A plan to renovate the former Bellows Avenue School in Franklinton will be heard by the Development Commission at its meeting on October 14.
Under the plan, the historic building at 725 Bellows Ave. would house office space in the basement and 27 apartments on the three floors above. On the surrounding parking lot, three single family homes and eight townhome units would be constructed.
Yhezkel Levi bought the 1.8-acre site in 2014 and announced plans to convert it into condos in 2017. After a small fire caused by a lightning strike last fall, repairs to the roof were made, and since that time new windows have also been installed.
The latest plan, which was approved by the Franklinton Area Commission, calls for a central parking lot with space for 81 cars, which meets the zoning code’s parking requirements.
Architect Juliet Bullock said that the apartments in the historic building will be for rent, and that the plan for now is for the new homes and townhomes to be offered for sale.
Built in 1905, the building was used as an elementary school until 1977 but has been mostly empty since then. It was featured on Columbus Landmarks’ Most Endangered List in 2014 and 2015.Â
For more information on the Development Commission, see www.columbus.gov.