WalkerEvans

Who are you talking about when you say "C-Bus"? The city itself? Because the major and council have poured a lot of time and money into downtown in the last few years. But they're not the ones spending money on jumbotrons. The Broad & High development is a private development. So it's not like that money is going to be spent on something else. We're still in the early phases of revitalization but have taken a trend of decades of decline and showed the first signs of actual progress in the past 8 years. And with the way the economy is going right now, I'd take slow and steady growth over boom-n-bust growth any day. It's very easy to say "we should get rid of those parking lots" but it's much harder and much slower for it to actually happen. But there has been progress.

They're not that expensive. Especially not compared to what ODOT spends on highway construction and maintenance.

That because most of the planning is still going on behind closed doors at this point. NRI is developing a plan for the City Center, and the mayor is pushing hard for at least the first phase of redevelopment on the property to be complete by 2012 in time for the bicentennial celebration. I'm sure we're going to hear more details soon. The State of the City address is coming up in just a few weeks. Might have some City Center tidbits in that.

Downtown is historically a business district, and between 8am and 5pm downtown is pretty booming. After hours and weekends the activity drops off a lot, but that's how things go in business districts in most every city. As for the City Center, I don't think any new businesses are even allowed to move into it. The City is running out the leases of the last few tenants and making plans to revamp the mall now that they've finally wrestled control away from the rotating landlords who ran the thing into the ground. So yeah, those problems are being worked on. And branding is important on a national level. But I think actions will speak louder than any marketing campaign can hope to for lifting a city's image.

Seriously. Come check this out tonight. Starts at 6pm. I'll probably be there from around 7pm to 8pm. Take some photos of the area and check this spot out before it gets turned into the Grandview Yard. Also... FREE PBR! <img src="http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3/sparkfinalcopy2es6.jpg">

Thanks for the kind words. ;) The step #2 that I mentioned would create a pedestrian path that follows in the current interior path of the mall which would connect High Street to Rich, Third, and State serving the same purpose that a re-opened Town Street would. :D

Actually, new owners are about to look at nothing but <A href="http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/11/19/SCIOTO_MILE.ART_ART_11-19-07_B1_K18GL4Q.html?sid=101">Riverfront construction starting in May</a> and lasting the next few years. But after the improvements are finished, the Riverfront should look vastly improved with upgrades including:

Awesome articles. Very inspiring stuff. Hope to see more companies in Columbus adopting this program, or other programs like it. :D

It surfaces in the news from time to time. I know the folks at Experience Columbus want to see it happen, but I don't think Hyatt has committed to it yet. I'm sure they want a nice incentive package from the city. Would be nice if it happened though. Would fetch us a few more high profile conventions. Being the capital city of such a political battleground state we were a fairly strong contender for the 2008 Republican National Convention (Coleman even flew to Washington to try to make a deal) but ended up being passed up due to falling short of the required number of full service hotel rooms with any proximity to the Convention Center. The center is big enough. We just need more big hotels! :D

My dad was a fan of desert racing. ;) And yep, that's my real name.

Take a look at that PDF I linked to. The plan is to extend the storefront to high and shift the parking to the side or rear of the building. ;)

Uh. There's a Kroger just a few blocks south of this spot. It's been on the drawing board per the Weinland Park Development Plan (<A href="http://assets.columbus.gov/development/planning/WeinlandParkPlan.pdf">check out page 26 of this PDF</a>) for awhile and may actually happen fairly soon from some rumblings I've heard come out of University District neighborhood meetings. And with the parent company of Sunflower still holding the lease in the Gateway, you can expect a different type of grocery concept to fill in there soon too. These new parcels of land going into the Gateway expansion would do just fine as mid-rise residential and office space with ground floor retail just as most of the rest of the Gateway has been developed.

