September 2, 20204 yr I personally quite like the massing. It steps back from the street against the *precious* GV houses, and seems to have some nice proportions. I agree it is a little office-y, and am personally not a fan of the double-punctuated windows, but I think it's quite handsome all together. And it doesn't seem that massive at all. And they were smart to do a comparison of the literal ground occupation -- it matches the ratio of adjacent houses-to-yard in the amount of green spaces it provides along the street (with the step-backs) and with the interior courtyards. I hope it gets built as-is and the surrounding residents can deal with it ? Edited September 2, 20204 yr by jebleprls22
September 2, 20204 yr It’s also funny that in the article it says, they are doing a sun study. Do they think this building is 20 stories? I get wanting sun in your windows, but this building isn’t going to mess with that. Edited September 2, 20204 yr by VintageLife
September 2, 20204 yr The massing does not bother me but the design is definitely lacking. If you're gonna go for this you have to pull out some extra oomph in terms of design for this location. I hate to say it but I think I would agree with sending it back to the drawing board.
September 2, 20204 yr 36 minutes ago, DTCL11 said: The massing does not bother me but the design is definitely lacking. If you're gonna go for this you have to pull out some extra oomph in terms of design for this location. I hate to say it but I think I would agree with sending it back to the drawing board. I agree, I think something like this, which was proposed for the corner of 5th and Summit, would look great here. Probably would need more brick, but the design looks great, imo.
September 2, 20204 yr I agree with liking the massing/design, but not really liking the materials. They could definitely go for a more vintage look and try and make the same design blend in a bit more and look a bit more "German Villagey" and all. The height is fine. It does look a bit too much on the modern side for that area-especially the ground floor and the top floor. And the brick part is a bit repetitious and bland. These materials done this way would be ok for another area but not in this particular location. They could put a little more effort and $$ into the materials given that they will have this thing filled in no time and be charging premium rents too. Basically they need to "tart it up" with some old fashioned looking ornamentation/bric-bra/frou/frou and then it would be ok for the area. When push comes to shove, German Village and environs don't want a smart sleek young lady-they want a grand ole' *hore. Edited September 2, 20204 yr by Toddguy
September 2, 20204 yr 18 minutes ago, Toddguy said: I agree with liking the massing/design, but not really liking the materials. They could definitely go for a more vintage look and try and make the same design blend in a bit more and look a bit more "German Villagey" and all. The height is fine. It does look a bit too much on the modern side for that area-especially the ground floor and the top floor. And the brick part is a bit repetitious and bland. These materials done this way would be ok for another area but not in this particular location. They could put a little more effort and $$ into the materials given that they will have this thing filled in no time and be charging premium rents too. Basically they need to "tart it up" with some old fashioned looking ornamentation/bric-bra/frou/frou and then it would be ok for the area. When push comes to shove, German Village and environs don't want a smart sleek young lady-they want a grand ole' *hore. Exactly what I was thinking. It will fill up almost right away. They could charge $1,500 and above for a small space, and have no problems having them all rent out.
