CMH_Downtown

It's great to see passenger numbers rebounding after America West's closure of the Columbus hub. There's still a lot of work to be done though, as Columbus' only nonstop to Los Angeles was severed with the closing of the hub. The airport has been working vigorously to get the service back, as well as continue adding new flights. Actually, an article regarding Columbus' attempt to land nonstop service across the pond was featured in the Dispatch after the Business First article was printed. Quite frankly, Columbus doesn't really stand a chance in getting nonstop service to Europe, especially with no connecting traffic and a large majority of Columbus companies using private aircraft for transatlantic travel. I still applaud airport officials for taking the chance and establishing a relationship early with international carriers though: PORT COLUMBUS International airlines courted By Tom Matthews THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Port Columbus International Airport wants to live up to its name. Airport officials are courting European airlines in hopes of luring nonstop international service. Currently, fliers can get international service from Columbus only through connecting flights. "The options already are tremendous,’’ said David Whitaker, the airport’s vice president of business development. "There is no hardship or difficulty in getting to any point in Europe. It’s just not nonstop. What is ideal is nonstop service.’’

Way to go Key Bank for actually remaining committed to downtown! KeyBank gets approval for news ticker Downtown Talks with ONN on content continuing By Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH KeyBank plans to display a 24-hour news ticker above the canopy that surrounds the bank’s Downtown offices at 3 rd and Broad streets. [email protected]

Waverly = Ohio's armpit. I visited this little town back when I was in high school and man, what a dump. I see it hasn't changed much from the time I went there. Cool photos as always though. You're almost done!

The office buildings to be demolished in UA are among the ugliest I've ever seen. They're a set of 3-4 story concrete structures with big yellow planels on the sides. I can't wait to see them gone, especially since they don't match with anything in the surrounding area. I have to say though, it would be somewhat strange having dorms all the way out on Olentangy River Rd. like that if the Fawcett Center conversion is approved.

Sounds like a pretty sweet plan to me! Planned alliance could help Audubon, COSI spread wings By Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A partnership between the future Columbus Audubon Center and COSI Columbus could lead to glass-bottomed boats that would shuttle visitors between the two sites and allow them to study the Scioto River on the way. The agreement could also enable COSI visitors to watch experts perform surgery on eagles or hawks at a remote bird sanctuary and ask questions about the procedure. The Audubon Center is to open in 2008 at a 160-acre metro park on the Whittier Peninsula south of Downtown. But the alliance, being announced today, will help the center begin educational programs as soon as next summer, said Jerome Tinianow, executive director of Audubon Ohio. It is the first joint programming agreement for both science centers. Together, they can host programs at COSI and elsewhere throughout central Ohio. COSI will provide information about the Audubon Center at COSI and in its publications and Web site; sell Audubon materials at the museum’s gift shop; and allow Audubon to use its movie theater and other facilities for promotional events. When the Audubon Center opens, it will jointly publicize events with COSI and offer information about COSI at the center and in its publications. COSI and Audubon each will sell discounted tickets to the other’s center and activities. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/11/29/20041129-B1-02.html

I noticed this project on the front cover of Columbus Business First yesterday. It's was the first I had ever heard of this proposed condo tower. After reading the article, it sounds like the developers are pretty serious about breaking ground as soon as it gets the green light from preservationists. Personally, I don't think it's hight would be detrimental at all to the surrouding area. It's not like it's being built in the middle of Vic Village or German Village. The location of the proposed Arena Park Place would be close to the recently opened Arena Crossing Appartments, which is eight stories, twice as high as most structures in the immediate area. Personally, I wouldn't mind if the developers changed it to being 20 stories... :rock: Also, here's a small photo of the proposed tower from Business First:

The Terraces is going up in the Discovery District, near Grant Hospital and the main branch of the Columbus Public Library on S. Grant Ave.

