A developer has added a retail component as he tries a second time to sell the Grandview Heights Planning Commission and residents on his plan to build on West First Avenue, a block west of Grandview Avenue.
Scott Owens has purchased the Deyo-Davis Funeral Home property at 1574-1578 W. First Ave. and the McGovern building immediately to the east at 1562-1572 W. First Ave.
In September, he presented a plan to construct a two-building condominium project on the site. The plan called for each building to be four stories tall with 16 condominiums.
At the Jan. 17 planning commission meeting, Owens offered a revised preliminary site plan that reduces the project to a single three-story building, with retail on the first floor and 28 one- and two-bedroom apartments on the upper two floors.
The new plan calls for 83 parking spaces -- one more than required by city code -- with most of the parking spaces located behind the building.
Nine on-street parking spaces would be required.
A total of 9,500 square feet of retail space would be available on the first floor.
"We tried to change the project so that it would fit with the fabric of what Grandview is becoming," Owens said.
His original concept was aimed at empty-nesters.
"These units (in the new proposal) will probably be built as condos, but leased initially," Owens said.
In previous discussions, Owens said, he and city staff bandied about the idea of a two-story building in front with a three-story structure behind it.
That would help alleviate the impact of the building along First Avenue, he said.
The site is zoned as C-2 neighborhood commercial, said Patrick Bowman, director of administration and economic development.
Apartments located on a second story or higher are allowed as a conditional use under the C-2 zoning.
The planning commission would need to approve the conditional use, and the matter would not need to go before City Council.
Owens' original proposal for an all-residential development would have required rezoning, Bowman said.
"I was concerned with the first proposal, but this is a big improvement in terms of scale and massing," planning commissioner Sarah Kelly said.
Planning commissioner Eric Lobao said he liked the original proposal's idea to have the development split into two buildings.
"Scaling down to three stories helps a lot," he said. "It's the right way to go. It echoes the idea of trying to soften (the project) by having it split in the middle."
Care must be taken in considering what type of project to approve for the site, because it likely will set a precedent for the potential redevelopment of other properties along First Avenue, Lobao said.
Most of the residents who attended the meeting continued to express skepticism about the project and how it will impact their neighborhood. Most of those who spoke live on Broadview Avenue near the site.
Lauren King said she was concerned about the additional traffic the commercial tenants of the building would bring and how that would impact the safety of children walking to and from the adjacent Edison Intermediate/Larson Middle School.
Other businesses that have opened on First Avenue, including a dog day spa and hair salon, are retail operations but don't bring in much traffic, she said.
"If you're going to bring in commercial uses, I'm concerned about what kind of commercial use you'll be bringing in," King said.
Some residents expressed concern that a restaurant might be the only use that could afford the likely high leasing rates for the commercial space.
Owens said he would prefer there not be a restaurant at the site, but couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen.
The proposed mix of retail and residential could be a sign of what's coming to First Avenue, Emily Gephart said.
"It's bringing Grandview Avenue around the corner" and onto First Avenue, she said.
Steve Hamm, a First Avenue resident, said he doubted the need for the apartment project.
He said his research showed at least eight apartment developments within a mile of the site, and those are not entirely filled.
Owens' concept "is not hideous," Hamm said -- but he added the area could become so if nearby properties are redeveloped in the same way.
"It would destroy what everybody loves about Grandview," he said.
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