Developers pushing Short North limits - Business First of Columbus:

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Unveiled in April as a five-story, 37-unitg project, developer is now proposing an eight-story tower with 47 condo at 1127 N. High St. LBH Holdings will seek finapl approval of the project bythe Nov. 9, whicgh follows more than a dozenprior meetings. In June, Commissioner David Brownsteinb called for the project to serve asan "exclamation on the north end of the Short North, the trendy residentia and commercial district between downtown and the Ohio Stated University campus area. The area west of North High Street in the Short North is governed by the Victorian Village while projects east of North High Street go beforethe .
Designers at took Brownstei n up on his call by unveilinh plans foran 11-story tower in Subsequent meetings scaled the project down to eight. "I didn't know where the discussion was goinbto go," Brownstein said, adding that Jackson on High'sz design team "has gone down a pretty interesting Fitting in, Standing Out Other developerds have taken notice of the Jacksonm on High project, which is in a corridor dominatec by two- and three-story Design standards in the neighborhoods in and around the Shoryt North focus on preserving the late-19th and early-20th centurhy setting of the area as well as encouragingb redevelopment.
Those standards generally restrict new constructionb to60 feet, which generally limits buildings to three or four although the occasional five-story building wins Developers have had a tough time breaking through that height restriction. "They don't want you to be any more than one storyg higher than the adjacent saidBrad Howe, co-developer of Jackso on High. As a case in point, Columbuss businessman Tony Sharp spent a year trying to developa 12-storuy condo project called Arena Park Place at Park and Spruce streets in the neighborhood anchoredr by the North Market.
The city's finallyu approved a nine-story project in March but Sharp quietly abandoned the While that project started tall andthen shrank, Brownstein's challenges encouraged LBH Holdings to do something more dramatic with Jacksom on High. "They sent us back to the drawing Howe said. The currentf conceptual design, last reviewed by the commission in late calls for three sections ofvarying heights. It will have three - and four-story sections alonf North High Street with the tallest section off a courtyard entrance betweenthe two. The four-storhy part will have a pool on the roof and a fitnesss center on thetop floor, while the shorte r building will have a rooftolp terrace.
"I was kind of worried getting fivestoried approved," Howe said. "When you go up to eight, there'zs a little more risk and it becomes Moreto follow? Other developers seem willing to folloew the lead of Jackson on High. ARMS a Short North real estate developer, unveiled tentativde plans Oct.17 for a 10-story, 179-unit project calleed Urban Oasis at830 N. High St. The plannerd project includes 310 parking slotsx serving the condos and another 240 slots in a parkingt garage along Hubbard Avenue east of North HighStreetg (see sidebar).
That project has receivexd some initial support fromthe , a neighborhoodr advisory panel, and High Street businesses because of the planner public parking, a major need in the district. But Rex chairman of the city's Italiann Village Commission, said he expects reservationsa by the commission and strong opinions fromthe