Condo units now being constructed on top of downtown parking

Condo units now being constructed on top of downtown parking garage

MELANIE MCINTYRE

Daily Reporter Staff Writer

02/03/2006

A new 12-unit condominium project is currently making its way down the development pipeline just two blocks south of the Arena District in downtown Columbus.

“It’s right in the heart of downtown. It’s a great location, it’s close to everything,” said Laura Gardner, director of marketing for Columbus’ Long & Wilcox, of the Lafayette Lofts project located at 155 N. High St.

Long & Wilcox is the project’s developer and general contractor, and Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design is the architect of record.

The construction timeline for Lafayette Lofts is hard to pin down, Gardner said, as the two-story project actually is being built atop a 50-spot parking garage that originally was intended to serve the Brunson Building.

The Brunson, situated at 141-147 N. High St., was converted from office space into condos in 2004.

All the units are about 1,150 square feet and feature two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a great room and a terrace facing north toward Lafayette Street.

The condos’ master bedroom measures 13 feet by 14 feet and has a private attached bathroom.

The kitchen, 12 feet by 8 feet, features an island with a sink and a dishwasher, maple cabinets, stainless steel appliances and laminate flooring.

The great room and the kitchen occupy a large area in the rear of the units – a common trend in condo development as spaces for eating, food preparation and living increasingly are becoming more integrated, said Sam Rosenthal, an associate at Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design.

Track lighting illuminates both spaces, while can lighting can be found in the hallways, which run longitudinally down the center of the units.

The bathrooms feature a simple exhaust fan/light combo, and the type of lighting used in the bedrooms will be at the owners’ discretion.

Operable windows will be found at the front and back of all the units “to get some fresh air in there,” Rosenthal said.

The units on the top level of the building will have 14-foot pitch ceilings, while the condos on the floor below will have nine-foot ceilings.

Owners will be guaranteed one space in the building’s secured parking deck.

“It’s kind of a unique project – building on top of a parking garage,” said Laurie Gunzelman, senior associate at Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design and Lafayette Lofts’ project manager.

“We feel it’s a very good design because it’s also kind of creating an urban street in that section” between the Elevator Brew Pub & Restaurant and the Brunson Building, she explained.

Surface parking formerly occupied the project’s site.

The condos range in price from $220,000 to the $280,000s, depending on whether the location is on the interior or exterior of the building and whether it is located on the bottom or top level, said Tina Sheppard, agent with Keller Williams Classic Properties, the business handling the units’ contracts.

Six already are spoken for and the remaining half dozen fall in the $250,000 to $270,000 price range.

The “crisp, clean, contemporary” condos have been targeted at young, single, professional buyers who want the convenience associated with downtown living, Gardner said.

Condo association fees will be $135 per month, but a 10-year property tax abatement is available to buyers.

READ MORE