Gahanna residents express concerns over new apartment complex development

GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new Gahanna apartment complex has residents raising questions on whether it is the right fit for the neighborhood.

Residents in Gahanna are reacting to a new development that just received the green light to be built. Jack Wilson has lived in this neighborhood for 35 years and notes he just doesn't think it's the right fit for this community.

“I have no idea why they did it,” Wilson said. “It just doesn't make sense to me, why they would ruin a good neighborhood over some apartments that could go someplace else.”

The approval of a new apartment complex comes from the Gahanna Planning Commission. It will allow the company “Avenue Partners” to build seven three-story apartments with one hundred and fifty-nine units. The 6-acre property on West Johnstown Road has been home to a vacant doctor's office for the past ten years. Neighbors have voiced concerns, especially over an increase in traffic.

“That's going to be a lot more people coming down through here that we don't really need at that intersection right up here, the three-way intersection,” Wilson said. “I don't think we really need these apartments in a neighborhood that's so unique from every other place in Gahanna.” 

With the Columbus metropolitan area expected to grow by a third in the next two decades, we are likely to continue seeing more new developments and how they will impact certain neighborhoods. For others in the community like Jon Steadman, the plan would be beneficial, noting they have not been pleased with how the current property has been kept.

"It really just sits there vacant,” Steadman said. “Some of the buildings are falling down in the back, it'd be great to see something done with it and like I said, there's low areas of water sits and mosquitoes, there are raccoons.  Anything is better than what's sitting there at the property. To me, I think it'd be a big improvement for the area." 

The company avenue partners have not released a date on when construction will start.