It's definitely way too early to tell, as the entire South Campus Gateway project is still under construction. But initial changes, as far as I can tell, seem to be positive. South Campus used to be a haven for debotchery of all sorts, and still somewhat maintains that reputation but to a much lesser extent, especially criminally. The seedy bars and pubs are gone, to be replaced by new storefronts, entertainment and appartments. Many bars have moved north of Lane Ave. to the Northwood area of High St. Old Schools, Miani's, Dick's Den, Lido's, and many other bars have become the top campus watering holes. The best part is, they bear no resemblance to the delapidated, crime-ridden havens that once existed on South Campus, and fit well with the surrounding neighborhood. Interest from the private sector has also been evident with the construction in the South Campus area. The Newport embarked on a massive renovation project which included putting Panini's in two floors of the building, a trendy but casual bar. A set of row houses close to the gateway project that have been vacant for years is under renovation. HighFive, a seedy bar that was falling apart on the corner of High and 5th has been transformed into an ultra-trendy pub, with an all-glass facade facing High St. Campus Partner's work isn't limited to the South Campus Gateway either. The firm recently purchased the land once occupied by the Columbus Coated Fabrics company in the Weinland Park neighborhood. This will be their next target for rejuvenation: http://campuspartners.osu.edu/ccf.htm So overall, I think the investment by Campus Partners into the reconstruction of the South Campus area will, in the end, be worth all the initial time, effort, and money. This project, along with the private sector investments, will finally make High St. one continuous shopping, eating, and entertainment district stretching all the way from German Village to Worthington.

Projects currently under construction on the OSU campus alone: New ME Building (Robinson Lab replacement) #18 Physics Research Lab #13 Knowlton School of Architecture #14 McCracken Power Plant Addition #17 (no image) Larkins Hall Expansion #7 Page Hall Renovation #11 Hagerty Hall Renovation #10 The Oval Restoration Neil Ave. Garage #8 Woody Hayes Drive Bridge Construction #16 Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) Expansion #4 (no image, vertical 44,000 sq. ft. expansion of Weisman Hall) Ross Heart Hospital #3 Medical Center Parking Garage #2 Biomedical Research Tower #9

G3000: Last I heard the developers were ready to tear down the 1970's-era buildings along High St. by the end of this year to start on the office portion of the project. They also have scaffolding and other materials on the buildings on the corner, so I think construction/demolition on part of the project has indeed started.

Some projects under construction in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding downtown: Brewery District: Brewer's Gate River West: The Buggyworks (no rendering) 120,000 sq. ft, 68 condominiums in first phase Short North: Parkview at Goodale Old Towne East The Broadwin Italian Village: Jeffrey Place Harrison West: Harrison Place (site of former A.C. Humko plant) University District: South Campus Gateway

Keep in mind also that all of those projects are stictly in the downtown core. The big areas of construction and renovation in this area are along the High St. and Gay St. corridors. Other projects downtown currently under construction include: Capitol Square: 8 on the Square Discovery District: Washington Rich Townhouses Arena District: Burnham Sqaure Condominiums Jones Day Office Building (325 McConnell Blvd) Columbus Eye Center (no rendering) 5 story 120,000 sq. ft. building with attached parking garage EcleXtion Lofts

