seanguy

sweet!

Im in Phoenix now and I just read this, actually good news. I'll be glad to come home and see that all four of the buildings are gone to make ready for the new buildings ready to go up at Broad and High. If you notice that chicago style skyscraper next to the buildings has also begun work to transform it into condos (8 On The Square.) Those light posts are only on four places, each around the state house. You don't really notice them in person, there's too much too look at around you, but I don't know why they ever put them there.

Ya there's too many cabs in northern downtown, club/nightlife areas, up to the short north and university district, but outside of that at night Taxi's are more scarce. Especially in the central business area, like Capital Square.

This is positive news overall. Plus the central old city with its liberal mindset will have a field day with this one. I can't wait to join the protests.! And yes the Arnold classic attracts up to more than 60,000 people. Each year is bigger and brings more and more Olympic Champions and celebs. And that comment on 60,000 people not meeting anywhere other than the shoe. Try almost 100,000 meeting here for Gay Pride each year. Now thats's progressive. Cleveland and Cincinnati can get even barely 20,000 to theirs.

These are not ugly normal billboards. These are large art/advertising signs that take up the side of large downtown builidings. These are like those in Chicago, LA, NY, and Toronto. The reason some consider these not to be ads is that they are literally flat on the building and do not feature the companies name very largely. They are more about the image and the "hip" aspect. If anyone does have a pic of these post some. I really like the one featuring the Nationwide ad on the side of the Atlas Butler Building. I think there's a pic here on the downtown Columbus section of the site. Also, the mini cooper ad is good. Columbus just started getting this type of downtown advertising last year and already there is plans to add more, of course, this will be halted if ODOT gets its way.

Oh come on what idiots in Franklinton! That neighborhood accounts for the opinion of like 1 percent of the city. Living near the Arena District and downtown I can say that moving the stadium is a great idea, brings more people into downtown, and will be the best way to centralize the team so others in nice areas of Columbus will maybe care more about a minor league.

Luckily all of the Limited chain stores remain at the mall, 21 Forever, American Eagle and a few other chains. If the mall is smart they will try to keep the remaining key stores and renovate now maybe lowering the number of retail spaces or closing the third level and adding stores that appeal to vistors and people who live and or work downtown. I live just down the street from the mall and still make trips to Express because its convenient. I feel it will be hard for Kaufmans to stay afloat without a major mall supporting it, but I hope somehow they can lure customers without the mall connection being strong. Also, someone said they should add a hotel etc, when City Center was built the Hyatt on Capital Square was part of the project and is still connected to to the mall and the Ohio Theater.

Merion Village is west of Parsons Ave. Between Parsons and High St. so its not the slightly shady area your thinking of. There's an outstanding amount of development in the neighborhoods surrounding downtown. If Columbus' old city limits has lost some population that is the near east side areas. The amount of development that is occurring in the urban neighborhoods in the central city (Brewery District, Merion Village, Short North, Victorian Village, downtown, Italian Village, Olde Town East and near Franklin Conservatory) is at a level unheard of in the Columbus' recent history and will be enough to offset any previous population lost.

god that makes me want to vomit

I read an article on Springfields efforts. The other one wasnt as great though. It was about how the city wants to destroy older housing and buildings near the city center to build a new hospital of some sort. If someone has that article was sad but interesting.

i was just getting on here to post this article This is VERy good news. The condos w/ the 50 whatever parking lot is actually the short norths last boarded up building. The building stretches for a good half block or so and is an eyesore that i have been praying to have repaired. For those who dont live in Columbus it is hard to understand that the announced projects are like the "finishing touch" to the short north. I just wonder where you will have to park if you live in the Yukon lofts in the old Functional Furnishings building? Im sitting in Cup O Joe MoJoe Lounge across from the building right now and dont see any parking here. Maybe it will be a "real" urban loft with no parking.

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/01/24/daily5.html?jst=b_ln_hl

LATEST NEWS 4:06 PM EST Monday Commissioners to vote on courthouse site http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/01/24/daily5.html?jst=b_ln_hl The Franklin County Commissioners said Monday they are poised to buy a site for a new Hall of Justice for $10.9 million. The site, currently a surface parking lot, is between Mound and Main streets and High and Front streets. It is owned by the family of Geraldine and the late Jerome Schottenstein, founder of Schottenstein Stores Corp. The county needs a new Hall of Justice to relieve its crowded court system, the commissioners said. The overall cost for the project will be is estimated at $110 million. -------------- All I can say is Thank you! Those parking lots are the ones right across from the Westin Hotel and have been driving me nuts forever. I've been hoping this project would come through.

