WalkerEvans

Ha! I thought he looked at the glass as always 95% empty. ;)

Rickenbacker is a Joint Economic Development District that was formed as a partnership between Columbus, Franklin County, and several smaller municipalities and entities. Upgrading infrastructure to service what has quickly grown into a VERY important regional logistic hub is going to increase job development and shared tax revenue for the City of Columbus. This is going to benefit the City of Columbus just as much as (if not more than) Grove City.

Well, I meant that was the only real structural problem I see with the corridor when trying to compare it to a High Street redevelopment as you were doing. I didn't mean that the area has absolutely NO other problems. ;)

<b>Fast-casual deli planning expansion to central Ohio</b> Thursday, July 16, 2009 3:12 AM By Tracy Turner THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH <img src="http://www.columbusdispatch.com/wwwexportcontent/sites/dispatch/images/jul/columbus_1..JPG_07-16-09_A12_0HEG3DS.jpg"> A new Southern-style restaurant chain known for its sweet tea has announced plans to build at least 10 locations in central Ohio by 2012. McAlister's Deli, based in Ridgeland, Miss., already has five Ohio locations, all in the Cincinnati area. The company is looking to expand into Columbus because of its central location and growing population, said Bill McClintock, senior vice president of development. The fast-casual chain offers counter ordering and table service at a value price, McClintock said. READ MORE: http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/07/16/McAlisters_Deli.ART_ART_07-16-09_A12_G9EG2MH.html?sid=101

From here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/city-of-columbus-looking-to-go-wireless <b>City of Columbus Looking to Go Wireless</b> By Walker | July 23, 2009 3:57pm <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/wireless.jpg"> On Monday, Columbus City Council Member A. Troy Miller will introduce legislation authorizing the City’s Department of Technology to apply for a $37.9 million grant to fund the implementation of a new wireless broadband internet network aimed at improving city services and driving economic development. An example of one type of service upgrade would be the implementation of new wireless water meter reading systems. “Currently, we have individuals who are out on foot to read water meters, “explained Miller. “This wireless system could allow us to operate a single vehicle driving down the street to collect data remotely. It would also reduce errors and help with compliance, as we could easily monitor excess usage and detect system leaks or tampering.” Other cities have used similar wireless networks to connect everything from police and emergency services to traffic signals to transit system operations to wireless parking meters. “This network will open doors for high tech companies in Columbus to approach the city with new ideas and build applications that we can use not only in our city, but all across the country,” said Miller. Currently, the city is focusing on a three-part plan designed to maintain neighborhood services and develop our economic future. One part of that plan is the income tax increase, but another important part is the streamlining of existing city services and operations to make local government more efficient. “This network will allow for efficiencies that we didn’t have before,” said Miller, who chairs the Administration Committee which includes the City of Columbus’ Department of Technology. The grant submission is due by August 14th, and Miller was confident that Columbus is a great candidate for receiving these resources. He expects to hear more in November on the status of the funding.

From here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-unveils-new-late-night-weekend-bus-route <b>COTA Unveils New Late Night Weekend Bus Route</b> By Walker | July 21, 2009 8:45pm <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/cota-21.jpg"> One of the most frequently requested COTA upgrades on Columbus Underground would have to be the addition of a late night weekend bus route serving High Street that runs until the bars close down. It sounds like COTA has been listening to your requests. In September, COTA will be launching a new route (numbered appropriately as the #21) that will run a loop from the Clintonville area down High Street to the Arena District from 7pm to 2:30am on Friday an Saturday nights. We’ll post timetables, maps, and other details as soon as they are made available. The only thing the line needs now is a catchy nickname. Any suggestions?

When have I ever said that? I mean... I'm confident that the whole area will continue to turn around, but it's pretty obvious that it has a long ways to go.

Fun!

<b>Dr. Bill LaFayette Explains the Columbus Economy</b> By Walker | July 23, 2009 10:48am <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/lafayette.jpg"> We recently sat down with Dr. Bill LaFayette, the Vice President of Economic Analysis at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, to discuss a variety of topics related to the Columbus economy. Bill shares with us his professional insight and research on some of the most important job sectors in the region, the growing importance of the creative class and urban renewal, and his thoughts on how Columbus is weathering the current economic recession. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/dr-bill-lafayette-explains-the-columbus-economy

I've heard that the more you complain about something from the past, the more likely you are to rip a hole in the space-time continuum and be able to undo what's already been demo'ed! :P Seriously though, I like this arts space initiative. It's going to use the space for a creative endeavor, attract new foot traffic, and provide something functional in those spaces until new rent-paying retailers come along. I hope the program is successful and some other landlords Downtown copy their idea. ;)

