Here's a map.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Columbus&ie=UTF8&t=h&s=AARTsJotGHpXZCuTOP0Oa8GWHy-zHX7I6Q&ll=39.994054,-82.962914&spn=0.005754,0.00912&z=16&output=embed 

 

City commits to improving northeast neighborhood                 

Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball

Friday, October 24, 2008

 

Expectation of voter passage of a $1.66 billion bond package on Nov. 4 has city officials planning to spend $15 million in a northeast Columbus neighborhood.  City officials unveiled plans for storm sewers, sidewalks, bike paths and improved streets in the neighborhood off Joyce Avenue from Hudson Avenue to East 12th Avenue.

 

The city has approved $1 million for infrastructure projects that will get under way this spring to spur the nonprofit Columbus Housing Partnership Inc. residential developer’s construction of the first of 120 homes in the American Addition neighborhood near the intersection of Joyce and Woodford avenues.

 

More at

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/10/20/daily41.html

According to the mayor's 2011 state of the city speech, American Addition is to be rebuilt to its original total of approximately 200 homes from 52 today. Problem here, is that AA, although on a tiny urban square grid, fails as a truly urban neighborhood because there is virtually nothing to walk to, let alone be a "green, sustainable" one. There are a few body shops, which you'll most likely drive your car to, and little else aside from a now vacant bar which was Columbus' most dangerous (maybe not empty, I haven't been up Joyce Ave for awhile to know if another dangerous bar opened in its place) and a carryout the equivalent of several blocks north. Right now, there are blocks where only a couple of houses stand alone: quite Detroit-esque. Unless the city plans an overlay to encourage a little urban business district on Joyce Ave and/or E 5th Ave to serve as a focal point for the greater North Central neighborhood, I don't see how this will work out as an urban, sustainable community. That's not even considering how physically isolated the neighborhood is from the rest of the city.

 

I'm thinking the best shot for this area includes a BRT/light-rail line leading from the airport along E 5th Ave through East Columbus/Krumm Park (which still has a small collection of its urban commercial buildings), North Central, Milo-Grogan, to Downtown with a station in each of those neighborhoods where some good TOD could occur.

 

 

 

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Columbus&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.646818,100.019531&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Columbus,+Franklin,+Ohio&ll=39.994235,-82.963665&spn=0.007463,0.024419&t=h&z=16

 

We will witness the transformation of American Addition, the most egregiously neglected urban neighborhood I have ever seen. A rural enclave right in the middle of a large city. A close-knit community that was the home of many solid families with solid values.

 

In the 1920s the wells in this neighborhood were all condemned and the mortality rate was four times higher than the rest of the city.

 

So, the city annexed American Addition in 1959 with promises of new investments. And while the city initially installed sewer and gas lines, it failed to deliver on most of its promises to the people of American Addition. Residents felt betrayed, and many moved away.

 

American Addition dwindled from approximately 200 homes at its heyday to only 52 today.

 

But there were those in the neighborhood who did not lose hope. Led by Marie Moreland-Short and her son, Jimmy Moreland, these folks hung on to their pride. They worked to rebuild the neighborhood, they built a community garden and fixed up properties. And they asked the city for help.

 

Marie is here tonight. Please stand.

 

I want you to know we will embrace American Addition and do what our city should've done generations ago: keep our promises.

 

Columbus Housing Partnership has led the planning to revitalize this neighborhood, and I want to thank everyone at CHP for their commitment.

 

While we already have set aside $1 million for infrastructure two years ago, we are now going to step it up and set aside an additional $4 million for basic things like new streets, alleys, waterlines, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and streetlights.

 

We will break ground next year on the construction the first 50 homes. By the time our partnership is complete, 150 new homes will be constructed. And the entire neighborhood, including the infrastructure, will be rebuilt to a green, sustainable standard.

 

In the years to come it will be all-American to live in American Addition.

 

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2011/02/23/story-text-state-of-city.html

I don't understand rebuilding American addition. There are hundreds of vacant lots in neighborhoods that have much better infrastructure, services, and connectivity.

According to the mayor's 2011 state of the city speech, American Addition is to be rebuilt to its original total of approximately 200 homes from 52 today. Problem here, is that AA, although on a tiny urban square grid, fails as a truly urban neighborhood because there is virtually nothing to walk to, let alone be a "green, sustainable" one. There are a few body shops, which you'll most likely drive your car to, and little else aside from a now vacant bar which was Columbus' most dangerous (maybe not empty, I haven't been up Joyce Ave for awhile to know if another dangerous bar opened in its place) and a carryout the equivalent of several blocks north. Right now, there are blocks where only a couple of houses stand alone: quite Detroit-esque. Unless the city plans an overlay to encourage a little urban business district on Joyce Ave and/or E 5th Ave to serve as a focal point for the greater North Central neighborhood, I don't see how this will work out as an urban, sustainable community. That's not even considering how physically isolated the neighborhood is from the rest of the city.

