The team behind the 20-acre redevelopment of the Battelle parking lots south of West Fifth Avenue was back in front of the Harrison West Society this month, outlining the latest plans for the project.
Representatives of Wagenbrenner Development, M/I Homes and Continental Real Estate walked through some of the changes in layout and programing that have been made since the plan was first unveiled in February of last year.
The total number of apartment units has been reduced (from about 500 to just under 300) and 200 units of senior housing has been added to the development. A portion of the apartments will feature rents that are below market-rate, presumably in accordance with the new tax abatement policy proposed by the City of Columbus earlier this year.
The hotel planned for the northwest corner of the site has been shifted closer to the riverside parkland to the south, and the size of the parking garage meant to serve the apartments has decreased (but some surface parking has been added).
The latest plans also call for a 39,000-square-foot grocery store and 42 single-family homes, which will be built by M/I Homes and clustered on the southern portion of the site and on a small rectangle of land east of Perry Street.
According to notes of the meeting posted on the Harrison West Society Facebook page, the development team hopes to close on the land this summer and start demolishing the two existing buildings on the site soon after (one building holds the Battelle Discovery Center daycare and the other is a warehouse).
Construction on the site could start in the fall, but the timeline is dependent on zoning variances and permits being obtained from the city.
UPDATE (4/6/18 2:33pm): A new, clearer site plan image, provided by the developer, was added to the article.
Don’t miss the next news update! Subscribe to CU via email for news in your inbox:
Renderings via New Avenue Architects & Engineers.
