The latest installment of our ongoing Development Roundup series features news about some significant proposals scattered around the Columbus region. Taken together, the projects could mean an additional 1,500 units of housing constructed in the metro area. Each of the projects is at a different point in the development process, so read on for more details and to find out which ones are most likely to move forward.
A plan to build an extended stay hotel on part of a 41-acre site near the airport was approved by the Columbus City Council. A site plan submitted to the city also shows several commercial and office buildings, although language in the rezoning application calls those “conceptual in nature.” The official address of the site is 2125 Ackley Place, but access to the new development will be from Cassady Avenue.
A new proposal would bring a 397-unit apartment complex to a 20-acre site at the northwest corner of Henderson Road and Olentangy River Road. A sign at the site – which is undeveloped except for two houses – has advertised it as a “prime development opportunity” for years. A 3,800-square-foot house that once sat on the property was demolished in 2015. The Northwest Civic Association will hear about the proposal at its next meeting, which will take place at the Meadow Park Church (2425 Bethel Rd.) at 7 p.m. on August 7.
One hundred and fifty acres of farmland located northwest of New Albany is now slated to be developed with as many as 765 housing units. A rezoning approved by the Columbus City Council earlier this month calls for a mix of single family homes, townhouses and apartments. The site is located south of Walnut Street and east of Lee Road, just north of the Upper Albany West subdivision. The new development, from Ciminello’s Inc, would be accessed via an extension of Hamilton Road.
A proposal working its way through the approval process in Powell calls for 334 single-story apartment units at 3041 Home Rd. From Cleveland-based Redwood USA, the submitted site plan also shows a senior living facility on the site.
A press event on July 25 marked the start of construction on the first Central Ohio Community Land Trust home. The house, located at 722 E. Deshler Ave. on the south side, is being built by Healthy Homes. The land trust was established by the city and Franklin County earlier this year and has been touted as an anti-gentrification tool.
A plan to redevelop the former Durable Slate building at 1050 N. Fourth Ave. has been heard by the Italian Village Commission several times. The latest proposal, from the Lykens Companies, calls for a 67-unit apartment building on the site. The project was presented conceptually to the commission in July but will need to be brought back to a future meeting for a vote.
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority recently received some recognition for its Columbus Scholar House on the Near East Side. The project, which provides affordable housing for parents working toward a college degree, was featured in a report from the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities on innovation in the public housing sector.
Columbus has its 21st Area Commission. City Council approved the formation of the Mideast Area Commission, which will cover a 10-square-mile area and encompass over a dozen neighborhoods, including Berwick, Thunderbird Acres, North Eastmoor and South Eastmoor.