MANSFIELD — A proposed mixed-use development that could bring more than 500 new residences, commercial storefronts and a senior care facility to southwest Mansfield is scheduled to go before city planners Tuesday.
The Mansfield City Planning Commission meets at 3:30 p.m. in City Council chambers to review a petition seeking to rezone roughly 64.66 acres of the Raemelton Farm property along West Cook Road.
Columbus-based developer Highland Real Estate, partnering with design firm G2 Planning + Design, is requesting to rezone the site from “R-2 Residential” to a “Planned Unit Development,” combining residential and professional uses.
According to the petition, the land is listed at 1030 Marion Ave. The Planning Commission recommendation for or against the rezoning request will then be forwarded to City Council for an ultimate decision.
“The existing zoning would not allow the mix of residential and commercial that is being proposed,” according to the petition. “The PUD is much more suitable for this mix and allows for the two functions to coexist.”
The property sits along West Cook Road near South Trimble Road and adjacent to the Mansfield City Schools Board of Education offices. The land is currently owned by Raemelton Farm, PLL, of Mansfield.
(Above are maps showing a proposed Planned Unit Development in Mansfield.)
Under the proposal, dubbed “Raemelton,” the developer envisions creating a master-planned community featuring 504 total residential units, commercial outlots and senior living options across four distinct subareas:
- Subarea A (commercial): Located along the West Cook Road frontage across approximately 9.4 acres, this section would feature up to five commercial parcels designed for neighborhood retail, restaurants, professional offices or medical clinics.
- Subarea B (multi-family): Spanning more than 24 acres in the central tract, this section would house up to 420 apartment units across garden-style buildings, complete with clubhouses, pool amenities, sport courts and dog parks.
- Subarea C (skilled nursing and assisted living): Covering approximately 14.5 acres, this portion is designated for assisted living, memory care, residential care and skilled rehabilitation facilities.
- Subarea D (townhomes): Planned across roughly 12.2 acres in the northeastern portion of the site, this neighborhood would consist of 84 attached townhomes intended for sale as fee-simple or condominium units.
(Above is a PDF showing the “Raemelton” PUD rezoning application.)
Plans submitted by the applicant also outline nearly 19.5 acres of open space — roughly 30 percent of the gross site — exceeding the city’s 20 percent code requirement.
The design includes walking trails connecting to the existing multi-use path along West Cook Road, as well as a 100-foot preserved tree buffer along the northern property border.
“It is the intent of the applicant/developer to create a unified, high-quality mixed-use development that will serve the need for a variety of housing types and provide employment opportunities and services convenient to the surrounding community,” according to the development planners.
“A diversity of housing types is desirable for communities because it accommodates people at different stages of their lives, and Raemelton is designed to cater to the housing, lifestyle needs and medical care of a wider cross section of Mansfield residents,” according to the plan.
One resident in the area, Dr. David Brown, told Richland Source on Monday he strongly opposes the proposal and plans to attend the Planning Commission meeting. He said the development would lessen property values in the area and also create additional congestion on Trimble Road.
“Trimble Road is already the busiest road in the city,” he said. “This would add hundreds of cars to that traffic.”
If there is new development, Brown said it should be single-family homes, matching the nearby area.
“Now we have a poorly planned idea from a developer from Columbus that just wants to make money,” he said.
As part of the rezoning petition, the developer is also seeking three variances from the city zoning code.
Those include raising the allowable building height for multi-family apartments from 25 feet (two stories) to 40 feet (three stories); altering standard parking space minimums to reduce excessive asphalt coverage;, and eliminating perimeter fencing mandates on stormwater retention ponds so they can serve as open visual amenities.
Engineering reports prepared by EMH&T state sanitary sewer lines will connect to existing systems along West Cook Road and east of Akron Children’s Pediatrics. A new looped water main would link West Cook Road with the municipal water main to the northwest.
The meeting is open to the public, with an opportunity for citizen comments on both agenda items.
Letters notifying adjoining property owners about the request to rezone the land were mailed Oct. 16, according to Adam Gongwer, a city zoning official.
Residents may also submit written remarks or contact the Mansfield Department of Permitting and Development at 419-755-9688.
