A new proposal from a Florida developer calls for demolishing the APCO Siding Company building at 815 Michigan Avenue and replacing it with six three-story residential buildings. A total of 33 for-sale townhomes would be accommodated on the site, with below-ground garages and some surface parking providing space for 66 cars.
The new project, which would sit directly across the street from the 144-unit Trotters Park apartments, is scheduled to go before the Harrison West Society on June 15th. Also to be heard at that meeting is a proposal from Short North Storage, LLC to build six one-story storage buildings directly to the west, at 555 Buttles Avenue.
Harrison West Society President Tim Price said that the storage project is likely to move forward despite objections from the neighborhood because the site is currently zoned for manufacturing. It would require the demolition of a number of structures, including an older brick building that is now home to the Ohio State Legal Services Association.
Price said that the board is generally supportive of the residential project, although they have requested that the developer consider adding a commercial element along Michigan.
“Ideally, as a neighborhood, we’d love to have much more commercial, whether that’s restaurants or retail,” he said. “Once these sites are developed, that’s really our only remaining possible commercial stretch.”
The two-acre site on Michigan was acquired for $2.2 million in 2008 by CityPointe North Limited. An affiliated company called Evergreen Ventures LLC, which is based in Tampa, is listed as the applicant on the variance application submitted to the city. A variance would be needed to reduce the distance the buildings are set back from the property line.
A representative of Evergreen Ventures declined to comment on the project, saying that it was very early in the development process and that many details could still change.