Columbus Council Committee Schedules Hearing on 216-Unit Demorest Road Rezoning

The Columbus City Council Zoning Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, on an ordinance proposing to rezone 11.49 acres on Demorest Road for Sycamore Landing, a 216-unit apartment complex.

Ordinance 1607-2026, introduced to council on June 29, 2026, and placed on the committee agenda published Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, would rezone 2345 Demorest Road from Rural (R) to Limited Apartment Residential (L-AR-1, H-35) under application Z25-055. Indianapolis-based Kittle Property Group filed the application for multi-unit residential development on an undeveloped parcel owned by Vida Nueva Wesleyan Church, following annexation into the city from Jackson Township.

The proposal has exposed sharp neighborhood divides over southwest side density and traffic capacity. On Dec. 17, 2025, the Westland Area Commission voted 0-8 to recommend disapproval, concluding the complex was too intense for the area. The commission highlighted that the project's density of 18.96 units per acre exceeds surrounding single-family residential densities of 3 to 5 units per acre. Commissioners also warned that Demorest Road traffic funnels through a single-lane roundabout at Alkire Road and an unexpandable two-lane underpass beneath Interstate 270.

City planning staff nevertheless recommended approval, noting that while multi-unit residential use conflicts with the 1994 Westland Area Plan's institutional land-use recommendation, it aligns with 2026 Columbus Growth Strategy guiding principles encouraging the conversion of faith-based sites for mixed-income housing.

The Columbus Development Commission tabled the application on March 12, 2026, before voting 3-2 on May 14, 2026, to recommend approval. Commissioners voiced divided views on infrastructure readiness. Commissioner Maria Fitzpatrick supported the plan while emphasizing that infrastructure must catch up rapidly for the region, whereas Commissioner Tiffany Golden opposed the rezoning, asserting the local infrastructure cannot support the development.

Under the preliminary architectural site plan received May 20, 2026, Sycamore Landing features five residential breezeway buildings—three 48-unit buildings and two 36-unit buildings. Site commitments include 377 parking spaces comprising 318 surface spaces and 59 garage spaces across 10 garage structures, a clubhouse, swimming pool, and two stormwater ponds. Transportation commitments require a 175-foot northbound left-turn lane with a 4-foot shoulder on Demorest Road and a pedestrian crossing equipped with a rectangular rapid flashing beacon system. The public hearing records are cataloged in municipal documentRef a2617d08-8fcd-34cc-8d9d-267c9a28e638.

Previously, Pique reported on Sept. 30, 2026, that Kittle Property Group Proposes 246-Unit Apartment Complex on Eakin Road and that Columbus Staff Object to Apartment District and Narrow Lots in 608-Unit Norton Road Plan.

The Columbus City Council Zoning Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, on an ordinance proposing to rezone 11.49 acres on Demorest Road for Sycamore Landing, a 216-unit apartment complex.

Ordinance 1607-2026, introduced to council on June 29, 2026, and placed on the committee agenda published Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, would rezone 2345 Demorest Road from Rural (R) to Limited Apartment Residential (L-AR-1, H-35) under application Z25-055. Indianapolis-based Kittle Property Group filed the application for multi-unit residential development on an undeveloped parcel owned by Vida Nueva Wesleyan Church, following annexation into the city from Jackson Township.

The proposal has exposed sharp neighborhood divides over southwest side density and traffic capacity. On Dec. 17, 2025, the Westland Area Commission voted 0-8 to recommend disapproval, concluding the complex was too intense for the area. The commission highlighted that the project's density of 18.96 units per acre exceeds surrounding single-family residential densities of 3 to 5 units per acre. Commissioners also warned that Demorest Road traffic funnels through a single-lane roundabout at Alkire Road and an unexpandable two-lane underpass beneath Interstate 270.

City planning staff nevertheless recommended approval, noting that while multi-unit residential use conflicts with the 1994 Westland Area Plan's institutional land-use recommendation, it aligns with 2026 Columbus Growth Strategy guiding principles encouraging the conversion of faith-based sites for mixed-income housing.

The Columbus Development Commission tabled the application on March 12, 2026, before voting 3-2 on May 14, 2026, to recommend approval. Commissioners voiced divided views on infrastructure readiness. Commissioner Maria Fitzpatrick supported the plan while emphasizing that infrastructure must catch up rapidly for the region, whereas Commissioner Tiffany Golden opposed the rezoning, asserting the local infrastructure cannot support the development.

Under the preliminary architectural site plan received May 20, 2026, Sycamore Landing features five residential breezeway buildings—three 48-unit buildings and two 36-unit buildings. Site commitments include 377 parking spaces comprising 318 surface spaces and 59 garage spaces across 10 garage structures, a clubhouse, swimming pool, and two stormwater ponds. Transportation commitments require a 175-foot northbound left-turn lane with a 4-foot shoulder on Demorest Road and a pedestrian crossing equipped with a rectangular rapid flashing beacon system. The public hearing records are cataloged in municipal documentRef a2617d08-8fcd-34cc-8d9d-267c9a28e638.

Previously, Pique reported on Sept. 30, 2026, that Kittle Property Group Proposes 246-Unit Apartment Complex on Eakin Road and that Columbus Staff Object to Apartment District and Narrow Lots in 608-Unit Norton Road Plan.