CMH_Downtown

Agreed. There are already some bright spots immediately south of Mt. Vernon Ave along I-70/71. It's just a matter of moving that progress eastward.

There is so much potential all along Mt. Vernon Ave. in King-Lincoln. It'd be great if the corridor could ride the wave of an economic recovery and really regain a large portion of its former glory. The revitalized Lincoln Theater and surrounding development is a good start; I hope it continues to blossom.

Agree with both rider and Walker. Overall, the article was well done and touts these two newest additions to the downtown residential market well. Hopefully the "suburban" tagline does help charm some people into these units...:).

Truly awesome. For a company that has done essentially nothing but suburban projects, Lifestyle Communities has done a fantastic job with this development. I especially love this scene: The structures to the right are all existing buildings. I really like how well the new structure is blending into the urban environment of that area of downtown and truly enhancing it. It's so great to see all this development where a sea of blank surface lots once stood. I hope these new residences prove to be a success and serve as a catalyst to future downtown development.

Weinland Park Where we live: Signs of life Weinland Park is known for its poverty, violence and drug problems, but some residents see a community with potential Sunday, August 23, 2009 3:44 AM By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/08/23/WEINLAND_PARK.ART_ART_08-23-09_B1_0AER78F.html

Why is city in quotation marks? Columbus city IS larger than Boston city. You can't just arbitarily say that because the latter is more densely populated in the land area that it occupies that it somehow negates the former's raw population numbers. Also, why does the annexation issue always come up when Columbus' population is discussed? Once again, the majority of the land annexed by the City of Columbus was UNDEVELOPED at the time of acquistion. Columbus didn't gobble up existing communities in an attempt to pad its population numbers. That's why you see cities like Whitehall, Upper Arlington, Bexley, Grandview Heights, etc partially or completely surrounded by Columbus. RE: Columbus speads out in all directions. Cleveland can only spread Southwest, South, and Southeast. And Delaware to Groveport? That's like asking why Lorain and Independence should be in Cleveland's MSA. It just doesn't make any sense.

That's St. Thomas the Apostle Church, which I attend quite frequently. The congregation is absolutely amazing and is an asset to the neighborhood. The pastor is from West Africa (I can't remember which country) and has learned Spanish to the point that he conducts a bilingual mass every other Sunday. The congregation is roughly 1/3 black, 1/3 Mexican, and 1/3 from Bexley. The music at mass reflects the mix with traditional hymns, Spanish songs, gospel choir, and African drums. It's a joy to attend mass there.

Great photos! I hope the art museum wasn't too incredibly disappointing. The museum will undergo a pretty dramatic renovation starting in August, followed by the demolition and replacement of the grotesque 1970s-era addition on the north side of the building. Hopefully when all is said and done the museum will actually have adequate exhibit space for the collection.

Great chronical of the sub-neighborhoods along the ravines in Clintonville. Absolutely love these places and the fact that they exist so close to High St. and Indianola.

Yikes. I don't like the Rhodes Tower as it is, I can't imagine a taller/more prominent one... :-P

To be honest I'm quite pleased with the announced tenant list for the first phase. The Hyatt Place hotel won't take anything from downtown, and should actually just complement the line of hotels that already exist along Olentangy River Rd. from W. 5th Ave. all the way to W. North Broadway. If anything, it will be a great replacement for the recently demolished HoJo Inn along Dublin Rd. and Grandview Ave. M+A Architects is a Dublin firm, so having them expand closer to the center of the city is definitely a positive step. And the Jason's Deli will bring a new restaurant to Columbus' dining pallate. My only worry would be the opening of the Urban Active in Grandview Yard. Metro Fitness maintains a gym on Long St. downtown. Along with the Arena District Athletic Club and smaller clubs like Snap Fitness, I wonder if there's enough demand in that area of Columbus for all to exist.

