DevolsDance

It's wild to me that Easton, with more financial capital than most other devs in the city during a housing crunch, has taken so long to get this residential moving again.

The High & Long corner is bad, sadly. If I remember correctly, it was planned as a future phase/phase II of the project, with the rest being phase I. If I had to guess, they saw demand was stronger, got a nudge here and there, then rush decided to move forward with it. It just didn't get the same level of attention/planning or finance as the rest, and it shows. I give them credit overall, though, because they varied the material and height of the High St facade. I wish the High & Long portion had been more of a true phase II because I think we may have gotten something better/taller/unique. That said, I won't miss the forest for the trees. It is a very successful development and it is still improving (Hanks, street tree growth, retail, neighborhood energy). Most developers build and call it a day. Edwards has taken the build it and strengthen everything around it approach, actual investment. Plus, I do think that once that corner leases, whatever happens on the ground-level build-out will help it feel better or at least keep our focus on the ground vs. the whole.

Eh, layout is everything. I lived in a 430 sqft 1 bdr for some time, and it worked quite well. It still is one of my favorite apartments. Truly, the layout and and what you personally need out of a place are key.

Well, the good news is that once Edwards moves forward with the plans for the lot at Fourth and Oak, effectively covering up the PNC Garage, we will always have this beautiful build to remind us of the architecture. 🙃🫠 Neat.

I really had so many hopes for this area, and while not lost yet, it's not trending in a way I've enjoyed. Dorrian Commons Garage - 600 Spaces Scioto Penisula Garages - 1400 Spaces Peninsula Phase 2 Tower - 463 Spaces Gravity Phase 1 - 560 Gravity Phase 2 - 889 Spaces ----- Total - 3912 Spaces For some perspective, the core 'Town Center' part of Easton has roughly 5,400 spaces between the 5 garages and surface lots. I know it sounds like I am harping, but it is insane that they've built ~3/4 of the parking that Easton has here. What are we even doing? Parking aside, what is happening with the design here. Here is my problem, as stated above this neighborhood had all the opportunity, Kaufman took the lead and the others just needed to follow... basically none have. Instead, we've done Arena District lite, but now with the added vibes of the Nashville/Austin podium tower aesthetic mixed with copy/paste quick builds. What a disappointment.

The schematic rendering is basically three completely different building styles glued together.... the facade/materials will have to be doing a lot of work to make this design pull together. Oh Arshot

Arshot? I'm just going to act as if this doesn't exist bc it likely never will.

I just... Hate it so much. How does it keep getting worse. Yeah, I am going to need someone to turn that parking lot into a park, with Redwoods so we can block it from ever being seen.

I dont love Rhodes but it is not the worst to me anymore, The Gilbert seems to be stealing that title. I do love that the Rhodes, of all the buildings downtown, decided it needed "architectural" lighting. It was very much an "oof" moment for me. Anyway, I love these infill projects happening. Yes, I love towers, but these Madison style projects are just adding so much to the energy and urban fabric of the area.

The policing of aesthetics and height is really how every city has gotten into this mess of a housing situation. I just don't get it. If a developer believes they can make a project work and is willing to work with the commission on materials and quality, then let them shoot for the stars. The project really is not even that rogue, we have random taller buildings all over. Such a dumb hill to die on for these commissions, and its even more ridiculous they refuse to express why they voted it down. I have a feeling we are going to enter a bit of a development stagnation until the new zoning kicks in bc I cant imagine as a dev that it's worth the battle/costs to play these games with the new regulations on the horizon.

I cannot believe they're Manhattanizing German Village!! WONT ANYONE THINK OF THE KIDS

Admittedly, I don't love "master-planned" developments as they alywas tend to feel quite sterile. I was quite happy when CDDC decided to piecemeal the peninsula, however, I do feel they've fallen back into sterile a bit. I still have hope because, with Gravity and the Symphony Hall, there seems to be a taste for the diversity I envisioned; I just think the problem is Flaherty. I would like to see CDDC open the gates to other developers and styles, let the area find its own stride and aesthetic. I want them to let things step away from the Easton/AD polish and challenge the developers a bit to let loose. Anyway, is it the worst? No, but its not really exciting either. I think there is still plenty of time for it to come alive but CDDC needs to let that happen... and maybe ditch Flaherty in the process.

I unfortunately will be at a grad party. Have fun all!!

"The plans are still tentative, but right now we want to create a indoor-outdoor music venue, preserving one of the buildings and demolishing one of the other buildings that is currently falling down." Cool, well, when the plans are no longer tentative, we can talk. Until then, keep working and leave the structures in place. I don't believe we are a city preserved in amber, nor do we need to be. However, we need to stop demoing things for 'tentative' plans. You need to be shovel ready before historic tear downs IMHO. Too much has been lost for literally nothing.

