Work has begun on downtown Columbus' latest affordable housing project, this one a 166-unit, five-story complex on Columbus State Community College's campus.
Local affordable-housing developer Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. teamed up with Columbus State Community Partners, the college's real estate arm, to build Opportunity Pointe, a two-building complex on the block bordered by Cleveland Avenue and Grant, Long and Spring streets. The roughly 166,000-square-foot development is expected to open shortly after construction wraps up in late 2027, according to Woda Cooper spokesperson Jill Fazekas.
The vast majority of Opportunity Pointe's apartments – two efficiency units, 97 one-bedroom units, 49 two-bedroom units and 18 three-bedroom units – are reserved
for renters with household incomes between 30% and 80% of the area median income, according to a Woda Cooper press release. Those rents will range from $480 to $1,399 a month per unit.
There are an additional 20 one-bedroom, market-rate apartments exclusively available to Columbus State students.
Plans for the project were first announced in March 2024. Around that time, a survey of Columbus State's 19,000 students found that 60% of those who responded said they had experienced or were experiencing housing insecurity.
"Opportunity Pointe will meet an urgent need for affordable housing, both for our students and for the broader Central Ohio community," Columbus State President David Harrison said in the release. "This is a great example of how public-private partnerships can make a difference in people’s lives."
Amenities for the complex are expected to include a community room with a kitchenette, package room, activity room, fitness room, covered outdoor patio, outdoor playground area and more, according to the release. Jewish Family Services will provide residents with services like counseling, employment training and emergency financial assistance.
Opportunity Pointe is financed through a mix of public and private funding sources. The package includes Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and a bridge loan from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, a soft mortgage and tax incentives from the city of Columbus, equity from Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, a construction loan from Ohio Capital Finance Corporation and a sales tax exemption approved by the Columbus-Franklin County Finance Authority.
“Columbus is growing, and we must make sure that growth creates opportunities for everyone," Mayor Andrew Ginther said in the release. "Opportunity Pointe is an important investment in that vision, bringing much-needed affordable housing to our Downtown while giving families, workers and students the opportunity to live close to jobs, education, transportation and other community amenities."
Columbus State has had a busy summer on the development front.
The college recently unveiled plans to bring a new 20,000-square-foot Aldi grocery store adjacent to its campus, marking the first new grocery store by a national retailer in downtown Columbus in decades. Columbus State is also working with the YMCA of Central Ohio to build a Downtown fitness center that will offer free drop-in childcare for its students while they attend classes. The Columbus State YMCA is slated to open in fall 2028.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Construction begins on new Downtown affordable housing at Columbus State campus
