seanguy

Wondering what this Denovo is like? I saw it downtown and it looks interesting.

Agreed that this is obviously a step in the right direction. High St. could not support this, as the road is too narrow and busy already, but there are other routes listed above that would be great options.

I lived in dayton a few years from 2003-2005 and I felt it was one of the most "down on downtown" metros in Ohio. There really is little praise or positive opinions of downtown from the masses, business community, students, etc. It was always "well downtown ugh" A very 1970s/80s attitude I found. I feel that it stems form the loss of downtown's significance for so long and a really shabby economic environment that led to such a strong preference for suburbs. Doesn't sound like it has turned around much. ...yet you hear whats left of the corporate leadership in Dayton...the CEOs of Reynolds & Reynolds, Woolpert (engineering & design firm), NewPage (spinoff from MeadWesvaco) and TerraData (spin off from NCR), they preferred locating in suburbia. ....with at least two of the CEOs or corporate leadership of these firms quoted as saying as thats where their staff wants to be. In fact I heard this verbatim from the CEO of TerraData (sp) at a panel discussion, as to why he located out near Lexis/Nexis, then out to Austin Road area. That a suburban location was sort of a retention/recruiting tool. Suburbia as a "better location' desired by staff was also the justification given for the R&R relocation to Research Park (east side of Kettering) Like I have so often said (eleswhere, not here) the business leadership in Dayton have totally, utterly, completely missed the boat when it comes to locating in the city. The only firm that did do this was a relo from Richmond, VA, who built a new mid-rise downtown. Presumably Vigininians aren't as down on downtown as Dayton biz types.

This project has been completed my friends. EDIT: A photo of the completed 7-story apartment building is here.

Hotel looks to be coming along nicely. Is also suppose to open on time (september 2012) This hotel was listed as a factor in selecting Columbus as the 2013 host of the NHL All Stars Game, as well.

Well said. Thanks :) Glad that someone finally agrees.

Ya I had been in those Leafy Dales numerous times from 2004-2006. My best friend lived there at the time and myself, I lived across the street. It was a great location! The landlord kicked everyone out around 2006 to renovate them into condos (as mentioned above) The project was onto a rocky start from the beginning. The only work that went on for months was tearing down trees and bushes.

Well not really. The infrastructure has aged poorly but the area has become a new hot spot for hotels. Olentangy has received a new hilton garden inn, holiday inn mid rise, now this marriot, and a marriot springhill suites just further south. Kind of a lot of hotel development in just a few short years. Also retail in the area is healthy as are rentals and housing. The area simply needs sidewalks, new street lights etc. There was an article a two years ago talking about a study to add sidewalks/bikepaths. Where did this go?

I am happy to see a new market on this side of downtown. We have the north market on the north side and now this on the east side. I think they can both compliment each other, as North Market focuses more on prepared foods. I really think smaller markets are the way to go downtown. The ongoing talk about how downtown proper doesnt have enough "grocery options" is slightly short sighted. Unlike many other cities the size of Columbus, Columbus has a downtown with a huge, highend Kroger just 1 block south of the downtown official border. Also, a medium sized Giant Eagle on the northern boundary. There really isn't a demand for a fullscale chain grocery store in between those two.

I have been on this forum for a while and knew you as Columbusite. I know it's possible to get easily offended on a message board, so I have no intentions of doing so. I think it is rather overboard to throw you off the bus with no warning. I can see where it can be an issue if everyone who wanted to underpay or not pay for a fare was allowed to do so. I think it speaks to Cota's recent commitment to keeping their buses free of people causing issues and taking advantage of the system. If they gave you no warning or you had no attitude that's different and it’s a misuse of resources intended for more serious situations. The main reason I am responding is the focus many have on routes with close together stops. There are many factors that can be improve, within Cota's operations, and some that have been, such as fares/payment types/cars/GPS etc. However, many of Cota's routes functions as short term transit options for a lot of riders. The issue is that some use those routes as long term transit (say crosswoods to downtown or reynoldsburg) For those using the routes (say number 2) for short term transit close stops are actually convenient. I use the number 2 constantly to go from 5th and high to 15th and high for work. It is a 15-20 minute walk, you can bike it, or use a bus. One solution to getting people out of cars is by offering short range transit options. This type of route servers a similar function as a streetcar: moving people up and down linear strips for different social and economic purposes and eliminating transit time by offering frequent service. I am not sure to what extent you want to see stops eliminated, maybe removing stops that are simply a block apart or 2 makes sense, but if you eliminate down to only a few per urban district/neighborhood you remove the function of the short range urban transit option. While I do think some of the central city routes can be streamlined, the issue isn't making the central city/local routes function for the long range but building and creating separate long-range/express routes with better hours. Or even better a combination of light rail with buses or streetcars performing mostly short range transit. While streamlining it is essential to remember the short range function of the local routes in the urban, dense districts.

