WalkerEvans

I'm pretty sure the green color is not the final exterior. It's insulation or some other material. All of this development has looked green like that at one point, and gets covered up with the final brown exterior.

The Dispatch article was great, though I felt like it was targeted at people who haven't been Downtown in over a decade (Brioso celebrated 10 years last summer, they're not exactly newbies to the street). One thing the article didn't mention is the great mix of businesses and organizations that call Gay Street home in the offices above the retailers. There are graphic design firms, advertising agencies, law offices of all sizes, social media consultants, urban planners, and more. Oh, and ColumbusUnderground's offices are on Gay Street too. ;)

Thanks for the props. Appreciate it. ;)

You're forgetting a few. Not to mention destinations adjacent to the neighborhood that are still easily walkable/bikable. When the new Hills Market Downtown opens, I'll be just as close of a walk as people who live in the Arena District.

False.

We've eaten here 4-5 times since it opened. Good stuff! Doesn't hurt that it's a 60 second walk from our house. ;) The owner said that business has been good so far in this location, so hopefully they can can stick around awhile!

Thanks for sharing this! I posted it at 11am that day, which only gave 10tv a few hours to do a re-write for broadcast that night. Can you spot the similarities? ;) http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/05/14/columbus-short-north-loses-200-parking-spots-to-summer-construction.html

Unless there is severe fire or water damage, I don't think too many commercial buildings in the area are considered "past the point of no return" for renovation. The biggest obstacles when talking about retail development on the entire Near East Side are: 1. The neighborhood population of the entire Near East Side is too small to support a whole lot of retail... especially non-restaurant retail. There are some strategically placed spots (like what we're already seeing on Oak) but other areas are largely empty (Poindexter Village is over 80% empty now and soon to be razed). 2. Much of the neighborhood population of the entire Near East Side is average-to-low income, meaning that their retail needs are limited in scope and scale. Obviously, this varies a bit from street to street, but if we're talking about The KLD, I'm not sure if it's ready to support even something along the lines of a Liz Lessner joint. It could probably support 2 or 3 more places at a price point similar to Creole Kitchen. The new taco truck (Los Potosinos) seems to be doing pretty well too. I've often thought that Giant Eagle is doing themselves a disservice by not having any presence on the East Side of Columbus, but I'm willing to bet that many KLD residents would love to see an Aldi's instead, just out of a demand for lower price points for shopping. Of course... All of this can change over time, but it's going to be a slow transition during the "early days". The Short North sees a new restaurant opening every 2-3 months, but I'll bet that wasn't the case in 1982. I'm more excited by the pace of development happening Downtown. The new Hill's Market and Grass Skirt aren't going to cater to the entire neighborhood, but they are only a 10-15 minute walk from much of The KLD, and that's good enough for me. ;)

Bwa? Two-stories? It's a tall building with standard high-celings that most grocery stores have, but as far as I'm aware, there's no second story.

+1 I'd also add geography to the list of big reasons. Columbus is mostly open and flat in all four directions. When you have big rivers, lakes, oceans, mountains, big hills and other physical boundaries in an urban area it can create transit chokepoints, highway bottlenecks and denser development, all of which lends itself well to causes for transit development. Columbus can continue to sprawl in a complete 360 degree radius, which it has done quite a bit of in the past 50 years. I think that's coming to a halt as gas prices rise, demographics change and other factors come into play. So a return to denser development over the next several decades should bring some form of rail-based transit along with it.

