Photo provided An artist's rendition of The Taylor, a $41 million mixed-use project in downtown Columbus.
Contractors on a downtown apartment complex and urban grocer sought and were granted a waiver for early-morning construction following a complaint from a nearby resident.
The Columbus Board of Works voted Tuesday to approve Flaherty & Collins Construction’s request for a one-day exception to the city’s construction noise ordinance. The request is for work that will occur Thursday morning.
“Weather permitting, they are scheduled to perform their last building concrete slab pour beginning at 5:30 a.m.,” wrote City Engineer/Executive Director of Public Works Dave Hayward in a memo to the board. “The early start is due to the size of the pour, colder temperatures and early sunsets.”
City code limits construction noise to hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, though exceptions are allowed if they are “in the interest of public health and safety.” Hayward wrote that he believes this request meets that standard.
“It’s a one-day inconvenience to some of the neighbors,” he told the board. “The contractor didn’t know that we had that ordinance in place until recently. We did get a complaint from a nearby resident that they were working at least one morning too early. And as soon as we called it to their attention, they filed this (request) for their one remaining date that they knew of yet this year.”
City Director of Community Administration and Development Mary Ferdon said that with the exception of the request date, the contractors have otherwise pushed their starting time back to 7 a.m.
The development, known as the Taylor, will be located at 725 Second Street and include space for a grocery store and 200 apartments with a number of amenities for residents. Flaherty & Collins Properties is the developer on this project, and the company’s construction arm is the general contractor.
According to estimates from Flaherty & Collins, the project will cost $41 million. The city has agreed to invest $11.8 million into the development under the project agreement, according to Bruce Donaldson with the Indianapolis law firm Barnes & Thornburg.
City officials have said in the past that the development’s property tax dollars will reimburse the city for its contribution. The Columbus Redevelopment Commission also committed to selling property for the development at minimal cost to the developer.