Hey, I guess I'm not the only one. I actually did a post on the article comparing it to one NYT article from 2007 and it was all about (duh) the Short North. Fast forward to today and it's not an article on revitalized Olde Towne East, Franklinton, etc, etc. I've resigned myself to the reality that not enough Columbus residents really want another revitalized (or gentrified) neighborhood like they do in other cities. Where these residents do exist they are spread out in too many different neighborhoods on totally opposite sides of the city, like the one transplant who lives in Kenmore Park up north. For the rest of urban Columbus, the only time they'll get involved in urban affairs is if parking meter rates are going to go way up. The less said about some of the local gay population the better. Let's just say every time I've been hit on it was just plain creepy and/or crude. Wow Columbusite. I have been following your posts for years on Cbusunderground (when you went there) and on this site, since about 2004. However, you are really off mark here on your comment. I happen to be a member of Columbus' gay community. What should be learned from this article is that Columbus' gay community is part of the cities identity. But the true general story is that Columbus is a welcoming, generally socially progressive community and the gay community is just an example of that. However, your comment paints a different picture. As long as I am here this gay community will be heard about on the national level. Being an urbanist yourself you should share the same view. There are other things to write about, in Columbus, but saying less should be written about "creepy or rude" guys that hit on you is a sad argument and comes off backwards. Your the only one with an issue here and think that should be addressed not Columbus' gay press.

Ya, I'm with Walker. Anyone that thinks this area should be a "nightclub" district is out of touch with who owns the site and what great purpose the site is presently serving the entire metro. Columbus City Schools own the site and has been renovating the older buildings into new purposes on their Fort Hayes Arts & Education High School. It is a very well ranked school that has a lottery for entrance, as a district wide magnet school. Im happy the owners of the site are restoring the old buildings and using them for such a great purpose. Also, they built an Arts Impact Middle School on the site, seen in the above pictures. Part of the district's long range plan is to continue renovating and expanding on the site for educational purposes. They are looking at locating more schools on the Fort Hayes campus, kind of a point of centralization in the inner city for education.

I find it kind of funny that so many on UrbanOhio.com are timid about roaming this neighborhood. I guess, compared to other cities, I see this as a rough but not scary place. I was a political canvasser and loved walking around this area for voter registration. Lots of interesting people. I also have a quite a few gay friends that have moved into the area. Also, I never knew this neighborhoods name, I always called it "the place south of Olde Town East and east of German Village" Nice to know its name. Also, this area does have lots of potential and Parsons Ave retail corridor has lots of existing buildings that could be renovated. I really think the most potential for a great retail corridor is Parsons Ave, just too bad its not near any sizable institutions that would help fuel such a gentrification. Its cut off from downtown by highways and sits off the beaten path of most of the large employers, once it was a booming area due to blue collar manufacturing jobs at plants south of the neighborhood.

Worthington leans left these days. But it falls into the moderate category. It use to lean conservative, along with many Columbus suburbs and Franklin County, but that change from the 90s to the 2000s. Now with it being 2010 Worthington has been gradually getting more into the Dem leaning category this entire decade, especially for Presidential elections. Worthington has long had a history of being okay with taxation, especially for services, so it has been kind of inevitable that it would change more left. Back to the Continent location. The area has been a "transitional area" not a "growing" one. In Northland area (morse to 161) Incomes are stable, there's not a lot of reinvestment in residential property, on a whole, causing homes to increase in value but by very little when indexed for inflation. There are some nicer homes in the area, but many are average middle class ones from the 60s and 70s and 80s. Continent is, also, right on the edge by Worthington and the development itself was meant to be a "early mixed use project." Apartments still sit all around the retail. If the casino was to come there it would be on that is surrounded by many apartments. I'm not sure that I buy all of the increased crime effect of a casino, especially when residential is a distance from the casino, but in this case it would be a potential crime disaster (at least for those residents in those apartments.) I

Interesting decision. I am for the cost cutting measures, but the district is trying to return many kids to schools in their neighborhoods. However, some of these closures will force some kids to a school not in the their neighborhood or further from where they live. So actually the district is attempting to accomplish the goal but not comprehensively.