If apartment buildings were flowers, Downtown Columbus would be on the verge of a full bloom next season. Over a dozen new apartment projects have been announced over the past few months with hundreds of new units coming online over the course of the next few years. The various projects range in size, and their locations spill over into other near-Downtown neighborhoods, but there’s little doubt that this flood of new development will be instrumental in furthering the growth of the inner core of Columbus.
Here’s a list of 12 new apartment development projects, and some quick information about each of them:
The Atlas Building – The historic Atlas Building, located at the Downtown corner of High & Long Streets, is slated for a redevelopment that will convert the upper floors from vacant office space into 100 new apartment units. The ground floor of this building is already home to several restaurant tenants including The Deli Boys and Si Señor.
The Wonderbread Building – This Italian Village factory was previously planned to host the Wonderland arts development, but instead is planned to eventually be home to 57 apartment units. The building will also include some retail space available for a restaurant tenant.
The Fireproof Building – There is a proposal currently being reviewed for the Fireproof Records Building which would convert this historic Short North landmark into 47 new apartments, with a new-build addition to fill in the parking lot at the corner of Second and High Streets.
Wood Companies Building – The Wood Companies is adding an extra three stories of 12 apartments units on top of their building located at High Street & Second Avenue in the Short North. The ground floor is home to existing restaurant businesses including Northstar Cafe and zpizza.
West Arena District – The site that was originally proposed for The Hollywood Casino was purchased by Nationwide Realty Investors and eventually will become home to a new neighborhood development that will include 600-800 condo, townhome and apartments units. NRI has not yet revealed a master plan for the site, so there’s no information exactly how many apartment units will be included in the development.
Kimball Midwest Apartments – Wagenbrenner Development purchased the old Kimball West building located on Goodale Boulevard in between The Arena District and Grandview Yard. The building was was recently razed, and the proposed development calls for a new build that will house 180 new apartment units.
Columbus Coated Fabrics Apartments – The Weinland Park neighborhood is undergoing a major renovation thanks largely to private investment from Wagenbrenner Development. In a recent interview, Wagenbrenner revealed that they have plans to potentially add 200-300 apartment units at the former Columbus Coated Fabrics site on the southern end of the Weinland Park neighborhood.
Grandview Yard Apartments – The next phase of the Grandview Yard development includes three apartment buildings housing 154 new apartment units. Work has already begun on the first building, and they should be open by Fall of 2012.
Discovery District Commons – The Discovery District Commons is a new 102-unit apartment building proposed for Downtown at the corner of Spring and Neilston Streets, close to Columbus State and the new Hills Market grocery store.
The Charles – The Charles is a new building already under construction on East Long Street in The King Lincoln District, located just outside of Downtown. This smaller three-story building will add an extra 10 apartment units to the neighborhood.
High & Seventh – A new 84-unit apartment building has been proposed to replace the Wash & Tan located just north of the new Short North / Weinland Park Kroger. This building marks the latest development that is closing the gap between The Short North at the South Campus Gateway at OSU.
The New Ibiza – The Ibiza condo project never materialized, but this hot property quickly changed hands a new building has been proposed that will bring 68 new apartments to the center of The Short North.
There’s a few other miscellaneous developments throughout these neighborhoods, but if these 12 projects are any indication, the demand for inner-city apartments is on the upswing.
Where else would you like to see new apartments for rent in Columbus?