 

I'm thinking the best shot for this area includes a BRT/light-rail line leading from the airport along E 5th Ave through East Columbus/Krumm Park (which still has a small collection of its urban commercial buildings), North Central, Milo-Grogan, to Downtown with a station in each of those neighborhoods where some good TOD could occur.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Columbus&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.646818,100.019531&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Columbus,+Franklin,+Ohio&ll=39.994235,-82.963665&spn=0.007463,0.024419&t=h&z=16

 

We will witness the transformation of American Addition, the most egregiously neglected urban neighborhood I have ever seen. A rural enclave right in the middle of a large city. A close-knit community that was the home of many solid families with solid values.

 

In the 1920s the wells in this neighborhood were all condemned and the mortality rate was four times higher than the rest of the city.

 

So, the city annexed American Addition in 1959 with promises of new investments. And while the city initially installed sewer and gas lines, it failed to deliver on most of its promises to the people of American Addition. Residents felt betrayed, and many moved away.

 

American Addition dwindled from approximately 200 homes at its heyday to only 52 today.

 

But there were those in the neighborhood who did not lose hope. Led by Marie Moreland-Short and her son, Jimmy Moreland, these folks hung on to their pride. They worked to rebuild the neighborhood, they built a community garden and fixed up properties. And they asked the city for help.

 

Marie is here tonight. Please stand.

 

I want you to know we will embrace American Addition and do what our city should've done generations ago: keep our promises.

 

Columbus Housing Partnership has led the planning to revitalize this neighborhood, and I want to thank everyone at CHP for their commitment.

 

While we already have set aside $1 million for infrastructure two years ago, we are now going to step it up and set aside an additional $4 million for basic things like new streets, alleys, waterlines, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and streetlights.

 

We will break ground next year on the construction the first 50 homes. By the time our partnership is complete, 150 new homes will be constructed. And the entire neighborhood, including the infrastructure, will be rebuilt to a green, sustainable standard.

 

In the years to come it will be all-American to live in American Addition.

 

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2011/02/23/story-text-state-of-city.html

An update on the American Addition neighborhood renovation from Mayor Coleman's 2011 State of the City speech:

 

City to spend $10 million to help rebuild neighborhood

By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch

July 29, 2011 - 12:07 PM

 

On Monday, Columbus City Council will vote on spending $10 million in road, sewer, water and other improvements to help redevelop one of the oldest black communities in central Ohio.

 

The American Addition attracted black families from the South around 1914.  Now, the nonprofit Columbus Housing Partnership plans to build up to 150 houses in the poor neighborhood off Joyce Avenue.

 

The city will enter into an agreement with a housng partnership affiliate to redevelop the site.

 

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-city/2011/07/city_to_spend_10_million_to_he.html

 

---

LINK TO MARCH 2011 ARTICLE ABOUT THE AMERICAN ADDITION:  Long-neglected American Addition neighborhood to get attention, money -- Up to 150 houses will be built to help revive American Addition

One more article about the American Addition neighborhood in today's Dispatch.  The previous update said the City of Columbus was partnering with Columbus Housing Partnership to build 150 houses in the neighborhood.  Today's article talks about one of the homes that will be built.  And apparently it will be "extreme". (HINT HINT WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE)

 

According to today's article, the TV show 'Extreme Makeover' will be returning to Columbus to build a 4,000 sq. ft. home in the American Addition neighborhood.  This would be the second time 'Extreme Makeover' built a home in the Columbus area.  In 2006, they built a home in Whitehall for a former Marine/Iraq war veteran and his family.

 

 

FULL ARTICLE:  Columbus family's home getting 'Extreme Makeover'

One more article about the American Addition neighborhood in today's Dispatch.  The previous update said the City of Columbus was partnering with Columbus Housing Partnership to build 150 houses in the neighborhood.  Today's article talks about one of the homes that will be built.  And apparently it will be "extreme". (HINT HINT WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE)

 

According to today's article, the TV show 'Extreme Makeover' will be returning to Columbus to build a 4,000 sq. ft. home in the American Addition neighborhood.  This would be the second time 'Extreme Makeover' built a home in the Columbus area.  In 2006, they built a home in Whitehall for a former Marine/Iraq war veteran and his family.

