The East Franklinton Review Board voted last week to approve a seven-story mixed-use development at 630 W. Broad St.
The 185-unit building, from Marker Development, will sit next door to the Holy Family Church on land that is currently occupied by two vacant, one-story commercial buildings. It will feature about 4,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, a row of townhomes along the back of the building, and an internal parking garage with space for 183 cars.
The project had been before the board three times in 2022, and received a conditional approval in September.
Project architect Brad Parish, of ArchAll, walked through several minor design changes with the board, although most of the discussion at the meeting was about whether or not the developer would plant trees along the front of the building. The typical approach of planting a row of trees into a tree lawn will not work on this site, he explained, because there is a duct bank running under the sidewalk (a set of underground piping holding cables).
The same duct bank running along the north side of Broad Street is the reason that the Gravity development was built without street trees in front of it.
In the end, the board approved the new building with the provision that the applicant make an effort to “determine the feasibility of planting street trees.” If not feasible, then the developer and architect will need to propose alternative landscaping that city staff would then sign off on.
Parish said that the next step for the development will be applying for building permits, and that construction on the building could start as soon as September.
The Marker Development team, he added, is “excited to be a part of neighborhood and really see this project come out of the ground.”
Marker Development has several active projects elsewhere in Columbus, including two in Weinland Park – the Guild, a 275-unit development on the former site of the Godman Guild, and the Crossline, a 180-unit development that just opened at 300 E. Fifth Ave.
The company also owns the parcel directly to the west of the approved development, at the northwest corner of Broad and North Grubb Streets, and has said it plans to develop that land in the future.
For more information on the East Franklinton Review Board, click here. All renderings by ArchAll Architects.