Notes on the Columbia Gas projects in North Linden
Disclaimer: I'm the Zoning Committee chair for the North Linden Area Commission. My comments in this post do not reflect the position of the Committee or the Commission.
Columbia Gas held a meeting on March 11, 2024, at the Linden Community Center, to present information regarding a zoning variance and the larger project that that variance is for. At the meeting, members of the community had many questions about the larger project, and fewer questions about the specific variance.
The larger project
Columbia Gas' North Columbus High Pressure project will install 4.2 miles of 20-inch diameter high-pressure gas gas transmission pipeline across north Columbus, paralleling existing 180- an 20-inch 1950s gas mains installed under Weber Road. The new gas main will eventually replace the old main, and service on the old main will be shut off.
- Why now?
- To comply with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's "Mega Rule", which is a trio of rules that went into effect in 2023. Read more about the compliance in this letter from Columbia Gas, or in the project application to the Ohio Power Siting Board.
- Will this affect traffic?
- The new gas line will be laid underneath existing streets. Columbia Gas said that the project will only take up one or two lanes' worth of traffic at a time. Columbus regulations prevent them from working on neighboring streets at the same time, in order to preserve traffic flow.
- Residents will receive outreach from Columbia Gas in order to make sure that driveways and houses are accessible during construction.
- When will this happen?
- The timeline given on Columbia Gas' website says that the project will start in spring 2024. At the meeting, Columbia Gas reps said that they don't have specific times for when specific roads will be affected by construction.
- Individual residents in the project areas will receive outreach from Columbia Gas with more details on the timeline.
- Why can't they lay the new line on Weber Road?
- Columbia Gas said it's because of regulations. Current federal and state regulations prevent new utility lines from being placed too close to each other. The City of Columbus has restrictions on digging near brick sewers. Weber Road already has existing brick combined storm-sanitary sewers, and many other utilities laid under the road as well. There simply isn't space to install a new gas line under Weber Road.
- I note that the Hudson Street construction project is still ongoing, so if this work happened on Weber Road, that would be two major east-west roads removed from service at the same time.
- Is the new gas line safe?
- Columbia Gas reps explained the current welding techniques used for gas pipelines. The pipe ends are beveled, so that the bead from the weld penetrates the full depth of the pipe for a secure connection. After welding, workers X-ray the welds to ensure that the weld is of good quality. These techniques and checks were developed in response to the San Bruno pipeline explosion in California in 2010.
- The new regulator infrastructure which will be built as part of this project will improve safety.
- Is the old gas line safe?
- Columbia Gas reps said that the old line met safety standards at the time it was installed, but now we know more about how things break and how to prevent them from breaking. The new line will be safer than anything currently in use.
- I didn't ask if it's safer; I asked if it's safe.
- The impression I got from the Columbia Gas reps is that the new line will be as safe as they can make it, within currently-existing knowledge of how to make this sort of infrastructure safe.
- Does this affect existing gas service?
- No, said Columbia Gas. The switch-over from the old line to the new line will happen without impacting residential gas delivery.
- Who pays for this?
- Columbia Gas pays for it, but the money comes from the fees paid by Columbia Gas subscribers.
The zoning variance
CV23-141 / 2552-2554 Cleveland Avenue: Columbia Gas seeks a variance to 3356.03 C-4 permitted uses, “to allow installation of new equipment to ensure proper operation of a natural gas pipeline that is planned to be installed in 2024.” Application. Additional details. Columbia Gas will brief the North Linden Area Commission on this project at the Area Commission’s February 15 meeting, and the Zoning Committee meeting on March 14. Columbia Gas is specifically interested in receiving community feedback on fencing, shrubbery, landscaping, and pollinator habitats at the property.
An existing empty lot on Cleveland Avenue near Minnesota Avenue will be fenced off with an eight-foot wrought-iron fence. There will be screening plantings along the sides of the property, outside the fence.
Inside the fence, there will be:
- bollards to prevent any crashing vehicle from hitting the machinery
- a small blockhouse for machinery related to the pipeline
- some pipes emerging from the ground and re-entering it, like can currently be seen at 466 East Weber Road (just east of Indianola Avenue)
- a parking pad for service vehicles
- gravel to cover some underground drainage basins
Access to the facility will be through a gate on the alley side of the property.
- What changes has Columbia Gas made in response to community feedback?
- In response to City laws for development within the Cleveland Avenue North Linden Overlay, Columbia Gas has switched from a vinyl fence to a black metal bar fence style.
- At the community meeting and at the Zoning Committee meeting, there were requests for brick piers on the fence.
- Columbia Gas is working with Green Columbus to determine appropriate native plants for the screening plantings.
- The Zoning Committee requested that Columbia Gas add a shade to the building's external lighting, to comply with City code's lighting provisions
- Will construction block Cleveland Avenue?
- Vehicle traffic on Cleveland Avenue will not be disrupted, since Columbia Gas says that they expect all construction deliveries will be made through the alley.
- Pedestrian access on the east side of Cleveland Avenue, including the bus stop, was something they were less sure about. The specific reason was that if they were doing a crane lift, they might want to keep people a safe distance away for a short period of time. The nearest labeled crosswalks on Cleveland Avenue are at Genessee Avenue and at Aberdeen Avenue, about one block in either direction, so a pedestrian detour is possible.
- How will this impact the COTA bus stop?
- There will be space behind the shelter to allow pedestrian access.
- The depth of that space was originally planned to be 3' of sidewalk and 5' of planting before the fence, with bollards located behind the fence.. This may change in response to a City Staff request that the property preserve space within 50' of the centerline of Cleveland Avenue. This may require pushing the fence farther away from Cleveland Avenue.
- Is there any threat to the nearby Linden STEM Academy?
- I asked a very hyperbolic question: "If the facility explodes, how much of the surrounding area do we expect to see damaged?" They responded with in-depth details on safety margins in use on this project. I forget the exact numbers, but it was something like: the facility is planned to operate at 20% of its rated capacity, and in emergencies it might operate as high as 40% of its rated capacity. It could operate at 100% of its rated capacity and still be safe. There is a vanishingly-small likelihood of anything going wrong, but of the things that can go wrong, the most-likely one is that there might be a small leak of natural gas. The facility is equipped with automated monitoring equipment that will alert Columbia Gas in the event of any leak, and they'll be able to respond appropriately. Appropriate responses may include things like shutting off gas flow through the facility.
- Columbia Gas doesn't anticipate that this facility will have any affect on the ability of children to safely walk to school.
- Wasn't this property going to be used for an Autozone?
- No. While they are on the same side of Cleveland Avenue, the Autozone property is the next block up the street, between Aberdeen Avenue and Linden Place. This property is between Linden Place and Genessee Avenue. The Autozone development required some demolitions; this Columbia Gas facility requires no demolitions.
Next steps
The Zoning Committee met on March 14 to hear the use variance for the Cleveland Avenue property, and voted to recommend approval of the use variance. The draft minutes of that meeting are online, as is the Zoning Committee's report from that meeting.
On Thursday, March 21, at 6:00 p.m., the Area Commission will meet at the Linden Community Center to hear comments on this variance application, among other business.
April 2 update
On Thursday, March 21, at 6:00 p.m., the Area Commission voted 4-1 with 3 absent to recommend approval of the use variance. Commissioner Ayres objected, saying that she preferred to see housing built along Cleveland Avenue.
The variance now goes before the city.