Plans to build a mixed-use development on the Godman Guild site in Weinland Park have cleared a significant hurdle. The University Area Commission voted unanimously last night to approve the zoning variances needed for the project to move forward.
The proposal, from Marker Development, calls for a five-story, 275-unit building with ground floor commercial space and a parking garage with room for 265 cars. The new building would be located directly north of a six-story development – also by Marker – that is currently under construction. The two buildings will both be marketed under the name Crossline, a reference to Weinland Park’s origins as a streetcar suburb.
To the west of the proposed building, the 315-unit Fourth & Fifth development is also currently under construction.
Godman Guild, a social service provider and community anchor in the neighborhood for decades, announced last spring that it would be moving and selling its property at 303 E. Sixth Ave. to Marker. The organization did not say at that time, nor has it revealed since, where its new headquarters will be located.
“The closing of this deal with Marker Development gives Godman Guild the unique opportunity to expand and upgrade the programs and services we provide through the creation of a state-of-the-art workforce development center at our new headquarters,” said Ellen Moss, President and CEO of Godman Guild Association, in a press release announcing the new development. “This is a tremendous value add for our programs and for local workforce development initiatives.”
The proposal for the land has evolved since it was first presented to the neighborhood last fall. Some residents objected to the initial design, in which the building extended all the way to East Sixth Avenue, requiring the removal of several large trees. Since then, the building was set back from the street and other changes were made to lessen the visual impact of the project on the residents of single family homes to the north and east.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in which Marker commits to preserving two large trees – an Elm and a Sycamore – along the northern edge of the site, as well as donating $50,000 toward a neighborhood tree conservation fund.
Laura Bidwa, a Weinland Park resident who worked to draw attention to the potential loss of the trees, said that herself and the other residents who signed the MOU are in the process of choosing a nonprofit organization to help with the administration of the tree fund.
“We greatly appreciate the community’s engagement and productive dialogue throughout the design process, resulting in thoughtful building programming of additional housing near multiple transit alternatives,” said Marker Development’s Chris Gump, in a statement. “Lease rates have not been established at this time. At minimum, 20% of units will be available to those making 80% and 100% of the area median income.”
(Read more about the area median income and how those percentages translate into rents in Columbus)
The six-story first phase of the Crossline project is on pace to be completed this summer, according to the developer.
For more information on Godman Guild, see www.godmanguild.org.
Editor’s note: this article was changed to add information about the MOU and the tree preservation fund.