Preliminary plans for a mixed-use development on the former Fifth Avenue Elementary site in Dennison Place have been presented to the zoning committee of the University Area Commission (UAC).
The development was also the subject of a neighborhood meeting in September, in which residents provided some initial feedback on the proposal to the developer, Upper Arlington-based Vision Development.
A second meeting is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. at King Avenue United Methodist Church.
“We have incorporated elements from our first neighborhood get-together and I would expect more of the same this evening,” said Brent Wrightsel, President of Vision Development. “We are looking at building a Class A mixed-use project and are getting input from all constituents before presenting to the full UAC.”
The plan as presented to the zoning committee calls for a six-story building on the north side of West Fifth Avenue, between Forsythe Avenue and Highland Street. It would hold 140 apartments over parking and ground-floor retail. Behind that would be about a dozen three-story buildings containing condos and townhomes.
No vote was taken at the committee meeting on the required zoning variances. The northern portion of the site is zoned for a maximum height of 35 feet, while the Fifth Avenue portion allows for building heights of up to 45 feet.
The three-acre site currently features some green space (along Fifth Avenue and Highland Street), a parking lot, and the former school building, which was built in 1975 and most recently held the music industry career center Groove U. The property was placed back on the market this spring after a Chicago company backed out of a deal to buy it from Columbus City Schools.
Correction: the original article was updated to include the correct height limitation for the Fifth Avenue portion of the project – it is 45 feet, not 35 feet.
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