CMH_Downtown

Uncommon waterfront settings lure landlocked patrons Thursday, May 3, 2007 4:00 AM By Tim Feran THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 1. Brio Tuscan Grille Easton Town Center, Columbus 614-416-4745 Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays 2. Confluence Park Restaurant 679 W. Spring St., Columbus 614-469-0000 Hours 4:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (closed Sundays and Mondays) 3. Creekside Cafe 53 Granville St., Gahanna 614-478-2904 Hours 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays (closed Mondays) 4. Hoover Grille 170 N. Sunbury Rd., Westerville 614-891-0200 Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays 5. The Old Bag of Nails Pub 63 Mill St., Gahanna 614-337-9430 Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. Sundays 6. Trattoria La Tavola 6125 Riverside Dr., Dublin 614-760-8700 Hours 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch) and 5 to 9 p.m. (dinner) Sundays; 4 to 7 p.m. happy hour (closed Mondays) Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/weekender/stories/2007/05/03/9_ALFRESCO.ART_ART_05-03-07_T13_J86I87R.html

Citigroup to buy, split up Bisys Move expected to keep jobs in Columbus, possibly bring more Thursday, May 3, 2007 3:52 AM By Denise Trowbridge THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/03/Bisyssale.ART_ART_05-03-07_C10_376IR22.html Citigroup said yesterday that it plans to buy Bisys Group for $1.47 billion in cash, a move that could mean more jobs for Bisys' Columbus operations. Bisys, a provider of accounting and record-keeping services to financial institutions and insurance companies, employs about 900 people at offices on Stelzer Road near Easton. It's based in Roseland, N.J...

Columbus park and museum will honor aviator, inventor Wednesday, May 2, 2007 3:35 AM By Barbara Carmen, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/02/NEWMUSEUM.ART_ART_05-02-07_B4_PA6IKGV.html Columbus' newest park is being designed to promote not perspiration but inspiration. Rickenbacker-Woods, a free science and history park and museum, could open as soon as October on Livingston Avenue near Miller Avenue. It began as a dream of neighborhood residents and has taken more than a decade. The project sprouted as an effort to save the childhood home of World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker but has flowered into a grander plan.

Cardinal moving 700 jobs here Chicago-area positions will come to Dublin Tuesday, May 1, 2007 3:33 AM By Jeffrey Sheban Cardinal Health is embarking on a major expansion of its Dublin headquarters to accommodate 700 positions being moved from the Chicago area. The move, which will begin in the summer, will increase the company's central Ohio employment by 30 percent when completed next year. The jobs are coming from Cardinal's Waukegan, Ill., operations, where 2,000 people work for the former Allegiance Corp., a medical-products manufacturer and distributor that was acquired by Cardinal in 1999. Cardinal will break ground in the fall on a 250,000-square-foot addition to its 363,000-square-foot Emerald Parkway headquarters. Construction is expected to take two years. Mazzola said the cost of the building hasn't been determined, but the company expects to incur $45 million in costs to cover employee relocation, severance benefits and related expenses. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/01/CARD01.ART_ART_05-01-07_A1_2S6I6EM.html