September 2, 20204 yr 4 hours ago, .justin said: Looks like video of the meeting is here: https://www.facebook.com/SchumacherPlace/posts/10157434735112409 Two-second review of the meeting: Replace "DOCTOR" with "DEVELOPMENT"
September 2, 20204 yr Plan for Giant Eagle Site Shared With Neighborhood Representatives of the Pizzuti Companies presented the latest plans last night for a new development to replace the Giant Eagle store and parking lot at 280 E. Whittier St. The presentation was made over Zoom to the Schumacher Place Civic Association. Architect Michael Soriano, of NBBJ, laid out the general outline of the proposal and showed renderings of the building from different vantage points. He said that the proposal has changed in some ways from the initial concept that was presented to the group last March, based both on feedback from the neighborhood and also on other factors (Giant Eagle announced in August that it will be closing the Whittier Street store at the end of the year). The current proposal calls for a five-story building – although the fifth story is set back from the main facade and not easily visible from the street – with 330 apartments and some commercial storefronts along Whittier Street. More below: https://www.columbusunderground.com/plan-for-giant-eagle-site-shared-with-neighborhood-bw1 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 2, 20204 yr Some of the comments on Facebook on the Columbus Underground post about it are insane. Somebody talks about there being a housing shortage in Columbus and a GV resident responds by saying that a housing shortage means that the urban core is at capacity and we shouldn't be building this 300-400 unit density. What? Edited September 2, 20204 yr by TH3BUDDHA
September 3, 20204 yr 300+ residential units with 236 parking spaces in a city with not great public transit does not seem ideal, imo. I understand the idea - try to force people to go without a vehicle, essentially - but I'm not sure it will play out that way in our carcentric city. Edited September 3, 20204 yr by DarkandStormy Very Stable Genius
September 3, 20204 yr 37 minutes ago, DarkandStormy said: 300+ residential units with 236 parking spaces in a city with not great public transit does not seem ideal, imo. I understand the idea - try to force people to go without a vehicle, essentially - but I'm not sure it will play out that way in our carcentric city. At least it’s on a bus line. The #5 runs right through downtown and the short north so it wouldn’t be horrible.
September 3, 20204 yr I have to say I'm a little underwhelmed by the design of this. It does look very monolithic in the renderings with nearly the same section repeated 5 or so times. I know it's hard to build a giant box that looks good, but some height variations or changes in fascade materials would be appreciated. I'd much rather they develop this as two or three separate structures, the site is two full blocks.
September 3, 20204 yr It's a very nice looking building and the massing is especially thoughtful. I think there needs to be more work on the fine details to make it appropriate for the area. You don't see upper floor metal panels like that anywhere in GV / Schumacher Place. It would be nice if they kept the rhythm and fenestration patterns in line with historic mixed use buildings in the area and incorporated a cornice while keeping the modern material palette for a look that blends traditional elements for a look that isn't too contemporary or faux-historic.
September 3, 20204 yr I think they should try to put all of the parking underground-I think they will be able to charge high enough rents(since there is no affordable or "workforce" housing in this)to cover it, and use some of the extra space provided to increase the retail component square footage so they could go for a small grocery store and probably increase somewhat the number of parking spaces as well-this is German Village and any street parking is really not available for this development for both the residential and retail component. That and a change in the materials. Also they better not just have street trees and grass in that area-that needs some significant landscaping there not just grass(I realize this is just a rendering of course and an initial rendering at that so it may be planned to be different there). I think the density and the massing of it is fine though and agree with the two comments above mine as well. I complain about the GV NIMBYism but they could try to placate them and the Schumacher Place crowd a bit in regard to some of these things which I don't think are outrageous complaints(more parking, more retail, not so monolithic/materials etc). This thing is in a pretty prominent place and while not in GV proper it is a pretty solidly historic looking location and they could put a real gem of a building into this space and this Covid-19 is not going to last forever IMO. They will fill these units and the retail component(including a small grocery store)with no problems. Edited September 3, 20204 yr by Toddguy
September 3, 20204 yr As a GV resident, I am all for the development of this site, its current use while popular with many residents (including myself), has needed a facelift for some time. I also think that a large parking lot at one of the most prominent corners in GV is an eye sore. However, the current design is lacking and I think if this was being placed in the Short North, more people would be up in arms about the unoriginal filler concept. Its within the same vain of the "Classic Meets Modern: Columbus" look that developers are pushing throughout the city. I agree with @Toddguy, this could be a statement project on the south end, incorporating the unique historical characteristics of GV, Schumacher Place, and Merion Village. The redevelopment of the Barret Middle School, just down the road, is a great example of a project that embraced the historical nuances. I have other logistical concerns related to the project (parking, ingress and egress issues, grocery store replacement, ect.), but I am hopeful that the developer will be willing to had more character to the building.