This really comes as no surprise for those in the airline industry. The DFW operation was by far the weakest link out of Delta's four major hubs. There was no way Delta's CVG operations were in any sort of peril. The de-hubbing of Dallas is only one aspect of Delta's massive transformation plan to return to fiscal solvency. Also included in the plan is the retiring of 4 fleet types, increase flying by the airline's low-fare subsidiary SONG, and increased flying from the airline's focus cities in Boston, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, NYC, and Columbus. The complete transformation plan and its effects on CVG can be found at: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040908/clw033_1.html Preliminary figures show Delta will add approximately 20 new flights in CVG, mostly from the airline's Delta Connection subsidiary. Also, Delta's "Simplifares" are for the most part a PR attempt to get people from the Cincinnati area to stop flying from Dayton and Louisville for lower fares. The 60% cheaper fares only apply to certain routes and are not always available. A person from Cincinnati put it best on another message board: As a Cincinnati resident, I have quite a few thoughts about Delta's SimpliFares announcement. The "official" rhetoric from Atlanta is that Delta is "listening to our customers who are tired of high fares at CVG". In reality, the only thing that Delta is hearing is the sound of all those cars wizzing past CVG and headed for DAY, SDF, LEX, IND or CMH. Even Delta acknowledges that 3500 passengers each week are driving to these near-by airports in order to grab a better fare. Believe me, the people of this community have been griping about Delta's fares for over 15 years. The only reason that Delta is responding now is because they are proactively trying to stop an LCC from invading CVG and driving the fares even lower and loosening the Widget's grip on their 92% market share. The State of KY (where CVG is located) and it's residents have offered millions upon millions of tax dollar credits to support Delta's hub, yet we here near CVG have to drive elsewhere to afforably fly. Doodling with these new fares, I find that cheaper rates are consistently still available from near-by airports. Furthermore, Delta has confirmed that on average only 8 seats per flight are available at the new "bargain fare". The only significance to this new fare structure is the elimination of Saturday night stay requirements. In short, instead of Delta shouting about how "fares are being slashed by 60%", I would rather hear an official apology for the reaming of us local flyers over the past 15 years.

The Mills Corp., known locally in Ohio for it's brand new mall in suburban Cincinnati, has announced plans to acquire majority control of both the CityCenter Mall in Columbus and the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in suburban Columbus in Dublin. The firm plans to spend $300 million in renovating the two malls, plus 7 other recently acquired malls. This comes a month after plans were released to redevelop the former Lazarus department store into offices for OSU and Battelle. Investor has grand plans for Tuttle, City Center Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Debbie Gebolys and Jeffrey Sheban THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Columbus City Center and the Mall at Tuttle Crossing have a new investor that says it will spend millions to upgrade both shopping centers. The Mills Corp., of Arlington, Va., said yesterday that it will pay more than $1 billion to buy a halfinterest in nine malls owned by the General Motors Asset Management, including the Columbus centers. The others are outside Ohio. Mills, which owns or operates 27 malls and entertainment centers, is expected to assume management duties and is prepared to spend up to $300 million with GM through 2007 to upgrade the nine properties, officials said. The company has been known traditionally as a developer of outlet centers but has been expanding in recent years into more conventional malls — and beyond. It also has ventured into cuttingedge entertainment and shopping centers, including the Xanadu project in Madrid, Spain, which features indoor ski slopes and race tracks. Read more at http://dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/08/18/20040818-B1-00.html

John Mok has done more to help Hopkins in his year or so in office than previous administrations have done in years. He's helped lower landing fees (CLE has among the highest in the nation), forge new, comprehensive airside and landside improvements projects, and work better with the city on how to promote the airport to new and existing airlines. Mr. Mok had quite a challenge ahead of him upon taking the job in Cleveland, and has so far been doing an excellent job. In regards to the article, the planned 11,000+ runway would mean nothing but good things for CLE, but nonstop routes across the Pacific is pushing it. It wouldn't really improve operations drastically, as the airport's 3-parallel runway setup would remain unchanged. I'd have to agree that MayDay's prognosis of the airport keeping up with the competition is correct, as every other Ohio city's airport/s have runways over 10,000ft. in length. The only immediate outcome I could see from a longer runway at CLE is Continental's CLE-LGW run being upgraded from a narrowbody 757-200 to a widebody 767-200, though mostly due to the fact that the 767 has greater cargo capacity; the 752 and 762 are nearly identical in terms of seating capacity. Another Continental route to another European city, probably either Amsterdam or Paris, could be possible with a longer runway, as 9,000ft. is cutting it somewhat short for such long flights. As for Asia, the only route I could see opening is UPS starting flights from Cleveland to Hong Kong, but that would probably be routed through Anchorage anyways. In terms of passenger service, nonstop to Honolulu from Cleveland nonstop with Continental have been rumored. That's probably the extent of the Asia service I could see from CLE.

I've always wanted to know what Bellefontaine looks like! From these photos, it looks like a very nice, quaint town. I also wanted to add how cool it is that you've gone and provided such a great array of photo tours of so many of Ohio's often overlooked small towns. Awesome work.

