Toddguy

I have checked out the area on google earth before. I just don't get the suburban housing developments in what was once a very dense neighborhood-and so close to downtown. It looks like going too far in the opposite direction. I understand it had turned into a ghetto and needed fixed, but damn. If 76,000 lived there at one time (horrendous overcrowding), do even 7600 live there now? Where those dense brick buildings were there is a cul-de-sac with two surviving buildings..but surrounded by mini-McMansions on large lots????? Whose idea was that? Also.. What do the people who live there now think? Are they pleased or satisfied with the way the area is now? I admit I not familiar with that area at all.

Here ya go...... It was the middle photo, with the area at the lower end-especially the lower left-that I was talking about. They are packed in there! It looks like the same area in the third pic.

I was looking around on the internet the other day and came across a picture of the center of the Hough district that was taken pre-60's. I was surprised that it showed entire blocks that were packed with 3 and four story apartment buildings. I don't know if that pic is posted somewhere on here.

There are 4 really obvious problems with that post. 1. The Brookings numbers ONLY use % growth rate. That's really problematic. A core county of any metro, due to its already much larger population, does not typically have higher growth % rates even if it's adding far more people than suburban counties. For example, Delaware County consistently has higher % growth than Franklin County, but Franklin has added almost 5x more total people this decade alone. Yet if we were to only look at percentage rates like they do, Delaware, a suburban county, would be growing faster. It's nonsense and intentionally misleading. The same manipulated statistics are found with Cox's graph. How many 10 million metros are there in the US? 2. And there are only 9 total above 5 million, making the sample sizes far too small to come to any reliable conclusions about their attractiveness with domestic migration. And it still uses % change only. 2. Wendall Cox and others like him are extremely anti-city, pro-suburb. The numbers are misleading for a reason, because people like him are selling an agenda. 3. Studies like this always fail to address the question of supply and demand. Urban areas are always going to be harder to add more housing to than greenfield areas. That's why there's the perception of faster growth in the suburbs. A developer can put up 1000 single-family homes over 800 acres within a year or so, but most infill development takes longer and covers much smaller individual lots. It's also more expensive to build in urban areas, cutting into profit margins that developers want, meaning urban housing prices tend to be higher, at least in nicer areas. Even if 1 million people wanted to move into an urban core at any given time, there is just no feasible way to accommodate them. So a lot of people go with suburban areas due to price and availability, even if they would prefer a more urban, walkable core area. 4. Which brings me to the final problem- not all suburban areas are created equal. Even in suburban areas, there has been some increased push to provide walkability and urban planning to new development. You can see that in the Bridge Park development in Dublin. That's not traditional suburbia, but it's still technically in a suburb. Simply assuming that an increase in population % growth in suburban counties means that everyone is moving to the same crappy subdivisions is not the safe bet it once was. I know you have a ton of data on your site. Do you data for the last few years regarding not only how many housing units are being built in Franklin County, but where they are being built? As in broken down into census unit or zip code? I would just really like to know where are these housing units for all of these people being built? It seems that in the suburban areas within city limits, up near Polaris, north of Hamilton road, around that Lifestyles community area near New Albany and the similar one in that outside wedge between Hilliard and Dublin, there does not seem to be much going on that is largescale. Just some scattered smaller stuff here and there and that has been the case for several years it seems. I don't see numerous thousand house tracts popping up every year in the greenfields that are left within Columbus City limits.

^^ did you check out one of the latest posts on The Urbanophile? http://www.urbanophile.com/2018/03/27/the-return-of-sprawl/ This does not seem to correlate to Columbus metro growth-with 2/3rds of it in Franklin County, and half in Columbus itself. Is the growth in Cbus starting to happen more in the suburban areas that are within city limits-is there a slowdown in the core? Do you have the stats(I know you have tons of info on your site)to reveal any info about this? I also wonder if the powers that be outside the region see this and is this maybe why they are backing off in financing downtown/central city projects not only here but other places? As in they see a trend and just put on the brakes and apply it to everywhere since they are not going to be looking at individual mid sized metros like Columbus to see if it is different? Kind of tying in to the Central Ohio Housing Trend thread?

