drtom1234

Absolutely spectacular. Love it!

Ugh. Terrible. I want Wood/Schiff, but I'd absolutely be willing to take Pizzuti over this awful, terrible, no-good proposal.

Is this your opinion, or do you have facts to back it up? Because I've seen nothing about "empty land" elsewhere in Columbus due to companies and people moving downtown. If anything, with 25K people/year moving to Columbus, increasing jobs, and increasing interest in people already here living downtown, developers should be building far higher than they are.

Really disagree with those who say this is the wrong site for a tower. Why? It's Downtown, and so long as it takes the market into account and is mixed-use, there is no reason it won't work. Most of this area is currently low-mid rise, but that won't always be the case. A project of this scale would likely spur additional development in the immediate area. It's not just about the current state, but the future as well. I'm tired of Columbus playing it safe with low-mid rise projects and bland design, exactly what I think Pizzuti's proposal is. They've done some decent projects in the past, but I hate their proposal. It's very underwhelming considering how much grander some of the other proposals were. Kaufman's is certainly outside the box, but just too small and would be the least impactful. Without knowing anything about NRI's proposal, it's hard to say. Their "historic" description is a tease, because they're not well known for significant projects of late. They built a 5-story brick on High Street not that long ago, and their other recent project at Parks Edge should've been much larger given the prime location. In some ways, I think they play it the most conservative of all, so I remain skeptical that their proposal will be "historic" in any capacity, but I'm open to surprise. Also, keep in mind that all the proposals are just that. Between now and actually breaking ground, all of them are likely to go through design changes, perhaps significant ones. We don't know what the neighborhood/historic commissions are going to say about it. The relative lack of parking with the Wood proposal is not really a problem (from an urban development standpoint), but even if so, it is not impossible for them to add a larger garage. I mean, if they're willing to go 30+ stories, they can add 100 more spaces. A thousand times this! I mean, this site is just one block off High Street, for goodness sakes! If not here, then you might as well say that there is NO good place to put a tower in this city. I don't remember hearing anyone arguing against the Millenium tower proposal on Front, again, just a block off High Street. Both projects are exactly what Columbus needs right now, tall towers which hopefully will spur further development near their respective locations, and architecturally new for Columbus. Good on Wood/Schiff for this proposal, and lets hope this is just the start of many such exciting proposals for the downtown. Riversouth is better suited for a tower, this area is already densely occupied and you really could've created something special without a tower here with residential. It's an already gridlocked area that will be an absolute nightmare during a big convention or a large event at Nationwide. It should've been entertainment and focused towards food, retail and the market itself instead of residential. Could you imagine a large space for vendors during say the recent NHL All-Star Game or the Arnold? You could've put another hotel on the lot and accomplished all of that without adding a ton of residents to the mix. I'm sorry, your argument is that the city might get too dense? My gosh, don't ever go to NYC or Chicago, your head might explode! In all seriousness, I've lived downtown for 16 years now, and I would hardly call traffic by the North Market or in the Short North gridlocked, not by any stretch of the imagination. And increased density is actually a good thing, by any measure. Will there be days where it's kinda crazy down there? Sure, and I bet every single vendor in the market, and every single business in the area, will be absolutely thrilled every single time.

Really disagree with those who say this is the wrong site for a tower. Why? It's Downtown, and so long as it takes the market into account and is mixed-use, there is no reason it won't work. Most of this area is currently low-mid rise, but that won't always be the case. A project of this scale would likely spur additional development in the immediate area. It's not just about the current state, but the future as well. I'm tired of Columbus playing it safe with low-mid rise projects and bland design, exactly what I think Pizzuti's proposal is. They've done some decent projects in the past, but I hate their proposal. It's very underwhelming considering how much grander some of the other proposals were. Kaufman's is certainly outside the box, but just too small and would be the least impactful. Without knowing anything about NRI's proposal, it's hard to say. Their "historic" description is a tease, because they're not well known for significant projects of late. They built a 5-story brick on High Street not that long ago, and their other recent project at Parks Edge should've been much larger given the prime location. In some ways, I think they play it the most conservative of all, so I remain skeptical that their proposal will be "historic" in any capacity, but I'm open to surprise. Also, keep in mind that all the proposals are just that. Between now and actually breaking ground, all of them are likely to go through design changes, perhaps significant ones. We don't know what the neighborhood/historic commissions are going to say about it. The relative lack of parking with the Wood proposal is not really a problem (from an urban development standpoint), but even if so, it is not impossible for them to add a larger garage. I mean, if they're willing to go 30+ stories, they can add 100 more spaces. A thousand times this! I mean, this site is just one block off High Street, for goodness sakes! If not here, then you might as well say that there is NO good place to put a tower in this city. I don't remember hearing anyone arguing against the Millenium tower proposal on Front, again, just a block off High Street. Both projects are exactly what Columbus needs right now, tall towers which hopefully will spur further development near their respective locations, and architecturally new for Columbus. Good on Wood/Schiff for this proposal, and lets hope this is just the start of many such exciting proposals for the downtown.

Your reason for loving the Pizzuti proposal is the exact reason I don't; I don't want another rehashed Aquatechtonica(sp?) building. If they used a different architect, perhaps I would like it more, but I still think the Wood proposal is the best one. As you say, it would be an iconic update of the Columbus skyline, and a fantastic addition to this area, IMO. Unfortunately, I think Pizzuti will indeed get the nod(assuming the mysterious NRI project doesn't), for the most Columbus reason ever; the 475 spot underground parking lot. The lack of parking built into the Wood proposal will, I think, sadly scuttle it. If they were to somehow add the underground parking from the Pizzuti propsal to their tower, I think it would win in a landslide.

I'd be shocked if we didn't get an announcement on that within a few months of the completion of the convention center upgrade. My bet is on the Hyatt; they seem to have a little more land for an expansion.

My wish would be for an underground parking garage with a multi-level market above it. Add in some garage doors that would allow an open air market in nice weather. Get a top notch architect in to give a modern twist to the current market, and I think we'll be in business.

You mean like Northbank or Parks Edge? :wave:

I would hope that the city is already working with developers regarding the further development of the peninsula. Frankly, I'm hoping to hear some announcements in the next 6 months, assuming the timetable holds in terms of the garage completion.

Huh. You're right, but I got the sense reading it that they weren't talking about the Dispatch building, but the adjoining property. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

While that's disappointing that it won't be a tower, I'll withhold judgement until I see the plans. A 12 to 15 story project that takes up that whole block, has ground floor retail, housing, and office space wouldn't necessarily be a bad proposition. Although I really, really wanted to see a big signature tower go up there.

That is absolutely stunning, and a great addition to this area. Kudos to Kaufman. Between this, Two Twenty Five, and their Franklinton proposal, they're doing the most interesting buildings in Columbus right now.

I'm trying to figure out where that bridge is going...over to where the boat house is?