way dedication along Brice Road [source:site-data-sheet].

Public Review Process and Pending Questions

City records show application Z26-028 is moving through the City of Columbus Accelerated Residential Review track under assigned city planner Tim Dietrich [source:accela-portal]. The filing marks the opening phase of municipal technical review and does not constitute city approval or authorization to begin construction.

Before the proposal can reach the Columbus City Council for final legislative consideration, it must undergo advisory review and public hearings by the Greater South East Area Commission and the Columbus Development Commission [source:accela-portal] [source:application-affidavit].

Because the project remains in an early administrative stage, multiple operational variables remain unaddressed in public records. The filed documents do not provide estimated home prices, specific architectural elevations, or an anticipated multi-year construction phasing schedule. Municipal staff reviews will also examine potential traffic impacts and access management along Brice Road, alongside student enrollment coordination with the surrounding public school district.