Board unanimously approves pavement-setback variance for Innovation Campus Way site

The New Albany Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved variance 42026 on June 22 to allow a parking area to encroach 20 feet into a required 25-foot pavement setback on a roughly 7.3-acre limited general employment lot on Innovation Campus Way. Approval included conditions requiring a written cross-access easement with the adjacent property and formal acceptance of a letter of no objection submitted by an adjacent property owner.

Taylor Demens, planning staff, summarized the undeveloped business‑park parcel and said the proposal aligns building facades with adjacent development and provides three proposed cross-access points; Demens noted a formal letter of no objection had been submitted by a neighboring property owner. “The site itself does not necessarily have unique conditions that necessitate the variance, but the request does not appear to be substantial,” Demens said, and recommended conditions in the staff report.

Brent Murdock of Tempe Partners, the applicant/developer, presented the project as the fourth building in a row of flex/manufacturing‑oriented structures the firm has developed in the park, described coordination with an adjacent tenant (PPG) and a prospective buyer (MSG Ohio), and said shared cross-access is critical for traffic safety and operational flexibility. Murdock described design moves — aligning facades, adding a hammerhead to shield truck courts and additional landscaping and a low retaining wall — to mitigate optical and safety impacts if pavement is pushed nearer the property line.

Board members asked staff and the applicant to enter MSG Ohio’s letter into the record; staff confirmed the letter was received after packets were distributed and agreed to include it as a condition of approval. The board discussed the potential need for engineering review of utilities; staff said engineering could review if necessary.

A motion to approve variance 42026 with the conditions requiring a written cross‑access easement and acceptance of the submitted MSG Ohio letter passed unanimously. The applicant and staff said they will proceed with required easement documentation and any engineering coordination before final site work commences.