Rendering via Gresham, Smith and Partners.

A proposal to demolish and replace a one-story building at 1174 N. High St. has been submitted to the Italian Village Commission. The building, which currently holds The Garden store, sits just north of the parking lot for Stonewall Columbus.

Three different options for the site are depicted for the commission’s consideration, ranging from two to seven stories.

The seven-story option would hold 36 small apartments (starting at 400 square feet) on the upper floors, while the two-story option would have just six units. A middle option calls for three stories and 12 apartments. All would feature commercial space on the ground floor.

The exterior design is also consistent in each of the three options.

“We want the building to appear transparent,” said James Brennan, Design Principal with the architecture firm Gresham, Smith and Partners. “Our client is committed to building a high quality building, which seems lacking in Columbus at the moment… making things look the same with new materials doesn’t usually create the desired aesthetic.”

Brennan will be presenting the proposal to the full commission on February 21st. He identified the developers pursuing the project as Tom Smith and Robert Hall, of Smith and Hall.

He also said that they plan to seek LEED certification for the new building, and are holding out hope that it could be built without parking.

The existing building was built in 1940. Property records show that it was bought – along with the building that holds The Joint, just up the street – for a little over a million dollars in 2006 by Thomas C. Smith.

A plan from February of 2015 to add a small second floor office to the building was apparently dropped after being presented to the commission.

All renderings via Gresham, Smith and Partners.