PLK Communities Building $15M East Side Apartment Project

PLK Communities building $15M East Side apartment project bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/02/21/plk-communities-building-15m-east-side-apartment.html

Gentry East will have 96 apartments, each with direct entry for residents. The project is a $15 million investment. | PLK Communities/Elevar

By Tom Demeropolis – Senior Staff Reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier Feb 21, 2021, 12:37pm EST PLK Communities LLC, one of the most active developers in Greater Cincinnati, has started construction on a new apartment community on the east side of the region.

PLK Communities is building Gentry East, a 96-unit apartment development next to its Echelon Luxury Apartments in Union Township in Clermont County. Located at 4323 Glen Este-Withamsville Road, the apartment community is expected to be a total investment of $15 million.

Nick Lingenfelter, vice president of development for Sycamore Township-based PLK, said after seeing success with a similar type of product in Warren County’s Hamilton Township, the developer wanted to continue to build more of it. PLK’s Alexander Pointe, which has 144 units, only has six units available.

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“We are very excited to be partnering with Union Township and the Clermont County Port to make this deal happen,” Lingenfelter told me. “With all of the recent employers that the port has helped bring to Clermont County, this will help provide more quality work force housing options for the area.”

Michael McNamara, executive director of the Clermont County Port Authority, said the Port is assisting with the project with a bond issuance, as well as a sales tax incentive. Gentry East also is an opportunity zone investment. McNamara said the development will bring marketrate housing to Union Township.

“It brings residents that have a level of income to help support the businesses we have in the Union Township area,” McNamara told me.

Gentry East also is expected to help increase the tax base for Union Township. The township requested the port authority to get involved in the project.

“The Port is always looking for opportunities to assist our communities,” McNamara said.

“We’re looking forward to the robust completion of a good project.”

Construction started on Gentry East in December. PLK Construction, led by Mark Morrison, is serving as the general contractor on the apartments. Elevar Design Group is the architect for the project. Wesbanco is providing construction financing for the project.

PLK Communities purchased four parcels totaling a little more than 7 acres of land adjacent to Echelon Luxury Apartments from Union Township CIC for nearly $1 million back in 2018.

Gentry East will have a mix of two- and three-bedroom units split evenly. Monthly rents are expected to start at $1,200 per month. The apartments will include their own amenities, including a pool and a dog park.

Each apartment also will have its own outdoor space, either a patio or deck, granite counters, full-size washer-dryer connections, luxury vinyl tile flooring and carpet. The units will have 9-foot ceilings, while second-floor apartments will have vaulted ceilings in the living rooms and master bedrooms. All of the units are direct entry.

Leasing at Gentry East is scheduled to begin this spring. Construction of Gentry East is expected to be complete in December.

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