Be prepared to shove your knees even deeper into the seat in front of you on Skybus. The A319 has a normal maximum all-coach seating configuration of 132 seats. Skybus will be squeezing an extra 12 seats (2 more rows) into their planes, which should equate to roughly 28-29 inches of pitch (space between seats). In comparison, just about all regional jets (Embraers, Canadairs, etc) are configured with a seat pitch of 30-31 inches. It may not seem like a lot, but on a trip to California, those extra inches make a difference. What's wrong with Airbus? From a passenger comfort standpoint, the Airbus narrowbody cabin is wider than that Boeing 737 line, creating more passenger room. From an employee standpoint, the Airbus' are far superior to Boeings, at least in my opinion, and I've worked Boeing's 737-300/400/500/800 variants, as well as Airbus' A319s and A320s. Retaliate in what way? Southwest (code is "WN" not "SW." SW is Air Namibia) cannot match $10 fares, no one can. And also why would Southwest "retaliate" out of cities to which Skybus doesn't fly, such as Chicago and Cleveland? I doubt it. Most of the carriers and destinations you listed exist purely for connecting traffic, which Skybus has clearly stated they want no part of. The operating costs of flying an airplane on a city pair as short as CMH-CVG/DTW/CLE are astronomical. There's no way any airline could charge $10, $25, even $50 on a segment that short and expect to make money, even with a full plane. Again, those routes exist because they are full of people paying $200, $500, even $1000+ to get to a destination beyond the initial hub. As for CMH-LAX, Delta's narrowbody fleet is stretched pretty thin as it is, as is the demand between Columbus and the L.A. basin. I doubt we'll see any retaliation from Delta. Huh? WN has been in HOU (Houston Hobby) pretty-much ever since they started flying in 1971. In fact, they pulled out of Intercontinental a few years ago, which is Continental's Houston fortress hub. Southwest has had over 100 daily departures from HOU for some time now, and actually new service from that city has been relatively stangant in comparison to their growth markets (PVD, PHL, MHT, etc). Cleveland hasn't seen any new service from WN since they announced daily MCO service last year. I give Skybus roughly a year of existance before entering into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, followed by liquidation 1 or 2 quarters later. Their demise will come from a host of operational problem that are followed by knee-jerk reactions by the top brass, causing costs to rise, and profitability to become unattainable. A traveling public unaccustomed to having their ticket voided by showing up at the counter after check-in cut off and not being provided lodging or meal vouchers for controllable delays will cause further headache for Skybus. Also, I just can't see Skybus making money on their fare plan. The airline doesn't make money on the $10 and $50 fares, it's the $100-$200 fares that Skybus needs to be selling. However, why would pay, say $300 round trip to Fort Lauderdale, when Delta can take you there for the same price, nonstop, with better flight times, and will rebook you on another flight/carrier if your flight is delayed/cancelled? That I think is the fatal flaw in their business plan. Once people get burned by Skybus, they'll go back to Southwest, jetBlue, or even Delta and United.

Franklinton a fresh start for developer Monday, April 30, 2007 3:32 AM By Debbie Gebolys and Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Across the street from the crumbling factory building he plans to turn into artists' studios and trendy condos, Lance Robbins stood with the people who guide development in Columbus and was hailed as a savior for Franklinton. Mayor Michael B. Coleman applauded the Los Angeles businessman's vision for the long-stagnant neighborhood and counted him among those "bringing new hope to the historic heart of Columbus." City officials and neighborhood leaders are counting on Robbins to help revive a section of the city long passed over by other developers. Two weeks ago, he announced his plan to spend $23 million at and around the former B&T Metals plant at W. Town and Lucas streets. But Robbins is counting on Columbus, too, to help revive a reputation scarred by decades of legal, political and business disputes. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/30/robbins.ART_ART_04-30-07_A1_EK6HNGU.html

FORMER FACTORY A SAFETY HAZARD Demolition, not renewal, may be next for building Saturday, April 28, 2007 6:32 AM By Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The former Franklinton factory that the mayor and community leaders herald as a new beginning for a depressed neighborhood could be razed within days. City officials issued emergency orders Thursday declaring that B&T Metals, 425 W. Town St., "presents an unreasonable and imminent threat to the life or safety of any person or persons in the surrounding area." Owners have until Sunday to come up with a plan to make the building safe or hire a licensed contractor to demolish it. Only two weeks ago, Los Angeles developer Lance Robbins was announcing $23 million in plans to rebuild B&T and three other city blocks between Town and Rich streets immediately west of the CSX railroad tracks. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/28/b_tmetals.ART_ART_04-28-07_B1_JR6H9ID.html

Greenlawn Cemetery is located immediately south-southwest of downtown. http://www.greenlawncolumbus.org/ Notable Columbusites such as James Thurber and Eddie Rickenbacker are burried at Greenlawn. The family plots of the Wolf, Lazarus, and Battelle families are located there as well. Definitely some nice photos; I've been meaning to check the place out for myself.

Great Southern gets new majority owner Renovations continue at historic hotel Saturday, April 28, 2007 6:29 AM By Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/28/Westin.ART_ART_04-28-07_C1_TN6H7A1.html The owner of the Westin Great Southern Hotel said it plans to proceed with a $7.5 million renovation of the historic Downtown property despite selling a majority share to a Chicago investor. Marcus Hotels and Resorts of Milwaukee said it has sold an 85 percent stake in the Great Southern to Waterton Commercial, a company that invests in commercial properties. Marcus bought the 186-room hotel a year ago. Marcus will continue to manage the Great Southern, which was built in 1896. Marcus spokesman Bill Otto said the joint venture intends to complete the planned renovation by the end of the year. "Part of our strategy when we purchased the hotel was to find a strategic partner to co-invest," Otto said. "We'd retain a small piece as equity owner and manager." The Great Southern markets to small groups and business travelers. It also catches overflow convention business from the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Marcus is banking on the renovation to increase the hotel's mid-60 percent occupancy rate, which is typically middle-of the-pack among Downtown hotels. Among changes that guests will see are newly appointed rooms and an updated restaurant and bar. Hotel management already has expanded and relocated a fitness center to the basement. When it bought the hotel in May 2006, Marcus said it planned to have the renovations completed by now. But this winter, it was still working on designs and then decided to bring in Waterton as a partner. "They'd be foolish to drop the Westin brand," said hotel analyst Eric Belfrage of CB Richard Ellis. "It's been so successful for them.

