casey

I think this is a good assessment of things. Yes, there is clearly a system in place where those in power are highly coordinated, both at governing in lock-step with one another and maintaining dynastic control of the city. But, like it or not, by and large that system works. I will say though that I find it very interesting to read on UrbanOhio about the goings on in Cleveland and Cincinnati by comparison. Those cities have colorful characters, factions, arguments, debates, controversies, split votes, vetos, etc - all things completely non-existent (at least publicly) in Columbus city government. I actually can't remember the last non-unanimous council vote. (Maybe Charleta Tavares being a lone dissenter on something to do with dog parks?) A best-case scenario IMO would be for one 'outsider' councilmember to be elected, in order to give some constructive criticism to the majority's groupthink, but not be in a position to really overturn the apple cart.

So now Cranley is saying to the Enquirer that he'd like to get rid of the other two existing residential permit zones in the city, but also on the other hand that it might be a good idea to auction off parking spaces in OTR to the highest bidder? Where is this coming from? Most all large cities with historic, dense, mixed-use neighborhoods have some form of parking permits for residents. And they price them reasonably. Columbus has over 30 different zones (including popular neighborhoods like the Short North, German Village, etc - comparable to OTR), and the cost is 25 bucks a year. Aside from people who can't read signs getting towed/ticketed, they're completely non-controversial. It seems like the mayor is just intent on adding headaches and making it undesirable to live in these neighborhoods. Also, it would seem to discourage dense development which doesn't have abundant off-street parking. Either gouging residents with exorbitant rates to park on public streets, or opposing permits across the board forcing people to compete in a free-for-all with employees and visitors just to park in their own neighborhood are both terrible choices IMO, but they seem like the only two extremes Cranley supports. Ugh.

Agreed. It's great news for OTR and Cincy. Kit and Ace are on a major expansion push right now. Other cities where they're opening new stores this summer include St. Louis, Minneapolis, Denver, Columbus (can't reveal the specific location, but it will be Short North), DC, and San Jose.

Emirates carrier to fly cargo to Rickenbacker By Steve Wartenberg, The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday May 5, 2015 2:48 AM Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline, today announced it will begin weekly cargo service to Rickenbacker starting May 27, according to officials of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. Columbus is Emirates’ 48th destination for air cargo and sixth in the United States, according to the company. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/05/05/emirates-carrier-to-fly-cargo-to-columbus.html

Oh, please. Haters gonna hate. They're both nice projects which are good for our state's urban areas and fit into their respective contexts. Cuyahoga County and Cleveland are putting up $265+ million in public dollars for a 600-room hotel. By contrast, Franklin County and Columbus spent $138 million for their 532-room hotel. Is it as flashy or as much of a landmark? No, but it doesn't have to be. It's neither the largest hotel in Columbus, nor does it front onto a major public space like Cleveland's mall. Also, Cleveland's Hilton is not expected to generate enough revenue to cover the debt service payments on its construction; that's okay because the county will use revenue from the convention center to further subsidize the hotel. In Columbus, revenue from the Hilton is exceeding what's necessary for it to pay it's own way on the construction debt. I don't think either project is better or worse than the other, they just reflect the realities and priorities of their contexts.

Ugh that is a really huge garage, and with only a minimal token amount of street-level retail space. I agree with ink[/member] that it should have been designed to allow for development on top. This area is really the 'Parking Garage District' and creates a huge unattractive dead zone dividing central downtown from the Arena District. edit: I just read CU's article where the city says they are not including retail after all. Very disappointing and such a wasted opportunity.

We may have missed out on Stone Brewing, but it sounds as if Scotland's Brewdog is very close to finalizing plans to base their US production brewery in Columbus, https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/the-latest-from-planet-brewdog http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/brewdog-bids-to-be-small-business-trailblazer.123915210

Columbus is trying to do this with a new program the city is calling "Blueprint," http://www.columbus.gov/blueprint/ http://www.columbusunderground.com/green-infrastructure-and-neighborhood-pocket-parks-part-of-blueprint-columbus-plan-bw1

Wow. It's very impressive what Ontario is doing with its rail system. Well above and beyond what any state in the US is even contemplating, let alone Ohio. OSU is already located in Ohio's main city. ;)

It's a shame that more of the near east side isn't subject to a historic review commission, only Bryden Rd and some other isolated pockets.

As confusing as it is, AC Hotels are different from the Autograph Collection (despite both being owned by Marriott and having the same initials). The project at the Anna Louise Inn should not affect the previous Banks announcement. AC Hotels - http://www.achotels.marriott.com/en/ Autograph Collection - http://www.autograph-hotels.marriott.com/

Gross.