 

FULL ARTICLE:  Columbus family's home getting 'Extreme Makeover'

 

The 'Extreme Makeover' home in the American Addition is finished.  The Dispatch has video of it here at their video page.  Go to the link "Extreme Makeover revealed" to view it.

 

There's also a flickr page of it at Extreme Makeover Home Edition Columbus 2011.  The Dispatch also a larger version of one of the below photos here.

 

 

 

Wondering why there's a ribbon and bow on the house and giant christmas tree ornaments in the front yard?  Apparently the episode will be shown at Christmas time.  I'm not an 'Extreme Makeover' fan (or a fan of reality shows in general), but I've got to give the show credit.  They built a mighty fine urban-friendly house this time.

Before Mayor Coleman publicized the city's large-scale revitalization efforts of this struggling sub-neighborhood of North Central, I was probably just about the only other person to know about the neighborhood's existence outside of those residing in the neighborhood itself. I know of no other urban neighborhood inside or outside of Columbus that has a more awkward, isolated setup. It's so isolated that it doesn't even connect with the rest of the North Central neighborhood that surrounds it. It's hemmed in on all sides by lots of railroad tracks, a cemetery, huge empty grass lots, and industrial sites.

 

American Addition

 

With that in mind, it certainly makes logical sense that the number of homes there dropped from over 200 to just 52. Between the fumes that find their way over here, its very un-walkable nature, and the only neighborhood joint regularly being the site of shootings, with this past October being one of the latest, it's clear that it's extreme isolation is not the only problem.

 

Then there's the historical aspect. Sure, it's a historically African-American neighborhood, but it's clear that blacks were located here to be out of sight and out of mind for white Columbus back in the day. Nowadays if you're black you aren't relegated to isolated corners of the city such as American Addition, which means that the neighborhood would have to have a much broader appeal. Unfortunately, the entire neighborhood of North Central where it's located is a drab, depressing place and it's a similar setting for bordering areas in all surrounding neighborhoods.

 

It's great to see the city finally start to invest millions to back and execute revitalization efforts in struggling neighborhoods that have seen almost nothing for decades, which I wish it had done years ago. However, with so much money at stake the plans better make good sense to ensure success, otherwise the city will see a backlash when they want to spend millions more in another struggling neighborhood. Mayor Coleman states that he wants the neighborhood to become

, but how will adding 150 homes accomplish that? It'll be easy to add the to the list of revitalized urban neighborhoods in Columbus, but at best it will remain a sleepy residential enclave that is less walkable than your typical sprawling development and will always due to its location be way off the beaten path. I lived in Columbus for most of my life and only when I set out to document unseen corners of the city's urban landscape did I ever venture here. Otherwise, I would have been totally oblivious to its existence just like the vast majority of Columbusites. The city seems to think that by rebuilding homes it will turn back the clock to when the population was 4x larger, but since its heyday it has seen sloppy suburban style sprawl occur just north of here, crime has gone up, and on that note visiting local businesses is not a pleasant idea (if the bars with metal detectors aren't off-putting enough try East Side Pizza (somehow affiliated with U-Hual) which I've only thought about eating at and am probably better off not having carried through with the novelty of the experience. Googling the place, I found that in a former life it was Zarcone's East Side Pizza a couple of decades ago and unfortunately a manager there lost her life during an armed robbery, which shows that trouble in the neighborhood hasn't stayed within the boundaries of local bars, all of which have had their liquor license possession threatened (with empty threats of course: you can still visit these places today if you really want).

 

The North Central neighborhood already has over 10,000 residents, but as you can see there is virtually no commercial presence for any functional degree of walkability, unless you love really shady bars. This should not be overlooked like it currently is. Even the surrounding neighborhoods of Milo-Grogan, Linden, Krumm Park, Woodland Park, and King-Lincoln offer little to nothing for residents. Joyce Ave is the only commercial drag in American Addition and aside from the dangerous bar just up the street there are body shops within walking distance. A small cluster of walkable retail with guidelines in place to attract desirable businesses could make this little obscure area a destination for the entire neighborhood along with attracting residents who would never have visited otherwise. The Columbus Idea Foundry was the neighborhood's biggest asset which offered work spaces and tools for rent that you probably don't have lying around in a garage such as laser-cutters and even had classes on how to use them. This was the only place to draw a decent amount of visitors from popular, healthy neighborhoods, to this far-flung corner of the city, but left for another location next door in Milo-Grogan to expand (you can still see where the old location was on the map in the previous link). North Central basically suffers from being a one hit wonder no more and easily ranks towards the bottom of Columbus neighborhoods that you would ever want to visit, let alone actually live in day in and day out.

