CMH_Downtown

Big plans in store for Urbancrest Development would have upscale offices, homes, retail Thursday, June 28, 2007 3:39 AM By Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH FULL ARTICLE AT: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/28/Metrovia.ART_ART_06-28-07_C10_2L758IS.html A developer from Texas is making plans to build an Easton-like center in Urbancrest. Chris McPherson has set the wheels in motion to create a development he's calling Metrovia, which would bring offices, stores and residences to the village of 868 that borders Grove City and Columbus along I-270...

The news concerning Southwest has more to do with a shift in marketing towards business travel and focusing on core routes. The announced increase in service will actually bring Southwest's total daily flights up to 29 to 9 cities: Baltimore/Washington (BWI): 5x daily Chicago Midway (MDW): 8x daily Las Vegas (LAS): 2x daily Nashville (BNA): 2x daily Orlando (MCO): 3x daily Philadelphia (PHL): 3x daily Phoenix (PHX): 1x daily St. Louis (STL): 2x daily Tampa (TPA): 3x daily The Columbus schedule changes are actually a small part of a complete retooling of their systemwide schedule. For more information as well as a complete list of the cities affected: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070627/law072.html?.v=101 http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/070627_chart.pdf

Delphi will likely close Columbus plant Wednesday, June 27, 2007 11:03 AM By Paul Wilson The Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/27/delphi.html Delphi Corp. will likely close its Columbus plant at the end of the year, a top union official said today. “On Dec. 31, 2007, we're scheduled to close,” said Mark Sweazy, president of United Auto Workers Local 969. Things could change if a buyer is found before then, but Sweazy said he thought that was “highly unlikely.” Bloomberg News also reported that the Columbus plant one of seven to be closed, citing unnamed sources. A Delphi spokesman did not immediately return a phone call this morning. Workers at the Columbus plant were notified of its expected fate after Sweazy and other local leaders returned from a meeting in Detroit late last week. That came after bankrupt Delphi finished a preliminary deal with the United Auto Workers, the supplier's largest union, involving wage cuts and plant closings. Hourly workers will vote on that agreement tomorrow.

My aunt works for Nationwide, and was one of the employees that was relocated from downtown to Dublin several years ago. I remember her saying that the offices were unused, and Nationwide wanted to make use of the empty space they were paying for. Even though the company did move a lot of jobs to Dublin, they have since added many more jobs downtown and continue to do so. I think, by in large, Nationwide and subsidiaries have been good for downtown.

Here's an updated map of the structures that have risen, are under construction, or are proposed in the Arena District. Happy 10th birthday!

Downtown's rejuvenation piques troupe's interest Business First of Columbus - June 22, 2007 by Adrian Burns Business First Shadowbox Cabaret is considering leaving its Easton Town Center home of the past eight years. The sketch comedy and rock 'n' roll club is exploring sites in urban Columbus neighborhoods as options for when its lease expires in June 2009, General Manager Katy Psenicka said. Some of those neighborhoods have grown in popularity and population since Shadowbox moved to Easton in 1999, Psenicka said, which has prompted the group to look at whether Easton is the best spot for the troupe before it renews a lease. Also, Shadowbox has outgrown its 7,500-square-foot club, which holds 214 visitors, forcing it to turn away patrons on some nights. "We're open to possibilities," Psenicka said. "We just have to take a look at what are our needs may be a decade from now." With two years before its lease is up, Shadowbox has time to consider the possibilities. It could mean leaving Easton, renovating its club or moving to another place at the shopping and entertainment center. More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

Limited to cut home-office work force by 10 percent Friday, June 22, 2007 10:02 AM By Jeffrey Sheban THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/22/limited.html Limited Brands said today it will reduce its home-office work force by 10 percent, or about 530 jobs, by eliminating open positions, layoffs and transfers to its Express division, which is being sold. No headcount reductions are anticipated in stores, distribution centers or call centers, Limited Brands said. Currently, 5,300 people work in the Columbus headquarters near Easton. For more information, click above link.

Here's a great virtual tour of the store's exterior and surroundings: http://columbusretrometro.com/panoramas/panos.cfm?pano=56&ver=qt As you can see, the store has more than it's fair share of surface parking, though it is integrated into the Brewer's Yard complex immediately to the east (pan 180 degrees). The virtual tour is somewhat dated, since Liberty Place (pan 90 degrees to the right) is currently under construction along the entire stretch of Liberty St. to Short St., which form the northern and western boarder of the store's property.

The Kroger is a stand-alone project. It sits in between two residential developments, Brewers Yard and Liberty Place. The Kroger is already built, and is housed on one floor, but has a faux "second story" to try and match with existing structure. It's a full-sized Kroger and, sadly, has a large parking lot in front of it as well.

That's not very viciously optimistic...

