$10 million apartment complex to bring vacant uptown property ‘back to good use,’ developer says

A local developer has plans to build a $10 million apartment complex over nearly an entire uptown city block.

Ken Henson has acquired most of the land on the 1500 block between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. There he plans to build three new structures as well as renovate three older homes on the property to create 75 apartment units.

Henson started purchasing property on the block in February of last year, including buying the three older homes from Historic Columbus just a few weeks ago.

“All during this process I’ve had the Historic Columbus people looking at it to make sure I satisfied them because their office is right there on the corner, and they of course have an interest in the block,” Henson said.

The new apartment buildings will be three stories and Henson said he has plans for outdoor amenities such as a grill area and pavilion. One of the historic homes could become the leasing office, while the other two would be renovated into more apartment units.

Henson has a long history with the block: his mother and grandmother grew up in a home previously located at 1516 2nd Avenue, in the center of the block.

“I visited it as a child, I can remember visiting my grandmother and sleeping over there and next door there was a house that had roosters and chickens, and if you went over there to visit my grandmother you weren’t going to sleep late because you heard the roosters there crowing,” Henson said. “I remember planting flowers with my grandmother in the front yard.”

The home was demolished in the 1970s and Henson said the property has been vacant for over 40 years.

“I’m going to try to put it back to good use,” he said.

The name of the proposed project pays homage to that history while still highlighting the development that is going on down 2nd Avenue: Henson says it will be called 1516 Uptown.

Henson has submitted an application to the city’s Historic and Architectural Review Board, which will decide the appropriateness of the buildings within what is known as the “High Uptown Historic District.”

Approval of the Uptown Facade Board will also be needed before the permitting process can begin. Henson said he hopes to start work within 60 days, with August 1, 2021, being the target completion date.

Architecture firm 2WR has been engaged to work on the project, he said.

The parcel is located within the Uptown Tax Allocation District, but Henson said he will not be applying for use of those funds. He will however be using Opportunity Zone Program funds for the project.

“The significance of this project is that the property is vacant, and that’s one of the first things you see when you get to downtown Columbus: on your right you see TSYS and on the left you see this parcel that’s been vacant for years,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll create a nice entrance into uptown.”

A corner parcel that is occupied by Direct Services is not owned by Henson and will continue to operate. On another parcel, Bi-City Body Works will also continue business as usual, though Henson acquired the property in December.