 

I really don't see American Addition succeeding without addressing the rest of the neighborhood of which it is only a part. Urbanization of the entire area is desperately needed starting with the southernmost parts which are already on an urban grid: the city needs a much stricter stance on development instead of allowing dumpy one-story commercial structures with a sea of asphalt in front and other suburban development. Transportation is lacking: bus service is very limited here and bike facilities are non-existent save for a bike trail paralleling 670 that is usually covered in broken glass, although the city gets kudos for some traffic calming on side streets around here. This an "urban" neighborhood where cars reign supreme: a tell-tale sign that it's urban in name only. Even the densest sub-neighborhoods on the main stretch of 50MPH E 5th Ave, Devon Triangle and Shepard, have few sporadic commercial uses, with a focus again on cars and bars where it's a good idea to leave well before closing time drama. Despite what little these two sub-neighborhoods have they still have more potential to be vibrant, productive hoods due to their existing infrastructure, superior location along a major street, and are better connected to the rest of the city than American Addition. It's a shame the city is going forward with such a one dimensional plan that doesn't even touch on quality of life issues for existing and future residents; they need to learn that homes are only one piece of the puzzle. When it comes to urban neighborhood revitalization you have to give people good reasons to move in and frankly, that's a very short list for American Addition and the rest of North Central where the list of reasons not to move there is still much more compelling. If there's ever to be a neighborhood here that matches Mayor Coleman's vision there is going to have to be a "phase 2" at the very least, but that appears to be nonexistent at this point in time and will be years overdue if it were to happen.

I can see two different sides to this.

 

On one hand, as someone who values urban amentities, the isolation and suburban feel of this area is not attractive.  I do think more amenities should be considered, if at the very least, how about sidewalks, landscaping, etc, to make it feel more like a cohesive neighborhood.  And a grocery store would be a great addition.

 

The problem with this is that the developer is not in that kind of business and is focusing on housing, which is fine.  6 homes have been built so far, and 2 of them are already, from what I understand, in contract.  The good news is that the housing seems to be finding buyers so far, and as the population grows, this may have the effect of forcing other types of development.  The housing is just one step. 

 

On the other hand, it's not exactly without precedent that there are people out there that enjoy the kind of suburban-style neighborhood that AA is at this point, so its lack of urbanity may not be detrimental to people moving there to begin with. 

 

The bottom line is that a bunch of new housing will likely attract residents and the population there will likely rise to its highest level in years.  How that plays out in regards to neighborhood planning, I don't know, and it will be interesting to see what direction things go.  I don't see the revitalization of AA as a "squandered opportunity", though.  The neighborhood itself is unusual for its isolation and suburban style in relation to its proximity to Downtown, and may not go through a typical urban-style gentrification.  To me, it would only be a squandered opportunity if the new housing sat empty and residents did not return.  So far, I don't see that happening.

I'm going out on a limb, but with the weird (probably toxic) fumes from industrial sites I smelled and the fact that the owner of the neighborhood bar advised against me going there and saying that the area in general was bad works against the demographic looking for a quite small town tucked away in a remote corner of the city, but is surrounded by a depressing environment. Driving/biking around North Central is just not an uplifting experience: I've done both. This and the would-be "new Short North" that won' t be is why I'm calling it a "squandered opportunity". I'd much rather have seen the city just double the current number of homes and spend the other $3.3 million on revitalizing a struggling business district where thousands of residents already live (W Broad, Parsons, or E Main). That would not only benefit all of those residents who don't need to move in, but provides the start of another corridor that can at least function as High St lite for all residents and visitors to flock to. Everyone here would be visiting a partially revitalized commercial street much, much more than they would a fully rebuilt and occupied American Addition: no question. The new desirable businesses would also draw new residents to some of the hundreds (thousands?) out of 6,000+ homes that are already built but abandoned.

 

As far as commercial spots/walkability, residential nooks like Glen Echo, and Rush Creek are all but exclusively residential. However, they're within walking distance to a good number of places, so like I pointed out the surrounding, more urban areas around 5th are better suited for commercial revitalization right now. I'm certain that residents there would rather not have nearby destinations be places where you have to go through a metal detector and instead have destinations that are assets that new AA residents will use. If AA is going to lack walkability there should be plans to increase it for the more urban areas along E 5th which would only benefit AA and North Central in general.