Cool photos from Marion (I can't believe it's considered part of Columbus' CSA either). The downtown looks quite nice, much larger than I expected. Though the area immediately around the city, especially along the 23 corridor going towards Findlay is pure trash.

The Columbus Dispatch Sunday Edition this week has a front page article regarding redevelopment of the RiverSouth area of downtown, including the soon-to-be closed Lazarus store as well as CityCenter. Columbus' main redevelopment driver, Nationwide Insurance, is spearheading development plans there and along the High St. corridor between the Arena District and Capitol Square: RiverSouth next for Nationwide Arena District builder looks to city’s center By Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH With the Arena District nearing completion, Nationwide soon will turn its development efforts to Downtown’s core, Chief Executive W.G. "Jerry’’ Jurgensen said. "That to me is the next major, critical test,’’ he said. Nationwide, a force in Downtown development, now is working on a strategy to develop condominiums in the River-South area of Downtown. The company also is considering residential construction along Gay Street and a section of N. High Street between Spring and Broad streets, said Brian Ellis, president of Nationwide Realty Investors. Although Nationwide hasn’t acquired land in those locations, they are possibilities for new apartments and condominiums. "The master plan for River-South shows that becoming a strong neighborhood,’’ Ellis said. "There are good opportunities there, taking advantage of the (Scioto) river.’’ Nationwide’s interest comes as Downtown’s core is struggling. Office-building vacancies are hovering near 20 percent. Columbus City Center mall is having a hard time keeping tenants; Lazarus is closing. Several other sections of High Street between I-70 and Spring Street are in need of attention. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/07/11/20040711-A1-00.html

As previously mentioned, Columbus hasn't built or had anything proposed of significant height recently due to the abysmal office vacany rate downtown. Last I heard, the vacany rate downtown was hovering around 19% and was going down, but not by much. The last building completed over 20 stories was the Miranova Condominium tower at 26 stories and 314 feet. It was completed in 2000. The last 20+ story office building was the Fifth-Third Center at 302 feet and 25 stories. It was built in 1998. Since then, 3 other office buildings were built: Miranova Corporate Tower (2001), OPERS Addition (2003), and 300 E. Broad Street (2003). I don't the exact height of the three, but they are all 12 stories. Another 12-16 story office building will be built downtown as an addition to the Franklin County Government Complex for the courts division. There is debate going on over the final location however, as the current proposal has the building going up on an urban park, while the city would like to have it built on a neighboring surface lot in RiverSouth. Most of the office development actually happening is primarily in all the new buildings going up in the Arena District and in the Capitol Square complex.

I've always called soft drinks "pop" though I've gotten into the habit of asking for a "soda" when I'm at a restaurant. That's only for Coke/Pepsi/RC/etc products though. For the lemon-lime drinks, I'll usually ask for a Sprite if I don't know the type offered at a particular restaurant.

Actually, the correct phraseology is a "soft drink." soft drink n. In both senses also called soda pop, also called regionally cold drink, drink, pop, soda, soda water, tonic. 1. A nonalcoholic, flavored, carbonated beverage, usually commercially prepared and sold in bottles or cans. 2. A serving of this beverage.

