Monday, October 25, 2010

Weinland Park: Abandoned apartments set for demolition





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A former center of operations for the Short North Posse that once terrorized the city’s Weinland Park neighborhood will soon get demolished.

Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment got control of the two vacant apartment buildings in September as part of plans to redevelop the site under a broader redevelopment strategy for several distressed properties in the neighborhood.

Campus Partners President Doug Achenbach said the properties at 1407 N. Fourth St. and 1415 N. St., which have a combined 34 apartments, have experienced both financial and physical hardships since being sold for $840,000 just six years ago. The properties most recently were part of a bankruptcy estate before the nonprofit Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County gained control of the properties this year. Aschenbach said they had racked up $150,000 in overdue property taxes as well as a long list of code violations.

A ceremony celebrating the demolition is slated for 3 p.m. Monday. The actual demolition must await completion of asbestos removal from the home at a cost of $110,000.

While single-family homes likely will replace the buildings, that tentative plan must still go through the neighborhood’s Weinland Park Community Civic Association.

“We’re seeking an appropriate use,” Aschenbach said. “Everything we do, we want to do with the residents’ engagement so it’s in line with the goals of the neighborhood.”

Campus Partners has been working with the Columbus Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the United Way and the city of Columbus on a broader redevelopment strategy in the area under the Weinland Park Collaborative umbrella. That effort also includes Wagenbrenner Development Co.’s plans for housing on the former Columbus Coated Fabrics site and other nearby properties.

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