Around 70% tends to end up in Columbus itself, so my guess is that the city grew between 15K-17K 2016-2017, putting the population between 875,000-877,000. However, because previous-year estimates have been adjusted upward for Columbus, I could easily see the city hitting 880,000 come the May estimate for July 1, 2017. If so, the city is probably edging closer to 900,000 at this point in 2018. At that rate, 1 million would be hit around 2025. Do you know when in May the estimates come out? I still don't know where the hell they are putting all of these new people. I saw that Marion County Indiana(Indianapolis)only grew by about 6,000 or so and will stay behind us, but I think Charlotte and Fort Worth are going to pass Cbus if not this year than next year. It is hard to believe Columbus has added about 100,000 people in just seven years.

^^ I hope they can densify the area by filling in empty lots among the houses and putting apartment complexes in some of the larger areas and help people on fixed incomes and the elderly stay in their homes. If the city is growing as fast as they say we need the infill-we just don't need mass dislocation. It would be nice to have a neighborhood that is actually a truly mixed income place (and not one that is that way just because it is in transition going "up" or going "down".)

Well I searched and did not see any thread for this particular area and there is one for Cleveland, so maybe we can use this one for Columbus without having any problems with any city vs city stuff and just talk about our own area? I am impressed with the growth-over 31,000 for the metro in only one year and something like 22,000 for Franklin County. I just wonder how much of that number will be in Cbus city limits? https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk

^^ I hope they think long term and go big for this. I thought they were going to put in more housing as well...is that going to be in buildings B and C I wonder?

The five-fastest growing counties (on a YoY % basis) are all in central Ohio. I didn't know we were doing THAT well, especially Madison and Fairfield. I do see a ton of warehouses going up on U.S. 40 in Madison County. I agree about Madison....there are very few houses being built out here. That was a big surprise. And yeah, The West Jeff business park has expanded (I live fairly close to it) but there have only been a few homes built near the High school in the last ten years in the area. Just a couple dozen. And London has not built that much either in the last few years. I still don't know where Franklin County is putting 21,000 new people a year either.

^^ You said "THE typical Columbus attitude towards anything Cleveland" in your response to him, not "YOUR typical Columbus attitude towards anything Cleveland" or something like that. He did not attack you-he just posted some info, and explained why he posted it when questioned. You personally attacked him. It was uncalled for.

Your hatred for Cleveland shows every time you talk about the place. I get it you go back and forth with several Cleveland posters on other sites, but again, I don't get why you talk so negatively about a city you know literally nothing about. I'm still waiting to hear about this. And if you don't think this post I quoted you in doesn't reek of being smart, try reading it from an outsiders perspective. "Made a top 10 list..." Don't troll, it doesn't look good. At the time I posted it, it was the only Ohio-related information available. And I just stated a fact, I did not go into some anti-Cleveland rant. Jesus you guys are sensitive. Chill out. Not being sensitive at all. That's just the typical Columbus attitude towards anything Cleveland, and your reputation proceeds you. At this point, it's expected out of you. Go back and read what you said. You certainly worded it to make a negative point towards Cleveland. Try again. Your hatred for Cleveland shows every time you talk about the place. I get it you go back and forth with several Cleveland posters on other sites, but again, I don't get why you talk so negatively about a city you know literally nothing about. I'm still waiting to hear about this. And if you don't think this post I quoted you in doesn't reek of being smart, try reading it from an outsiders perspective. "Made a top 10 list..." Don't troll, it doesn't look good. At the time I posted it, it was the only Ohio-related information available. And I just stated a fact, I did not go into some anti-Cleveland rant. Jesus you guys are sensitive. Chill out. Not being sensitive at all. That's just the typical Columbus attitude towards anything Cleveland, and your reputation proceeds you. At this point, it's expected out of you. Go back and read what you said. You certainly worded it to make a negative point towards Cleveland. Try again. Yeah you are being sensitive. Let it go. Nobody went off the deep end at the Cleveland posters who jokingly posted right before the actual info came out. Leave the city vs city stuff out of it("typical Columbus attitude towards anything Cleveland"). Do you want to get this thread shut down because you don't like the info? Geez.

There are other sites? Lol Well none as excellent as this one with such erudite posters and fair and unbiased moderation of course. [ /slopping sugar]

They need to use a bit more orange-red Columbus brick and just a little less of that alien brick jmho. But it is all looking like good solid infill. Just think how many dying, dead and outdated 40 acre retail and other tracts are sitting around the city and suburbs just waiting for similar solutions!