Regarding the article, I found parts of it to be interesting. As a native Ohioan, the idea of the state really being a combination of 5 distinct areas is nothing new or shocking, and something I've been aware of for quite some time. What I found most interesting from that article actually, being a native Columbusite also, is the general ill sentinement Clevelanders have of Columbus. On the flip side, here in Columbus, people adore Cleveland. I don't know whether it's because there are so many Cleveland transplants currently residing in the city or what, but the general sentinement of most residents towards Cleveland is definitely more of admiration. Just a small example is the Indians. They are extremely popular here, moreso that the local news sports coverage always mentions the Indians before the local Clippers. All cable providers also broadcast the WUAB in their STANDARD packages, as Indians baseball is so popular here. I think the author of the article does need to make a trip down to Columbus though, as the city's reputation as a suburban wasteland precedes itself. The 1950s-era Columbus, while loosing population, is rich in urbanity, history, and culture. One only needs to look at the photos on this website to see that. *Had* is more like it. The majority of Columbus' annexation occured during the city's growth spurt in the 1970s, and continued on into the 80s and early 90s. Columbus' growth spurt didn't happen in the 20s like Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is a new city plain and simple. The animosity aimed towards Columbus just because its the only city in Ohio posting population gains because it grew at a time when annexation was easily accomplished is pretty foolish. In addition, the annexation wave is for the most part over and done with. The last major annexation was the land around Easton, which was a combined effort by the developer and the city so that tax revenue from the project would flow to the city and not the suburbs. City infrastructure, mixed income housing, etc. are usually tasks to be accomplished by the city itself, are they not? Here in Columbus, all those issues are tackled by city hall, not the statehouse. The city is working furiously to develop a rejuvinated interest in the urban core. The Central Ohio Transity Authority (also not a state entity) along with the city is pushing for light rail. Columbus just completed a brand-new mixed income housing development downtown called the Commons at Grant. Blaming Cleveland's deterioration on the statehouse is merely pointing fingers. Deeming one city "more progressive" than an other is truly a matter of opinion, though Columbus is usually deemed the most progressive city in the state for a variety of reasons. Probably first and foremost is its unwavering acceptance of new cultures, especially Mexican and Somalian. Columbus has the second highest Somalian population in the country after Minneapolis, and they are flourishing. Most Somalis live comfortably in the near nothside in the Northland neighborhood and work all sorts of jobs. The same goes for the bourgeoning Mexican population. Columbus already has several Mexican supermarket CHAINS, including La Michuancana and La Inca. Columbus recently got its third spanish radio station, and has developed quite a barrio on the city's near west side and north side. In addition, Columbus has the largest gay and lesbian population in the entire state. Entire neighborhoods, such as The Short North, Olde Towne East, and Victorian Village are known for being extremely large gay enclaves. Columbus' Doo-Dah parade is recognized as the second oldest, coming right after it started in Pasedena in the mid 1970s. Columbus is recognized as being a progressive city not only in terms of culture but economically. Unlike Cleveland and Cincinnati, there aren't acres and acres of factories and manufacturing in the city. Since the city grew much later that it's older counterparts, the city has developed a much more diversified and progressive economy, mainly focused on retail, logistics, pharmaceuticals, and insurance. Columbus is also the state bastion of research and technology. The Battelle Institute, The Ohio State University, and Chemical Abstracts are national and global institutions in research and development, also leading to the city's recognition as a progressive place.