<b>New Audubon Center Nears Completion</b> By Walker | July 14, 2009 <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/audubon1.jpg"> Construction on the area around the new Grange Insurance Audubon Center has been over three years in the making, and the long wait is about to finally pay off. The new conservation and nature center will be hosting their Grand Opening on August 28th. The 18,000-square foot center marks just a small piece of the larger ongoing redevelopment of the Scioto Audubon Metro Park that will eventually take up nearly all of the land west of the railroad tracks on the Whittier Peninsula. We recently chatted with Heather Starck, Director of the Audubon Center, to find out more about what to expect from this new urban amenity. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-audubon-center-nears-completion

<b>Catching Up With the Clippers</b> By colinpperkins | July 16, 2009 <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/huntington-park.jpg"> After a short All-Star break, the Columbus Clippers kick off the second half of their inaugural season in Huntington Park tonight at 7:05pm with Cleveland Indians former 19-game winner Fausto Carmona on the mound. I chatted with Clippers Assistant Director of Marketing Ty Debevoise to get his mid-season thoughts on the Clippers new home, the condiment scouting report and memories of The Coop: READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/catching-up-with-the-clippers

<b>Hal & Al’s Adds Some Nightlife to the Southside</b> By Walker | July 17, 2009 8:55am <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/hal-n-als.jpg"> The blue paint on the exterior of Hal & Al’s Bar is bright enough to make anyone do a double-take when driving by. The only problem is that you might not normally have too many reasons to make the trek down Parsons Avenue to notice it. After spending some time off the radar, the secret is slowly getting out that Hal & Al’s is worth the special trip. Their weekly event lineup keeps people entertained and their drink menu keeps people happy on the cheap. We recently chatted with Manager Dan Ores to find out a bit more about this new Southside spot. Read More: http://www.columbusunderground.com/hal-als-adds-some-nightlife-to-the-southside

<b>Jacquie Mahan Wants to Share Some Art with You</b> By Walker | June 29, 2009 <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/mahan.jpg"> The Mahan Gallery is still one of the younger art exhibition spaces in the Short North, but they’ve quickly become one of the most popular ones as well. After relocating to a new space in 2007, the Mahan Gallery has hosted a variety of national artists, including a highly publicized show this past March featuring The Cars frontman (and artist) Ric Ocasek. We caught up recently with gallery owner Jacquie Mahan to talk about what inspired her to open an art gallery and what drives her to keep it going. Read More: http://www.columbusunderground.com/jacquie-mahan-wants-to-share-some-art-with-you

<b>LNS: Late Night Slice</b> Posted by cmhgourmand on July 13, 2009 <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/3718451629_781ae6fec7_m.jpg"> I was driving north on High Street – trying to explain the concept of hipsters to my Nascar Hippie co-pilot by pointing out examples strolling, stumbling and strutting along the street. My head did a double take a couple times, but locked on to a small shack with a neon sign, a cluster of tables and young people engaged in food consumption. If it was not 11:00 at night I would have thought it was a picnic. Circling around for a better look I spied a neon pizza sign and knew some sampling was in order. Read More: http://cmhgourmand.com/2009/07/13/lns-late-night-slice/

My first impression is that I like what I see. Semi-dense (denser than most of Grandview), looks pedestrian friendly, and no surface lots. Sure, the garage, could have been stacked a bit more, or included some ground-floor retail, but I like that the hotel, offices, and gym seem to all be sharing the same parking structure, making it more than just a single-business garage.

Some renderings from here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/grandview-yard-announces-phase-one <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/grandview-yard-phase-1-01.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/grandview-yard-phase-1-02.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/grandview-yard-phase-1-03.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/grandview-yard-phase-1-04.jpg">

By the way, I spotted bike racks inside the SW corner of the garage. Which means INCREASED BIKE PARKING for RiverSouth. Would ya get a load of that.

From here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/riversouth-parking-garage-now-open <b>RiverSouth Parking Garage Now Open</b> By Walker | July 12, 2009 9:30am Originally announced a year and a half ago, the old Lazarus Parking Garage on South Front Street has been demolished and the new eight-level 773-space parking deck is finished and open for use. The parking deck project was added to help accommodate the removal of several neighboring suface parking lots that have been replaced with the nearly completed Annex at River South residential development, as well as the new Franklin County Courthouse development. The historic Lazarus parking sign has been preserved from the original garage and added to the new building. Just for the sake of comparison, we’ve included a larger photo of the finished garage to compare the original rendering: <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/parking-garage.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/garage1.jpg">

PS: If you are interested in more info on that Community Access Mortgage (CAM) program that I mentioned, I'd recommend getting in touch with Brian Connor at Huntington. You can find his phone number and email address here: https://www.huntington.com/mortgage/bconnor/ We shopped around to a few banks for our mortgage and the CAM program at Huntington was the best thing we found. Some of the basic details are here: http://www.columbusrealtors.com/16164.cfm

