May 19, 2011
Gahanna City Council
Incentive for JPMorgan Chase OK’d By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Gahanna City Council approved an Office and Industrial incentive program May 16, paving the way for JPMorgan Chase to bring 500 to 1,000 new jobs to the city. Chase chairman Jamie Dimon, who was in Columbus for an annual share-
holders meeting, told city officials the jobs coming to Gahanna are expected to be permanent, according to Mayor Becky Stinchcomb. “That was very good news for us,” Stinchcomb said. Chase announced plans last month to lease 122,000 square feet at 800 and 825 Tech Center Drive for a two-year term, with options to lease for up to
five years. The new jobs are related to Chase Home Finance, with everything related to mortgages. Dimon said May 16 that he expects the jobs to convert to other interests, after mortgage issues are resolved. Chase already is the region’s largest private employer, with 17,000 Columbus-area workers serving the company’s customers across the country, ac-
cording to information from the company. The additional workers will help homeowners around the country who are struggling with their monthly mortgage payments. The new employees will augment Chase’s staff at a 495,000square-foot facility in Easton that Chase uses for mortgage servicing. Council member Beryl Anderson said
the addition of Chase is a great opportunity to bring more jobs to the community, and it’s an opportunity for other businesses to see what Gahanna has to offer. The incentive advisory board last month voted to recommend the project for a 50-percent O&I incentive for See CHASE, page A2
Commission approves Coaches patio expansion
BARK FOR LIFE
By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek
Helmer, a 7-year-old bulldog, walks with his owner, Rob Chabot, during the Bark for Life event at Friendship Park May 14. The event was a fundraiser for Relay For Life. The Gahanna/New Albany Relay For Life will be held on May 21-22 at Columbus Academy. For a video of the event, visit www.ThisWeekNEWS.com.
Student activity fees approved Will cost $25 per activity with family cap of $50 By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The Gahanna-Jefferson Board of Education on May 12 approved student activity fees while the district’s top leader pledged to make operating funds last as long as possible. Superintendent Mark White told the board that passage of the 5.2-mill operating levy on the May 3 ballot would allow the district to remain stable for three years. “We’re committed to making it last as long as we can,” he said. “We’ll still reduce through next year. ... We’ll still have to streamline and do more with less.” The levy is expected to generate up to $8 million annually. The levy will cost an additional $159 annually per $100,000 of assessed property value.
The board approved extracurricular and co-curricular fees of $25 for each activity, with a $50 cap per family. The fees will be implemented next school year for the following activities: band, choir, speech-and-debate, yearbook, newspaper-journalism, TV studio, fall play, spring musical, stomp team, Lionettes, Science Olympiad, student council, renaissance action team, In the Know and flag corps. The board also approved a family cap of $500 for pay-to-participate athletics fees. For the first time, the district will charge athletes $200 per sport at the high school and $100 per sport at the middle school. White thanked high school principal Dwight Carter and others who have been studying fees since fall. “No one wanted to do this, but the com-
mittee worked through it and realized it was necessary,” he said. “There are caps for families. We realize this will be hard on some families. We need this income from various sources. We do this very regretfully.” Athletics director Justin Sanford said the Cardinal Orthopaedic Institute’s “Spirit Sprint 5K” was held April 17, when Gahanna and Reynoldsburg school districts competed for bragging rights and money for their respective programs. “Our cross country team obliged, and they chose a winner based on participation numbers,” he said. Gahanna Lincoln won with 164 registrants. As a result, the team earned 75 percent of the registration proceeds, or $4,686. See FEES, page A2
The Gahanna Planning Commission has approved a certificate of appropriateness for a site plan and relocation of landscaping for Rick’s Coaches. After Coaches, 230 Granville St., recently expanded and enclosed a patio, owner Rick Stover realized people wanted to reserve the space, so additional space is needed. “The addition is not only for seating capacity but will enable us to do the game types of things we do,” he said. “We need space for people mingling around and for our cornhole leagues. Cornhole games are 33 feet apart.” The legislation, which the commission approved May 11, allows Coaches to extend an existing concrete patio about 22 feet to the south of the building. Stover said the new space would add about 1,014 square feet. A portion of the wood fence will be removed to accommodate the expansion, and new fencing will be added to match the existing fence. Landscaping will be reshaped, and an exiting tree will be moved to the southeast end of the patio. Commission member David Thom questioned the city’s code for patio umbrellas at cafes and bars. Deputy development director Leah Evans said any sign that’s on an umbrella counts toward the business’s sign allowance. She said another local restaurant/bar has umbrellas with the names of beers. “I don’t want a hodgepodge of various umbrellas out there,” Thom said. “Whatever it is, we
A closer look The legislation, which the commission approved May 11, allows Coaches to extend an existing concrete patio about 22 feet to the south of the building.
need to have it uniform. Take a look at the code. We’ve had discussions in the past. I don’t know if we addressed it properly.” Evans said Coaches is part of a redevelopment effort of three buildings along Granville Street. “What you’ve done with the building in the last three months has really dressed it up,” he said. “We do appreciate that.” Commission member David Andrews said he has noticed Coaches’ nice landscaping, but he asked if the business could plant lavender or other herbs, as Gahanna is known as the herb capital of Ohio. “I’ll make sure there’s some out there,” Stover said. In other commission action, a revision was approved for a previously approved conditionaluse application to allow six outdoor storage containers behind the Kroger Marketplace, 300 S. Hamilton Road. “We had asked them to restack the containers two by two, but that would have caused ingress and regress (issues),” Evans said. “We asked they stack, two, two and then the other two (side by side).” In other discussion, commission chair Kristin Rosan said Gahanna’s development department has been asked to examine other See PATIO, page A2
Piada restaurant expects June opening in Gahanna By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Piada Italian Street Food is scheduled to open its third location in Gahanna sometime in late June in the StoneRidge Plaza Shopping Center, at the former Potbelly restaurant space, 4697 Morse Road. Piada is the fast-casual creation of restaurateur Chris Doody, founder of Bravo and Brio. Piada has attracted a large following at its first location in Upper Arlington, and a second location was scheduled to open May 16 in Bexley.
Cheryl Pentella, of Pentella Marketing, said Gahanna was chosen for a Piada based on both the traffic count and demographics that are consistent with the successful Upper Arlington location. In Gahanna the 2,200-square-foot restaurant will seat 60 in an interior space that features a contemporary Italian décor, with classic white Carrara marble, steel, tile and wood. Piada also will offer seating on its outdoor patio. The Gahanna Planning Commission in April approved a certificate of appropriateness for a landscaping and outdoor patio design for Piada.
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The 1,036-square-foot outdoor patio will provide seating for 56 patrons in an area that will be enclosed with a custom, black, galvanized metal fence. Landscaping will include trees and bushes, as well as decorative trees in planters. The restaurant will employ a staff of 35 when it opens, according to Pentella. “We are really excited about the response to Piada,” Doody said. “It has been very well-received in Upper Arlington, and we are looking forward to offering this unique fast-casual Italian concept in Gahanna.”
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Doody said he always has had a passion for Italian food, and he discovered street food that was fresh, inexpensive and easy to eat on the go while traveling in Italy. “Today’s consumers are looking for healthier, better-quality food with convenient, fast delivery to accommodate their hectic lifestyles,” he said. “At Piada, they don’t have to sacrifice quality and flavor for speed and value.” Piada also plans to open restaurants at Easton and Dublin in the fall. mkuhlman@thisweeknews.com www.ThisWeekNews.com
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