The latest installment of our ongoing Development Roundup series features news from Downtown, the Near East Side, Southern Orchards and more. Read on for an assortment of project updates, new proposals and other nuggets from the world of Columbus development:
Jackie O’s has the green light to move forward with its ambitious patio plans. The Downtown Commission approved the design of a multi-level patio that will feature green walls, murals and lots of different seating options. The commission also approved a smaller, scaled-down patio, though, that the brewery will build if an outstanding land ownership issue can’t be quickly resolved. Owner Art Oestrike told the commission that he thinks the issue – which involves a parcel last seen on maps from the 1840s – will be cleared up soon, and work on the super-sized patio could start in early summer, which means it could be open by fall.
A plan to build a three-story building at 1218-1222 E. Long St. was approved by the Near East Area Commission earlier this month. The project would hold 19 apartments, a small commercial space, and an enclosed parking garage with room for 17 cars. A vacant, one-story commercial building would be demolished to make room for the new development.
A large for-sale sign now sits on the empty lot at the corner of North High Street and North Street where Patrick J’s bar and a White Castle restaurant once stood. Local developer Borror is selling the parcel after receiving approval in 2018 to build a 56-unit mixed-use development on the site.
In March, City Council approved a modified legislative package geared toward renters. The legislation adds source of income as a protected status under the city’s fair housing law. It also requires landlords to provide rental receipts, as well as offer additional options besides a traditional security deposits. At its April 26 meeting, council also allocated $3 million of federal money to the Columbus Urban League for rental and utility assistance.
A farewell celebration is planned for May 1 at Kossuth Street Garden, a community garden established in 2007 that is being displaced by a new development that will bring ten single family homes to the corner of East Kossuth and South 17th Street. City Council approved the rezoning of the parcel (from commercial to residential) in late March.
Also in Southern Orchards, about seven blocks east of the garden, a 10-unit row house has been renovated and is now being rented out. The building, constructed in 1915, offers two-bedroom apartments for $1,200 a month. It’s being marketed as the Courtyard on South Champion.
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for this afternoon at 300 E. Fifth Ave., the future site of a 180-unit mixed-use development that will go by the name of Crossline. The project, from Marker Development, will stand six stories tall and feature about 4,000 square feet of first floor retail space. Immediately to the north, Godman Guild recently announced that it would be moving to another neighborhood and selling its 2.3-acre property to Marker Development.
The last two months have seen the continuation of a trend for the Development Commission – long agendas and the approval of lots of new housing developments. Some of the larger approved projects include:
- A 96-unit apartment complex at 5364 Thompson Rd., near Gahanna.
- A 158-unit “active-adult luxury community” on 58 acres at 4465 Cautela Dr.
- 264 apartments on 11 acres at 2337 N. Cassady Ave.
- A 360-unit complex nearby at 2600 Stelzer Rd.
- 336 units at 3981 Bowen Rd., on the Southeast Side.
- A 68-unit affordable housing development at 1750 Maryland Ave., in Woodland Park.
Free high-speed broadband service will soon be available to over 4,500 residents at 18 properties owned by the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). Installation of the Spectrum internet service was scheduled to begin in late April. CMHA owns over 4,000 apartments, with more than half set aside for families earning 30% or less of the area median income.
The former South Wind motel at 919 S. High St. in the Brewery District has changed hands. The property was bought in March for $535,000 by an LLC affiliated with the Kelley Companies. A representative of the local developer declined to comment on their plans for the building.
Worthington’s City Council approved the latest plan for the Shops at Worthington Place, after the planning commission signed off on the project in March. In Upper Arlington, work could begin as soon as this summer on the Kingsdale Macy’s redevelopment. Plans for two of three buildings have been approved, but what the third one will look like will depend on the outcome of a special election on May 4.
The Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO) released a study in March with lots of charts, graphs and other information about housing in the region. In an email announcing the study and a newly-released report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, AHACO summed up its findings this way – “Franklin County is facing a trifecta of challenges in meeting our housing needs: run-away land costs, a lumber shortage, and huge competition for a small labor pool.”