Latest news with #ScottScharlach
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plan OK'd to bulldoze former United Way for apartment complex
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The former United Way headquarters Downtown will face a bulldozer this spring to make way for a $29 million affordable housing complex. The Downtown Commission approved on Jan. 28 the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's plan to replace the 55-year-old headquarters at 360 S. Third St. with a five-story apartment building. Called 'AspireColumbus,' the housing complex will predominantly serve middle- and low-wage earning families, as well as those with disabilities. Watch a previous NBC4 report on the proposal in the video player above. Happy Greek in the Short North closes after 20 years 'Downtown Columbus is increasingly becoming a magnet for people of all income levels looking for a place to call home,' said Scott Scharlach, the housing authority's chief operating officer. 'CMHA is committed to ensuring affordable housing options will exist for residents to live, work and play downtown, and the new AspireColumbus site is a perfect location to help make that dream happen.' Plans call for the complex to be home to 82 units, including a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments. After the former United Way building is demolished, construction is set to begin this summer with a tentative grand opening scheduled for 2026. Of the 82 apartments, 31 will be rent-subsidized by the authority's Housing Choice Voucher Program. Residents in those units are anticipated to be at 30% of the area's median income, which in metro Columbus is an annual income of about $21,700 for an individual and $27,900 for a family of three. The housing authority plans for 12 apartments to be at market rate. New attraction, restaurant coming to Zoombezi Bay this summer The Downtown Commission also approved on Jan. 28 the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts' plan to construct a new music hall in the building previously home to the Central Presbyterian Church at 132 S. Third St. The association purchased the property in 2012 and has long-planned a major renovation of the church building. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Downtown demolition approved to make way for housing authority apartment complex
The former United Way headquarters Downtown will be demolished this spring to make way for a five-story mixed-income housing complex. Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority plans to replace the three-story, 55-year-old building at 360 S. 3rd St. with the $29-million housing complex, called AspireColumbus. AspireCOLUMBUS will include 82 apartments — 17 studios, 33 one bedrooms, 23 two bedrooms and nine three-bedrooms units — most of them aimed at middle- and low-wage families as well as people with disabilities, according to CMHA. More: Columbus, Franklin County creating regional housing coalition to address affordability crisis 'Downtown Columbus is increasingly becoming a magnet for people of all income levels looking for a place to call home,' said CMHA Chief Operating Officer Scott Scharlach in a news release. 'CMHA is committed to ensuring affordable housing options will exist for residents to live, work and play Downtown.' Of the 82 apartments, 70 will be reserved for tenants who make less than 80% of the area median income, which is $72,400 for an individual and $93,000 for a family of three. Of those, 31 will be for tenants who make no more than 30% of the area median, which is $21,700 for an individual and $27,900 for a family of three. The remaining 12 apartments will be market rate. In addition, at least 5% of the apartments will accommodate tenants with physical, visual and auditory challenges. AspireColumbus is a scaled-down version of a plan CMHA originally proposed in 2022 that was 12 stories and included 135 apartments. The Columbus Downtown Commission this week approved the demolition of the United Way building, allowing CMHA to move forward on the new plan. 'We are now going full steam ahead with this innovative and exciting development,' said Scharlach. CMHA plans to demolish the former United Way building this spring and start construction this summer on the project, which is scheduled to open in 2026. jweiker@ @JimWeiker This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: United Way building to be razed to make way for CMHA affordable housing