Something I think about from time to time is how High Street functions as such a main artery of Columbus, and aside from a few other small portions of other streets (a few blocks of Front, Gay, Main), we really don't have anything that ranks as a close second place to it. One area that I think could become a really nice secondary north-south "corridor" through Downtown would be Grant Avenue. It runs from The Columbus State Community College down to German Village and crosses the paths of the Columbus College of Art & Design, The Columbus Metropolitan Library, Grant Hospital, Franklin University, Sure, you will see some people milling around the hospital a bit, and you'll see some students going from classrooms to cars at their respective schools, but really you don't see as much life on this street as you should considering the institutions that call Grant Avenue home. What I propose is a push for connecting the neighborhood visually with streetscaping (more sidewalk greenspace, bike racks, "you are here" kiosks, installation art, etc) and push for new commercial and residential development along the strip. There's a few condo projects that can be found around the library and quite a few apartments as well, but surprisingly none of this is really considered as student housing. An attempt should be made to bring these three schools together to erect several residential towers aimed affordably at their student population somewhere on the north end of Grant. This demographic would serve as the fuel to ignite the need for commercial services along the corridor including restaurants, bars, coffee shops, art galleries and more. A high-rise hotel or two should be considered for the area as well. This area has been branded as "The Discovery District" but not too many people know much about this brand, and the ones who do think it's a joke since there's not much of a focus for what this area is supposed to me. I say we give the students housing and let it grow organically into a nice new downtown neighborhood. There was a <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7424">recent study</a> that determined that Columbus State alone pumps over $700 million into the local economy. Wouldn't it be nice if more of that money was focused downtown by keeping some of the student population around longer before and after classes?

FYI, Columbus City Council adopted a resolution on Dec 10th declaring Columbus as the Independent Art Capital of the World. http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10938

It's already been done: http://www.indieartcapital.com

I'd say the arts scene in Columbus is pretty booming these day. Columbus is the Indie Arts Capital of the World after all. http://www.indieartcapital.com

I plan on hitting up the zoo a lot this year. My wife and son and I got a family season pass for Christmas and are looking forward to making plenty of trips to check out all the new stuff going on up there. The only other Ohio Zoo I've been to is the Cincy one, which I thought was nice, but I'll always find a place in my heart for the Columbus Zoo. Been going there since I was 4 years old, and imagine anyone in any city will have that sort of attachment to their zoos.

Are there any fellow 2012 Commission members here on UrbanOhio? I'm on the "Image and Marketing" Commission. Very interesting conversations going on about the future of Columbus.

