The housing market's victims

Central Ohio's housing costs are high - in money and sometimes in humanity. Evidence seems to arrive daily that the area's housing market is punishing for those in need of affordable apartments.

Forced out

My colleague Danae King reported this week that Franklin County evictions rose to a 20-year high last year. Each day of 2023, an average of 65 evictions were filed in Franklin County, with a total of 23,921 filings for the year. As Danae noted, evictions are expected to continue to climb. The evictions coincide with a troubling trend of residents being quickly forced out of apartment complexes slated for development after changing hands. Last week, we reported that about 100 residents are being pushed out of parts of Sandridge Apartments on the Northeast Side after a New Jersey company bought the property, presumably for redevelopment. It looks like the same thing has happened at a Northwest Side complex.

The lowdown on high-rises

In a follow-up to a story we wrote last week about problems at Downtown's KeyBank building, I spoke with several commercial real-estate agents who describe the problems as isolated. At the same time, everyone I spoke with welcomed the conversion of struggling offices into residences. As we noted, another big one appears on the horizon - the upper floors of the Fifth Third Center at South High and East State streets. Colliers' excellent Downtown Columbus High-Rise Report, which the real-estate firm publishes every quarter, reported that about 37% of the Fifth Third Center is occupied, tied with the Miranova Corporate Tower for the lowest occupancy of any Downtown high-rise.

Help wanted at Express

The clock is ticking on the former mall staple Express. The Columbus-based company, which has struggled for years, filed for bankruptcy protection and notified the state that its 615 Columbus office workers would lose their jobs in June if the company can't restructure or find a buyer. In the meantime, the company plans to close 95 of its Express stores and all of its UpWest stores.

Timber!

Another apartment building is headed to the University District, this one with a couple twists, starting with its proposed construction method. The Chicago-area developer, Harbor Bay Ventures, plans to build the tower — on the site of the longtime campus watering hole the Bier Stube — out of mass timber instead of traditional steel and concrete. At a proposed 13 stories, the building would be the second-tallest mass-timber-framed building in the country. The height is unusual in the University District and so is the lack of parking, which we may see more of when the city's new zoning code takes effect as expected this year.

Food Fight

How many food halls can one town support? We may soon find out, when the Little Grand Market, a 22,500-square-foot hall with 12 food vendors and a bar, opens late this summer in the Grandview Crossing development on Dublin Road. By my count, this will be central Ohio's seventh food hall, following the granddaddy North Market, its Bridge Park sibling, Budd Dairy Food Hall in Italian Village, Bubbly Hall in New Albany, East Market in the Trolley District and Center Street Market in Hilliard.

Vintage Granville

An 1850s Granville home with a colorful history has hit the market for $1.89 million. The home served as a single-family home, the state's first home for alcoholics and a bed and breakfast before becoming The Orchard House wedding venue. The 12-acre estate includes the main home, a carriage house home, an events pavilion, a pole barn, a "glamping cabin" and a chapel-in-the-pines. The property is listed by Katie and Ken Richards, with Keller Williams Greater Columbus Realty.

Warehouse sale

A 65,000-square-foot warehouse at 6161 Shamrock Court in Dublin has changed hands for $7.85 million, topping this week's property transfers.

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And that's the development wrap for the week.