amped91

Technically within the boundaries of Columbus, but close enough: Rocky Point Partners, Roby Development start building $25M apartment project in Canal Winchester “Rocky Point Partners and Roby Development, backed by financing from First Commonwealth Bank, recently began site work for Retreat at Canal. The development is located at the northeast corner of Wright and Gender roads in the northern portion of Canal Winchester. It is adjacent to Pickerington Ponds Metro Park and across from World Harvest Church. The 12-acre previously vacant site was purchased by the developers from a family that has owned property for generations, according to Rocky Point Partners President Alex Marsh. Retreat at Canal will feature 140 apartments spread across six buildings. The two- and three-story buildings will have one- and two-bedroom units averaging 814 square feet. The development also will include a 3,300-square-foot clubhouse with a pool, as well as a fitness center and common area with a kitchen. Other amenities include a dog park and charging stations for electric vehicles. Workers are currently clearing and preparing the site for construction. The goal is for the first units to be available for residents by the end of this year.“ https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/02/13/the-retreat-at-canal-apartments-canal-winchester.html

Same here! Perhaps a UO Columbus meet up at some point?

^i tried signing up within 15 mins of getting the email Saturday, and it was already fully reserved. They must’ve been invites out over the course of a couple of days or something.

My mind immediately went to “mixed use” in the vein of Hamilton Quarter, but I would gladly take a more BP-esque dev over that

Wine Bar Coming to North Market Bridge Park “Imbibing establishments will flank both ends of North Market Bridge Park as the owners behind Market Bar expand with Market Bar Vinoteca. Fine wines from around the world are the focus of Vinoteca, which will occupy the south end of the Market, including the stall that once housed Reuse Revolution. Wine will be available for on-site consumption as well as retail sales. Market Bar, which was one of the first vendors to open at the Market in 2020, will retain the same menu, but its retail area for beer and wine will shift to Vinoteca. Construction is set to begin in the coming weeks with Vinoteca slated for a spring opening.“ https://columbusunderground.com/wine-bar-coming-to-north-market-bridge-park-sp1/

Here’s the site plan for that project: I actually like the look of the plan. A decent park area, and the vacant parking lot gets filled in as well.

I like the look, but I’m easily entertained by neon lights lol and as long as the food truck area actually gets regularly used I’ll be a happy camper.

Idk $15 million every decade sounds expensive to me, but the Dispatch only wants to compare the cost to vacant office buildings lol

In a surprise to no one, the Dispatch is about five months late in reporting on the new fountain. At least they have an updated timeline. Downtown Scioto Mile Fountain to be replaced with $15M upgrade, add year-round amenities “Besides replacing the existing fountain, the plans call for upgrades to the surrounding grounds that include new food options with food truck and picnic areas and computerized LED lighting that will make the area an attraction year-round by lighting the fountain waters at night and illuminating dozens of additional globe-like sculptures during the winter months. City taxpayers will contribute $7.5 million to the project, an amount that the city will transfer to the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, which will act under contract as project administrator. Construction is expected to begin this spring, closing the fountain area to the public for a year, with a planned reopening on Memorial Day 2024.” This section was a bit concerning, however. I’m all for replacing the fountain, considering the issues they’ve had with the old one. And extensive maintenance is also a given after a decade. But to suggest we might need a complete replacement every decade is more than a little troubling. “Amy Taylor, president of the CDDC, said Thursday the proposed repair plan became so intensive, requiring ripping up most of the 15,000-square-foot plaza, that it was scrapped in favor of installing a new, state-of-the-art fountain. "It was always anticipated that the fountain had a life cycle of about a decade," Taylor said. The new fountain should have a similar decade-long life before needing any major maintenance or replacement, she said.“ https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2023/02/12/downtowns-scioto-mile-fountain-to-get-15m-year-round-upgrade/69885073007/

Noticed this today:

I guess I don’t remember any bars that were chased out of Gateway then lol

^I wonder if we’ll get a WW in/near downtown Pins? I can’t see one going near 16 Bit, since Frank’s is right there. But more food options near Pins would be nice. Or have WW somewhere in between the two, and have a passport system where if you get all three stamps you get a Weenie Hut Jr crown

^those renderings are from Campus Partners

The apartments at the Ohio Baptist General Convention are almost done, and rehab work on the historic HQ has started. Looks like a small mural on the back of the new build, too. The apartments on Woodland and Greenway are wrapping up. And ground work continues at the site of the future Ogden apartments on E Long.

