Developer Joel Pizzuti had hoped to receive support for a demolition permit during the 10th joint meeting of the Victorian Village and Italian Village commissions Wednesday night to help push a mixed-use project that has caused much intense discussion since January.
A 70-minute meeting apparently convinced Pizzuti to back off.
When it looked like that support would not come easily, the Pizzuti Cos. president and his legal and design advisers huddled for five minutes and then announced they would forego a vote on the permit until the design portion of the project gets fleshed out better and gains the necessary support. Pizzuti called the strategic retreat a matter of “trusting” permission to secure a demolition of the back portion of the ex-United Commercial Travelers property at 632 N. Park St. will come from the Victorian Village panel once a few nagging issues get resolved.
Not forcing a vote likely will work in Pizzuti’s favor, given a statement by Victorian Village commissioner Jack Decker that his reading of the city’s code for historic neighborhoods appears to call for a concrete plan for a new project before a commission can approve a demolition permit, conditional or not.
“In my view, the demolition permit goes hand in hand with approval of an appropriate (replacement) project,” Decker said.
The panel during an Oct. 28 meeting had informally indicated support for partial demolition, reasoning that redevelopment of the entire United Travelers’ property likely is not economically feasible given Pizzuti’s presentation of a cost analysis of redeveloping that property as offices and other commercial space.
On Wednesday, the city’s staff offered some support for a “conditional” permit that might require a zoning plan, an acceptable design and a traffic study for the entry and exit of vehicles before Pizzuti could actually knock down a part of the cross-shaped building. Pizzuti said such a conditional permit may allow plans for an art gallery for the holdings of his father, Ron Pizzuti, the development firm’s chairman and CEO, to move froward.
But with the Victorian Village members sending mixed messages on that route, Joel Pizzuti demurred.
“I feel we and the commission have the same goal – to allow for a project that’s appropriate and complements the historic neighborhood,” Pizzuti told Columbus Business First. “We now need to focus attention on the design.”
Citizen input
Meantime, the battle between historic preservation of a residential neighborhood and support for economic development surfaced a bit during a public comment section of the meeting.
Area resident Jeff Harper said he supports business growth along North High but also worries about his street becoming a “thoroughfare” if the parking garage’s only entrance isn’t relocated. That will cause values of Victorian Village condos facing the street to decline, he said.
And Kathy Mast Kane, executive director of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation preservation group, voiced concern about demolishing a portion of the “contributing building” in a historic neighborhood as well as the impact of such tall buildings along the commercial strip.
“Columbus Landmarks Foundation ... believes there is opportunity here for historic preservation objectives to be met,” Kane said, “and a new mixed-used project to thrive.”
On the other side, Short North developer Mark Wood read a letter from the Short North Special Improvement District supporting the concept of the hotel dubbed the Joseph, office building and garage.
“The development will attract customers to support the (Short North) commercial district,” Wood said, “which in turn will provide sustainability for the boutique retail shops, art galleries and restaurants that give the neighborhood its vibe.”
No doubt the debate will continue into the new year.
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