A proposal to replace The Little Bar with housing was approved by the Columbus City Council Monday night. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Soon Little Bar might only exist through memories and on the back of tattered senior crawl shirts.
The proposal to replace the campus bar and University Baptist Church with housing was approved 6-1 by Columbus City Council Monday night, nearly a full year since the plan was first shared with the University Area Commission on Sept. 6, 2022. The new development, which will house the new church and over 600 beds, will have buildings at 50 W. Lane Ave., and 2195 N. High St.
“We listened to the community. We listened to the area commission. We worked with staff,” Jeffrey Brown, who represented the project Monday, said. “The presentation you have in front of you tonight is the result of all those conversations.”
The Texas-based developer, American Campus Communities, said the company previously sought approval from multiple boards around the city, gaining recommendations from the University Impact District Review Board, Development Commission and the city. After six meetings with the University Area Commission — an advisory body that hears resident concerns in the neighborhood — the developer did not receive a recommendation for approval.
Concerns from the area commission included parking, affordability and Blackstone’s acquisition of American Campus Communities last year.
Blackstone is a private investment firm that owns over 200 companies in addition to American Campus Communities, but residents Monday night and at previous commission meetings expressed concerns with some of their housing practices.
Sam Newman, another representative of the project, said many of these allegations are “unfounded and untrue” and that Blackstone has a “very limited” impact on how they manage their housing.
Newman did not return a request for further comment before the time of publication.
Though the project has gone through many changes, this proposal committed to 20 percent of the housing being affordable, saying prices could be as low as $450 a month per person in a four-bedroom unit. Since the initial pitch, they have also lowered the height of the property and added commercial space to one of the buildings.
Four Columbus residents — three against and one in support — also expressed their views on the project before the council, all with a heavy focus on Blackstone’s connection to the project.
Before voting yes, city councilmember and chair of the Zoning Committee, Rob Dorans, reminded the council that problematic landlords can be handled through ordinances and are left up to fair housing laws.
“Ownership has never been a part of the land-use question that has come before the Zoning Committee,” Dorans said. “This project does not displace existing housing. It adds existing housing to an area of the city that is rapidly growing, being the University District.”
Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, who voted no on approval, said she is conflicted on the project because of the concerns from the community and the precedent it will set.