September 3, 20204 yr 15 hours ago, Columbo said: ^ You in GV Uh oh, lol. This link is broken for me.
September 3, 20204 yr 13 hours ago, DarkandStormy said: 300+ residential units with 236 parking spaces in a city with not great public transit does not seem ideal, imo. I understand the idea - try to force people to go without a vehicle, essentially - but I'm not sure it will play out that way in our carcentric city. It's a chicken or egg thing. If everything is built for every person to be able to use a car, then it will always be difficult to get around without one.
September 3, 20204 yr 13 hours ago, DarkandStormy said: 300+ residential units with 236 parking spaces in a city with not great public transit does not seem ideal, imo. I understand the idea - try to force people to go without a vehicle, essentially - but I'm not sure it will play out that way in our carcentric city. 27 minutes ago, Ted said: It's a chicken or egg thing. If everything is built for every person to be able to use a car, then it will always be difficult to get around without one. Regardless of the state of our transit (and 100% we just have to STOP coddling the car culture in the city), this is directly south of downtown. You can walk to amenities, you can walk to work, you can walk to grocery (or bike, etc.). It's not like it's a pleasure to drive in GV anyway... It's much more pleasant as a pedestrian haha I understand all of the woes, but if people don't start taking risks in places like this where people will pay for a great number of luxuries, then we as a city are going to be stagnant for a long time...
October 7, 20204 yr Pizzuti makes the case for its Giant Eagle redevelopment The Schumacher Place Civic Association Tuesday night heard updates on a proposed redevelopment of the Giant Eagle at 280 E. Whittier St. near German Village. But neighbors and the property's landlord, it seems, remain far apart. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/10/07/pizzutis-plan-for-shumacher-place.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 9, 20204 yr On 10/7/2020 at 4:49 PM, ColDayMan said: Pizzuti makes the case for its Giant Eagle redevelopment The Schumacher Place Civic Association Tuesday night heard updates on a proposed redevelopment of the Giant Eagle at 280 E. Whittier St. near German Village. But neighbors and the property's landlord, it seems, remain far apart. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/10/07/pizzutis-plan-for-shumacher-place.html The windows still need altering. The masonry is bland for the area. I like the massing but even that could use some work to make it more interesting. I know development is an iterative process but this one is definitely a few iterations from acceptable considering its scale and location.
October 23, 20204 yr I strongly dislike these people. How can you see that and say "no, I'd rather it be an empty parking lot, thank you"
October 31, 20204 yr New renderings were shared at the meeting with the South Side Area Commission today. Density was reduced by 50 units. It’s 3.5 stories at the north end, 4 stories on the south end, with a stepped back 5th story on the interior that shouldn’t be visible from street level. Whittier & Jaeger Jaeger & Kossuth
October 31, 20204 yr Given the proximity to German Village, it would be nice if they would break the mass of it down to look like smaller individual buildings, and maybe get some ideas for how those would look from traditional German Architecture-maybe making it look like a block of 3-4 story houses in an old German town center or something. They really should go for as much of a "period" look as possible compared to something modern given what the people around there apparently want. I also just don't get the grey panels with this. That is not a look that goes with the neighborhood. JMHO. I think the overall massing and density are fine, but they have to sell the design to the neighborhood. *Also I think they could afford to make it look like that given they will have no problem filling this thing up and charging premium rents.
October 31, 20204 yr My biggest beef will be the massing. As we shared before, you can have density without feeling monolithic. This still feels a bit monolithic. Definitely some improvement but I wish they would go bolder in their vision with details as well.
