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Landlocked and in-demand
Arlington Crossing's mid-rise condos feature luxurious living across the street from the revitalized Kingsdale Shopping Center.
Courtesy Long & Wilcox
With its beautiful homes, great shopping, outstanding schools and easy access to both downtown and Ohio State University, Upper Arlington has always held a top spot on the list of favorite places to live in Central Ohio. But this landlocked community presents few opportunities for those seeking new builds. To meet the demand for leading-edge living space, builders and developers have gotten creative. Infill building and a stylish mid-rise condominium now supply fresh housing options. And citywide, homeowners are updating and expanding their houses.
“One of the things Upper Arlington has to offer, the thing that’s really big, is it’s very community minded,” says Jane Jones, a real estate agent with the Jane Jones Team of Real Living HER. “Residents are very active. There’s the Fourth of July parade, Labor Neighbor Day, lots of social activities for kids and adults throughout the year.”
Along with community spirit, Jones enthusiastically lists many other UA benefits: great location, schools, parks, city services, library and shopping. It’s not surprising she feels so positive about Upper Arlington’s pluses—Jones is a longtime city resident who raised four children in the community. All four now live in Upper Arlington, within walking distance of where they grew up. And all are raising their own kids in UA.
“The houses in Upper Arlington have held their value more than some of the other areas because of the schools and convenience,” says Jones. “Price-wise, they haven’t gone down as much as houses in other areas.”
Milt Lustnauer, an agent/broker with RE/MAX Premier Choice, was born and raised in Upper Arlington. Currently the secretary of the Columbus Board of Realtors, he says that in UA, home prices vary based on whether they are located north or south of Lane Avenue.
According to the Columbus Board of Realtors, homes south of Lane, where houses tend to be older and larger, had an average sale price of $477,884 in 2010. Their average size was 2,731 square feet, with an average price per square foot of $173.21. North of Lane, the average sale price in the same time period was $319,702, average size was 2,316 square feet and the price per square foot was $136.95.
Construction value remains high in Upper Arlington as owners continue to renovate their homes. Dean Sivinski, Upper Arlington’s development director, says overall residential construction value equaled $22.9 million last year.
“That’s a solid number for us, and we remain consistently active,” he says. “Building permits are up from [2009], and along with that our permit revenue was up 19 percent. That’s the highest it’s been in five years.”
Even though the suburb is landlocked, six new houses were built in 2010 with a total value of $3.8 million. Says Sivinski: “It’s not a juggernaut for quantity of new homes, but the quality of new homes is exceptional.”
Sivinski says Upper Arlington’s desirability as a residential destination is the reason why, year after year, people have invested in their homes. “The city has strong schools, it’s a safe community, and the high quality of life keeps the development going and keeps the community economically stable,” he says. “It’s a terrific place to raise a family and do business.”
A hundred years ago, Upper Arlington’s nine and a half square miles were primarily farmland. Developers Ben and King Thompson purchased most of the area in 1913 and began development according to a plan formulated to follow the contours of the land and give it a parklike feel. UA’s first houses were built in the suburb’s southern end.
As every resident can tell you, Upper Arlington divides into north or south of Lane Avenue. If your dream is an elegant, vintage home built as early as 1915, head south. If you want something newer, look north.
“You can get a wide variety of prices in any neighborhood in Arlington,” points out Jones. “You can have a house that’s $450,000 across the street from a house listed at $850,000. You’ve really got a wide variety to choose from.”
It’s possible to find starter homes north of Lane Avenue. “There’s a little pocket north of Lane called River Ridge,” says Lustnauer. “A lot of first-time home buyers buy there to get a chance to get into Upper Arlington and enjoy what it has to offer.” Located just south of Fishinger Road, River Ridge offers 900- to 1,200-square-foot homes, usually ranch style, that are affordably priced from $140,000 to $215,000.
UA abounds in beautiful move-up homes. For a newer subdivision, try Tarrington, located just north of Henderson Road, with homes built over the last 10 years. Priced from $650,000 to $950,000, the houses average about 3,500 square feet. Another newer area: Lane Road in north UA, where homes priced from $600,000 to around $1 million were built in the late 1990s and 2000s.
Looking for a large lot? Check out the Slate Run and Wellington Woods neighborhoods, both in north UA. Priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million, houses here usually are two-story and most were built in the 1970s.
For a unique mega-home, head south of Lane Avenue to the Scioto Country Club area. You’ll find golf course houses with executive price tags of $800,000 to $1 million-plus.
UA also has a prime housing option for seniors who want to stay in Upper Arlington but don’t want to—or can’t—remain in a single family home: First Community Village, on the corner of Riverside Drive and Fifth Avenue.
Run by National Church Residences, the nation’s largest not-for-profit manager of affordable senior family housing, First Community Village is a retirement community that provides a continuum of care ranging from independent and assisted living to memory care and skilled nursing care.
At The Chelsea, one of First Community Village’s independent living options, those 55 and older can live in one of 86 newly built one- and two-bedroom apartment units. The Manor Homes are six independent living patio homes. An older independent living component, The Gardens, offers 51 apartments. First Community Village currently is building a second phase that will add 32 more patio homes.