napier1: The information provided by emporis.com is infact correct. The population figure given is from the July 2003 population estimates. Here's the complete list: 1 New York city: 8,085,742 2 Los Angeles city: 3,819,951 3 Chicago city: 2,869,121 4 Houston city: 2,009,690 5 Philadelphia city: 1,479,339 6 Phoenix city: 1,388,416 7 San Diego city: 1,266,753 8 San Antonio city: 1,214,725 9 Dallas city: 1,208,318 10 Detroit city: 911,402 =========================== 11 San Jose city: 898,349 12 Indianapolis city (balance): 783,438 13 Jacksonville city: 773,781 14 San Francisco city: 751,682 15 Columbus city: 728,432 16 Austin city: 672,011 17 Memphis city: 645,978 18 Baltimore city: 628,670 19 Milwaukee city: 586,941 20 Fort Worth city: 585,122 21 Charlotte city: 584,658 22 El Paso city: 584,113 23 Boston city: 581,616 24 Seattle city: 569,101 25 Washington city: 563,384 26 Denver city: 557,478 27 Nashville-Davidson (balance): 544,765 28 Portland city: 538,544 29 Oklahoma City city: 523,303 30 Las Vegas city: 517,017 31 Tucson city: 507,658 32 Long Beach city: 475,460 33 Albuquerque city: 471,856 34 New Orleans city: 469,032 35 Cleveland city: 461,324 36 Fresno city: 451,455 37 Sacramento city: 445,335 38 Kansas City city: 442,768 39 Virginia Beach city: 439,467 40 Mesa city: 432,376 41 Atlanta city: 423,019 42 Omaha city: 404,267 43 Oakland city: 398,844 44 Tulsa city: 387,807 45 Honolulu CDP: 380,149 46 Miami city: 376,815 47 Minneapolis city: 373,188 48 Colorado Springs city: 370,448 49 Arlington city: 355,007 50 Wichita city: 354,617 51 Santa Ana city: 342,510 52 Anaheim city: 332,361 53 St. Louis city: 332,223 54 Pittsburgh city: 325,337 55 Tampa city: 317,647 56 Cincinnati city: 317,361 57 Raleigh city: 316,802 58 Toledo city: 308,973 59 Aurora city: 290,418 60 Buffalo city: 285,018 61 Riverside city: 281,514 62 St. Paul city: 280,404 63 Corpus Christi city: 279,208 64 Newark city: 277,911 65 Stockton city: 271,466 66 Bakersfield city: 271,035 67 Anchorage municipality: 270,951 68 Lexington-Fayette: 266,798 69 Louisville city 248,762 70 St. Petersburg city: 247,610 71 Plano city: 241,991 72 Norfolk city: 241,727 73 Jersey City city: 239,097 74 Birmingham city: 236,620 75 Lincoln city: 235,594 76 Glendale city: 232,838 77 Greensboro city: 229,110 78 Hialeah city: 226,401 79 Baton Rouge city: 225,090 80 Fort Wayne city: 219,495 81 Madison city: 218,432 82 Garland city: 218,027 83 Scottsdale city: 217,989 84 Rochester city: 215,093 85 Henderson city: 214,852 86 Akron city: 212,215 87 Chandler city: 211,299 88 Chesapeake city: 210,834 89 Modesto city: 206,872 90 Lubbock city: 206,481 91 Fremont city: 204,525 92 Glendale city: 200,499 93 Montgomery city: 200,123 94 Orlando city: 199,336 95 Chula Vista city: 199,060 96 Durham city: 198,376 97 Shreveport city: 198,364 98 Laredo city: 197,488 99 Yonkers city: 197,388 100 Tacoma city: 196,790

Sorry to chime in late on this, but I've got to come to the defense of the Dayton airport. In regards to the airport, this certainly wasn't always the case. Back before CVG is what it was today, DAY was a HUGE airline hub. Piedmont Airlines had their 3rd largest hub located at DAY, flying hundreds of flights a day to dozens of destinations. Piedmont occupied all of what is now Concourse C, as well as a third concourse that now remains closed off to the general public and is used primarily for Comair's maintenance facility now. What happened? In 1987, USAir (now USAirways) took over Piedmont Airlines. Since USAir already had a large hub in operation in Pittsburgh, the Dayton hub (and Piedmont's Syracuse, NY hub) were dismantled. It wasn't until after this happened, that CVG and Delta were truly able to grow to their current status. More information about Piedmont and the Dayton hub can be found at the airline's historical website at: http://www.jetpiedmont.com/index.php The terminal has gone through a number of renovation projects recently, though most of the work has been done in the ticket counter/baggage claim area and the retail mall just past security. The atrium, the flat-screen TVs, the Max&Erma's, bookstore, Sbarro, and other outlets are all essentially brand new, and look pretty damn nice in my opinion. Some work could be done to the lower level boarding areas where ATA and Comair load and unload, but overall the boarding areas are in decent shape, especially compared to T1 and T2 at CVG. The subway-station interior of Terminal 2 with windows that only go up to your knee and no place to sit, coupled with the barren wasteland where FedEx planes park at the gates known as Terminal 1 truly are eye-sores at what otherwise is an incredible facility.

Notice how Columbus finally has light rail... :wink: The person that constructed those lego replicas has quite a bit of talent. The LEGO Huntington Tower looks identical to the real thing. I would have loved to see it in person.