October 31, 20204 yr On 9/2/2020 at 11:07 AM, VintageLife said: I agree, I think something like this, which was proposed for the corner of 5th and Summit, would look great here. Probably would need more brick, but the design looks great, imo. They really need to do something like this and break it down into what at least seem to be smaller individual buildings. You can go 3 or 4 floors with another one setback this way and not get that overbearing look and make it seem not quite as large. More detail like this, maybe incorporating some German touches(who knows, maybe a half-timber look on a building or two?)would make this more appealing and less monolithic. They could probably do it this way and also avoid the "too busy" look that you can unfortunately get going this way if you go too far. They should be able to make it work cost-wise as we know this will fill quickly and people will pay $$$$ for this location. Something closer to Neighborhood Launch looking, just a floor or two taller(with setbacks)and with those quality materials and landscaping(which could be done in the insets they already have for this site). Right next to and almost indistinguishable from German Village I think they can come up with Neighborhood Launch type of quality-I don't think the residents of that area would be asking too much for that at least. I certainly could not afford to live there, but I don't think that type of quality project is asking too much given how much residents there have had to pay out for their properties. This latest iteration is an improvement, they just need to work on it more. JMHO.
October 31, 20204 yr 54 minutes ago, Toddguy said: They really need to do something like this and break it down into what at least seem to be smaller individual buildings. You can go 3 or 4 floors with another one setback this way and not get that overbearing look and make it seem not quite as large. More detail like this, maybe incorporating some German touches(who knows, maybe a half-timber look on a building or two?)would make this more appealing and less monolithic. They could probably do it this way and also avoid the "too busy" look that you can unfortunately get going this way if you go too far. They should be able to make it work cost-wise as we know this will fill quickly and people will pay $$$$ for this location. Something closer to Neighborhood Launch looking, just a floor or two taller(with setbacks)and with those quality materials and landscaping(which could be done in the insets they already have for this site). Right next to and almost indistinguishable from German Village I think they can come up with Neighborhood Launch type of quality-I don't think the residents of that area would be asking too much for that at least. I certainly could not afford to live there, but I don't think that type of quality project is asking too much given how much residents there have had to pay out for their properties. This latest iteration is an improvement, they just need to work on it more. JMHO. Still agree and how do we get this in the hands of the people responsible?? Hahah. I feel like this would be the best option and with great materials it would look great. Like you said, they will be able to charge higher rent so might as well make the building better quality.
November 1, 20204 yr 5 hours ago, VintageLife said: Still agree and how do we get this in the hands of the people responsible?? Hahah. I feel like this would be the best option and with great materials it would look great. Like you said, they will be able to charge higher rent so might as well make the building better quality. I don't know that answer. Maybe send these ideas right to the German Village Commission? lol. This could be a showplace that could be an example of how to do infill in historic(or near to historic)neighborhoods. I also think given the rents they will be able to get that they could put more of the parking underground and increase the retail space-that is something desired by the residents and could help get this going. I also think that they could even increase the parking(as much as I know people hate that, but it could be mostly underground) somewhat again if it is underground to accommodate the increase in retail space and help alleviate the parking concerns of residents. Those are serious concerns the residents have-not enough parking and not enough retail. It does not matter what we think-the residents are dead set on that and it is in their backyard and I don't think those are completely illegitimate complaints. Why not try to appease them in that regard? This project could really be something special that after some time passes could be loved and accepted by the community-and maybe they would not immediately oppose other projects on the perimeters of German Village. I mean it is the city's most beautiful and historic unique neighborhood IMO and I guess I can empathize with some of their complaints(which I almost never do for GV). We will just have to see how this plays out and hope for the best.
