City Staff Recommends Disapproval for Jones Heel Parking and Bicycle Variances
City planners supported waiving ground-floor depth rules to save the historic Brewery District warehouse shell, but opposed narrower stalls and cutting bike parking.
City of Columbus zoning staff recommended disapproval of key parking variances sought for the Jones Heel Apartments redevelopment at 841 S. Front St., objecting to narrowed motor vehicle spaces and a 50% cut in required bicycle parking, according to a Department of Building and Zoning Services staff report. The Board of Zoning Adjustment scheduled a public hearing on the application for May 26, 2026.
Developer Whittier Park Limited, affiliated with the Stonehenge Company, submitted variance application BZA26-033 to convert the former factory site into a residential community. Engineering and architectural drawings indicate the project will renovate the existing six-story factory tower into 36 apartment units, demolish interior auxiliary warehouse structures, and erect a new four-story, 72-unit apartment building within and above the preserved brick exterior walls of the Jones Heel warehouse. The plans total 108 units on the site compliance plan, while the application form lists 110 units.
The developer requested three variances under the site's Urban Center District (UCT) zoning: reducing standard parking stall widths from 9 feet to 8 feet, reducing bicycle parking spaces from 55 to 26, and waiving the 12-foot minimum ground-floor active depth requirement to 0 feet to accommodate interior vehicle parking and tenant storage.
Staff stated that they fully support the 0-foot ground floor depth variance to enable adaptive reuse and preserve the historic street walls. However, staff opposed reducing stall dimensions and cutting bicycle capacity. The report noted that the Urban Center District does not impose minimum motor vehicle parking requirements, concluding that a reduction in vehicle stalls could be made without any variance to preserve standard nine-foot widths and code-compliant bicycle storage.
Staff also emphasized that the property sits at the entrance to Scioto Audubon Metro Park and connects directly to the Lower Scioto Greenway trail, creating significant demand for bicycle commuting and recreation that should not be halved.
The property is subject to the Brewery Historic Resources Commission, which previously granted conditional design approval to preserve the warehouse shell. City planners noted that the historic commission had not issued a recommendation on the requested zoning variances prior to the staff report's publication.
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City of Columbus zoning staff recommended disapproval of key parking variances sought for the Jones Heel Apartments redevelopment at 841 S. Front St., objecting to narrowed motor vehicle spaces and a 50% cut in required bicycle parking, according to a Department of Building and Zoning Services staff report. The Board of Zoning Adjustment scheduled a public hearing on the application for May 26, 2026.
Developer Whittier Park Limited, affiliated with the Stonehenge Company, submitted variance application BZA26-033 to convert the former factory site into a residential community. Engineering and architectural drawings indicate the project will renovate the existing six-story factory tower into 36 apartment units, demolish interior auxiliary warehouse structures, and erect a new four-story, 72-unit apartment building within and above the preserved brick exterior walls of the Jones Heel warehouse. The plans total 108 units on the site compliance plan, while the application form lists 110 units.
The developer requested three variances under the site's Urban Center District (UCT) zoning: reducing standard parking stall widths from 9 feet to 8 feet, reducing bicycle parking spaces from 55 to 26, and waiving the 12-foot minimum ground-floor active depth requirement to 0 feet to accommodate interior vehicle parking and tenant storage.
Staff stated that they fully support the 0-foot ground floor depth variance to enable adaptive reuse and preserve the historic street walls. However, staff opposed reducing stall dimensions and cutting bicycle capacity. The report noted that the Urban Center District does not impose minimum motor vehicle parking requirements, concluding that a reduction in vehicle stalls could be made without any variance to preserve standard nine-foot widths and code-compliant bicycle storage.
Staff also emphasized that the property sits at the entrance to Scioto Audubon Metro Park and connects directly to the Lower Scioto Greenway trail, creating significant demand for bicycle commuting and recreation that should not be halved.
The property is subject to the Brewery Historic Resources Commission, which previously granted conditional design approval to preserve the warehouse shell. City planners noted that the historic commission had not issued a recommendation on the requested zoning variances prior to the staff report's publication.
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Supporting evidence (5)
Front St., objecting to narrowed motor vehicle spaces and a 50% cut in required bicycle parking, according to a Department of Building and Zoning Services staff report.
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CITY DEPARTMENTS' RECOMMENDATION: DISAPPROVAL
Staff stated that they fully support the 0-foot ground floor depth variance to enable adaptive reuse and preserve the historic street walls.
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While Staff are fully supportive of the variance to ground floor depth in the interest of preserving the existing structure as an adaptive reuse project and due to the current site layout, Staff does not support the variances to reduce the required number of bicycle parking space and the parking space size reduction
The report noted that the Urban Center District does not impose minimum motor vehicle parking requirements, concluding that a reduction in vehicle stalls could be made without any variance to preserve standard nine-foot widths and code-compliant bicycle storage.
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A reduction in the number of vehicle parking spaces can be made without variance in order to facilitate both code-compliant parking space dimensions as well as providing a sufficient number of bicycle parking spaces.
Staff also emphasized that the property sits at the entrance to Scioto Audubon Metro Park and connects directly to the Lower Scioto Greenway trail, creating significant demand for bicycle commuting and recreation that should not be halved.
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this site is uniquely positioned at the entrance to the Scioto Audubon Metro Park, with access to the Lower Scioto Greenway bike path, offering significant opportunities for bicycle use for residents both as a commuting option and for casual use.
City planners noted that the historic commission had not issued a recommendation on the requested zoning variances prior to the staff report's publication.
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At the time of writting this report, the Brewery Historic Resources Commission has not issued a recommendation on the requested variances.
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The Board of Zoning Adjustment scheduled a public hearing on the application for May 26, 2026.
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The Columbus Board of Zoning Adjustment will hold a public hearing on TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. in the MICHAEL B. COLEMAN GOVERNMENT CENTER
Developer Whittier Park Limited, affiliated with the Stonehenge Company, submitted variance application BZA26-033 to convert the former factory site into a residential community.
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To convert a former factory to a 110-unit apartment complex.
Supporting evidence (1)
Engineering and architectural drawings indicate the project will renovate the existing six-story factory tower into 36 apartment units, demolish interior auxiliary warehouse structures, and erect a new four-story, 72-unit apartment building within and above the preserved brick exterior walls of the Jones Heel warehouse.
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THE EXISTING 6 STORY TOWER PORTION OF THE BUILDING WILL BE RENOVATED INTO 36 NEW APARTMENT UNITS. THE REMAINDER OF THE BUILDING WILL BE DEMOLISHED. THE EXTERIOR OF THE JONES HEEL WAREHOUSE STRUCTURE WILL BE PRESERVED AND A NEW 72 UNIT APARTMENT BUILDING CONSTRUCTED WITHIN THE WAREHOUSE AND ABOVE.
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Engineering and architectural drawings indicate the project will renovate the existing six-story factory tower into 36 apartment units, demolish interior auxiliary warehouse structures, and erect a new four-story, 72-unit apartment building within and above the preserved brick exterior walls of the Jones Heel warehouse.
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PROP. APARTMENTS 72 UNITS (4 STORY)
https://columbusunderground.com/project-update-jones-heel-historic-shoe-factory-site-bw1/
Supporting evidence (1)
The property is subject to the Brewery Historic Resources Commission, which previously granted conditional design approval to preserve the warehouse shell.
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In December, the project received a conditional approval – city staff and a subcommittee of board members still need to sign off on certain details regarding the development’s doors, windows and landscaping.