The City of Columbus has named the developer for the vacant lot at Monroe & Long Streets. Glavan
Blackwell Resources was chosen as the developer, in part, because they included both commercial and residential development in their proposal. Dana Moessner, Chair of Development for KLBNA, agrees
with the city’s choice because, “Glavan followed the King-Lincoln District Plan and the Near East Area
Plan, which means we’ll have a complex that is architecturally appropriate for the area, and will
bring positive economic impact to the community.”
Eighteen townhomes will be built on Monroe and Talmadge Streets, and a 3-story building will go up on Long Street to accommodate retail on the first floor and condos on the top two floors.
Mark Barbash, director of development for the City of Columbus, was interviewed by Business First about the Monroe Cluster announcement. Here’s an excerpt from the March 3rd article by Scott Rawdon:
“Barbash said the Monroe Cluster is vital to the development of the Long Street District and is an integral part of the King Lincoln District Redevelopment Plan. Investment in the Monroe Cluster will likely jump
start the local economy and convince other developers of the long-term benefits of redeveloping the Long
Street Community. The goal, Barbash said, is to keep new housing prices and retail space rental affordable at market rates.”
Keena Smith, assistant director of development for the City of Columbus, was quoted in the same
Business First article as saying, “The community involvement is the key. This is a neighborhood that’s been blighted for a long time. We want to make sure that the people who are living there can stay there.”
Groundbreaking is expected in the second half of 2006.~TBN
