The downtown Columbus YMCA will become an affordable housing apartment complex as developers begin construction and renovation work in the historic 1922 structure on West Long Street.
The $66 million development is getting more than half of the cost covered by federal, state and local funding. More than $13.3 million is coming from the city of Columbus' affordable housing bond funds and another $5.2 million is coming from state tax credits.
The project is getting another $30 million in historic and housing tax credits from the federal government.
With all of this, Woda Cooper Companies hopes to preserve much of the building's historic charm. The building will be called the Lofts at 40 Long. They are expected to be ready for move in by mid-2028.
Developer Jeffrey Woda said that out of the 121 units, about 20% will be for people making less than $30,000 a year. The rest of the units will also be priced at a fraction of the area's median income up to 80% AMI.
Franklin County's current AMI for a family of four is about $103,000, according to the 2024 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's guidelines.
Woda said this will be affordable to people who work downtown.
"It's workforce housing. It's all of the people working downtown right now that are there working hard for all of us. Hopefully, now we give them a choice of where they can live. They can actually live downtown if they so choose," Woda said.
Woda spoke at an announcement Monday inside the YMCA's gym that construction would begin soon. The second floor gym's ceiling was speckled with chipping paint. The last renovation to the downtown building was nearly 30 years ago.
The YMCA announced it would close in 2019 and has been vacant since then. Hundreds of residents at the YMCA of Central Ohio were placed in new accommodations after its closure.
The Jacobethan Revival and Late Gothic Revival architecture sticks out to those who pass the seven-story building. The inside is marked by carved wood decorations and fireplaces.
Woda's company said in a news release the restoration will preserve many original architectural features including the ornate woodwork on the first floor, stone and terrazzo flooring in the lobby, a winding stairwell and the YMCA inscription that appears on the front façade.
Woda said projects like this are much more expensive than building a new structure, especially since the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Any structural problems discovered during the renovations may cause setbacks in the project.
Woda said he doesn't expect any problems.
"When you start tearing out walls and you start carrying out areas that haven't been torn out, what are you going to find? Are we going to fine some areas that we missed that are structurally unsound? Are we gonna find some surprises? We don't think so," Woda said. "Obviously, we'd never go into it. But that's always the biggest concern, just the unknown."
The 121 units will be split into one studio apartment, 72 one-bedroom units, 38 two-bedroom units and 10 three-bedroom units. There will also be a central elevator.
The company said one of the building’s two basketball courts will be maintained for resident free play use, and the other will be converted into an indoor play area. Other amenities include a community room with a kitchenette, a fitness room, bike storage, a pet care/wash room, a package room and coworking space.
Rents will range from $445 for the studio apartment to $1,900 for the most expensive three-bedroom apartment depending on the income restrictions.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said the project will breathe life into the space again and help residents who need a stable, affordable home.
"That's our seniors on fixed incomes, service workers, childcare workers, the people who make this city work and folks who might need a little help and deserve the option to live near their jobs, their schools and the services they rely on in the highest demand neighborhood in our city," Ginther said.
Ginther promoted the nearly $2 billion in bond packages on the ballot this November, $500 million of which is targeted at affordable housing.
"If the Columbus way works for economic development, job creation and workforce development, we ought to put it to work to help house our neighbors," Ginther said.
Downtown Columbus Inc. President and CEO Greg Davies said the apartment will play a role in the organization's goal of growing downtown Columbus' population to 40,000 people by 2040. The downtown area currently has less than 20,000 residents.
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said downtown cannot be a place reserved only for luxury housing as Columbus grows. He said too many people are being priced out of the city center.
Hardin said the city also needs to focus on getting more housing for people making 0% to 30% of the AMI.
"Probably our most dire need though is that 0% to 30% of folks who have disabilities, folks who will not be able to pay $700 to $800 to $1,000 a month and also will need supportive services," Hardin said.
Hardin said the amount of money from the $500 million affordable housing bond that will be dedicated to this range hasn't been determined yet. He said the projects being targeted with these bonds will go towards innovative housing projects that will bring down costs.
Hardin said the housing pressures come from the city's success in creating jobs.
"We are literally successing ourselves into failure with our housing right now and so we need more housing at every single housing point," Hardin said.
Hardin said it is realistic to expect downtown Columbus' population to boom to 40,000 as Downtown Columbus Inc. anticipates. He pointed to developments like the new Giant Eagle Market District coming to the Franklinton Peninsula development.
