Ohio Weekly News Recap: The Columbus Dispatch’s Top Stories
Here are some stories you may have missed on Dispatch.com and in the print edition of the Columbus Dispatch.
A Columbus developer is going on the offensive after a city commission again rejected his proposal to build a residential tower on a 31-foot-wide lot in the heart of Franklinton.
“This is the development we are pushing forward,” said Robert Ellis, owner of Pink Development and Construction. “We are prepared to litigate if necessary.”
Ellis said he had already made compromises on the project, called “The Ivy,” by reducing the height from 20 to eight stories and the number of apartments from 180 to 62.
The property at 278 S. Glenwood Ave. is 129 feet deep and sits between two nondescript factory buildings in a manufacturing zone. Ellis has applied to rezone the site and is seeking special permits that would allow an eight-story building with no parking, rather than the 101 units currently required.
The Columbus Development Commission was not happy with the changes and again unanimously recommended against the proposal in a second vote Thursday after receiving similar recommendations from the city’s development staff and the Franklinton Area Commission.
Planning department staff said the plan does not provide enough parking. In addition, they noted that the height and use of the project are incompatible with the neighborhood, which is dominated by single-family homes, small industrial, commercial and apartment buildings.
“The proposal is not consistent with the surrounding properties or the general pattern of adjacent areas,” development staff wrote.
The Franklinton Area Commission also cited incompatibility with the neighborhood in its June decision not to build on the project.
“The best use of this property that will benefit Franklinton is the construction of a manufacturing facility,” the commission’s land use planning committee found.
Other criticisms by the commission included the developer’s lack of experience with such projects, the prices of the apartments, which are not exactly designed for low-income earners, the lack of parking spaces, and the fact that the project is being supported by an out-of-town investor (from New Rochelle, New York).
Ellis insists he’s moving forward with The Ivy and is urging the Columbus City Council to vote on the plan.
“If these proposals continue to be rejected, the housing problems will persist,” said Ellis, who said he has worked as a general contractor in Columbus for about seven years and has worked as a subcontractor on major projects across the city.
Ellis has been at odds with the city since he proposed building a 20-story tower on his 31-foot lot between Sullivant Avenue and West Rich Street in May.
The latest version of his plan calls for a lobby, supermarket and nail salon on the ground floor, with seven floors of 62 micro-apartments above, and a rooftop pool and terrace. The apartments would be studios ranging from 23 to 26 square meters, all with balconies.
Ellis said The Ivy would accept housing certificates, but at market rates. A financial analysis of the project that Ellis shared with The Dispatch estimated the average apartment rent at $1,177 a month and the total cost of the project at $7.7 million.
Ellis knows that the plan will not be well received by the commissions.
“None of them wanted to see 20 stories there,” he said. “The development commission’s view is that we haven’t even looked into this. They think it’s drawn on a napkin. That’s extremely insulting.”
However, he insists that the project is feasible and represents a good use of the site.
“This is about property rights,” Ellis added. “We know this can be built.”
@JimWeiker
