Explanation
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this legislation is to authorize the Director of the Department of Development to enter into an Agreement of Understanding and Access with The Annex at River South II, Ltd. and to file an application with the State of Ohio to participate in the Clean Ohio Brownfield Fund (Program). The application would support the environmental cleanup and demolition of The Trautman and The HUB Buildings at 203-213 and 221 South High Street, respectively, in Downtown Columbus.
The 0.538 acre project property consists of a five-story structure with an attached one-story wing, an attached-three story wing and a detached three-story auxiliary structure located at 203-213 S. High Street (“The Trautman Building”), as well as an adjacent three-story structure located at 221 S. High Street (“The HUB Building”). The Trautman Building has been utilized for a wide array of commercial purposes dating back to the late 1800’s, including an opera house and printing shop in the basement of the structure. Similarly, The HUB Building has been utilized for varying commercial purposes, including a bank, retail shops and office space.
Records show that the two main structures on the project property have been separately owned by a series of individuals and real estate companies for the majority of their existence. The HUB Building was purchased by the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (“CDDC”) in December 2006, followed by The Trautman Building, which was purchased by CDDC in May 2007. On May 14, 2013, the project property was purchased by The Annex at River South II, Ltd., an affiliate of Lifestyle Communities, Ltd. Planned environmental cleanup activities for the project property include universal waste abatement, demolition of The Trautman Building, demolition of The HUB Building and any auxiliary structures, recycling of building products, infrastructure upgrades to prepare the site for development, and development of a new structure.
The curre...
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