Most of the community’s residents come from within a seven- to 10-mile radius of the facility. “It really does allow you to successfully age in place in the community you’ve called home. That truly is one of the reasons we’re so excited to be the sponsor of First Community Village,” says Patrick Higgins, vice president of communications for National Church Residences.
The revitalized Kingsdale Shopping Center, with its new Giant Eagle Market District, has brought a new energy to Upper Arlington that extends to its residential options. “I really do see it having an impact on housing,” says Lustnauer. “The facelift has really given Upper Arlington a shot in the arm.”
For those who want both the convenience of urban living and an Upper Arlington address, Arlington Crossing provides a luxurious option. Located on Tremont Road directly across from Kingsdale, the five-story, 56-unit condo development has become the best-selling mid-rise in the Columbus area.
Bob Long, president of Long & Wilcox, the company that built Arlington Crossing, has lived in Upper Arlington his whole life and says he couldn’t think of a better place than the heart of UA to build a new mid-rise. He acquired five properties to pull together enough land for the project. Two years ago, the first homeowners moved in.
“People find out this kind of living is fun,” observes Long. He says the biggest change for residents is the walkability—they can run errands, shop, go out to eat or attend community events without having to get into their cars.
To make the economics of the project work, Arlington Crossing is taller than other Upper Arlington buildings. Long says mid-rises are becoming more accepted in suburban settings today than when he first began building them seven years ago.
Two and a half city blocks long, Arlington Crossing was built in two phases. Its stone and brick exterior blends the look of new and old UA, while inside it offers seven different two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 1,441 to 2,450 square feet. The units are priced from the $360s and up. Arlington Crossing has amenities such as temperature-controlled indoor parking and an intercom/security camera wired to residents’ TVs. It features four common indoor areas, a theater room, clubroom, fitness room and skyview lounge, as well as outdoor space with a patio and pet station.
“What’s been totally interesting to me is that I thought it would be 90 percent Upper Arlington people,” says Long, “but we’re attracting people from other suburbs, and it’s a very, very diverse age group.”
If you’re on the hunt for a new build, they tend to be a rare find in Upper Arlington. Usually new homes are the result of infill building, created when builders or developers tear down an old house and build a new one in its place.
Sometimes, though, a developer gets lucky and finds enough land to build a small subdivision.
Fontenay Place, located on Coach Road, is a subdivision built by Gino Fantozzi Builders and project partner Michael Edwards Building & Design Inc. Eight of the community’s 10 houses, priced from $1 million to $1.6 million, have been completed over the last five years, and construction on the ninth home began in March.
The project is built on five acres that once held a single home surrounded by a large garden. When the homeowner decided to downsize, he sold his property to Gino Fantozzi, president of Gino Fantozzi Builders. “Whenever you can get 10 new homes together in a landlocked community, it’s special,” says Fantozzi, who has been building in Upper Arlington since 1979.
The homes at Fontenay Place, which range from 4,500 to 6,000 square feet, feature different architectural styles. “The homes all look nice on their own and blend well together,” Fantozzi says. The community has stone columns and European-style landscaping at its entrance.
An Upper Arlington resident, Fantozzi likes the look of his suburb. “I just like the gridwork, the streets, the old layout,” he says. “You can move around the community on foot or on your bike. You can go get a cup of coffee, get a loaf of bread, go to OSU.”
Rich Conie, president of Richard J. Conie Company, chanced on two and a half acres of land on Haviland Road that was previously the location of Discover Christian Church. With Fantozzi & Melaragno LLC, he is developing Middlesex Place on the site, an eight-home infill subdivision where building began this spring. Homes will start in the mid $400,000s and go to the mid $500,000s.
Conie, who grew up in UA and built his own home there, says he is partial to the community and likes to build in it. Middlesex Place’s proximity to Windemere Elementary School and Thompson Park made him even more enthusiastic about the site.
“It’s in a very well-maintained and established neighborhood,” says Conie. “It’s a pristine neighborhood, the houses are all well-kept.” He notes that it’s a welcoming community, too—he says neighbors already have started telling him how happy they are about the new project.
Virginia Homes is building four homes at Middlesex Place with prices starting at $460,000. Charles Ruma, president of Virginia Homes, says he grew up less than a mile from the project and knows the area well. “When there’s a new building opportunity in Upper Arlington, I’m very interested,” he says.
The houses Virginia Homes is building at Middlesex Place include a ranch plan, a two-story and a five-level split, sized from 2,600 to 3,600 square feet. All the homes will feature the “Women-Centric” approach that Virginia Homes now takes to its projects. Woman-Centric building focuses on women’s home-buying priorities, which include abundant storage, entertaining space, features to help reduce stress and flexible areas.
“Our homes will stand out a little bit because of the fact they’re being built in 2011, but we’re being mindful of the surrounding area and making sure we’re doing our best to match the surrounding architecture,” says Ruma. “The exciting thing is we are able to build a new home in Upper Arlington for well under $500,000 that has options like three-car garages and nine-foot basements.”
