The proposal for a new apartment complex, the Herrold Square Apartment Complex, will be read for the first time at Tuesday's Athens City Council meeting and could give Athens more single-occupancy apartments.
The location of the complex, - near O'Bleness Memorial Hospital, the bike path, West State Street facilities and Ohio University - will make it easy and convenient for residents to access, either by foot or bicycle, various city facilities, said Jim Bloom, a partner of Diversified Properties. The complex also would address the problem of a lack of single-occupancy apartments available in Athens.
While the developers hope to attract medical and professional students, they are looking forward to others who might be attracted to the apartments, Bloom said.
We will have to wait and see who shows interest in the project when it is built
he said. We hope to make the project efficient and architecturally interesting.
The priority of the builders is the convenience of the location and also to create a sense of community for the members within the complex, Bloom said
The complex would house 45 people with 30 one-bedroom apartments, five efficiency-style apartments and five two-bedroom apartments. If the complex is approved, construction would likely begin in fall 2004, and, if all goes according to plan, apartments would be ready for occupancy by late spring 2005, Bloom said.
Sole and Bloom Realtors developed the original plan for the complex, which was approved a year ago and consisted primarily of two-and three-bedroom apartments. Later, the company purchased a second lot and reconfigured the design for the complex, making the apartments primarily single occupancy, Bloom said.
The complex would consist of five buildings located on one and one-fourth acres. Exact rental rates have not been determined, he said.
City council members seemed to have shown interest in the proposal but have expressed mixed feelings about certain aspects of the project.
Council members seemed to be relieved by the removal of the car ports, which were proposed in the original plan. Members also were impressed by the recycling facilities that would be available on the site, said Councilwoman Sarah Sexton, D-At Large.
Concern was expressed about the sufficiency of one trash dumpster for the entire complex, said Councilman Paul Wiehl, D-1st Ward. Parking and only one entrance also could cause problems.
Council members were cautious about the complex's building process. Any residential building proposal that is two acres or more is called a Planned Unit Development. Although the Herrold Square Project is one and one-fourth acres, it was presented as a PUD, said Councilwoman Nancy Bain, D-3rd Ward. This is an issue because if similar projects surface, such as the proposed Campus Edge project, council members want to have a uniform set of rules that apply to everyone.
Bain also wanted to assure an efficient transmission of information about the progress and process of how the project would be built.
In general, council members were impressed by the presentation of the project and expressed interest in good housing with minimal impact on the environment.
As long as the project is respectful to the city and the community I think it is all right to construct Sexton said.
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