Downtown is literally across the highway, but given the scope of Columbus' downtown, the Brewery District Kroger is really a comfortable walk away from the just southernmost area of downtown (so basically the opposite end of downtown relative to the Short North). So basically anyone in the Franklin County government center, Miranova and the Waterford, the Westin, and anywhere in that vicinity of downtown can walk comfortably from downtown to Kroger. As far as physical connectivity, Short, Front, and High Streets can take you from downtown into the area of Brewery District where the Kroger is situated.

Kroger acquiring Detroit-area Farmer Jack stores Business First of Columbus - 3:59 PM EDT Wednesday, June 20, 2007 Kroger Co. said Wednesday it is adding 20 Farmer Jack grocery stores in Michigan to its stable. Kroger will acquire the stores, all in the Detroit metropolitan area, from Montvale, N.J.-based Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc. (NYSE:GAP). Terms of the deal, which is expected to close in July, weren't disclosed. The stores will be part of Kroger's Great Lakes division, based in Columbus, which oversees 244 stores in Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan. Cincinnati-based Kroger (NYSE:KR) is the largest grocery store operator in Central Ohio and has more than 2,477 supermarkets in 31 states including its flagship chain, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Smith's, Fry's and Dillons. It reported revenue of $66.1 billion last year. Great Atlantic runs supermarket chains under the names A&P, Super Fresh, Sav-A-Center , Waldbaum's, Super Foodmart, Food Basics and Food Emporium. It reported $6.85 billion in sales last year.

Stadium job will give jolt to economy Business First of Columbus - June 15, 2007 by Jeff Bell, Business First A study shows good things are in store for Central Ohio's economy once work on a Columbus baseball stadium gets into full swing this year. The economic influence from construction of Huntington Park in the Arena District will total more than $100 million over three years, says a study by the Columbus Chamber and Franklin County. The impact includes an estimated $45 million to be spent designing and building the county-owned ballpark as well as the ripple effect those dollars will have as they are spent in the economy. Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/06/18/story6.html?b=1182139200^1477632

http://www.neighborhoodlaunch.com

FIRST PHASE OF GAY STREET PROJECT A different approach Three-story picture sign will hide construction of new type of Downtown condo, developer says Saturday, June 16, 2007 3:30 AM By Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Jeff Edwards thought big when he set out to build a neighborhood Downtown, buying nine blocks worth of surface parking lots on which Edwards Cos. intends to build 260 condominiums. Now that construction has begun, Edwards is thinking big again. This weekend, his company is putting up a three-story advertising sign that will show how one of the condo buildings will look. The area in front of the sign, at the northeast corner of 4th and Gay streets, will be landscaped. When the sign comes down late this year, the landscaping will accent the actual building. "We thought it made a lot more sense than putting up two sheets of plywood with the names of the bank, the engineer, the architects and the project on them," Edwards said. There could be more risk in the project behind the sign. Edwards Cos. is planning to spend nearly $100 million to build the development, which will include about a dozen styles of condos and townhouses as well as green space in what had been a sea of concrete. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/06/16/20070616-E1-01.html

I wonder if some further tweaking might occur, some of the renderings are slightly different. In this rendering, the elevator shaft tower is more prominent, and located at the middle of the tower. In this image, the tower for the elevator shaft is less prominent and more towards the edge of the structure. I'm still undecided as to whether I like it or not. I like the design; it definitely looks "green," but it looks more like a library or a university building than a courthouse.

3rd Jeni's to open in Short North Tuesday, June 5, 2007 3:27 AM By Barnet D. Wolf THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Jeni Britton, simply put, makes splendid ice cream. The flavors at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams are alternately tangy and bold, decadent and challenging. Sometimes, they're just plain weird. But they're never boring. The 33-year-old, recently married entrepreneur is adding a third shop, just north of R.J. Snapper's in the Short North. The new store, at 714 N. High St., is slated to open by the July 7 Gallery Hop. It will join the original in the North Market and a second at 1281 Grandview Ave. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/05/REST05.ART_ART_06-05-07_C12_9K6TA1G.html

I-70/71 PLANS Mound, Fulton future portals? Favored plan boosts southern end of Downtown, officials say Wednesday, June 6, 2007 3:40 AM By Debbie Gebolys and Tim Doulin THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/06/06/7071FIX.ART_ART_06-06-07_A1_OG6UC2D.html State transportation officials will recommend today that Mound and Fulton streets become major gateways into and out of Downtown as part of a plan to unravel the hazardous I-70/71 split. When the freeway is reconfigured beginning in 2011, Mound would become one-way westbound for traffic from I-71 on the east side headed to destinations Downtown. Fulton Street would be its eastbound counterpart, taking traffic from Rt. 315 through Downtown.