November 1, 20204 yr 10 hours ago, Toddguy said: I don't know that answer. Maybe send these ideas right to the German Village Commission? lol. This could be a showplace that could be an example of how to do infill in historic(or near to historic)neighborhoods. I also think given the rents they will be able to get that they could put more of the parking underground and increase the retail space-that is something desired by the residents and could help get this going. I also think that they could even increase the parking(as much as I know people hate that, but it could be mostly underground) somewhat again if it is underground to accommodate the increase in retail space and help alleviate the parking concerns of residents. Those are serious concerns the residents have-not enough parking and not enough retail. It does not matter what we think-the residents are dead set on that and it is in their backyard and I don't think those are completely illegitimate complaints. Why not try to appease them in that regard? This project could really be something special that after some time passes could be loved and accepted by the community-and maybe they would not immediately oppose other projects on the perimeters of German Village. I mean it is the city's most beautiful and historic unique neighborhood IMO and I guess I can empathize with some of their complaints(which I almost never do for GV). We will just have to see how this plays out and hope for the best. Completely agree, and I think sending to the commission wouldn’t be a bad idea. Go for it!
November 2, 20204 yr Recording of the meeting is up on the Columbus South Side Area Commission website: https://www.columbussouthside.org Feedback from the commissioners seemed to be pretty positive / supportive of the changes from the previous proposal. There was also another rendering shown from along Jaeger:
November 2, 20204 yr I still feel like they could do some better work on the designs, but the fact the commission is happy with the size and everything is a great thing.
November 2, 20204 yr 7 minutes ago, VintageLife said: I still feel like they could do some better work on the designs, but the fact the commission is happy with the size and everything is a great thing. It is actually kind of shocking to me, but hey I will take it! 🙂 We are all sort of used to the NO NO NO from there that we got caught off guard with this. Edited November 2, 20204 yr by Toddguy
November 2, 20204 yr I personally liked most of the details from the first iteration, and am delighted by the refinements for this latest proposal. I
November 2, 20204 yr Pizzuti resizes redevelopment project for Schumacher Place Giant Eagle site The updated plan came after several meetings with residents who have been strongly opposed to its plan. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/11/02/pizzuti-cuts-down-plan-at-schumacher-place.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 3, 20204 yr Pizzuti Presents New Design for Whittier Street Site A revised development proposal for the former Giant Eagle site at 280 E. Whittier St. was presented to the neighborhood over the weekend. The new plan calls for a smaller building, with fewer residential units (279, down from 330), a shorter profile, and a design that pulls back from the street in more places. On the Kossuth Street side, the building now features white brick and has been reduced from four to three-and-a-half stories. Parking within the two-level interior garage has been increased slightly – from 220 spaces to 228 – and an additional 17 on-street spaces would be opened up by allowing parking on the east side of Jaeger Street. More below: https://www.columbusunderground.com/pizzuti-presents-new-design-for-whittier-street-site-bw1 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 4, 20204 yr Columbus' historic Maennerchor building returns to life following renovations Once feared endangered, German Village's historic Maennerchor building has completed renovations to return it to life. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/11/04/with-renovations-done-columbus-maennerchor-build.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 10, 20204 yr This is a thing my Columbus friends are passing around: Change.org - Preserve our Neighborhood - Stop Pizzuti
November 10, 20204 yr 1 hour ago, Dev said: This is a thing my Columbus friends are passing around: Change.org - Preserve our Neighborhood - Stop Pizzuti I love the way they depict this-just an amorphous light gray blob instead of actually showing the materials that will be used. Of course it looks like an alien landed when you present it like that. I think this could be more refined, but all of the objections they have posted are about height, density, parking, etc.-which are NOT problematic for me and should not be for them. They want something iconic they can be proud of, yet at the same time want it to be indistinguishable from the rest of the neighborhood and that is not how it works. Hopefully this goes through as planned. *And if not then let them come back with a two story proposal with plenty of parking-but for something like Section-8 housing or a home for wayward minority youth or a halfway house for those just out of prison or something along those lines...just out of spite of course. Does German Village/Shumacher Place have it's fair share of Section-8? If not then why do they get a pass on it? We know among other things they don't want renting riff-raff(even if they could afford the high rents)so it would serve them right to get something like one of these things. Maybe they can move the Beitel Open Shelter here? Someone should start an opposition petition based on the need for Section -8 housing to be included in this proposal Edited November 10, 20204 yr by Toddguy
