Proposal unanimously rejected for high-rise tower on empty Franklinton lot

View a previous report on the "boutique hotel" proposal in the video player above.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A proposal that would have put a high-rise development on a 0.1-acre lot in Franklinton was unanimously struck down by an area commission last week.

The Franklinton Area Commission rejected the Rob Ellis-owned Pink Development and Construction's proposal Tuesday in a 12-0 vote. Since a house on the lot was demolished in 2019, the parcel of land at 278 S. Glenwood Ave. has remained empty.

Members of the commission expressed concern for the appropriateness of the high-rise on that parcel, according to Trent Smith, the executive director of the Franklinton Board of Trade, who attended the meeting. A representative from the Franklinton Area Commission itself did not respond to a request for comment.

Originally submitted as an 11-story "boutique hotel" with 41,731 square feet of total floor space featuring 81 apartments, retail space and more, the proposal had been revised with multiple significant changes leading up to its presentation. Changes to the proposal included that it would no longer be a hotel and would be 20 stories instead of 11.

With no plans for on-site parking, the building would feature a valet car tunnel and loading area. Renderings of the proposal showed a nail bar, retail shop, 11th-floor bar, amenity deck and infinity pool among Ellis' plans for the development.

Smith said the vote was not a rejection of affordable housing in Franklinton, but a rejection of this proposal.