As you drive past The Ohio State University on 315, there’s a pretty good chance you’re eyeing the ongoing construction of the new 17-story hospital tower going up at the OSU Medical Center. But if you look off the highway in the opposite direction, you’ll see additional construction work also taking place on the other side of the AMC Lennox Movie Theatre.
That project is the first phase of the Lennox Flats apartment development, which is being constructed by locally-based Klingbeil Capital Management. Once completed, phase one will include 92 one-bedroom units while phase two will add another 102 units that include a mix of one and two bedrooms.
“We started pre-leasing about a month ago and already have about 15% of the units pre-leased,” said Audra McIntosh, Director of Marketing at the Lennox Flats. “The demand for one bedrooms units in this area is very high.”
The apartments range in size from 450 to 550 square feet and contain compact living features such as walk-in showers, stacked washer and dryer units and kitchen counters that can double as desks. The 450 sqft unit rental rates start at $750 per month, and the 550 sqft units start at $890 per month.
“We’re targeting renters who have moved beyond the stage in their life where they want a roommate,” said Jim Schrim, Chief Operating Officer at Klingbeil. “Based on our pre-leases, we’re seeing mostly 25-35 year old graduate students and young professionals looking to live here.”
Amenities at the new apartments include a shared clubhouse, pool, fitness center, dog wash and a sports shop where bike tires can be kept inflated and skis and snowboards maintained. Additionally, the proximity to walkable and biking-distance amenities is a selling point being touted at The Lennox Flats.
“For day to day living convenience, this location is awesome for people who want to be able to go over to Target to shop,” says Schrim. “From a social living standpoint, you’re close to both The Short North and to Grandview.”
Another neighbor to the apartments that might not be quite as desirable is a set of heavily used freight railroad tracks. Schrim says that they’ve taken the tracks into consideration and added extra insulation and heavy duty drywall to ceilings and exterior walls to dampen the noise.
“You will still hear the trains rumbling by, but that’s a part of the urban experience,” he added. “If you want the great walkability and to be this close to OSU, Battelle and Grandview, then you’re not going to get ‘suburban quiet’ all the time.”
Additionally, the developers are working with Clinton Township to install sidewalks for improved pedestrian safety and accessibility along Kinnear Road. Currently, no sidewalks exist between The Lennox Flats and The Lennox Town Center.
“The Township has been a great partner for us, but they don’t have a lot of money for long term maintenance of sidewalks,” said Schrim. “We’ll probably pay to install them ourselves and then jointly contribute to a fund to help maintain them.”
Phase one of The Lennox Flats will be ready for residents to start moving in on June 1st, with completion of the phase by July 15th. The development of Phase two will begin construction in the near future with an expected completion within the next nine to 12 months.
More information can be found online at www.lennoxflats.com.
