Bronzeville Neighborhood Association

Mark Ferenchik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A neighborhood group sued Columbus to prevent the city from selling

land to a group that wants to build a new office building on the Near

East Side.

The King-Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association wants a judge

to stop the sale and force the city to hold more community meetings

to discuss plans for the site.

The group wants a condominium complex with ground-level stores to be

built on the half-acre site on the northeast corner of E. Long Street

and Hamilton Avenue just east of Downtown.

But last month, the Columbus City Council voted to sell the lot to

Gideon Development Partners LLC for $32,000. Gideon plans to build a

$6.2 million building that is to house the Columbus police internal

affairs and accident investigation units, a project Mayor Michael B.

Coleman backs. The city signed a 15-year lease with Gideon to house

the units. The annual cost will be $380,000.

The neighborhood group doesn’t want those police units in the

neighborhood, said the group’s president, Willis Brown. He said more

office space isn’t needed when vacancy rates Downtown are more than

20 percent. The group did not hire a lawyer to prepare the suit.

Brown, who is not a lawyer, filed it on behalf of the group.

City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. said he hasn’t seen the suit,

which was filed Wednesday. He said he didn’t think the suit would

prevent the city from moving forward with the project.