If you're still looking for Realtors, try Joe Peffer. He was awesome in helping us with our home (we found it ourselves online, but he walked us through the process), has a great Columbus real estate blog (http://columbushomesblog.com) and to top it all off, he lives with his wife and kids here in the King Lincoln District. He's been here for around 13 years. ;) Much longer than me! If you give him a call, tell him Walker sentcha! ;) As for the neighborhood, it's really street-by-street and block-by-block at this point. I'm on Hamilton, which looks pretty good. Monroe, Miami, and 21st are all great streets. Some of the other streets have more abandoned/boarded-up places than others, but I think one of the best things about the neighborhood is that the boundaries are fairly small (especially when compared to monolithic areas like Franklinton, Olde Towne East, or The Hilltop) which gives people a tighter area to focus renovation efforts. Hope that helps!

I was a "celebrity" wine pourer last night at the fest. Fun times. ;) Anne & I will be volunteering tomorrow at one of the ticket sales booths. Say hi if you stop by! :D

Hi! Yeah, as rider mentioned, I'm still a somewhat newish (year and a half) resident in the King Lincoln District (the area on your top map roughly just east of 71 between Broad & Mount Vernon). My wife & I picked this neighborhood for a number of reasons: - Affordability: We paid less than your asking price. It's also an area eligible for the Community Access Mortgage through Huntington (normally a low-income mortgage) that allows anyone to invest in this area and put zero down, get a low fixed rate, and pay no PMI. - Location: The neighborhood has a few amenities such as Mayme Moore Park, The Lincoln Theatre, two coffee shops, a book store, dry cleaners, etc, but we're also a 5-10 minute walk from things on the East side of Downtown such as the Main Library, Art Musuem, CCAD, and a 20-25 minute walk from the center of downtown (restaurants, bars, entertainment, etc). - Safety: While the area isn't quite as safe as some others that are more densely populated, there's very little trouble with violent crime. Our neighbors have all told us they've had few problems outside a very occasional car breakin incident, which frankly, can happen anywhere (I've had it happen in German Village, OSU Campus area, etc). We don't spend too much time out alone at night, but we feel perfectly safe in this area during the day. - Historic Charm: The house we bought is a 100+ year old stunning Italianate brick home. It's the same type of place we were renting in German Village, except our mortgage payment is quite a bit less than our rent. ;) - Investment Potential: Whenever we decide to sell, we'd like to hopefully make some money from our commitment to the neighborhood and our efforts as urban pioneers. This neighborhood seemed to have the most potential for an area adjacent to downtown that should see increased property values over the next 5-10 (or more) years. If you take a look at some of the current/ongoing development in the neighborhood (The <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-whitney-condos-break-ground-this-summer">Whitney Condos</a>, The <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-lincoln-theatre-hosts-grand-opening-today">Lincoln Theatre</a>, the <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/city-moving-on-plan-to-raze-public-housing-projects">renovation/removal</a> of some of the large Section 8 housing developments, the <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/welcome-to-the-greenest-house-in-ohio">NoBo</a> development, etc) it's easy to see that there's a lot of public and private investment going into this area that should help bring a lot of new life and energy back to the area. Of course, there are several other areas to consider, but all things considered, I currently don't think the KLD can be beat for someone looking for the same types of things I was looking for in a neighborhood. If you have any questions about this area, feel free to let me know! :D Good luck with the house hunt! ;) http://www.walkerevanseffect.com/blog/who-wants-to-be-our-neighbor-june-2009-edition/

At least half of the businesses in the Short North are restaurants and bars. Who doesn't use those? ;)

FROM HERE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/j-gumbos-opens-downtown-on-july-14th <b>J. Gumbo’s Opens Downtown on July 14th</b> By Walker | July 11, 2009 2:35pm On Tuesday at 11am, J. Gumbo’s will open their doors at 31 E. Gay Street (corner of Gay & Pearl in the former Skambo space) and start serving up a variety of Cajun and Creole dishes. The revamped space has preserved the seating areas both upstairs and downstairs, and will also have patio seating available out front. Their walk-up window in Pearl Alley will be utilized for phone orders to-go, and an outdoor tent will be set up outside on Tuesdays and Fridays during the Pearl Market for sampling. The management team stated earlier today that their hours should run from 11am to 10pm Monday through Saturday, and that a liquor license is currently being obtained. Happy hour specials will be offered, and live music will accompany specials on certain evenings. Wallspace in the downstairs area will be dedicated to featuring local artists and will be rotated on a monthly basis. A wall mural is being commissioned for the upstairs dining area. More information can be found online at www.JGumbos.com. <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/jgumbos2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/jgumbos1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/jgumbos3.jpg">