Hexion wraps up multimillion-dollar office renovation downtown “As employers seek to bring workers back to downtown Columbus, many are reinvesting in their physical spaces. One such company is Hexion Inc., which leases about 126,000 square feet across six floors at 150 E. Broad St. The company recently reconfigured its downtown Columbus office, adding more collaborative spaces and tech-enabled rooms for hybrid meetings, said spokesman John Kompa. Hexion has been in the building since the 1970s, he said. The office redesign started in 2020 and wrapped up in December, adding more standing desks, "phone booths" for employees to hop on a Zoom or phone call out of earshot and a "Catalyst Hub," with a coffee and espresso machine, snacks and a variety of soft seating for employees to have lunch, take meetings or do heads down work in a different environment. The hub has modular furniture so that it can be rearranged as employees please.” https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/02/09/hexion-columbus-office-pandemic-revnoation.html

A good take by Walker Evans at CU on the other areas of land that could be used for the rehab hospital, instead of demoing the historic property: Wasted Space: OSU’s Mostly Empty East Side Hospital Campus “Combined with the nearby Outpatient Care East building, OSU maintains a fairly large hospital footprint along Taylor Avenue (straddling the King-Lincoln, Woodland Park and Mount Vernon neighborhoods), but most of it remains dedicated to surface parking lots and vacant land. The demolition is currently being reconsidered, according to a public Facebook post made by local historian Rita Fuller-Yates on February 9, saying that the zoning meeting will be rescheduled for further discussion about the future of the site. Still, we thought there was no better time to dust off our long-dormant “Wasted Space” series to take a look at the rest of the land that makes up the east side medical center campus, and take a look at which plots of land could potentially be a better location for the medical center expansion.” https://columbusunderground.com/wasted-space-osus-empty-east-side-hospital-campus-we1/

I saw that article come up on my feed. I don’t think I even want to get my BP worked up by reading it. The UD is 100% better off with denser development and modern, safer buildings.

The Cumberland one step closer to final approval after passing the development commission. Next step is City Council. Proposed apartments on Parsons Avenue move forward “Development Commission approved the project on Feb. 9 and it will head to Columbus City Council for approval in March. The Near East Area Commission also recommended approving the project. Suiter said they hope to break ground on the project this year. A portion of units likely would be affordable housing, as RiverWest plans to seek a tax abatement via the city's CRA program. The developer said that the building that used to stand partially on that site was called the Cumberland Flats, so they've calling this project the Cumberland. "It's cool to put apartments back on the site since they were there historically," Suiter said.” https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/02/10/buckeye-ranch-riverwest-partners.html

If only we could get that lucky. Maybe a riverside Red Lobster in the shape of a giant lobster. That needs to be this plan’s mega project.

Anywho, back to the present. Anyone know what this riverfront feature labeled “Gay St Terminus” is supposed to be? Amphitheatre? Boat launch/canoe rental facility?

Honestly, I’m really surprised they haven’t restarted by now. At this point, I really have no clue.

Here’s a little more info on the dig, this time from WOSU: North Graveyard in downtown Columbus to be excavated before Merchant Building constructed “The recovered material will be stored until it is analyzed, and the bones are examined by an osteologist. Researchers will look for clues to paint a picture that could include information about the descendants’ race, age, sex, health and socioeconomic status. Zink said when the work is complete, it will be detailed in a public report. “I think interesting components are going to come out at the end, once we get all of that information. Do we have something unique that we can tell about the early history of the city of Columbus, based on this burial population and this window in the time?" he said. Horrocks said the remains of the people left behind at the site deserve a proper burial. “It'd be really great to finally properly be able to honor and memorialize the people that were left behind unfortunately," she said. All of the remains and other items recovered from the excavations will be interred in Greenlawn Cemetery following the study.” https://news.wosu.org/2023-02-09/north-graveyard-in-downtown-columbus-to-be-excavated-before-merchant-building-constructed?fbclid=IwAR11djtaMdWuHulrmbzOmNlR3qzRbrKrFoDlI4GxTs8lbS3Podfnnpr6S_8&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree then. It’s too bad the OSU to DT streetcar idea has apparently been abandoned, though.

40k residents and 120k jobs by 2040, protected bike lanes, converting one ways to two ways, bus lanes (tied in with LinkUS), creating more retail opportunities (which we’ve already seen one start and heard plans for a second project), create more green spaces, create incentives to fill in parking lots and build affordable units. There isn’t one single “mega project” this time, but these are all things that are needed to make Downtown a good place to live, and I think it’s good to have a group whose focus is to bring them to fruition. It might not have the same wow factor as the Scioto Mile project, but I think this has the potential to be the most impactful plan yet, pending execution.

It’s just lazy suburban development. I feel like that’s about all Bob Weiler does.