Grandview Yard's tenant list to include a Hyatt Fitness center, deli, architects in mix Thursday, July 9, 2009 3:10 AM By Marla Matzer Rose, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A Hyatt Place hotel, an Urban Active Fitness Center and Jason's Deli are among the first tenants expected to open in the Grandview Yard project, to be built on the site of the former Big Bear supermarket warehouse. "Location is really key to this project and the interest we're getting in it," said Brian Ellis, president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Realty Investors, which is developing the 80-acre project. "We think the large fitness facility and the hotel will both be great amenities for the first and future phases of the project." Detailed plans for that first phase, with an estimated price tag of $40 million, were presented to Grandview Heights' planning commission this week. Nationwide expects to invest between $500 million and $600 million in the project over the next five to 10 years. Dublin-based M+A Architects is the first office tenant to be disclosed for the initial phase of the project, set to open in fall 2010 on the eastern edge of Grandview Heights. The company will design the three-story office building it will occupy and will set up shop in 24,500 square feet on the top floor. Nationwide announced in May that Capitol Square Ltd., the real-estate arm of The Dispatch Printing Company, publisher of The Dispatch, had taken a 20 percent stake in the Grandview Yard project. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/07/09/grandviewyard_plan.ART_ART_07-09-09_A10_EMEDU8I.html?sid=101

A silver lining the down housing market: Apartments full in this market Sunday, July 5, 2009 3:32 AM By Jim Weiker THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH It's the other side of the housing coin: While sales of homes continue to languish in central Ohio, some landlords are celebrating boom times. "This is the best I've seen in the last nine years," said Dave Anderson, president of Homestead America, which manages about 2,500 apartments in the Columbus area. About 7 percent of central Ohio apartments are vacant, among the lowest levels in seven years, according to the Danter Co. and VWB Research, which track Columbus real estate. During the height of the housing boom, in 2005, when home loans came easily, more than 12 percent of central Ohio apartments were vacant, according to Danter. Tenants seeking new two-bedroom apartments along the northern arc of I-270 or Downtown are finding the choices especially limited. In those areas, fewer than 5 percent of apartments are empty, according to Danter and VWB. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/07/05/APARTMENTS.ART_ART_07-05-09_D1_3KEBDMJ.html?sid=101

OSU area gets boost from new projects Monday, July 6, 2009 3:32 AM By Encarnacion Pyle THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A private developer is about to break ground on an 82-unit luxury apartment complex for students near Ohio State University. It is just the latest example of how the South Campus Gateway -- a bustling stretch of apartments, entertainment, restaurants and shops along High Street -- is helping to revitalize the University District, according to residents and several business owners. "The South Campus Gateway is transforming the neighborhood by creating an inviting and nice-looking place for people to live, work and play, which has spawned more development," said Ian MacConnell, chairman of the University Area Commission. "Between $100 (million) and $200 million in private money has been poured into the University District in the last five to seven years," said Bill Graver, president of the University Community Business Association. View full article here: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/06/OSU_development.ART_ART_07-06-09_B1_KAECV4R.html?sid=101

The Dispatch ran a Sunday article concerning the most recent wave of airline flight cuts and the position that CMH is in relative to other major airports around the state. Port Columbus' more favorable numbers are likely due to the fact that Skybus' inflated passengers numbers have ellapsed passed a year so are no longer compared along with AirTran having created a nice niche in the market: Port Columbus faring better than Ohio rivals Sunday, July 5, 2009 3:32 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Although Port Columbus has been hit by its share of cuts in recent months, it's faring better than all other major Ohio airports. Effective in October, Port Columbus' capacity will be down 4 percent -- exactly in line with the average of the top 100 U.S. airports -- while Cincinnati and Dayton will be down about 20 percent and Cleveland down 8 percent. "The industry is definitely in dire condition, but Columbus holds its own," said David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. "It's actually among the best airports from a revenue standpoint for several of our carriers and has been for some time." Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/07/05/ohio_airports.ART_ART_07-05-09_D1_3KEBDML.html?sid=101

When said "choo choo train" serves as a catalyst to further integrate modes of transportation in the state in an effort to create a seamless way of going about doing business within the state and abroad, Ohio will be in a far better position to cultivate and entice new commerce than the Peachtree State.

