A 29-unit new-construction apartment building rises on the north side of Franklin Avenue at West 32nd Street. It is the first phase of the Franklin Yard development that includes historic redevelopment of a Victorian-era mansion and an early 20th-century YWCA (Harrison Whittaker). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Several developments contribute to total
High construction costs, tariff uncertainties, and changes to city tax abatement policy have brewed skepticism that current development momentum can continue — especially in urban neighborhoods like Ohio City.
So one might be surprised to walk around the block and find hundreds of new homes actively under construction.
In the foreground as seen from Monroe Avenue, local developers prepare to build the 109-unit Ambler Apartments on a formerly vacant lot. Seen across West 26th Street in the background, the Carriage Co. development will add 139 apartments (Harrison Whittaker).
Inside the former Voss Industries plant at 2168 W. 25th St., renovation work has quietly progressed for months.
The Carriage Co. mixed-use development, led by MRN, Ltd., will transform the historic complex into 139 apartments with first-floor retail. Off-street parking will be provided indoors on the ground level.
The Carriage Co. development will add several new storefronts on West 25th Street. Between buildings, intersecting alleys will become pedestrian ways (Harrison Whittaker).
Next door on West 26th Street, construction has started on Ambler Apartments, a 109-unit development led by a partnership of local developers Dan Whalen and Luke Palmisano.
The pair is working with Geis Companies for design and construction. The developers aim for a quicker timeline to minimize risks related to tariffs and other rising costs.
Construction begins on Ambler Apartments. A short alley was partially vacated to allow for a single, continuous building (Harrison Whittaker).
Ambler’s market-rate apartments will be designed with comfort in mind and are expected to lease at slightly lower rents than recent high-end developments nearby.
A combination of on-street and new, off-street parking spaces will be offered to residents.
A historic mansion (right) and former YWCA building (left) are converted into apartments at Franklin Yard (Harrison Whittaker).
Meanwhile, Dalad Group and Property Advisors Group are in the midst of refurbishing two buildings on Franklin Avenue between West 31st Place and West 32nd Street as part of the Franklin Yard development.
The project also includes a new apartment building under construction across the street.
The YWCA building at West 31st Place and Franklin Avenue installs brand-new windows (Harrison Whittaker).
On the south side of Franklin, a historic mansion is being converted into seven market-rate apartments, while the renovation of an old YWCA building will add another 31 units.
The former YWCA was most recently home to an assisted living facility called Vantage Place.
New apartments rise while a historic mansion is restored across the street. Slightly out of frame on the right, an old storage building may be renovated into office space (Harrison Whittaker).
On what was previously a vacant lot, the project’s developers are constructing a 19-unit apartment building which recently topped out.
Altogether, Franklin Yard will create 57 homes.
From West 32nd Street, windows can be seen going in on the rear of a new building at Franklin Yard (Harrison Whittaker).
In addition to apartments, Ohio City’s housing stock is also expanding via the addition of for-sale infill homes.
In 2023, Gold Key Builders proposed seven new homes on previously vacant land between Clinton Avenue and Vine Court—though plans were shifted to five homes in response to community feedback.
The fourth of five planned infill homes by Gold Key Builders nears completion on Clinton Avenue (Harrison Whittaker).
Construction has wrapped up on two of Gold Key’s homes on Clinton Avenue and another on Vine Court; their final home on Clinton is well underway.
Just across the street, an unrelated infill home has filled a large, vacant lot.
A large infill home adds its finishing touches on Clinton Avenue (Harrison Whittaker).
In 2023, NEOtrans reported that Berges Home Performance would construct five infill homes at Monroe Avenue and West 30th Street.
The final home is now nearing completion, with all homes having been constructed within the past year.
In the above photo, Berges’ infill homes are the first five from the right; note one red home hidden behind a telephone pole (Harrison Whittaker).
In addition to conversions and ground-up developments, some high-profile construction projects will alter the neighborhood’s character without adding new units.
At West 24th Street and the old Superior Viaduct, The Condominiums at Stonebridge is undergoing a façade renovation that replaces aging brick veneer with modern, black and grey panels.
The Condominiums at Stonebridge updates an aging façade (Harrison Whittaker).
Keep checking back for more photographic project updates on these and other developments from NEOtrans’ newest feature — Progress Pics.
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