The Tavern Coming Soon to Olde Towne East By: Walker <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/the-tavern-02.jpg"> The corner of Oak & 18th Streets has quickly become an Olde Towne East hotspot in the past three years. First came Yellow Brick Pizza, which was followed by The Angry Baker. On May 1st, The Tavern will be joining them when it opens its doors at 889 Oak Street. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-tavern-coming-soon-to-olde-towne-east

The second half of the Buggyworks Building was bought by NRI and will eventually be redeveloped... MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/arena-district-plans-for-future-residential-development

Whit’s Frozen Custard Opening in The Short North By: Walker <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/whits-short-north.jpg"> Warm summer-ish weather is already upon us, and The Short North will gain another place to cool down this June when Whit’s Frozen Custard opens at 841 North High Street in the Dakota Building. Launched in Granville, this Central Ohio business has quickly expanded with over a dozen locations stretching from Delaware to Athens and beyond. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/whits-frozen-custard-opening-in-the-short-north

The El Camino Inn to Serve Tacos & Tequila Downtown This Summer By: Walker <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/el-camino-inn.jpg"> A small stretch of South Fourth Street will be growing a little more vibrant this summer as The El Camino Inn prepares to open their doors. The venue is under the same management as next door neighbor Little Palace (as well as The Rossi and Club 185) and will feature taco-truck style tacos served up indoors. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-el-camino-inn-to-serve-tacos-tequila-downtown-this-summer

Phillip’s Coney Island to be Reborn in The Short North By: Walker <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/phillips-coney-island.jpg"> Phillip’s Coney Island has been a Short North staple for over sixty years, and a new chapter for the restaurant will begin later this summer when new owners Randy and Tina Corbin reopen the space with business partner Karmen Dann. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/phillips-coney-island-to-be-reborn-in-the-short-north

Generally speaking, commercial retail rents are cheaper in a rehabbed older building than it is in a new build.

That's only true for the Long Street bridge carrying east-bound traffic. The Spring Street bridge (west-bound) is completely closing next next Friday (May 4th) and will be completely closed for six months for demolition and reconstruction. The west-bound detour is routing cars (and COTA) down to Broad Street to cross back over into Downtown. Not a huge detour, but a bit of a pain, as there are several one-way streets and residential streets that will be used for detours, and turns off/on to eight-lane Broad Street on the Near East Side are hectic when there's no stop lights.

<b>Arena District Plans for Future Residential Development</b> By: Walker <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/casino-site.jpg"> <i>If you’ve spent any time in the Arena District lately, you’ve probably noticed quite a few construction projects in the works. Two new office buildings are under way, one new parking garage is being built while another nearby is being expanded, and the new Hilton Hotel towers nearby as well. There are fewer and fewer places remaining for development within the boundaries of The Arena District, but new acquisitions will allow the neighborhood to continue to grow for years to come. New residential development will eventually be planned west of Huntington Park according to Brian Ellis, President of Nationwide Realty Investors. We spoke with Brian recently to find out more about the ongoing work in the neighborhood as well as what the future has in store. Our full interview can be found below:</i> http://www.columbusunderground.com/arena-district-plans-for-future-residential-development

Hrmm... for a second I thought maybe the signage was inspired by goatse.cx? :lol:

We've got a new apartment/home/condo hunting tool, here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/urbanliving/

American Addition Neighborhood Gains Six New Homes, More Soon to Come By: Walker <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/american-addition-sign.jpg"> Only a few short months ago we were announcing the groundbreaking of four new Homeport homes in the American Addition neighborhood, located just three and a half miles northeast of Downtown Columbus. This afternoon, a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place to celebrate the completion of six new homes in this neighborhood. Needless to say, the mild winter this season has been great for construction. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/american-addition-neighborhood-gains-six-new-homes-more-soon-to-come <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/american-addition-02.jpg">

Thanks. ;) Appreciate it!

Published on March 21, 2012 5:15 pm <b>Hills Market Wants Your Input on Downtown Grocery Items</b> By: Walker <i>The Hills Market is working toward opening their new Downtown location (previously announced here) and is seeking customer input to help them select the right product mix for the new store. The marketing and management teams at Hills has put together a simple online survey that allows you name specific products and brands that you’d like to see inside the store.</i> <a href="http://ow.ly/9NDy5">CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY</a>

Photo from March 18th: <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/construction-march-07.jpg">