Interview in Business First with Brett, dove into some of the details of this sale and project. - Franklinton/Downtown residential is soft right now due to amount of Class A units coming online at once, the office component is struggling - Project facing shortfall on loans with "imminent maturity dates". - Attempts to raise $7.5M in funds to stabilize project have failed, high interest rates and banks denying bridge loans on projects nationwide. - Despite challenges, interest in project from buyers has been "phenomenally strong" - Will not impact future projects or existing projects in the portfolio (GreenHouse SN exceeding lease expectations and project schedule) He brings up some interesting tidbits, which confirm that downtown is still facing headwinds while the overall market (even the core) remains strong. As always, every public/private investment in Downtown/Franklinton will help strengthen things. The SN had the benefit of critical mass prior to COVID, while Downtown/Franklinton just was not there yet... seems like COVID impacts will be felt for quite some time.

Capital is much harder to come by than a few years ago. If you're trying to acquire resources/funding for your next project, you want to have as little debt as possible in your books right now. I imagine Greenhouse will be on the market soon after it wraps, too. At its core, Kaufman is still a developer, not an asset manager. On another note, it still seems wild to me that they went with asphalt for the courtyard/art walk. I understand them doing the asphalt curbside because the city will likely do a full streetscaping in this area soon... but the courtyard? I just do not understand this choice. It feels unfinished/value engineered imho.

Very this. In my experience, the Grandview/Bexley/UA/Clintonville residents are quite comfortable within the city. They grab the bus for games or Boom!, they walk, shop, dine, and brewery hop like the rest of the urban cbus dwellers. It's once you hit the Powell/Gahanna/NA/Reynoldsburg people that it becomes a different story. Way more insular in a way, 270 really is a big divide, physically and mentally. Anecdotally, all of my friends who have moved outside the loop for one reason or another... they kind of just drift away once they lose that urban perspective.

I'm not mad; I am just disappointed lol The first addition we get on Broad in quite a long time and this is what we ended up with... sigh. I am not convinced it will get better with finishes, the best I am hoping for is that it simply blends into the background/dissapears.

Agreed, parking was the wild aspect for me as well. Pushing for that ratio would actually result in a net increase in parking spaces on this block. Clearly, that is what this area lacks, parking 🙃

I know they pushed an RFP for Spring & 4th a while ago, however I don't know where things landed. The RFP asks were quite run-of-the-mill, though. They wanted roughly 200 beds across a mix of units (studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom), commercial, and a 1:1 parking ratio. But again, I haven't heard much in a while, so I do not know where the project stands. Some of the proposals were cool with nice heights (I remember them all being 7-10 stories) and quite bold designs for the area. I hope one of them moves forward because that corner needs life.

I agree; it's a much more thought-out design compared to earlier iterations. I am okay with the wait for what we are getting, just wild to realize how long its been since the first proposal/contest.

... If it had started in 2017 like it was supposed to 😂

Exactly. I fall onto the weird side of quite liking that feeling of urban/density having windows that look out at other windows or walls, but it is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. The good news is the unit should still get plenty of light due to the lightwell and being on the top floor. My guess is once the building next door is complete, it'll sell. It won't really be a mystery anymore what you are buying into and construction noise/chaos will be wrapped.

That unit is quite nice, I am kind of shocked nobody has picked it up but the details do make it a tricky sale. I get the feeling the view was the selling point, and without that, the details just drop it really far down on people's list. It looks like the HOA is $500/mo, has no parking option (fine for me but a harder sell for most), frankly needs to be renovated/updated and is in a weird spot of downtown. The ares is def on the upswing with Edwards but it still feels like a bit sleepy when compared to 10 blocks north or south. If I were in the market right now, I would love it, but I can see how it would have to be a more niche buyer.

Brett interviewed with Business First back in December, discussing the company, and teased a big project being worked on right now, but no announcement or details yet. Kaufman also stated that for the first time, they are looking to acquire an out-of-state property and transform it into a Gravity-like community. He stood firm that Gravity can't really be replicated, but the ethos and well-being focus can be brought to existing communities, and that's the kind of purchase they want to make, somewhere existing that can be transformed. Stated their search is focused primarily on Austin, Denver, SLC, and Miami. Kaufman has a bit of a pattern of selling a property before they announce a new project. The only properties they still own/control are Gravity, LVQ, Main & Market (New Albany) and Greenhouse. Seems like we are in the "shifting/freeing up capital" phase right now so I imagine we will know more by summer on what is coming next.