The Other Paper's take on the whole JetAmerica plan: “Dear Columbus: Let’s make up. Love, JetAmerica” BY STEPH GREEGOR Published: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 6:33 PM EDT http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/06/04/front/doc4a26f9614adc3629458034.txt Yeah, yeah, Skybus failed in April, 2008. We know. We remember. It was a catastrophic, monumental billion-dollar disaster that brought government and community leaders to their knees asking: “What the…?” And now, the founder of the failed discount airline that offered up bright orange planes and a brilliant marketing campaign boasting $10 tickets is giving that same business model a second go-round with the low-fare, no-frills airline JetAmerica...

I think Lansing was chosen for several reasons: Lansing had funds readily available for an entrant like JetAmerica. Lansing is terribly underserved for their catchment area, and has seen several carriers pull out of the market in recent months. Lansing's more centralized location will help it pull potential customers from more of the state than Flint could. Lansing has no low fare service by any airline. Flint already has low fare service via AirTran to Atlanta and Orlando, as well as weekend service to Tampa and Ft. Myers. It certainly WAS, back in the early 2000s. Actually, both FNT and CAK mirrored each other for several years as AirTran came in and stimulated both markets to the point that both were ranked among the fastest growing airports in the nation. As far as I know, FNT no longer ranks as one the fastest growing airports as air travel all around has softened and Flint has lost some service, including mainline jets to DTW, point-to-point service by Northwest to Florida, as well as Delta service to CVG.

Graphic showing proposed surface lots that could be screened: Slide show of proposed changes and enchancements: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/daily_slideshows/2009/05/CAPITAL_gallery.html I especially like the plan to enchance the 3rd St. bridge. I've always admired the aesthetic enchancements Cincinnati has along their roadways entering downtown. It would be nice to have a little bit of that here.

Small enhancements can make big impact Downtown Ideas from design study could be done for $5 million Wednesday, May 27, 2009 3:09 AM By Mark Ferenchik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH One day, while walking Downtown in Lynn Alley at the Pearl Market, you might gaze up and see a large, artsy chandelier. Maybe you'll stop to study other public art along the way. And if you pedaled there, you might find parking spots for bicycles inside nearby garages. Those are some of the ideas a local design company came up with for the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District to spruce up Downtown's core. "Can you affect an urban environment with lots of little projects? I believe you can," said Keith Myers, an urban planner with MSI, the company Capital Crossroads hired. Read more at http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/27/copy/CAPITAL.ART_ART_05-27-09_B4_CFE02M8.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

Right, but JetAmerica will be flying in a vastly different environment than attempt #1: Skybus' main base of operation was out of a metropolitan area of 1.8 million. JetAmerica's main base of operation will be out of a metropolitan area of 650,000. Skybus' main base of operation was an airport with, at the time, over 170 daily departures. JetAmerica's main base of operation will be an airport with roughly 10 daily departures. Skybus' main base of operation was an airport with several incumbent low fare carriers. JetAmerica's main base of operation will be an airport with several weekly low fare flights to Florida. Skybus' main base of operation was about an hour away from Dayton Int'l, a smaller airport with about 80 daily departures. JetAmerica's main base of operation will be an hour away from Detroit Metro, a Delta/NWA hub with over 600 daily departures. Skybus flew in an age where record fuel prices bufetted the industry. JetAmerica will fly with fuel prices at 1/3 the level they were a year ago. Skybus leased their aircraft and, towards the end, owned several planes outright. JetAmerica's flight will be flown by a third party contract carrier, Miami Air. I guess what I want to say is that while the goal remains the same, JetAmerica is persuing a different avenue than Skybus. Whether the road leads them to a viable product remains to be seen, though I won't hold my breath.