<A href="http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=370">Top 20 New Columbus Restaurants of 2007</a> I previously wrote about <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11385">ten restaurants</a> that exited the Columbus dining scene in 2007, but there were loads more that opened up to take their places. Here's my list of the Top 20 new restaurants that opened in the past year: 1. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7058">Rosendale's</a> - After winning the title of 2005 USA's Chef of the Year, Richard Rosendale opened up his self-titled Columbus debut in mid-march to much fanfare. Already becoming a favorite of the local restaurant reviewers, this Short North establishment delivers. 2. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10957">Tasi</a> - Kent Rigsby (of Rigsby's) and his wife Tasi (now of Tasi) opened up their new eatery at the beginning of November, but it's already been very highly praised. Using mostly local ingredients and making nearly everything in-house typically means higher prices, but Tasi manages to keep your bill casual. 3. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9375">Black Creek Bistro</a> - This new restaurant opened quietly on Parsons Avenue at the beginning of the summer, and despite not doing much advertising, the buzz has quickly grown. The owner is also a farmer who provides the local ingredients for daily dishes, and then takes home scraps for composting. If you want upscale fresh foods at a modest price, this is the spot to check out. 4. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6663">Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails</a> - After a few months of delay, Elizabeth Lessner opened her third Columbus restaurant in May, this time partnering with her brother Tim Lessner and Chuck Hootman. This new Gay Street establishment has already become a downtown staple for food and drinks. Don't miss the nostalgic Columbus photography on the walls, the Columbus-centric cocktails, and the sweet potato fries. Oh, and the Tip Top is open late to boot, even on weeknights. 5. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7959">Marcella's</a> - Cameron Mitchell opened up his latest concept in the Short North back in May with enough success to already have a second location at Polaris before the end of the year and plans to expand into other cities including potential spots in New York, Chicago, and Miami. The style is home-grown Italian, and the accordion-style windows opened during the warmer months brings the restaurant atmosphere out into the sidewalk. 6. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9564">Pistachia Vera</a> - Technically Pistachia Vera is just a relocated and renamed version of Pistachio that left its Short North home for a new space in German Village. And technically it's more of a dessert boutique than it is a restaurant. But that doesn't mean it's not worthy of being high up on this list. Dessert aficionados all over town agree that Pistachia Vera offers some of the best treats in Columbus. 7. <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5130">Northstar Cafe</a> - Originally scheduled to open in 2006, the second Northstar location suffered from a few delays and opened in March 2007. It was totally worth the wait though, as the new location replicates everything that makes the original Short North location wonderful. 8. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9002">Diaspora</a> - This new campus-area restaurant opened over the summer and offers a range of Korean, Chinese and Japanese dishes for those craving any combination of the three. The affordable prices are intended to serve the OSU crowd but also give others a reason to check it out. 9. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7096">Pita Hut</a> - Not to be confused with that other place, this new Clintonville establishment offers some of the tastiest hummus, falafel, kebabs, and shawarmas around. The small space opened in March and only seats a handful of customers, but their late hours make it a great spot to get some take out at night. 10. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10974">Gingham Bakery</a> - Brown Bag Deli expanded next door in November and opened a separate business for selling cupcakes in German Village. These treats have been all the rage in 2007, and Gingham goes above and beyond with their presentation as well as their taste. 11. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7095">Ying’s Teahouse & Yum Yum</a> - Another Clintonville addition that opened in March was Ying's Teahouse on High Street. Offering a variety of Chinese teas, smoothies and bubble teas compliment the small plates of Chinese and American food items. 12. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7731">Jeni's Ice Creams</a> - Jeni Britton opened up her third Columbus location in the Short North this summer, not far from her original North Market shop. If you've never had Jeni's Ice Cream, be ready to try out multiple taste spoons worth. Her wild flavors include Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet, Lime Cardamom with Lingonberries, and Goat's Cheese and Cognac Fig Sauce... just to name a few. 13. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10902">Mezzo Italian Kitchen</a> - Mezzo opened only a month ago at the new Creekside development in Gahanna, but is already getting some very high praise. Their menu includes pizza and pastas but served in an upscale setting. 14. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10523">Rise & Dine</a> - The first Rise & Dine opened (as "Peach's Rise & Dine") in December of 2006, but several additional locations were added throughout 2007. And more importantly, the company relocated their headquarters from Florida to Columbus this year. There are plans to open more Columbus locations soon, all serving up breakfast during the morning and afternoon hours. 15. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7363">Costelo's</a> - One of the most interesting mixes of cuisine can be found at this new restaurant that opened on Cleveland Avenue last February. Costelo's serves up both Puerto Rican dishes as well as Italian ones. Where else can you find that combination? 16. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8407">Buffalo Wild Wings</a> - Shortly after the original BW3's located near campus closed down, a new flagship location was opened in June at the corner of Lane & High. This new spot features two floors, several dozen tvs, and enough beer and wings for everyone. 17. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7481">Noodles & Co</a> - This Colorado-based chain opened several Columbus locations during 2007. Noodles & Co serves up your choice of American, Mediterranean, or Asian style noodle dishes. 18. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6984">Cam's on Campus</a> - The Wexner Center got a taste of Cameron Mitchell earlier this year when Cam's on Campus opened up. This cafe serves a variety of fresh casual sandwiches, salads, soups, smoothies, and desserts at an affordable price. 19. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9004">El Paraiso</a> - One of the newest vendors to open at the North Market is El Paraiso, a mexican eatery which launched in September. They also have a grocery section to their location where items can be purchased to take and make at home. 20. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11062">Yosick's Artisian Chocolates</a> - Another sweet specialty shop landed in German Village opened in December that focuses on chocolate treats. One of their specialties is handmade truffles made with a variety of chocolates.

