A Columbus contractor is taking the offensive after a city commission again recommended against his proposal for an apartment tower on a 31-foot-wide lot in the heart of Franklinton.
“This is the development we’re going forward with,” said Robert Ellis, owner of Pink Development and Construction. “We’re ready to litigate if necessary.”
Ellis said he has already compromised on the project, called The Ivy, by dropping its height from 20 stories to eight stories and the number of apartments from 180 to 62.
The lot, at 278 S. Glenwood Ave., is 129 feet deep and sits between two nondescript manufacturing buildings in a manufacturing zone. Ellis has applied to rezone the site and is seeking variances that would allow an eight-story building without parking, instead of the 101 units now required.
The Columbus Development Commission wasn’t satisfied with the changes, and, in a second vote, again unanimously recommended against the proposal Thursday, following similar recommendations by the city’s development staff and the Franklinton Area Commission.