Whitehall nears takeover of condo site
The city of Whitehall is expected to close next week on the purchase of Woodcliff Condominiums and will hire a property manager to oversee the site.
The city’s purchase of the 317-unit, 35-acre complex at the northeast corner of East Broad Street and North Hamilton Road is the next step down what has been a long path that started in 2007 when the city filed a complaint against the property, claiming it was a public nuisance.
“Our focus will be on the transition and connecting tenants to resources that can assist them in relocating,” Development Director Zach Woodruff said.
Whitehall City Council on Jan. 15 approved emergency legislation appropriating $10.3 million for the purchase of the property and related expenses, and to enter into a contract with Townhomes Management Inc. to manage Woodcliff.
City Council authorized the purchase of the condominiums in September, but last week’s action appropriated money from the city’s general fund to complete the purchase.
The city will transfer the funds for the purchase of 292 units and the development’s common space to Transcounty Title on Jan. 25, while continuing to negotiate final terms on 25 units whose owners have appealed the offered purchase amounts, Woodruff said.
Meanwhile, remaining residents at Woodcliff have been notified of the city’s takeover of the complex, Woodruff said, and Whitehall has hosted public sessions to meet with remaining tenants.
Another session is set for 3 p.m. Tuesday at Whitehall City Hall, 360 S. Yearling Road.
“We want to find out where people are living,” as well as amounts and lengths of remaining leases, said Woodruff, who could not say how many of the condominiums were occupied.
It is probable, Woodruff said, that no leases extend beyond April 30, based on a sale of the property ordered on April 30, 2018, by Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Dan Hawkins.
Once all the leases have expired, Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard said, the city can take the next step.
“We will put out (requests for proposals) to developers and see what comes in,” Maggard said.
The process and even the preferred use may be similar to Norton Crossing, the proposed $50 million mixeduse development just west of Woodcliff Condominiums on the south side of East Broad Street.
Construction of Norton Crossing is expected to begin this year on the former site of the Commons at Royal Landing, a 42-building, 270unit apartment complex the city purchased for $5 million in April 2016.
The city deeded the property to Continental Real Estate Cos., which is moving forward with the development.
“(Norton Crossing) will set the tone for what is possible (in Whitehall) … You will be proud when it is done,” said Frank Kass, chairman of Continental Real Estate.
As it did with the Commons at Royal Landing, the city plans to demolish Woodcliff Condominiums, Maggard said, and the ultimate repurposing of the site “will complement Norton Crossing,” she said.
The city’s purchase of the condo complex was possible after the Woodcliff Condominium Unit Owners Association, on May 14, 2018, voted 172-77 to accept the city’s offer to buy the property, ending the city’s bid to appropriate it via eminent domain based on the premise that it remained an unabated nuisance.
“We want to ultimately increase the quality of life for all Whitehall residents, and this site will help us to continue doing that,” Maggard said.