<A href="http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=369">RIP - Top 10 Restaurants that closed in 2007</a> 2007 was a great year for new restaurants in Columbus, but there were also several eateries that closed up their doors for good. Here are the Top 10 restaurants that closed in 2007. They will all be missed. 1. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7110">The Original Wendy's</a> - 2007 was a bad year for Wendy's in general. Sagging sales, a potential corporate sellout, and mediocre advertising campaigns left many fast fooders headed toward other options. The biggest blow came on March 2nd when the original restaurant downtown closed after 38 years. Dave Thomas will still be spinning in his grave well into the new year. 2. <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10062">Estrada</a> - After owner Ray Estrada died in March, the future of his restaurant was up in the air. It lasted through the summer but closed up in October. 3. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9406">Talita's Mexican-Italian Restaurant</a> - After a 39 year run, Talita's closed up shop in September. They were quickly replaced with another mexican restaurant called <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11275">Fiesta Time</a>. 4. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10990">Pesto Creative Italian Bistro</a> - In early December the lights quietly went off at Pesto as young entrepreneur Lee Shadle put his Italian concept to rest. 5. <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10112">TeeJay's</a> - One of the few 24 hour greasy spoons still located near downtown closed up as redevelopment near Dublin Road and Grandview Ave gets ready to begin. 6. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10144">Brownstone on Main</a> - After a public debacle involving a closed alley and a half-completed patio as well as funding and management problems, the Brownstone on Main announced a "temporary" closing for restructuring which soon turned permanent. 7. <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8818">Steak & Shake</a> - One of the few 24/7 sit-down dining options on campus closed up this past summer leaving students with one less place to score a greasy late night "fourth meal". 8. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10281">8</a> - This Short North eatery closed up after one year due to an unrenewable lease. 2008 may see 8 relocate nearby. 9. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6961">Red Star Tavern</a> - After a very short run, this Arena District restaurant closed up in February and was quickly replaced by "TBD Tavern" (yes, TBD stood for To Be Determined). TBD didn't last long and closed in May, but now a <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11343">Boston's Pizza</a> is scheduled to be opening there soon. 10. <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7714">Fuddruckers</a> - In April, Fuddruckers pulled the plug on all four of their Columbus locations at once. Fortunately there are still hundreds of places to find good hamburgers in central Ohio. Which of these closed restaurants will you miss the most? What new types of restaurants would you like to see open in 2008?

I'm the guy on the left. Hooray for all the snow lately, eh? <img src="http://photos-616.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v181/154/96/502607616/n502607616_644609_8164.jpg">

Yeah, this really went up fast. The new parking deck is underway already. Hope to see some of the retail space fill in around that area soon too.

So, Urban Spirit opened this week. Had a small group from Columbus Underground meet up there on opening morning to try it out. I'm proud to say that my wife and I were the first customers to make a purchase! :D They even made me sign my $20 bill. ha! Anyway, the renovations are impressive to say the least. Great amenity for this growing neighborhood. I look forward to the summer when it will be much easier for me to walk over there and sit out their outdoor sidewalk space to enjoy a drink and surf the net on their wifi. ;)

No mention of Junctionview Studios at all in this thread? Weird. Once of the city's premiere independent artist destinations is located in one of those buildings that NRI just closed on last week. Thankfully NRI is playing nice and renewing their lease for awhile before they start tearing this place apart, but everyone needs to haul ass over there to Junctionview before it's gone to enjoy some of the best that Columbus arts culture has to offer. I'll be heading over there tomorrow for SPARK: http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=485 More info about the space can be found here: http://junctionviewstudios.com/ The monster event AGORA will be coming again up in a few months. They normally attract a few thousand people for that. Very worth going to: http://www.agoracolumbus.com This building is also home to the Couchfire Collective, one of the most prominent and proactive Independent Arts Groups in Columbus: http://www.thecouchfire.org

