A 300-unit apartment development in Clintonville is back on track nearly a year after it was initially proposed. Upper Arlington-based developer Vision Communities is in the process of finalizing drawings and submitting permits for the project, which will replace the former Dixie International warehouse at 3640 Indianola Avenue.
The primary holdup was the capacity of the existing sewer line along Indianola, according to Brent Wrightsel, President of Vision Communities.
“The city told us that the current sanitary sewer system was inadequate to handle our usage, but that there is a manhole location about 1,800 feet to the east that had plenty of capacity,” he said. “It’s taken a year to get easements to get into that sewer… that was the big thing to overcome.”
The latest plan is similar to the one revealed last year, although some significant changes were made to the commercial buildings along Indianola. Instead of four small buildings, a larger office building – with residential units on the upper floors – is now planned for the northern end of the site, while two buildings slated for retail and restaurant uses were given a more urban design.
Those change were made in response to feedback from members of the Clintonville Area Commission, although formal approval from the group was not required since the project conforms to the existing zoning on the site (in order to fit into the Manufacturing category, the apartment buildings are technically classified as extended-stay hotels).
“We met with members individually on about five different occasions,” said Wrightsel, “There were some things they wanted to see, particularly along Indianola, so we added those to the plan.”
Demolition of the warehouse is scheduled for June, Wrightsel said, with the first apartment building scheduled for completion in the winter of 2018. Work on the commercial buildings is likely to start as soon as the first tenants are lined up.
With multiple complexes throughout the metropolitan area – including the District at Tuttle and the Pointe in Hilliard – Vision remains bullish on the apartment market in general, but is especially optimistic about the new project’s location.
“We have some real excitement about Clintonville, to find an 11-acre site there is unheard of…there’s real pent-up demand,” said Wrigtsel, adding that he thinks the new project will mesh well with the Deco down the street, which is scheduled to open soon as a 55-and-over development.
Renderings by Meyers + Associates and POD Design.