November 10, 20204 yr 4 hours ago, Dev said: This is a thing my Columbus friends are passing around: Change.org - Preserve our Neighborhood - Stop Pizzuti These people: We are not opposed to development. Also these people: Our objections and concerns are as follows: Height - Current height zoning calls for no more than 35 feet. Any variance to increase height above 35 feet should not be approved. Density - Current beginning of the highest density category (Mixed Use 3) call for 45 dwelling units per acre. Any variance which would allow an increase in the number of dwelling units per acre above 45 (105 in total) should not be approved. Edited November 10, 20204 yr by TH3BUDDHA
November 10, 20204 yr 23 minutes ago, TH3BUDDHA said: These people: We are not opposed to development. Also these people: Our objections and concerns are as follows: Height - Current height zoning calls for no more than 35 feet. Any variance to increase height above 35 feet should not be approved. Density - Current beginning of the highest density category (Mixed Use 3) call for 45 dwelling units per acre. Any variance which would allow an increase in the number of dwelling units per acre above 45 (105 in total) should not be approved. I've seen someone on the Schumacher Place Civic Association board say that he wants to see lower density, lower height, more parking (in order to meet the outdated suburban-style requirement of 1.5 parking spots per unit), and the incorporation of affordable housing. Developing a site like this has huge fixed costs regardless of the number of units and so reducing the number of units while asking the developer collect lower rents for those units is impossible. Reducing the number of units only makes the units even more expensive to build, and thus more expensive to rent out.
November 11, 20204 yr *And if not then let them come back with a two story proposal with plenty of parking-but for something like Section-8 housing or a home for wayward minority youth or a halfway house for those just out of prison or something along those lines...just out of spite of course. Does German Village/Shumacher Place have it's fair share of Section-8? If not then why do they get a pass on it? We know among other things they don't want renting riff-raff(even if they could afford the high rents)so it would serve them right to get something like one of these things. Maybe they can move the Beitel Open Shelter here? Someone should start an opposition petition based on the need for Section -8 housing to be included in this proposalReminds me of what George Lucas proposed in Marin County. Sadly, I think the proposal was never actually built. https://sfist.com/2015/04/17/marin_wars_george_lucas_keeps_troll/
December 2, 20204 yr Last night the zoning committee of the South Side Area Commission approved the rezoning and variances for the redevelopment of the Giant Eagle site. It will be voted on by the full commission at a special meeting next week. Pizzuti reduced the number of units slightly and increased parking to 263 units and 263 parking spaces. Video recording of the meeting is on Facebook - https://fb.watch/27oL5cM3Bm/
December 2, 20204 yr 4 hours ago, .justin said: Last night the zoning committee of the South Side Area Commission approved the rezoning and variances for the redevelopment of the Giant Eagle site. It will be voted on by the full commission at a special meeting next week. Pizzuti reduced the number of units slightly and increased parking to 263 units and 263 parking spaces. Video recording of the meeting is on Facebook - https://fb.watch/27oL5cM3Bm/ I live in Schumacher now not too far from this. Walking around the neighborhood, there are TONS of signs against this project. People won't be happy about this.
December 2, 20204 yr 3 hours ago, TH3BUDDHA said: I live in Schumacher now not too far from this. Walking around the neighborhood, there are TONS of signs against this project. People won't be happy about this. They'll get over it, or they can sell their houses at a premium due to extremely high urban housing demand and move to the actual suburbs they seem to think they already live in.
December 2, 20204 yr 12 minutes ago, jonoh81 said: They'll get over it, or they can sell their houses at a premium due to extremely high urban housing demand and move to the actual suburbs they seem to think they already live in. I can't wait to read the meltdown comments on Facebook.
December 2, 20204 yr 3 minutes ago, TH3BUDDHA said: I can't wait to read the meltdown comments on Facebook. Keep us updated somewhat, cannot wait to read them.
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