Let’s be honest... Columbus likely accounts for most of that, with Cincinnati second. I doubt we’ll see any major surprises. Columbus’ metro will have passed Cleveland, but other than that, same story as it’s been for a while. Don't jinx us now lol. I hope everyone does well around the state. There will be enough pissing and moaning (especially on other sites)as it is.

From the article: "Campus Partners is modernizing High Street without regard for the small businesses that create campus culture, and that’s a shame for future students." This is shame. They really should try to have a bit of diversity among the businesses. Why does the university not get this?

^^ They really need more of this especially along the edges of German Village(like High/Brewery District) where it is out of the clutches of the German Village Commission. It is a neighborhood, it is not a museum. A little change is not always a bad idea.

It is really only happening along High or a block or two east at most. There is still a good quarter mile/half a mile stretch of houses and small apartment buildings stretching east to the railroad tracks. People who want the experience you had or appreciate can still have that, especially with the sophomores living on campus. It is not like much actual housing is being replaced with this new construction on High. Yes the character of High is changing, just like the character of the city is changing. Change sucks, but this is apparently what quite a number of people want, including the university itself. Not that much different from those who miss the old south campus bar area, or how I miss the Short North being kind of slummy and the Greystone being full of cheap rundown apartments. Also, these developments for the most part are replacing suburban-style fast food restaurants, gas stations, run-down buildings or parcels with inefficient land use. It's not like they're creating a solid wall along High Street (yet...). Plus we are only now catching up to the other universities of similar sizes in terms of offering these style of apartments with these kinds of amenities. Remember there are a lot more than undergrads at Ohio State -- any grad students, med students, etc. who want a nicer place close to campus with all these amenities will definitely be flocking to these apartments. Plus the kids with money whose parents think the University District is unsafe -- guess where they're housing their kid? It is change, but it is necessary and a long time coming. What I will agree on is I hope the local retailers will continue to thrive in the market as it becomes more flooded with national chains that will most definitely fill all of these newer developments. I do understand his concerns about the character of the area. They could do a bit better than giant generic brick boxes like The Wellington. And yes it would be nice to keep or add some local businesses and not just chain stuff. But in another way I kind of think the giant box Wellington is worth it if only for the Urban Target. If only we could get one of those downtown. This is also part of the whole densification of the old "High Five" idea-building up High from Arcadia down to Greenlawn. If it keeps up through the whole length(especially the northern part) it could lead to some kind of actual mass transit besides a Cota Bus. There are down sides to all of this, but there are upsides as well.

It is really only happening along High or a block or two east at most. There is still a good quarter mile/half a mile stretch of houses and small apartment buildings stretching east to the railroad tracks. People who want the experience you had or appreciate can still have that, especially with the sophomores living on campus. It is not like much actual housing is being replaced with this new construction on High. Yes the character of High is changing, just like the character of the city is changing. Change sucks, but this is apparently what quite a number of people want, including the university itself. Not that much different from those who miss the old south campus bar area, or how I miss the Short North being kind of slummy and the Greystone being full of cheap rundown apartments.

Scrapped. The five houses will remain, but in a different form, likely without the party porches. The additional units at the rear will be built though. Sounds like an ok compromise to me. I was in favor of this, but improving the existing houses while still adding the building (and more units) behind it sounds good too.

Now what that picture needs now is a nice matching condo/apartment/hotel/whatever on that sliver on Goodale next to the parking garage. When they were looking at sites for hotel additions didn't they have a map showing that something was already planned for the site so it was not in contention? I remember something like that but have heard nothing about that sliver. I also keep wanting them to add a few more floors to this...but maybe I am just being greedy lol.

# 3 It is still extremely ugly no matter what it is and they could have done it better. * this post was not mean't to be taken seriously...it is not that big of a deal. ;)

Damn that looks awful. They couldn't even use some cheap black metal fencing? That chain link(and that much chain link)should never have been allowed for this.

^^ Right. Who cares what it is called, as long as it is densifying with good new developments!

All that pic needs is a large tall red block for a proposed tower on the Goodale site by the cap.