I'm going out on a limb, but with the weird (probably toxic) fumes from industrial sites I smelled and the fact that the owner of the neighborhood bar advised against me going there and saying that the area in general was bad works against the demographic looking for a quite small town tucked away in a remote corner of the city, but is surrounded by a depressing environment.

 

So is Westgate, and it seems to be a stable, even desirable area surrounded by a depressing, crime-ridden environment.  The only difference seems to be that AA is much more suburban and remote, which may work to its advantage even more. 

 

Driving/biking around North Central is just not an uplifting experience: I've done both. This and the would-be "new Short North" that won' t be is why I'm calling it a "squandered opportunity". I'd much rather have seen the city just double the current number of homes and spend the other $3.3 million on revitalizing a struggling business district where thousands of residents already live (W Broad, Parsons, or E Main). That would not only benefit all of those residents who don't need to move in, but provides the start of another corridor that can at least function as High St lite for all residents and visitors to flock to. Everyone here would be visiting a partially revitalized commercial street much, much more than they would a fully rebuilt and occupied American Addition: no question. The new desirable businesses would also draw new residents to some of the hundreds (thousands?) out of 6,000+ homes that are already built but abandoned.

 

I'm not sure why both can't be done: build more housing in AA and revitalize the Parsons area.  It doesn't have to be either/or, and it likely won't be.  Areas around Downtown all seem to be getting some amount of attention, though to varying degrees.  I just don't get the logic in thinking that doing one project means that another won't ever happen or how it's removing something from somewhere else.  I've seen you say the same thing about just about every urban core neighborhood, and yet projects move forward regardless.  It seems like something new is announced almost every day.

 

As far as commercial spots/walkability, residential nooks like Glen Echo, and Rush Creek are all but exclusively residential. However, they're within walking distance to a good number of places, so like I pointed out the surrounding, more urban areas around 5th are better suited for commercial revitalization right now. I'm certain that residents there would rather not have nearby destinations be places where you have to go through a metal detector and instead have destinations that are assets that new AA residents will use. If AA is going to lack walkability there should be plans to increase it for the more urban areas along E 5th which would only benefit AA and North Central in general.

 

I tend to agree that AA needs more than just housing, and from what I've seen others say, most seem to be thinking the same thing.  However, you can't expect retail and commercial buildings to pop up there if there aren't any people to patronize them.  The area needs a growing population to support it, just like Downtown needed more residents to support more restaurants and retail.  This means housing, and a lot more of it.  100 new homes is a good start, but I'd also like to see some nice apartment buildings go in as well, to increase the overall density.  Once you have the people, you can begin to attract the rest, whether directly in AA or in nearby areas.  I think it's unrealistic to expect one without the other. 

Aggressive annexation has made Columbus a bit of a strange place. I doubt we'd be talking much about this if it were in a township instead.

I'd agree with you except that I'm not just talking about AA as an island unto itself and North Central has a population of over 11,000: as much as the Short North/IV/VV/HW/DP or Downtown and GV. Now admittedly, residents here don't have the same spending power. However, where they do spend disposable income you can bet the vast majority is outside of the neighborhood. Currently there are some commercial spaces but they are either bars (not the kind you want to visit), car-oriented shops (used tires, repairs, car washes, etc) or dingy carryouts which have had their liquor licenses threatened at least once. It's not that there aren't residents to support neighborhood-oriented businesses, it's just that the businesses there are either geared towards cars or unsavory characters from or outside of the neighborhood. Based on 2005-2009 census data over half of the homes in the neighborhood have an income of $30,000-$49,999 and a large part of the neighborhood has 9-10% making $75,000-$99,999+ per household, which overall is better than OTE and comparable to Merion Village, which means the neighborhood could at least support about as much neighborhood retail as each of those, but again the built environment is tilted way over to cars, especially with E 5th setting the tone as the major thoroughfare with a 50 MPH speed limit that is regularly exceeded. There are numerous smaller, warehouse-y buildings which would be great if a few were converted to bars or restaurants (Gibbard Ave) and I think on Old Leonard there may be some opportunities: these are all located off the main drag on more humane streets and there are already a couple of bars tucked away on side streets, but not in a charming German Village kind of way. I think a cue should be taken from the neighborhood's traditional layout to have dispersed retail concentrated in the southern urban grid off 5th along with a little bit in AA, which is basically an extension of that, so that they fit in the context of an urban built environment and don't get spread out too thinly. In other cities quiet industrial-residential areas like this tend to have some nice surprises mixed in since they seem to lack the crime in heavily populated depressed neighborhoods and can draw in visitors who otherwise wouldn't visit if it were on say Cleveland Ave. If someone were to open a good themed bar there people would go and I've been surprised to see middle-aged suburbanites going to one in a similar neighborhood here where it's located in an industrial area next to a residential one in the same neighborhood, but outside of the industrial part it's more like South Linden. I'd like to see funding available for entrepreneurs to help revamp any good unused industrial spots into local destinations or if any of the current bars finally actually had to close their doors, something good in its place.

