Council OKs Community and Daycare Center at Mound and Champion
A former church building on the Near East Side can now host after-school, youth and family programs in addition to child care.
Columbus City Council on Monday, October 19, approved a zoning variance that lets the former church building at 1107 E. Mound St. operate as a community and daycare center. The 0.23-acre site sits at the southeast corner of East Mound Street and South Champion Avenue. Ordinance 2814-2026 passed in the Zoning Committee session after members waived a second reading.
This is the second vote on the corner this year. Ordinance 0815-2026, approved March 30, allowed a daycare and nothing else. The new measure revokes that one and replaces it with broader permission covering child care, education, offices and other community uses. The lot is zoned R-3, a residential district that bars commercial uses, so both plans needed a Council variance.
The applicant, Sukia Williams, describes the plan in the hardship statement attached to the city staff report. It lists supervised programs for children, youth and families: educational enrichment, recreation, after-school and day-camp sessions, and wellness and support services. The statement adds that the building will not be run as a private event hall or a general rental space. The staff report names Sequoia Home Solutions LLC as the property owner.
There is no parking lot. The variance carries forward the March reduction from four required spaces to zero, tied to an on-street loading zone approved by the Department of Public Service for drop-off and pick-up. The applicant says drop-offs will be managed so cars do not line up in travel lanes or block neighbors' driveways. City staff backed the request because no major exterior changes are planned, and the Near East Area Commission recommended approval. Two-unit homes stand to the north and east, single-unit homes to the south and west, and undeveloped lots to the east and west.
The ordinance still requires separate building permits and a certificate of occupancy before anyone moves in, and the record names no operator or opening date. For families on the blocks around Mound and Champion, the vote clears the way for child care and youth programs within walking distance, with curbside drop-off in place of a parking lot.
Council is also weighing housing protections for domestic violence survivors, covered in our hearing story. More east side coverage is on the Near East Side page, and other decisions are in the City feed.