Wow! That is an awesome shot!

It may not look as good as the initial rendering suggested, but still puts HighPoint to shame at least. And once the retail goes in, apartments and offices get occupied, landscaping is finished, the LC buildings go up, etc, I think it will look even better still.

Looks like the developers are ready to try again with a reduced plan, http://livetheolympic.com/

Wow. I think this is a great proposal from Borror and White Castle. I'm hoping that the exterior material shown is the porcelain steel paneling WC is so famous for. This could really be a unique and even landmark building for the neighborhood. I agree that the VVC is likely to want at least the tower portion to be reduced, and possibly the main building to set back more on its upper floors. Should be interesting to see how it comes together. Also, here's a larger version of the main rendering than the one posted above. The drive-thru off of 2nd seems like a clever solution, and I especially like that there are full balconies (vs 'Juliet'),

Some ridiculous Cranley quotes in this recent Enquirer article, "Everyone should cease and desist on this silly talk about expanding the streetcar." "It's totally unworkable and financially impossible," Cranley said of expanding the streetcar. "Let's not waste any more time on this." http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/03/29/cincinnati-streetcar-utility-cost-duke-energy/70626318/

I haven't deluded myself into thinking that we've solved the problem (or even come close), but I do believe in the short term that things like CoGo, Car2Go, COTA's system review, et al are beneficial and practical moves which improve transit in the city. I agree that it's the number one issue in Columbus. And that it's flying under the radar at the moment. But, I'm actually glad that it's is not a major topic in the current campaign. Rail shouldn't be a political issue in my opinion. When used as a wedge, it can be very divisive and gives opportunistic office-seekers (Kasich, Cranley, etc) a way to rally opposition using an anti-rail position as a major campaign plank. In a city like Columbus, where a large proportion of people live in post-1950 car-dependent neighborhoods, that could be employed all too well as a disastrously successful strategy. Instead, once the new mayor (Ginther) is in office, a united and well-funded coalition of city government, businesses, MORPC, and COTA can coalesce around a transit plan and push for its adoption/implementation. Listening to the political dog whistles going out, there are signs that wheels are already in motion on this (Insight 2050, Connect Columbus, COTA NextGen), and I'd be surprised if a major initiative which includes rail doesn't emerge as a result in the next year or two. The Establishment seems to finally recognize this as a major issue for the city and is likely to play ball.

This did turn out pretty well. Eridony[/member], I especially like how in your second picture you captured some pedestrians, a CBUS circulator, and a Car2Go together. Great shots as always!

I hope Edwards is able to save the pair of mid-century sculptural reliefs on the buildings which will be demolished. They committed to the UAC that they would at least try to, so I guess we'll see if they can get them off undamaged.

:clap: :clap: :clap: Wow! What a great project for this site. I'm glad to see the apparent success of 250 High is spurring more development from the same team so quickly. I especially liked this quote in the Dispatch article, The demand for Downtown office space is on the rise, said Bob White Jr., president of Daimler. “We’ve had a few office users we couldn’t accommodate at 250 High, either because of the amount of space they needed or the time frame,” he said. The plan for 125,000 square feet of office space on five floors could change. “If one user wanted 400,000 square feet, at this stage we could accommodate them,” White said, adding they could add more floors of office space and extend Two25 higher into the Columbus skyline.

I'm anxious to see if NRI can successfully step out of their comfort zone in Franklinton, and do something a bit more interesting and more affordable than their standard fare.

State to end Amtrak's Hoosier State line The financially troubled and passenger-starved Amtrak Hoosier State line is being shut down. The Indiana Department of Transportation said it failed to reach an agreement with Amtrak and Iowa Pacific Holdings that would keep the train running. The last day for the Hoosier State line will be April 1. http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/03/06/state-end-amtraks-hoosier-state-line/24505977/

Wow. Certainly some big news. It will be interesting to watch how this project starts to come together over the next couple years.

More flights from Allegiant to LCK announced today. I wonder if there's any chance of them relocating to Port Columbus in the future? CMH could use the additional traffic and competition, and a move would better position Allegiant for larger passenger numbers and possible future expansion to markets like Phoenix, Jacksonville, and Austin. Allegiant adds flights from Rickenbacker to Savannah By Steve Wartenberg, The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday February 24, 2015 10:04 AM Allegiant Air will launch seasonal service between Rickenbacker Airport and Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport starting June 4. The twice-weekly Savannah service adds to the growing list of Allegiant flights between Rickenbacker and warm-weather vacation destinations. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/02/24/0224-Allegiant-adds-flights-from-Rickenbacker-to-Savannah.html