DEVELOPMENT ON NEAR EAST SIDE Boxer tries hand at building condos Friday, April 27, 2007 6:18 AM By Mike Pramik, The Columbus Dispatch Douglas said yesterday that he is teaming with Columbus developer Joe Recchie to turn 4 acres on the Near East Side into a condominium and retail development. The partnership between Douglas Development and Community Building Partners is expected to yield 72 two- and three-bedroom town houses and up to 10,000 square feet of retail space along E. Main Street. The project would end 15 years of languishing for the site, which Douglas acquired two years after he defeated Mike Tyson to become the heavyweight champion. It’s a $14 million investment that has garnered the participation of George Acock, one of the city’s top architects, and has drawn interest from investors and the local community. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/26/douglas27.html

Weinland Park neighbors celebrate plant's demolition But mayor skips party because union crews won't be leveling Columbus Coated Fabrics Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:32 AM By Mark Ferenchik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The long-awaited demolition work to clear the fire-plagued plant at E. 5th and Grant avenues was about to begin yesterday, to the delight of its neighbors. More than 500 condominiums and apartments are planned there to reinvigorate the Weinland Park neighborhood. So neighbors were invited to a party. Packages of buns and chips lined tabletops inside an old loading dock. But the official celebration with the city was scrapped. Mayor Michael B. Coleman said he wouldn't take part because local union workers weren't hired to demolish the factory. The demolition company is bringing most of its workers from out of state, and unions complained to Coleman's office. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/25/COATED.ART_ART_04-25-07_B4_IF6G2N7.html

Again? Columbus is magazine's No. 9 best city for blacks Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:42 AM By Sherri Williams and Tracy Turner THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/25/TOP_CITY.ART_ART_04-25-07_A1_IM6G28P.html Columbus remains one of the nation's top cities for blacks to live in, beating out traditional Southern magnets Memphis, Tenn., and Birmingham, Ala., which dropped off the list while neighbor Indianapolis made its debut. Black Enterprise magazine, a New York-based business publication with 3.9 million readers, names Columbus as the No. 9 city for blacks to "live, work and play" in its May issue. Washington, D.C., is No. 1. For more information, click above link.

Interesting...nothing in the local media around here about Columbus being the third best "city of the future" (whatever the hell that means) overall by this publication. Yay for another fun list/ranking/survey.

City to tear down Woodland Meadows Tuesday, April 24, 2007 3:29 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Woodland Meadows, the crumbling East Side apartment complex where conditions have been likened to bombed-out sections of Baghdad, is coming down. Columbus City Council voted last night to pay a local demolition company more than $2.4 million to tear down 122 buildings that once housed more than 2,000 government-subsidized tenants. Work will begin in five to 10 days, said Boyce Safford, interim director of the city's Development Department. The city won the right to raze Woodland Meadows in February, when owners missed a court-imposed deadline to secure the vacant buildings against vandals and thieves. Safford said the city will bankroll demolition and seek to get its money back from Woodland Meadows' owners. As of December, about 40 other creditors already had claims totaling $15 million against them. Woodland Meadows, dubbed "Uzi Alley" by police in the 1990s because of frequent gang violence, never made the turnaround pledged by managing partner Jorge Newbery when he purchased the complex in a 2002 bankruptcy auction. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/24/coun24.ART_ART_04-24-07_D1_S46FP34.html

To be completely honest, no Ohio downtown is 24-hour in terms of continuous activity, unless you count bums. The issue with Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus is that our respective downtowns still primarily exist as centers of commerce, and close down with the closing of business at around 5PM. Walk along 3rd and Long in Columbus, 6th and Race in Cincinnati, or 6th and St. Clair in Cleveland at 9PM on a weekday and one will be hard-pressed to find any kind of street activity. I'm still not completely sure whether this is really all that bad. The majority of people I know do like a little seperation between their work environment and their home environment. Cincinnati and Columbus have some incrediblely active and thriving areas immediately surrounding downtown that do have activity nearly 24-7. We just need to tie them to our downtown areas better (re: better public transportation). All 3 C's seem to have little pockets of activity in the actual downtown, but nothing that can truly be considered on the level of places like Chicago or NYC. But our cities can still provide an urban lifestyle without some of the headaches of the aforementioned places. Granted, as many have said, we still have some catching-up to do as far as better transportation and providing easy access to everyday needs and goods. Well, like I said, neither downtown really has many draws that bring people in every night to fill in for the vacated office crowd. For Cincinnati's Backstage District, Columbus has Theater Row (the area bounded by the Palace Theatre to the North and stretches along High to the Southern Theater to the South). For the 4th Street Entertainment District, Columbus has had Front Street Live for several years. Fountain Square as it existed before I would have considered no more of a draw than Statehouse Square in Columbus, however now it's definitely in a different league with the high class restaurants and entertainment being established in and around the square. Maybe Campus Martius in scope and style, eh Chris? ;-)

