Brewmaster

I didn't realize that this would be moving 800 jobs out of downtown. It's not that far away I guess, but I'd rather them build something on a surface lot downtown than on Gowdy Field.

Find me a table Ikea for $7000. Ha! I just checked online, and the average price is about $199. Some are as cheap at $59 and the most expensive is $449. I guess people just don't know what IKEA is all about. It's not pottery barn...it's fancier designs on Walmart and Target quality stuff.

Have you ever been to the desk and mattress place on State St. during move-in week? It's awash with parents dropping $200 on cheap desks and futons. That's what my dad did for me when I moved from James Hall to my off campus house. The point of IKEA is that it's cheap and made of particle board. It isn't built to last, but it looks good when it's new...perfect for a college kid. You can get a desk there for under $100. You probably don't know a single person at OU that has IKEA furniture because they don't want to drive over 3 hours to buy it. That's just silly.

Yeah, but those 10-20k dorm students need futons, rugs, lamps, end tables, towels, candles, cocktail shakers, shower caddies and whatever other accessories IKEA has. When they move out of the dorms they would be looking for desks, beds, sofas, and some of the larger ticket items. It's a big market. I routinely see parents drop hundreds of dollars at the Lennox Target without batting an eye when they drop thier kids off at school.

This conversation also brings in Columbus' ace in the hole...THE Ohio State University. 60,000+ students with a huge turnover rate. They've got to buy those desks, dressers, futons, beds, and accessories from somewhere.

I agree completely David. The only other "destination store" that I can think of is Cabela's, and they cater to the rural crowd. IKEA caters to the urban and suburban crowds that are grouped togeter much more densely. It's the complete opposite market. You'd think that most major metro's can easily sustain a store of it's supposed greatness. And really...how much can a big box store really cost to construct? I don't know what thier financial situation is, but if I were running the company, I'd have to seriously think about issuing stock to raise capital for rapid growth. With all the buzz around, you'd think it would be the perfect time.

All of this talk makes me realize how inept the management at IKEA is. If you're store is so great, then build four of them! One in Cincy, Columbus, Cleveland, and Indy. If metros of 2,000,000+ people can't sustain one of your stores, then I don't think that I want to shop there. I don't buy all of the "destination store" talk either. The american consumer has proven that if you make things convenient for them, they will reward you with huge sales (see: Walton, Sam). If they're going to build 5 stores per year, why not start in Ohio/Indiana and start building out? It would certainly be a good idea from a supply chain perspective.

So Ross fired 250 people last year...is rehiring 100 people...and wants these 100 "new" jobs to qualify for an incentive package?!?! That's criminal.

That isn't a nuke plant. It's coal fired. ;)

Another example of the effect of sprawl. It really takes a toll on a city's budget when you have to run expensive sewer lines and sidewalks to every spaced out house. It would be much cheaper to run it to a single highrise.

Don't forget RiverSouth and all of those surface lots that will be developed. That will fill a huge void between the heart of downtown and the riverfront. I think that, coupled with a streetcar line, will be the formal tipping point.

It's nowhere near critical mass yet. The mayor's goal is to add 10k new units by 2012. That should add around 15k residents to the already 3.5k that already were there. It's getting really nice in pockets (german village, brewery district, victorian village, short north) but downtown proper is still dead after 6. Give it a few more years and a few thousand more units and we'll see some great things. I really believe that.

Three blocks! Try two! ;) Just trying to get a little plug in for my condo. I don't really think we need to have another grocery store downtown. Kroger is within walking distance to a few condos/apartments, and will be extremely accessible once that streecar line gets built :). It's also a closer car ride than the vast majority of suburbanites have.

That's a promising little tidbit. Although in typical Columbus fasion, it's being met with opposition. "We love our cars and will fight any developments that threaten them!"