Ugh ya seeing them all at once is no issue. The ticket monitor that has been on the Woolworth building is at the intersection of high street and state street. It is turned so you can see it as driving south on high and coming down state. The huge TV screen is literally facing and right across this 8 on the Square project, on the corner of broad and high. Also, the monitor on the Woolworth building opened in December and because of the long straight nature of high street can be seen for quite a distance. I can see the monitor in the Short North and as driving into downtown past the Arena District.

City Center was COlumbus' main mall wehn it opened. Everyone would drive downtown to go to the mall becasue it has stores that were new to the region. Then as Columbus' continued to boom and attract newer retail Tuttle, then easton and polaris came along. Most of the city travels to those retial centers. City Center can only depend upon the urban population that is very very close to the mall and downtown. This gives the mall a market that is too small to keep national retailers. The only hope are the limited store brands that are still in the mall and Banna Republic that appeal to daytime business workers in downtown.

FINALLY! PUBLIC Broad & High Casto Renovation Meeting Jan 6, 2005 As the rest of downtown columbus sees some nice renovations and newbuilds, one corner sits as it has for a few years. That is vacant and ugly. I am talking about the group of buildings owned by CASTO at Broad and High St. Now this could be a little bit more understandable if it was a different part of the city but this is the intersection of Columbus. If anyone has a pic of this eyesore please post. Already on this site is CASTO's grand plans announced earlier in 2004 for the buildings. Composed in this corner is 3 smaller buildings and two of the first highrises in the city. Those are proposed to become condominums. Ya all sounds grand but not when Casto is the company we are relying on to do this renovation. Casto's urban sucess are limited to really nothing. They are the Columbus' based company who opened some of the first strip malls in the country. They own many in Ohio and have developed more urban sprawl based residential development in the past few years. This is also the company who failed to revive the Senaca Hotel into apartments. Now the Phildelphia based company will do this. They also proposed new apartments next to the city center parking lot and the Great Southern Hotel. This was in 2003 and they claimed construction would occur this OCT. Has it? NO I have always wanted to express my opinions on Casto and this projet. Well now we have our chance. If we can have a strong turnout and give our opinions maybe this major renovation will happen. The project has recieved brownfield funds and all paperwork is on file in the main library. Also, a public meeting has been scheduled and they want the public's input on the buildings. A sign, with very small print, has been posted on the rusting scaffolding outside the buildings. I will post the exact location for the meeting on here soon but until then the meeting will be on January 6th link to project plans http://www.donmcasto.com/lsc/indev.asp

the tv at state and high is open and looks great btw

UMM going back to the original intention of this post... Has columbus felt there being no NHL? yes but there is more than enough to counter balance it First, there are so many cities with pro teams that are way smaller than columbus it should be no surprise the city can support pro teams. A pro football team may be a different story but pro sports in general theres more than enough people to support teams There isn't just one pro place as the crew had the first only soccer stadium in the country. And the facts on the old hockey league in the 60s are right. Now I live in the city and the nationwide arena is not sitting empty. (person up there who said that obviously doesnt do anything in downtown or he would know different) There have been other events and there is A LOT of clubs bars in the city and around the city that are pumping and full almost everynite. As far as the restaurants in the arena district of course they will loose money but people still go to them, business, people going out for a different experience, or to go to the arena grand movie theater as its the best one in the city. Also right now downtown is full of entertainment events. How many people here actually knew about these events before talking about NHL being the only draw in downtown, im not sure... The Radio City Music Hall Rocketts at the Ohio (WHICH actually was produced in Columbus in the arena district as was the Boston's and st.louis productions) two musicals Miss Saigon and the producers those just in Dec at the palace, the nutcracker at the Ohio, and the southern with a Christmas carol. Then two theater companies are using the riffe center. Plus nationwide has a circus for a week or so. PromoWest Pavilion in the arena district is always having concerts and draws people who eat in the district So there's a lot of events drawing people, in the winter months, to downtown. And with some AFL starting up the arena district isn't hurting that bad at all. Not to mention the area of high street just north of the arena district has seen the opening of about 4-5 restaurants/stores alone in the past 4 months, which all seem to be doing pretty well, I would say the draw for downtown business has been underestimated and is now more accurately reaching its potential.