Parking garage anchoring $40M development plan Business First of Columbus - April 13, 2007by Brian R. BallBusiness First The developer who converted the Victorian Gate apartments in Columbus' Short North into condos has tentative plans for a $40 million residential and parking complex overlooking Goodale Park. Pat Grabill said the proposal is driven not by housing but by his plan to build a 350-slot parking garage that could be used by visitors to the south end of the busy commercial corridor along North High Street. His plan includes developing as many as 20 loft residences in the historic limestone section of the United Commercial Travelers of America headquarters at 632 N. Park St. and 28 other condos nearby. Plans by NBBJ show three levels for 22 penthouses atop four or five stories of parking facing North High Street, pushing the top of the building to 82 feet above the sidewalk. Two more levels of parking would be below the surface. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/16/story3.html?page=2&b=1176696000^1446506

Developer plans condos on B&T Metals site Business First of Columbus - 9:59 AM EDT Monday, April 16, 2007 The former B&T Metals manufacturing site in Franklinton may be redeveloped into residential and commercial space. The city said Brick Investment Corp. plans to transform the site at 435 W. Town St. into 130 residences, a small arts theater, gallery space, retail, a coffee shop and office space. Housing construction for the $23 million project is expected to begin later this year, the city said. B&T Metals was founded in 1932 and made aluminum products ranging from carpet strips to door frames. It shut down in 1982 but the property remained under the ownership of a member of the Kilgore family, who founded B&T Metals. Los Angeles-based Brick Investment has also purchased several surrounding blighted and abandoned properties for future housing development, including a site across from the former B&T Metals at 401 W. Town St. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/16/daily1.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Couldn't...agree...MORE.

$23 MILLION DEVELOPMENT Condos planned for Franklinton Former industrial sites to get new life Saturday, April 14, 2007 3:40 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Columbus is turning to a man once labeled the biggest slumlord in Los Angeles to revive a neighborhood that Mayor Michael B. Coleman said has been plagued by "flight, abandonment and blight." City officials announced a $23 million plan yesterday to turn two former industrial sites and a vacant lot in Franklinton into condominiums, apartments and artists' studios. Coleman said the privately funded development will transform the long-troubled area west of Downtown into "the comeback neighborhood" of Columbus. City officials said they're aware -- but not alarmed -- that developer Lance Robbins has a history of slumlord violations and unpaid bills. "I don't know if it's grounds to not work with somebody because they got bad press," said Gary Guglielmi, economic-development manager. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/14/Frankinvest.ART_ART_04-14-07_C1_GO6CKSJ.html

Macy's re-evaluating store at City Center Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 3:36 AM By Jeffrey Sheban and Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Macy's still hasn't decided whether to pull the plug on its troubled Downtown store, a spokesman said yesterday. Questions about the store and the future of Columbus City Center mall intensified this week when Limited Brands said it will close its four remaining mall stores by the end of the month. "We're continuing to evaluate the store, but no decision has been made," said Nathan Shore, a spokesman for the Macy's Midwest division of Federated Department Stores. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/14/Macys.ART_ART_04-14-07_C1_GO6CME0.html