From www.thebuggyworks.com Word on the street is that Kyle Katz unveiled conceptual drawings of the 23 story tower at the City Hop tour this past weekend.

http://www.snponline.com/NEWS6-14/6-14_colstreetcars.htm Streetcar lines could extend well outside Downtown Lines should run to "visually rewarding" places to attract riders, an official said. By JENNIFER WRAY Although it's described as a Downtown system, early visions of a streetcar system in Columbus have it operating as far north as the Ohio State University area, south past German Village, into the Arena District and on the city's West Side. Franklin Conaway, project supervisor for the Downtown Streetcar Working Group, presented a collection of routes fashioned from the members' suggestions during the group's June 6 meeting. Members then rated each of the potential routes. The scorecards will be discussed at the group's next meeting, scheduled for later this month. ...

That's what I thought when I read it. I think Portland is just trying to get cute with thier laws to keep thier rep as being progressive about these issues. This law is backwards though. Don't expect many hybrids to be sold in Portland if it happens.

I just drove around the site the other day. Besides it's proximity to the river, the best thing about this site are the views of downtown. Phenomenal! That black and white picture doesn't do it justice. They're well on thier way to digging out the lakes and tearing down old warehouses. Now if only they can get rid of those few thousand beat up cars. :)

I just read a story on the cover of the German Village Gazette about the split. It said that ODOT finally stepped up and took the uber crappy Grand Boulevard scheme off the table. It will now focus on the Livingston/Fulton and Fulton/Mound plans. I couldn't find anything on the www.snponline.com website.

KJP - Thanks for continuously posting good articles in this thread. I've become extremely interested in peak oil once I found out about it. I just finished "Twilight in the Desert" by Matthew Simmons. Great peice of work. Very technical (right up my alley), and very informative. I especially liked his final chapter about how he thinks things will play out. I think he's right on the mark about the importance of telecommuting, mass transit, and living closer to work. Do you, or anyone else, have any other suggested reading? I was thinking about "The Party's Over" by Heinberg, or "The Coming Economic Collapse" by Leeb.

I remember reading that 15k was the tipping point for a downtown resident population. Can't remember where I read that though!

I agree. To bring a coal fired locamotive to within current emissions regulations would be rediculously costly. It would probably need to consist of many cars of pollution control equipment behind the main locamotive. The best way to do it is to let the big boys handle it and put the juice out on the rails or overhead lines. -or- Build coal to liquids plants to make coal-derived diesel fuel. This could power the existing fleet on a domestic energy source. Of course, it would shrink that 250 year coal reserve significantly.

^ Very true. I guess I didn't consider that wires are a much more efficient carrier of energy than hydrogen via water electrolysis.

Hydrogen is just an energy carrier. You need to put energy into making it from water, then you get that energy right back when you combust it (turn it back into water). There are also some losses along the way thanks to the laws of thermodynamics. Hydrogen can also be generated from hydrocarbon sources (coal, oil, etc...), but in that case, the hydrocarbon fuel is your "energy source", not hydrogen. Our most viable alternatives are probably a combination of coal (to electricity and transportation liquids), nuclear (fission and in the future, hopefully fusion), natural gas, wind, hydro (mostly tapped out), solar, cellulosic ethanol, biomass combustion, and geothermal. Eventually we'll also run out of coal, uranium, and natural gas, so those aren't sustainable. You'll notice that many things on that list are electicity generators, and I assume you're talking about transportation fuels. Well, electricity can be used to get hydrogen from water and "carry" the energy to the transportation sector.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060607/greenspan_oil.html?.v=8 AP Greenspan: Energy Costs May Stunt Economy Wednesday June 7, 11:37 am ET By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press Writer Greenspan: U.S. Has Weathered High Oil Prices, but Some Adverse Impact Beginning to Show WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday that while the country has been able to absorb sharp increases in oil prices, high energy costs are beginning to stunt economic growth. But he also said sharply higher oil prices have not produced any "serious erosion" of world economic activity. "The United States, especially, has been able to absorb the huge implicit tax of rising oil prices so far," Greenspan told a Senate hearing. It was his first appearance before Congress since leaving the Federal Reserve in January. ... More at: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060607/greenspan_oil.html?.v=8