In-fill townhouse development is Towne's first OTR residential project


Towne Properties is working on its first townhouse project in Over-the-Rhine. The development will sit on half an acre along the streetcar route at the northwest corner of 15th and Elm streets.
 
The seven townhomes will be 2,800 square feet, each with a 900-square-foot, partially finished basement. Three-bedroom units will also have two-car detached garages and private backyards, which are hard to come by in OTR, and will be priced at $650,000.
 
The townhomes will have a similar look and feel to Towne’s Beacon Hill condo development in Deerfield Township, which was designed after neighborhoods in Boston.  

"This is a very unique product in that we're using high-end, long-lasting materials that will stand the test of time," says Towne's Chad Munitz.

He also says that the units will be about 25 feet wide, when typical townhouses and condos in OTR are about 17 feet wide.
 
As part of the project, Towne is also redeveloping the existing building at 1517 Elm St. into first-floor retail space with two condos above. New Republic is the architect for the rehabilitation portion of the project, and PDT Architects is working on the townhouses.
 
Towne took the plans before the Historic Conservation Board meeting on June 8 for a preliminary design review to gather feedback. The plans were well received, and after a few tweaks Towne will bring them back to the board in several weeks to get approval for construction.

Towne will also approach the city to have the land rezoned from commercial property to single-family.
 
If things go according to plan, construction will start on the project in July and could be completed by next spring.
 
Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.

Read more articles by Caitlin Koenig.

Caitlin Koenig is a Cincinnati transplant and 2012 grad of the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. She's the department editor for Soapbox Media and currently lives in Northside with her husband, Andrew, and their three furry children. Follow Caitlin on Twitter at @caite_13.