Toddguy

So when again are we going to get some info?/Census #'s? Still really curious about where those extra people in Ohio are at, and if the pandemic messed with OSU student numbers and hurt our numbers overall. Pretty sure we will still be over 900,000....but by how much? Maybe I will make a thread with a poll to see what people think?

So many great developments happening all over the area! Not just downtown, but in the older neighborhoods, the newer areas, suburbs all over(Grove City, Dublin, New Albany, Worthington, Grandview, Upper Arlington, Reynoldsburg, Whitehall, Hilliard, Grove City etc.),the outlying areas, towns like Newark, etc. It is just so great to live in an area that is growing and thriving with developments happening all over. Not going to find any urban prairies and acres of abandoned houses/apt buildings in Columbus! We need to appreciate our city and Central Ohio region more. But with this growth...we need housing! And especially affordable housing. How are we going to continue to draw in people from outside the state as well as from the "usual suspects" within the state if we are only building half the housing we need? smh.

OK thanks for clearing that up. Interesting that there are no balconies, but it appears that the rear end facing the alley will have some activated roots given the greenery shown(and if that is part of the plan they should be made to stick with it). I wonder how many beds there will be total in the 153 units? It does not look that bad at all to me and I like the way they have done the massing towards the back. It would have been nice if they had balconies or something for some of the units on the strip of the corner building roof whose facade is being saved.

As much as I would like to see the tall towers(I am a skyscraper enthusiast), the skyline is really the last thing the city should be concerned about. These infill buildings as mentioned are what will really make the downtown. Bring the midrises that will bring density, people, activity, and life to the CBD. Yes they will make the skyline denser and all, but they will make downtown more alive, providing residents, amenities, retail, etc. that will help fill in and connect our downtown. The 15 floor proposal on High is huge because it will have so many uses. residential, retail, galleries, restaurants, rehabbing existing buildings, filling in another surface lot. And the plans for the artwork and all are great-especially the thing that will hang over the intersection. On the ground(and that is where people will be for the most part-or in the lower and midrise buildings themselves)is what counts and the infill and increased variety and activity/vibrancy is what will make the city a better place for residents and visitors. See the Short North-no high rises there. And of course filling in the Scioto Peninsula with midrises(10-20 floors hopefully)will be a part of that-expanding the "real"downtown to cross the river and connect with East Franklinton. Now if they can just connect it all with good reliable desirable mass transit! *Again I LOVE tall buildings and have since childhood but I would take 5 15-20 story buildings with mixed uses, activated ground floors, and good designs in strategic places over a single 500 foot office or residential tower with little if any ground floor interaction.

What the hell is happening with the after hour shootings in the Short North? https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/four-shot-in-short-north-cpd-looking-for-multiple-suspects/ 4 people shot. This is the third afterhours shooting in a week or two. What is going on and who are these people shooting eachother on High in the Short North at 3 or 4 in the morning? I mean WTF? They had better get a handle on this sh*t soon. What is happening with this city Shooting and killing wise is disgraceful.

My only question is what is going on with the lower buildings on the far right of the first pic? What in the world is that covering on the lower 2 floors? I can't figure it out? I am glad they are saving the facade of the corner building and hopefully moving the little gas station(would make a great diner somewhere). It looks decent from the alley also.

I really want to see this view when the 15 story building on High is built, along with Harmony Tower!

That would be great...but this is a state building so I doubt it will ever happen. It is too ugly...to far gone for help anyway IMO lol. I despise it so much I can't even find the words...

I kind of would not mind holding out on the Capitol Square site and hope for an eventual proposal that would maybe include a corporate relocation either from the area or outside of it. Something worthy of the spot and with REAL height. All of these other projects making the CBD so much more desirable may help that to just come about. Progress and success leading to simply more progress and success. I can't forget that old proposal for that tower 30 years or so ago I guess. Agree on the first paragraph. Condos, apartments, maybe a boutique/small hotel, retail(including the market stuff ideas), recreation and fitness(like the fitness center mentioned), some office, etc. They could really get a lot of different uses in there and that would probably make the project more viable in the long run-diversity of uses being sort of the opposite of what happened with City Center Mall where all the eggs were in one badly designed/thought out ugly basket. *The tower part of what you posted is what I want for Capitol Square I guess.

With 2.5 acres to work with they could have all of this. They want mixed use, right? And density because it would be transit oriented? There is room for it all here-especially if they don't have to have hundreds of parking spaces taking up room. The land is right next to a 3600 space parking garage as it is. *Also if they were able to acquire the parking lots just south of this, they could go even bigger.

Yeah that would be ideal. Also the idea of a Whole Paycheck or a Trader Joe's(how can it be called that and be a German company? lol)is good. It would be nice to have a grocery store and some vendors so it could be branded as "Central Market"-not a bad name for a development. Reclaim what misguided "urban renewal" took away. *I would probably faint if they let a huge development come about with NO parking...this is Cbus lol. But I could be surprised.

