Columbus developer expanding ‘High Uptown’ apartment complex. Here are the details
A local developer is expanding plans for an apartment complex project in the High Uptown Historic District of Columbus.
Columbus developer and attorney Ken Henson, who is behind the 1516 Uptown complex and the Second Avenue Apartments just north of the Ralston Towers, is planning a new project at 323 16th St., he told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Henson has applied to rezone the 1.63-acre property, according to the Planning Advisory Commission. Henson already owned the vacant lot, which is currently zoned for light manufacturing/industrial (LMI) and general commercial (GC).
“My goal is to rejuvenate, at least, most of the vacant land south of the railroad,” Henson said. “And then you’ve got another block to the water park, and then you’re at City Mills, Mercer and then you’ve got the new Chase Homes.
“So, if we can get those blocks redone, we’ll have eliminated a lot of blight.”
The complex, around 24 units, will be an extension the 1516 Uptown development that opened this year. It’s expected to be completed in early 2022 and will cost about $5 million, Henson said.
1516 Uptown, which cost $10 million and encompasses nearly an entire city block, features a brick exterior with windows made to have a historic look, Henson previously told the L-E.
Henson said every unit along Second Avenue — both near the Ralston and 1516 Uptown — has been rented, and the management group running the project already has fielded inquiries regarding the new units.
“I’m optimistic that (the units) will rent,” Henson said, “and, the more people we can get down in the High Uptown area, the more likely it is that the area will come back.”
There will be no shortage of potential tenants. TSYS is nearby, along with Downtown Elementary Magnet Academy and Mercer School of Medicine’s upcoming riverfront campus near City Mills.
Henson has a long history with the area: His mother and grandmother grew up in a home previously located at 1516 Second Avenue — after which the complex is named — in the center of the block.
The home was demolished in the 1970s, Henson said, and the property was vacant for over 40 years.
Henson started purchasing property on the block in February 2019, including buying the three older homes from Historic Columbus in early 2020.
Those interested in leasing a unit at 1516 Uptown can call 706-580-5126 or email secondavenue@ram-mgt.com. Leasing information also can be found at apartments.com and Second Avenue Properties.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
