Whitehall leaders held a special event on February 23 to commemorate the beginning of demolition to make way for a new development project.
The project exists at the northeast corner of Hamilton Road and East Broad Street. Phase one of the 50-acre mixed-use development will include 300 apartments and townhomes as well as 25,000 square feet of commercial space centered around a pedestrian plaza.
Demolition work will take 12 to 16 weeks, encompassing all 154 structures of the former Woodcliff Condominiums. This includes ripping out all old infrastructure and eliminating outdated utilities. Whitehall received funds from the state for the demolition.
The first phase of subsequent construction is expected to conclude in early 2025. But the phases won’t unfold consecutively. While the first phase of construction continues, pieces from other phases may happen concurrently.
“We’re not going to build 1,000 residential units in 18 months,” said City Administrator Zach Woodruff. “But you could build X number of rental units and X number of for-sale units, and X amount of square feet of standalone office, along with an independent senior facility. All of those things could happen at once.”
The focus will be on density, affordability, and leaning into the growth Central Ohio is already experiencing, he said.
“In a lot of ways, we were getting ‘Intel ready’ before Intel was even looking at the state,” he said, referring to the new $20 billion Intel manufacturing plant in New Albany.
(L) From left to right – Director Lydia Mihalik, Whitehall City Attorney Michael Bivens, Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley, City Administrator Zach Woodruff and Whitehall City Council President Tom Potter – Photo provided by City of Whitehall. (R) The The Woodcliff Condominiums – Photo by Susan Post
Affordable Housing is Key
When the project is complete, the development will feature approximately 1,000 residential units, which will be a mixture of for-sale and for-rent units.
“One of Whitehall’s advantages is that it’s an affordable place to live,” Woodruff said. “And to remain affordable, one of the things that has to happen is an increase in the supply of housing for everyone.”
And he means “everyone.”
“Regardless of your family structure, your job, whether you have kids or not, regardless of any of those things, we want to be the community for the person making the $4 cup of coffee and the person buying the $4 cup of coffee,” he said.
On the for-rent side, a minimum of 20% of those 1,000 units will be dedicated to income-restricted workforce housing. In this case, income-restricted refers to 80% of the area’s median income. City leaders will use Franklin County’s figure, which stands at $55,000 per year.
That means at least 20% of the for-rent housing will be reserved for tenants making up to $44,000 per year.
“We’re talking about people who are servers at local restaurants, or work at a distribution center, to teachers and people who work at Mt. Carmel or the airport,” Woodruff said.
Appealing to Art-Minded Residents
Woodruff said city leaders want to attract artists to the community and are partnering with an organization known as Catalyst Columbus to install a substantial amount of public art into the development.
Additionally, some of those residential spots will be “live-work units” designed with artists in mind.
“They’re roughly 1,000 to 1,200 square feet where the front part of the unit has a retail, forward-facing component out to this public plaza,” Woodruff said. “Your one-bedroom apartment is behind that space, so it’s intended for artists, creatives and innovators to use that space as their gallery and their studio—so they can live and work in an area that embraces public art.”
It’s all part of a rebranding effort.
“Candidly, that isn’t always the reputation that Whitehall always had,” Woodruff said about the focus on art and artists.
“The city just recently started investing, in a significant way, into public art and embracing artists and creatives to showcase that Whitehall is a blank canvas,” he said. “We want to embrace what artists bring to the vitality of a community. It’s not your old Whitehall.”
A Population Boom is Coming
Woodruff understands what’s coming: By 2050, the population in Central Ohio is expected to balloon by a million people. The city administrator said many will be young people and young professionals.
“Increasing the type of amenity-rich, walkable, urban-oriented, dense neighborhoods is critical to attracting them,” he said.
The development will be integrated into Whitehall’s 80-acre community park, which includes walking trails and connectivity to Central Ohio bike paths.
More Jobs on the Horizon
In the meantime, Woodruff wanted to be sure the community members understand the local benefits of such an undertaking. According to a recent economic impact analysis, the development project will create or support 12,000 direct and induced jobs.
This includes about 3,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs within the development site.
“We are really excited because not only will it be transformational for Whitehall, but this is one of the most regionally significant projects to come forward in a long time,” he said.
A Renewed Property
The development encompasses 50 acres, with 35 purchased from Woodcliff Condominiums in 2018. The sale came at the order of the Franklin County Environmental Court after a lengthy legal drama.
Woodcliff was originally hit with public nuisance complaints in 2007. It was deemed unsafe and risked the well-being of those who lived in and around the complex. A years-long court battle ensued, including three different judges and four court-appointed receivers.
The other acres include part of the former Four Seasons Golf Center.
For more information, visit whitehall-oh.us.