I certainly won't argue this fact. My guess is that, sadly, the benefits of passenger rail transport remains an abstract thought for many people in power, while examples of the benefits of having good air transport are more available, at least in this country. The long haul flying killed them even more. They simply were not charging enough to make it worth while to fly a plane from Columbus to Bellingham, Oakland, or Burbank. In fact, these were among the first destinations dropped when Skybus started down its slippery slope. That's why you've seen a lot of carriers, especially low cost carriers, drop long stage length flights over the past year or two. The most fuel efficient flights are medium haul jaunts. Honestly I think the issue is more so that smaller cities being completely left out of the airline market. As the industry constricts, many carriers are looking at redundancies in their systems and where they can cut without affecting their passengers flows too much. For example, American Eagle cut service from Chicago to Lansing recently, part of the reason being that American figured they could still reach much of the Lansing catchment area through other airports nearby, such as Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Flint, and Detroit. This scenario has repeated itself dozens of times with multiple airlines. Also, airlines do still run quite a few short haul routes, such as Delta/Northwest's service from Detroit to Toledo/Ft. Wayne/Lansing/Flint/Saginaw/Erie/etc. As the airline industry has constricted, the focus has returned to funneling as many passengers as possible through the larger hubs, which is why you still still see flights like Detroit-Toledo. The theory is that with enough connecting opportunities available, that the flight will contribute more to the overall network and therefore make all flight profitable. However, in the quest to filter as many passengers through the largest hubs as possible, a lot of other routes and even hubs have been downgraded or discontinued to maximize assets, such as CVG, STL, and PIT, all 3 of which primarily serve/served short-haul markets to feed into the larger system. Now some carriers have also pulled out of short haul markets mainly due to the over reliance on regional jets. These planes are incredibly expensive to run on short hops, and unless you have enough high-yielding traffic connecting through a hub to make it worthwhile, are a money-hemoreging operation. However turboprops seem to be making a comeback as a reliever to the cost of regional jets. Continental is at the forefront of transitioning back to turboprops for their relative efficiency, which in turn has likely has kept them operating in quite a few markets, such are Cleveland-Erie/Flint/South Bend/Allentown/etc.

My guess would be the chance to emulate Europe's Ryanair, both in operation and profit. Remember that Ryanair does not code share, interline, etc, however they have seen incredible profit over the past few years (though granted the worldwide economic downturn is certainly taking a toll on them too). Also a Ryanair-type business model does not currently exist in the U.S. airline industry, with the closest example possibly being Allegiant Air. In addition, recent contractions and mergers in the U.S. aviation market could increase the likelihood of success for new entrants as passengers are displaced and forced to consider other options. Lastly, it is possible that the Ryanair business model might be more apt for success in smaller airports such as Lansing, Toledo, and Melbourne. Remember that Columbus was already well served when Skybus entered the market, while the aforementioned communities are struggling to keep any kind of regularly scheduled air service by the incumbent carriers. I will admit that I personally do not see any long term viability for this particular incarnation of trying to bring the Ryanair model to the states, however that's not to say that the stars could align in a way to make this succeed.

Facetiousness aside, it is interesting to note the particular grant being used to foster this new air service. The Small Communities Air Service Development (SCASD) grant was started to aid smaller cities and towns gain access to the national and global air service network as well as stimulate lower fares in smaller, more monopolized markets. The grant has been scrutinized in recent years for subsidized service that has subsequently been discontinued for various reasons, including contractual obligations by the carrier granted the right to serve the market or due to plain non-usage. The monetary size of the grant has been pared down in recent years, both as a result of belt-tightening all around and to focus on communities that truly do "need" the grant. The SCASD has had its share of success stories, however. Probably the most easily applicable is the Akron/Canton Airport's use of their grant to gain nonstop service to New York via low fare carrier AirTran Airways. Since the award was granted, CAK has secured nonstop service on AirTran to an additional 6 cities, including Boston and Ft. Lauderdale, as well as stimulated growth that set records nationally through much of the early 2000s. Even through this most recent economic downturn, CAK has been able to retain the majority of its flights. Whether Toledo, Lansing, and Melbourne can witness similar results with their grants is uncertain, and the odds are certainly stacked against them. However the AP story is slightly misleading. The $1.4 million in SCASD grants is cumulative, not each. Also, the matching marketing and advertising assistance is being fronted, at least in Toledo, by local businesses and economic development groups. Further information on the SCASD grants can be found here: http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/aviation/X-50%20Role_files/smallcommunity.htm

Last I heard they still have around 200 employees at The Columbus Center: But that number may have changed since then.