A couple years after a proposal stalled out at 1217 E. Columbia Ave., developers are giving it another shot. Currently, this address is home to a warehouse that’s a throwback to a more industrial time in the neighborhood. But looking around the area today, the building doesn’t much fit in with its surroundings.

One Off From The Corner

In the summer of 2015, developers came to the community with a plan to demolish the building and replace it with an eight unit apartment building that would have included six parking spots. But the neighborhood pushed back because the property is zoned for single family homes. The parcel could be legally subdivided and a pair of homes could be constructed by right, but the subdivided lots would be oversized and the homes would have hilariously large back yards. At the time, the head of the FNA zoning committee indicated that the neighbors preferred homes over apartments because homes would fit better into “the character of the area.”

At the time, we respectfully disagreed with this assertion, noting that there are a few multi-family buildings in the immediate area. Across the street, the East Baptist Church was converted into fifteen apartments a couple years back, approved by the ZBA over the objections of the community. The oldest part of the Icehouse condo development is at the corner of E Thompson Street, while a more recently constructed phase of the project can be found on Moyer Street.

Church Turned Apartments Across The Street
Church turned apartments across the street
Ice House Project, Half A Block Away
Ice House project, half a block away
Looking Up Moyer Street
Looking up Moyer Street

Given these other properties, perhaps someone in the neighborhood can help us understand why people opposed the project at 1217 E. Columbia Ave. a couple years ago? Meanwhile, the developers have either gotten a second wind or new developers are stepping in, as we’ve learned that another proposal is coming down the pike for this property. The new plan calls for a six unit building with four parking spaces. When this project comes before the community, will the neighbors change their tune just because the unit count went down by two? We’d think not, especially with the number of parking spaces similarly reduced. What kind of project do you think would be the best for this property?