Agreed. At the minimum 12 floors-At the minimum. If they are talking about mixed use and transit oriented they need density and they can achieve that(and probably a decent amount of parking-this is still Cbus)with going big and maximizing that 2.5 acres. This could be huge for that part of Downtown and could be a catalyst for connecting those nodes just south along Main and Fourth. This might even get something like that proposal on the Holiday Inn property going and fill in some lots(like the big ones just south of this site). Fill in those lots and the Greyhound site and you can have a large actual neighborhood forming something like what has happened with River South and Neighborhood Launch. And here is an idea, how about remaking a new Central Market?-something like a baby North Market. If you get the area built up enough it could work. It would not necessarily have to be a smaller carbon copy of the North Market-maybe some kind of hybrid that would still have enough options to be worthy of the name "market". It would only be a few blocks from River South and right by Grant Hospital and Franklin University and right by Columbus Commons. Make it happen for Chrissakes Columbus "movers and shakers'! Move it and Shake it!

I love the ideas for the confluence area, but that tower needs to be 20 floors minimum. JMHO. That is one of the best possible locations for a tower and it should not be wasted on something say ten floors tall. And yeah it will be luxury housing but they should still have a restaurant and outdoor deck near the top. Something semi-circular would be cool for the front of the tower also-we don't have much of that in Cbus.

The city really needs to push back on this and say NO! You are going to have to give up those 7 or so front parking spaces at the street level closest to High. There is NO excuse for that. Anything can go in there to activate that space(retail, amenity, etc.) but parking? Nah. Tint the windows or whatever to hide the cars above that, but NO parking facing High on the ground level. The rest of it? I like it! Build it now!

One thing I don't agree with is the connector building looking out of scale-at least from the front. It is the same height as one of the existing buildings-the old Madisons Department Store building itself. I really like the elevator/staircase part fronting High-it seems to divide the building into two slimmer buildings. Now. build. it. And Harmony too! This will be a huge change for the East side of High from Long all the way down to Gay! Do it!(to the city, developers, etc).

It still does not look like it will be a public space(just sayin')...also it looks like the northern half of all of this will have a ground floor parking garage facing High. smh. Are those really parking spaces showing? Please tell me that is the plan for the floors above and that front 40 feet or so on the ground floor will be something else? Otherwise I like this 15 story surprise and am very happy with it, and can deal with the loss of the public alley. It still looks like there will be a public walkthrough/door? But what is in the 4 floors above the restaurant? Lots of questions. I am just glad there is such a large proposal for which to have questions. With the exception of showcasing the parking garage facing High, I like the proposal.

The Dispatch has updated their story to include a higher floor count...but it is 14 floors not 15 now per that site lol. So is it 14 or 15 floors? Either one is good for me.

Oh happy f*cking day!! This is great news!!!

So do we know yet what is planned for the massive parking lot where the demolished parking garage used to be?(lower right hand corner?)

Well with a mental health center located right at the intersection there, you can count on some "seedy" (looking at least) characters around. Just the way it is.

Maybe they could use some form of tinted glass for the High Street facing parking levels?(It might not look so bad given the darker overall colors of the building. I like it! 15 floors...build it now! I wonder if any of the residents of The Atrium Lofts north of this will complain about light being blocked from the light well there?

The "waiting on the streetscape improvements"...has this been verified? Also this does not relate to the brick pavers in the parking area not being used. They need to stick to the plans or give a valid reason for not doing so that can then be approved by the city. If they agreed to brick pavers in the submission then they need to follow through. Too many are getting away with not following through IMO. Letting it go just encourages more of it. Nip it in the bud.

A "gay friendly" non-gay bar is not going to ever have something like the experience that was Tradewinds or The Eagle in the 80's or 90's. You could take your straight friends to The Garage for dancing and drinking....these other two...uh...not so much with most of them! lol. Will not derail the thread further/end derailing.

I actually think it is less sprawl but more the internet and associated social media that has made people less connected. If you wanted to connect with people(and people did)you had to at least get in your car and go to communal places to actually meet and congregate with people. An example-Look at gays now-before there were gayborhoods, gay restaurants and bars where people would congregate-even if they had to drive to them-they did. Now it is all apps and gathering spaces specifically for LGBTQ+ people have declined. It is a very different socialization than it was 30 years ago(in some ways much better, in others much worse). I am sure it is not just this community that has been through this also. Even in the suburb I grew up in, people made an effort to gather at places or get together as neighbors-there was no choice if you wanted to be social. Getting together/meeting with others in person was just about it besides being on the phone all the time(and blocking others from using it since it was one line to a house...remember that?) The internet has been a double edged sword. Internet plus sprawl is not a good thing for socialization.

It would not be as bad if they put some $$$ into some more mature trees and landscaping in the front. It looks like that will not be the case. Something like what they started off with landscaping wise along Gay in Neighborhood Launch can really help new development. But I guess they don't want to spend the $$$ for that.