ya crate & barrel is opening their Columbus eason location. Im not too big on the idea thou because it is taking theplace of VIrgin Record Store which I would much rather have

either if you have em? thanks i just got the email so far been too busy to look for the others

For now I just sent the email to the mayor's email that I found somewhere on the Columbus' website. [email protected] I’m still looking for a mailing address. I’m assuming its also on the site on the mayor's page on the city site. About urban sprawl and containing new development...if you think about it the city works both ways. I'm not sure about what you meant by "sprawl?" There is a great amount of urban control on older areas and renovation, however, all of the newer parts of the city has been built in a post world war two “suburban style." Still most of the urban areas are in way better shape today than they have been for years. Nice urban neighborhoods exist that did not 10 years ago. And as those areas become mainstream commercialized the bohemian renovation crowed moves on to their next projects. In 1990 100,000 people alone were added to the city limits. The sprawl isn’t typical sprawl as in other cities. Most cities peaked at an older time and experience a leave of their general population to new suburbs. However, Columbus' population that is residing in the newly developed areas was non existent 10,20,30, years ago. Yes the central city has lost population(after 1971) but for awhile it has been slowly gaining. When a city and metropolitan area experience such a growth and increase in population the people have to live somewhere. Columbus decided to build low-density. In this manner the city is "sprawling." Starting in 2002 or 2003 Columbus city limits experienced more housing unit growth than anywhere else in Franklin county. This is the first time since 1980 something. Hopefully, the city can expand on this trend and at least maintain the part of the city that has been developed. If we don’t, eventually, future development wont be in the Columbus city limits (unlike Easton, Polaris, Tuttle which were in the limits.) The main difference is that Columbus' sprawling nature is mostly due to an infiltration of new business and jobs. An economy exists that was hardly apparent years ago. The economic changes occurred and created a sprawl that is not entirely due to a population shift. If the city had decided to build dense and all of the cities commercial points were combined into one can you imagine how amazing it would be. Sadly this isn’t how things happened but it's also why the city has survived. A bigger push is being done in the city for urban development than I imagined would occur. In the urban neighborhoods it’s been happening on its own for years and is picking up at an astonishing rate. In downtown the city has taken the initiative.

half of the project is paid for by the federal government, the other half must be funded by COTA. This obviously means the tax increase. The ironic thing is that the first lightrail project is going to cost less than the expected 700million plus to widen I70. It is going to be nearly impossible to widen 70 without somehow impacting German Village/Livingston Ave. If they can manage this time think about 20 years when "traffic is too bad" again and we have to pay for another one billion to dig underground. ODOT looked at digging another I70 under the present and the price would be over one billion in 2004. I wish COTA would approach and work with ODOT and do a light rail east and west and north and south. Both lines could be built for just a little over the price of the single I70 project. Obviously in the long run billions would be saved on highway projects and ridership would increase and highway congestion decrease. This is just my dream world though. We will be lucky if we can get franklin county to vote yes on the downtown/north line in the fall 2005. Does anyone know the amount it failed by last time it was on the ballot in 1999?

I am writing a letter to the historic commission and the mayor. As acres of previous farmland is developed the city doesn’t object and say expanding is bad instead they say its part of the future. After watching Columbus expand into more and more sprawling low-density development it would only be more than ironic to question building a new residential building on a parcel of land in downtown. The building is still within the boundaries of those highways that cut around the city. I hardly see how this project should be in question at all. The commission must have forgotten the biggest slab of modern architecture, the convention center, is just feet away.

Issue one is from a cincinnati based group. Im guessing that has a lot to do with it. There seems to be a high concentration of strong conservative issue groups. Just seeing all the bush signs driving through the area makes me sick. Even my gay friends from there tell me how many people are for bush and gay in the area. I had my kerry/edwards bumper sticker messed with on the back of my car around dayton where i go to school. They also keyed the back of my car in several spots.

Found this one, very random never heard of it before. Developer rethinks tower Brian R. Ball Business First A Columbus investor has high hopes for a 13-story condominium tower near downtown's North Market, even though a Historic Resources Commission review considers the project too tall. Developer Tony Sharp, who controls the properties at 504 N. Park St. and 512 N. Park St. under land contracts, is planning an 84-condo tower north of the North Market. The proposed $25 million project, dubbed Arena Park Place, consists of three levels of underground parking, street-level retail space, 11 stories of residences and a clubhouse for residents on the top floor. Investors from San Francisco and Los Angeles joined Sharp in forming Arena Park Place LLC in late May. Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2004/10/25/story1.html?page=1