columbus17

Finally someone said it

All better than the modern box monstrosities.

Nice to see the trees blocking the ugly from the road! Makes such an improvement!

I’ve seen 4’ crazy enough!

Any lane under 12' is foolish. I hate Long and Spring streets for that reason - everyone drives so close to each other and I've seen hundreds of mirrors get nearly clipped. I'm all for slower traffic in denser areas, but there's some things that are just common sense. Also, those streets may eventually be used as access for trash, event drop offs, or deliveries for restaurants and shops. A truck (maybe not tractor trailer but a truck) needs to be able to comfortably fit there. It also needs to be able to accommodate a snow plow, firetruck, and other road maintenance equipment.

Windows look like crap. The concrete panels need to go. Stop value engineering this. It's a mockery of classical architecture. Spend the bucks, make it brick and limestone, and put some actual meaningful ornamentation on it.

It won't slow it. It will either stop it or cause cars to go into other lanes. I work in site civil. I've designed aprons, intersections, and street connections. The only place a small radius is acceptable is for islands in parking lots. We have software that literally simulates a vehicle turning. Also, how does that street work when a vehicle larger than a car travels down it? I need a certain radius for a 40' box truck or bus to get through, and don't even get me started on a tractor with a 53' trailer. A lot more goes into this stuff than you think. I don't like wide sidewalks either, but there's reasons these things are designed the way they are, and that reason isn't for speed. Instead, let's do something more practical, like getting rid of deadly, impractical, and unsightly central turn lanes and convert them into landscaped islands with shade trees.

The bottom is good but the radii need to be larger on the left side. At least a 10’ minimum, preferably 20. We don’t want traffic going into the opposite land potentially causing collisions.

High Street in the short north at 25, sure. High street in worthington at 25, sure. High street anywhere else north of downtown - 35. There’s just not enough development or to justify a slower speed limit. That being said, removing the central turn lanes with tree islands would greatly help with safety and beautification. Personally, I’d never travel from high street all the way up - there’s many other routes that are much faster than hitting stop light after stop light.

Cars will be a thing. For both people who live in the suburbs and commute to the city and for those in the city who travel on days with bad weather or hot/cold temperatures. I ride a bus around OSU. Some days, it works great. But there's times I'm waiting 10-15 minutes to get on, there's traffic/construction/EMS delays on the route, or I miss the bus by a minute and have to wait in the cold for another 10 to get on. Yes, having more public transportation would solve some of that, but I still enjoy having the liberty of going wherever I please, whenever I please, without it taking more than a few minutes to get there. I see value in both approaches, and more than anything support residents and visitors at least having viable options in however they choose to commute.

I agree, but those buildings shouldn’t be built with less detail and care. Especially because except for corner spots, they only have one facade they really need to focus on. Some products, like 8MM LVP, I can see the argument for. Others, like vinyl siding and cement panels, are just cheap. It’s crap. It’s not a solution. And it benefits no one. Developers and homeowners alike seem to lack pride in what they own these days (the last couple decades). They’re not maintaining things as well and build more reclusive (in opposition to front porch living/street activation community centric designs) that maintain the community fabric and create a truly neighborly environment. This has led to a major cultural shift for the worse. The lack of public mingling even at the home has not helped our current divided world. People need to realize that quality architecture is an integral part of a building and not merely a decorative or auxiliary factor. You’re on track with this - mixed building sizes and uses are very important, especially with creating community streets and breaking down social and economic barriers, but you can’t build them in a way that doens’t illicit pride in their ownership and pride in their community. Also let’s focus our efforts on increasing density in a way that promotes homeownership, not just renters. And finally, renters deserve to live in a nice building too. And they do notice and care - it’s why so many companies spend big bucks on flashy photography for their new developments and fancy staging.

Did you read what I had said? The cost is not always substantially more. Also I’d fully support giving rents a slight bump for higher quality construction - better than knocking down garbage buildings every 30-50 years which is wasteful and harms the urban community. People need to stop thinking short term about this kind of stuff - being reactionary is never a good thing.

No, it’s viewing buildings as commodities instead of assets and poorly educated design professionals. There are numerous examples of new, classically designed buildings being constructed at a similar if not the same cost as their modern counterparts.

I’m fine with 5 over 1s that look good - the problem is everyone’s using cheap glass, cement board, and metal panels. It just looks crappy. Some of the best buildings ever built are midrises - but they have genuine character. That’s what’s lacking.

True, but we’ve been really good at tearing our good stuff down in massive quantities. Also we have enough economic boom and brilliant minds that the city should be requiring good architecture. Contrary to popular belief, it does not hinder development, just forces a change in style more compatible with existing neighborhoods and more supportive of good urban development.

Please don't make it ugly like the others...

Exactly that. It’s cheaper. Columbus loves building urban renewal style crappy buildings.

Good ol Shepherd is finally selling. Or he’s passed and the idiot son is purging the family’s real estate.

The existing property used to by 6 stories - hopefully they add those back and build something on the lot that compliments it (not some modern-looking garbage can).

I thought they were working on utilities.

Also mix housing types. Its a terrible idea to build block after block of apartments. Too many renters in one area...

I think a corner cafe here and there would be fine, but keeping some residential-only streets like that is ok. Leave the commercial stuff for long. And I agree, it isn’t perfect. But it’s an example of what could be. And its aged beautifully in 15 years.

Ik this isn't US but I just saw it on FB and had to share. This is the kind of new development we need. I'm fast-tracking some of my life plans in hopes of starting a development company to create housing like this. We'll be using creative financing, innovative technology, and consumer (and government) education to create vibrant communities like this that will last and age beautifully.

That's what I tell people. Affordable housing is a farce. Its actually a disservice. You're putting people in homes they can barely afford that they can't maintain. It's like giving someone a beat up for escape. Yes, its cheap. But the repairs they're not accounting for are in the thousands. Your car is unreliable and may cause you to miss that big interview, or that all important (and only offered so many times a year) licensure exam. Cut corners now and delay maintenance, and you'll pay 10x what it would've cost you the first time to do it right. It's $300 to get an outlet replaced - just image how much a roof, siding, water damage, flooring, etc is. Plus most consumers can't get wholesale pricing or utilize economies of scale to decrease the cost of labor...

I was a big hater of neighborhood launch until I understood it. Now I wish it was everywhere.