Planning commission approves rear-door alteration at 251 West Main; applicant outlines theater renovation and remediation plans

The Plain Planning & Zoning Commission approved UTR‑24‑1 on a motion to permit an exterior alteration at the rear of 251 West Main, the town’s old theater, during a brief meeting.

A commissioner moved to approve the Uptown Commercial Overlay District review to allow installation of an insulated fold‑up overhead garage‑style door at the rear of the building to provide loading access for performances, equipment and catering. The motion received a second and passed after roll‑call responses that included affirmative replies from Mister Price, Miss McCoy, Miss Davis, Mister Blake and Derek Cart.

Tim Dawson, the applicant, told the commission the door is needed to remove interior cinder‑block walls and to allow construction equipment such as bobcats and dump trucks to access the space. "We're gonna have a pretty, cool venue ourselves here in Plain City," Dawson said, adding that the project will convert the theater’s raked floor into a flat, usable performance space of about 8,000 square feet and will include backstage areas such as a green room and catering access.

Dawson described the proposed rear door as permanent but not the final front elevation; he said the full exterior renovation for the building will return to the commission for review. Staff framed the current filing as an administrative Uptown overlay review appropriate for alterations where a window or door of the same size is replaced or, in this case, a new door is added at the rear.

After the vote, Dawson updated the commission on a separate nearby site that previously required rezoning. He said his team has installed three wells drilled to about 70 feet to sample groundwater. "We're gonna have to test the groundwater every 3 months, for 2 years," Dawson said, describing the monitoring option if state reporting thresholds require follow‑up. He said if samples clear state requirements, Richwood Bank would finance the gas‑station project; if not, he plans to fund remediation privately to avoid the site becoming a long‑term brownfield. Dawson also said the location is intended to operate as an Amoco‑branded service station once complete.

The commission’s approval covers the rear‑door alteration under the Uptown overlay; staff and the applicant said additional elevation and frontage work will come back for subsequent review.