With the approval of the Plan Commission Committee Monday, 202 N. Charter Street came one step closer to becoming the future home of a six-story building complex that would include 25 apartment units and a first floor dedicated to retail space.
The building was originally introduced last spring as a 16-story complex with 71 housing units, but faced criticism that it was too large and would not fit in with the rest of the neighborhood, according to lead architect Michael Gordon.
'There wasn't a plan for this area, so there was no document that city staff could point to that said it was appropriate to have a 16-story building,' Ald. Austin King, District 8, said. 'I actually preferred it as originally introduced because of the extra profit they would make by having more floors and more housing units. But it's still a good improvement over the building as it exists now, which is a dilapidated commercial structure with a lot of surface parking.'
Despite approval, the committee voiced concerns about the lack of parking. Because the area is dense, the building will not provide car spaces. To deal with this concern, there will be more than 70 bike spaces and nine moped spaces available, according to Gordon.
'The fact that there's no parking available means it's going to cater to people who don't need parking. A lot of students on campus just use their bicycle or moped or their own two feet,' King said.
According to Bryce Armstrong of Trio Development, the building will have 'some affordable units, but it will mostly be more upscale apartments' and will target both undergraduate and graduate students.
Students can expect the apartments to be available for the 2006-'07 school year and will be able to choose from a variety of units ranging from studios to four-bedroom apartments.
This means that students can also expect construction on Charter Street starting this December.
'It's absolutely worth it to put up with six months of construction. It's a short-term inconvenience with a long-term gain. This will be around for decades. I think it's a good thing that we have an investment going into our community and that we're developing new units,' King said.
After passing the Plan Commission committee, the plan needs final approval by the city council. According to King, the council is expected to approve.