Reposted from <A href="http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=104">my blog located here</a>: ----------------- My City Center Wishlist - A 12-step program for recovery Everyone's got their own two cents to chip in when it comes to what should be done with the <a href="http://walker.columbusunderground.com/?p=135">black hole that is the downtown City Center Mall</a>. I've done more than my fair share of thinking in the past few years about what could potentially lie beneath the shuttered stores drowned in fluorescent lighting, and here's what I'd love to see happen to the place in a nice 12-step plan: 1. Rip out the skywalk connecting the City Center structure to the Lazarus building. It's ugly and pointless. We need people on the sidewalks and not in an air-tunnel if we want our downtown to look vibrant. 2. Rip the roof off the mall. Turn that inner path through the mall from an indoor corridor to an open-air concrete corridor. It could use the fresh air. 3. Clean out the second and third stories of the mall building. No retail entrances above the ground floor. Spaces on floors two and three can be converted into apartments, condos and loft offices. 4. Redevelop the "face" of the mall corridor. With the inside opened to the outside, things will have to look a lot different. I imagine a variety of facades could be implemented to combine different architectural styles for the retail and residential choices through this corridor. The new Max & Erma's and the apartments above it could be in a traditional brick-looking facade. The new Chipotle and the loft offices above it could be housed in a modern steel facade. And so on and so forth. 5. Apply the same facelift to all four sides of the City Center Parking Garage. There is no reason that entire block should look like a parking garage. Thankfully, there is some retail built into it on the Third Street side, but it's ugly and hidden and could use some revamping. Might as well take it all the way around the building. 6. Replace that terrible flat lot next to the Parking Garage with a high-rise condo building. Once upon a time there was a residential development that was supposed to go in here, but it fell through for one reason or another. All for the better I suppose since I recall it wasn't supposed to be more than 3-4 stories. This building should also contain ground-floor retail, and the parking is conveniently already attached to the building. 7. Replace the unused green lawn at the north-east intersection of High and Rich. This greenspace was not planned out at all, and I've rarely seen anyone using it for anything. It looks more like a well-kempt field where a building used to be. My thoughts are to reverse that exactly and turn it into another high-rise residential building with ground floor retail and potentially office space on the bottom five or six floors to act as a bit of a noise buffer for residents. 8. Give people something to do. I'd love more than anything to see a year-round oval in the middle of the outdoor City Center project that would function during the warmer months as a shallow waterfountain similar to what can be found at Easton (only much bigger) and the double as a frozen-over ice rink during the colder months. 9. Other entertainment options sorely missing from downtown should also be included in this development. Columbus needs a comedy club downtown. Columbus needs a karaoke joint downtown. Columbus needs an arcade downtown. Columbus needs a bowling alley downtown. Columbus needs a mini golf course downtown (how about an indoor course that glows under blacklights, is open late and serves alcohol?). Columbus needs an urban driving range downtown. I could see that being a huge lunch-break draw for the white collar office workers, and a big evening draw for those retired baby boomers moving into those higher-end downtown condos. There's many other entertainment choices that only exist in the suburbs right now, and we need those options downtown as well. 10. Fill in the rest of the retail with a mix of traditional mall options, smaller versions of big box anchors, and local businesses. My personal wishlist for shopping would include: - An urban multi-story DSW (they're based in Columbus) - A smaller urban version of a MicroCenter store (they're also based in Columbus) - Another Liz Lessner Restaurant (to balance out the chain food) - A new flagship urban Wendy's (to replace the original store they closed down recently) - A new flagship urban White Castle/HouseofCrave (they're headquartered here) - Several chain fast food places missing from the core of downtown... Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, etc. Not that we need more chain fast food, but there's no reason that folks who live downtown need to drive 6 miles to Grove City just to get their Chick-Fil-A on. - A smaller urban version of Macy's that sells clothing only. - A multi-story Urban Outfitters that carries their full line of products. - An H&M store that sells both Men & Women's clothing (since the one at Tuttle is women's only) - A Pesto restaurant (locally based) - And plenty of other locally-founded boutiques, similar to what we're seeing appear in the South Campus Gateway. - (<em>Note: This list is just off the top of my head. Anyone got any other suggestions?</em>) 11. Extend the reach of the project to encompass the redevelopment of the surrounding blocks. The Greyhound Station is an eyesore and could either use a complete overhaul or relocation (why not stack some office space on top of it?). The buildings on the west-side of High Street opposite the City Center and Garage could use a facelift. There's some flat lots that could be filled in, which would also help transition the area into the RiverSouth District. There's also some wasted space on the east-side of Third across from the City Center garage that could use the same inclusion treatment. This would extend the reach into the up-and-coming Red Brick District as well. 12. Lastly, and most importantly, the new City Center needs to be a transit hub. Keep the COTA station in the garage, and revamp the Greyhound Station, but also run the High Street Streetcar line through the middle of the open-air city center. Add bike racks all over the place. Hell, set it up so that people can rent bikes there, and make the Streetcar pass-through a free-ride zone. We not only need to make the place a destination, but we need to make it as easily accessible as possible for everyone. Well, there you have it. It's not the most overly complex or most unique plan, but I think the diversity would work well. People probably wouldn't identify it as a mall or even a shopping district at all. It would just look like a living breathing part of our city. Just like how the rest of downtown should look.