A Showdown Looms as Developers Seek New Building Heights in Columbus

The region surrounding Columbus, Ohio could add a projected one million people by 2050, and developers are looking for new ways to meet growing demand for urban living.

1 minute read

December 5, 2016, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Columbus

Randall Vermillion / Shutterstock

"Columbus developers increasingly are looking up instead of out as they try to build on some of the city’s most desirable streets," report Rick Rouan and Mark Ferenchik.

As available real estate dries up along High Street in the Short North, the University District and Clintonville, developers are asking for zoning exceptions for taller buildings that can handle an expected explosion in the urban population.

While individual development proposals are making more frequent appearances on city council agendas, the city is also considering "raising the maximum allowable height in the University District" to make it easier and less contentious to approve projects.

Naturally, opposition to the development wave has emerged from area commissioners and residents, concerned about neighborhood character and the context of the existing built environment.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016 in The Columbus Dispatch

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