There are certainly some uncanny similarities between Columbus and Indianapolis: Both are state capitals. Both are located on relatively flat terrain. Both have similar metropolitan populations. Both are experiencing steady population gain in a region associated with population loss. Both have two main intesecting streets (Broad and High in Columbus, Meridian and Washington in Indianapolis). Both have similar highway loops (I-270 in Columbus, I-465 in Indianapolis). Both have rather poor public transit (COTA and IndyGo). Both have downtown malls (well, Indianapolis has a downtown mall, Columbus has a shell of one). Both have burgeoning malls and development in their far north suburbs (Keystone in Indianapolis, Polaris in Columbus). A trip down N. Meridian looks extremely similar to a trip down E. Broad. Indianapolis' wealth is concentrated for the most part in the northern suburbs, likewise in Columbus. Indianapolis' WTHR Channel 13 is owned by the parent company of WBNS Channel 10 in Columbus. Despite all the similarities, however, Columbus and Indianapolis do feel different. I wouldn't say Columbus "feels warmer" than Indianapolis, whatever the hell that means, but they are different. I think the most stark difference is the downtowns. Indianapolis supports a model downtown, of which all cities in Ohio should be envious. Shops and restaurants line the dense streetscapes, activity abounds 24-7, there is constant upward construction (Conrad Hotel, Simmons HQ, multiple condo buildings), a lively arts scene, multiple gorgeous monuments and public spaces, sports, and fun. In a nutshell, downtown Indianapolis is beautiful. Downtown Columbus can't even begin to compare. The sheer size of the downtown area doesn't help, with multiple surface lots scaring the landscape. Downtown Columbus by in large shuts down after 5PM. Unless there's a performance at one of the downtown theaters or a festival going on along the riverfront, there really isn't much pedestrian life during the evening hours. In a nutshell, downtown Columbus has a lot of work to do. However, I do believe Columbus makes up for its lackluster downtown in its surrounding districts and neighborhoods. While the core of downtown Columbus may be quiet at night, the fringes of downtown, such as the Arena District, Park Street, and now parts of Main Street are lively with bars, restaurants, and clubs. The neighborhoods surrounding downtown, such as The Short North, German Village, Italian Village, Victorian Village, Harrison West, The Brewery District, and Old Towne East have become magnetic areas for beautiful architecture, eclectic shops and galleries, superior dining, urban residential life, and all around fun. Meanwhile, the neighborhoods surrounding downtown Indianapolis are relatively quiet. Some neighborhoods around downtown Indianapolis have some beautiful residential areas, however the fun and excitement exists downtown. Indianapolis is home to the Broad-Ripple neighborhood, which sports some eclectic galleries, restuarants, and movie houses, but somewhat lacking in comparison to other urban neighborhoods. I would also say, as a region, that Indianapolis does have more going for it. As the Dispatch article pointed out, the Indianapolis area weathered the recession much better than Columbus, and has seen corresponding growth. Indianapolis is also THE city for all of Indiana (well, except for maybe the northwestern section of the state). Meanwhile, Columbus has 6 other metropolitan areas of size within the SAME state vying for federal and economic dollars. I do remain hopeful, though, that both Indianapolis and Columbus will continue to see continued economic and population growth well into the future.

We've gone over this before. Regardless of what America West could/couldn't/decided not to do, the industry has changed dramatically in the 4 years since the hub's closure. Also, Skybus will be a dramatically different airline than America West ever was. They're not going to release their routes before attaining certification, that's just fundamental. However, they have hinted at flying routes from Columbus to cities currently not served nonstop from Columbus in just about every direction. Fares will be similar to those offered by Ryanair in Europe. An advance purchase one-way fare from London to Barcelona can go as low as 3 Euro, plus tax. So medium-range advance purchase fares from Columbus could potentially be as low as say $5, plus tax. Somewhat of an odd question. I would highly doubt it, since it would be one more expense when the airline is trying to create a very lean, no-frills operation. Besides, ETOPS is really only necessary when flying longer routes that involve or can involve going over large bodies of water (i.e. PHL-SJU or CLT-CUN without hugging the coast). I would highly imagine just domestic, at least for now. International flying is expensive, and requires jumping through government hoops and adding more taxes to tickets (i.e. NavCanada charges for flights between the U.S. and Canada). Some of those rumored cities I have heard are already expecting Skybus. The rumor I've heard is that they will follow the Ryanair model closely and open several bases as aircraft continue to arrive, supposedly 8 planes per base. Given all this, I still think their chances of survival are slim to none. $160 million is pocket change in the airline industry; they'll likely burn through that in less than a year. Because a train can't take you from Columbus to Seattle in 5 hours. And when private corporations start funding rail transit, then we can draw accurate comparisons. Lastly, of that $160 million, $57 million is from local and state contributions, mostly in the form of tax breaks and job creation incentives.

This image from The Dispatch should help identify which building is which as well as its relative location: The map also highlights the planned improvements to the site of the government buildings.

Lovely! Thanks, everyone, for the progress photos. I still have yet to see an evergreen on the top of the building, but given the progress being made, I'm imagine one will show up soon.

LOL. No worries. I'll bet many people (including me) were wondering about her short hair. I myself didn't find out until I saw her actually take off her wig on the air one morning during a story about breast cancer.