Adam Woodyard

Just imagine ... "East Side Gateway Transit Center" ... Okay, back to reality. Yeah, your memories are getting smashed.

April 4: It will soon be missing from the skyline, opening up the scenic view of the I-70 ramp!

Hey guys. I haven't participated around here in a while, so I don't know whether or not this has been touched on yet. The Landmark Grain Elevator at Main and Alum Creek is coming down. I live a block away and have been taking pictures. March 28:

I, too, love it when there's actual discussion and not simply article postings mixed with ranting.

I guess the issue I take with some of your posts, Keith, is that you refer to 'the city' as if it's a single entity that dictates which projects do and do not get funded. From my experience working with 'the state,' I'm pretty sure that's not how things work. With the state, there are many people with different objectives; the attention they get often has to do with regulations and earmarks. For example, sometimes we get federal grants to fund projects that seem to have low priority, but it has to follow the rules for which it was awarded. I'm not disagreeing with your points, because I do think that taxpayer money can be put to better use, like those you've stated. Perhaps you can provide links or quotes from sources that say specifically where and how these millions are being thrown away. I don't read every article that gets posted on this forum. Since many people here are 'in-the-know,' I like to read the opinions, but too often they fail to backup the points they're trying to make. I'm not trying to be a smartass, I'm just to lazy/busy to connect the dots myself.

The Gay Street conversion was done in 2007 - very different economic times than now. The private sector is taking less risk these days and the public sector is going through a fiscally conservative upheaval. The city's planners want to do more, but resources are thin. The concentration downtown is likely due to the fact that Columbus has very few iconic urban images. I agree 100% that the inner city neighborhoods are the key to boosting the quality of life and economic sustainability, but they don't advertise as well as giant fountains, unique bridges, and parks that double as outdoor concert venues. It's one thing for people across the country to know little about Columbus, but even Midwesterners are often pretty clueless about what the city offers. It's especially sad when OSU students think of the place as a 'college town' because the campus offers more urban life than downtown. Bright future professionals aren't going to stick around long enough to discover the unique neighborhoods if they retain that perception. I guess one could look at it as if Columbus were a business; downtown development is Marketing and neighborhood development is R&D/Quality Control. I think everybody who lives here desires (and deserves) a better quality product, but the city needs to compete and draw more customers to increase its revenue base. And if Columbus is going to invest in its image, it might as well go all out, rather than half-ass it like we've done before. Besides, neighborhood development is typically private sector driven.

It's trying too hard to look like an old warehouse. I'm still disappointed that the former building couldn't have been saved, at least partially.

Just made a very small contribution, but hopefully one that will be a convenience to folks other than myself. The Giant Eagle on East Whittier recently put in a drive-through pharmacy window (:-(), and in the process got rid of their broken bike rack. Weeks later and the bike rack still hasn't been replaced. I brought this to the company's attention and they said a new one will be installed in a few weeks. Now if only they'd do something with the mass of rusting unused carts chained out front that pedestrians have to walk into lot traffic to avoid.

While the overall design of the project is going to look nice, have any of you seen these up close? The framing around windows wasn't measured properly, vents are crooked, the brickwork is shabby at best. I hate to complain about it because I really want the best for this project, but I feel like Lifestyle just brought their cheap suburban crap right to our downtown. I don't know how meaningful the details will be in the end, but they are seriously lacking here. The Neighborhood Launch condos on Gay Street have these beat hands down in terms of quality.

The two-story building next door is Telhio Credit Union, where I worked until about a month ago. They're just wanting the garage to be done because the construction interferes with the drive through. They're a good business and aren't going anywhere anytime soon, since they own the building. Edit: Just realized you were talking about the condo, not the other building. But hey, this is what's on the other side of the garage.