Botanical gardens expanding Conservatory wants to lure paid events to help budget Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - 3:34 AM By Lisa Halverstadt, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH [click for renderings and maps] http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/06/06/conservatory.ART_ART_06-06-07_B1_8R6UBSF.html The Franklin Park Conservatory will add two rooftop gardens where partiers can sip cocktails and another on the grounds designed as a backdrop for brides. The goal? To make the 112-year-old E. Broad Street conservatory the Central Park of Ohio, and attract more of the events that help pay for its larger mission of horticultural education. The new additions could allow for about 150 more events per year, said Beth Fisher, the conservatory's vice president for development. By spring 2009, the conservatory is to add a 4-acre community garden, a pavilion fashioned to look like a brick carriage house, landscaping examples for home gardeners, a production greenhouse for horticulture programs and a community garden center that would house a resource center, a meeting room and offices.

[click here for slideshow of architect renderings of the new hall of justice] http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/foundation/slideshow.jsp?file=/local_news/stories/2007/06/05/courthouse_images.html&image=1&tot=5 My first reaction is that the proposed building is much smaller than I anticipated. I was under the impression that the new structure would take up the entire block bordered by High, Main, Front, and Mound. This proposal has the building only encompassing maybe half the space, with the rest reserved for "future expansion" (City Center greenspace, anybody?). As for the design itself, I'm still in deliberation. The glass facades are nice, but I don't like the tower for the elevator shafts. I think the building would look even cleaner with the shafts incorporated into the strucutre as opposed to sticking them on the side. And while I like the design, i don't like how it'll fit into the existing landscape. The courthouse will be right across from several early 1900s structures, including the Great Southern Hotel. I find it interesting also that the design calls for an underground tunnel to connect the existing government center to the new courthouse as opposed to a skywalk. I think the incoming president of the Columbus Bar Association, Mr Genshaft, sums up my view pretty well...

And here it is... Open courthouse County's new justice showcase would feature 7 stories of glass Wednesday, June 6, 2007 3:39 AM By Barbara Carmen and Bruce Cadwallader THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH [click on link for images and maps] http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/06/06/CTPEEK.ART_ART_06-06-07_A1_OG6UC01.html

Automated garage envisioned for condos Monday, June 4, 2007 6:24 AM By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Developer Mark Jones wants nothing to do with surface parking lots, and the architect he hired for an ambitious Downtown condominium tower agrees. Time Tower, a planned 48-unit building in the southeastern quadrant of Downtown, will employ the most innovative garage yet seen in central Ohio if it's built as planned. The mechanized garage, built by the German company Klaus Car Parking Systems, will automatically park vehicles underground when drivers drop them off. Jones' Blue Heron Land Co. has received preliminary approval from the Downtown Commission to build Time Tower as an adaptive reuse of the three-story former site of World Furniture at E. Town and S. 5th streets. The project will be of varying heights, with four sections reaching eight, nine, 12 and 15 stories. Jones wants to begin work this year on the project, which will have 36 one-bedroom units ranging from 795 to 1,100 square feet. The remainder will be two-bedroom condos and penthouses, stretching to 1,800 square feet and more. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/04/ZONE0604.ART_ART_06-04-07_C14_856SUIA.html

You're right, Ink, it would be scary to see a tower driving down 70W. Ba-dum-ching!

Werth agency taking spot at Casto project on Capitol Square Business First of Columbus - May 25, 2007 by Brian R. Ball Business First A well-known public affairs firm will raise its profile on Capitol Square this year, leaving an East Broad Street tower for the center of downtown at Broad and High. Paul Werth Associates Inc. has signed a 10-year lease to take 10,600 square feet at developer Casto's commercial and residential complex at 2-8 E. Broad St., overlooking the Ohio Statehouse and Capitol Square. The move from 88 E. Broad St., a block away, will give the agency room to accommodate an expansion of its public affairs and advertising businesses. Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/05/28/story2.html?page=3&b=1180324800^1467739

That is correct. Columbus has, and still uses their water services in acquiring land for annexation. Keep in mind too, the majority of the land annexed by Columbus was undeveloped upon being annexed. Currently, the only annexation attempt on the table is an area of land in Norwich Township close to Dublin. A developer wants to build 2,000-some homes on the land, which would be incorporated into the City of Columbus in exchange for the water and sewer services. The development is also to take part in Columbus' "pay as you grow" program, which requires developers to assist in paying for such things as road maintenance and parks. I guess the rules did change. Similar to the scenario in Norwich Township, when developers planned to contruct Polaris and the surrounding areas, the land was annexed by the City of Columbus. The area includes land in southern Delaware County. That's correct also. Columbus, being a much less mature city than Cleveland and Cincinnati, not to mention without the geographical constraints of a lake or hills, was able to annex more easily than it's couterparts to the north and south. Like Cincinnati and Cleveland, there are older, established cities adjacent to Columbus pre-1950s city limits. Those cities and villages, such as Upper Arlington, Marble Cliff, Whitehall, and Bexely, remain and nowadays are pretty-much surrounded by land governed by Columbus.