Keith, just wanted to mention that today's State of the City address focused on the Parsons Avenue corridor for redevelopment, since you brought up how there needs to be more done there.  Well, there you go, more attention.

Ha! Yeah, I thought the timing was funny. It still receives my same criticism that I'm not seeing commercial properties getting more attention, but at least he's getting closer by directing more money toward the streets they're on. North Central doesn't suffer in the same way that South Side neighborhoods do with a blighted and rather dense commercial street, which means that in NC commercial revitalization dollars will go farther for short-term transformations. It takes at least a few desirable businesses on one block of Parsons to change the overall perception of a block (the northernmost stretch in OTE is the perfect example), while in North Central all someone would need to do is turn around one commercial building and you have a 100% revitalized commercial area in a large section of the neighborhood.

If this is the neighborhood I think it is, then this used to be a whole bunch of different railroad yards, and whatever housing there was was likely for the people who worked there. There are a lot of different legal issues about buying former railroad property that developing any of the adjacent areas would be very difficult.

Then there's the historical aspect. Sure, it's a historically African-American neighborhood, but it's clear that blacks were located here to be out of sight and out of mind for white Columbus back in the day. Nowadays if you're black you aren't relegated to isolated corners of the city such as American Addition, which means that the neighborhood would have to have a much broader appeal. Unfortunately, the entire neighborhood of North Central where it's located is a drab, depressing place and it's a similar setting for bordering areas in all surrounding neighborhoods.

 

It's great to see the city finally start to invest millions to back and execute revitalization efforts in struggling neighborhoods that have seen almost nothing for decades, which I wish it had done years ago. However, with so much money at stake the plans better make good sense to ensure success, otherwise the city will see a backlash when they want to spend millions more in another struggling neighborhood. Mayor Coleman states that he wants the neighborhood to become

, but how will adding 150 homes accomplish that? It'll be easy to add the to the list of revitalized urban neighborhoods in Columbus, but at best it will remain a sleepy residential enclave that is less walkable than your typical sprawling development and will always due to its location be way off the beaten path. I lived in Columbus for most of my life and only when I set out to document unseen corners of the city's urban landscape did I ever venture here. Otherwise, I would have been totally oblivious to its existence just like the vast majority of Columbusites. The city seems to think that by rebuilding homes it will turn back the clock to when the population was 4x larger, but since its heyday it has seen sloppy suburban style sprawl occur just north of here, crime has gone up, and on that note visiting local businesses is not a pleasant idea (if the bars with metal detectors aren't off-putting enough try East Side Pizza (somehow affiliated with U-Hual) which I've only thought about eating at and am probably better off not having carried through with the novelty of the experience. Googling the place, I found that in a former life it was Zarcone's East Side Pizza a couple of decades ago and unfortunately a manager there lost her life during an armed robbery, which shows that trouble in the neighborhood hasn't stayed within the boundaries of local bars, all of which have had their liquor license possession threatened (with empty threats of course: you can still visit these places today if you really want).

 

The North Central neighborhood already has over 10,000 residents, but as you can see there is virtually no commercial presence for any functional degree of walkability, unless you love really shady bars. This should not be overlooked like it currently is. Even the surrounding neighborhoods of Milo-Grogan, Linden, Krumm Park, Woodland Park, and King-Lincoln offer little to nothing for residents. Joyce Ave is the only commercial drag in American Addition and aside from the dangerous bar just up the street there are body shops within walking distance. A small cluster of walkable retail with guidelines in place to attract desirable businesses could make this little obscure area a destination for the entire neighborhood along with attracting residents who would never have visited otherwise. The Columbus Idea Foundry was the neighborhood's biggest asset which offered work spaces and tools for rent that you probably don't have lying around in a garage such as laser-cutters and even had classes on how to use them. This was the only place to draw a decent amount of visitors from popular, healthy neighborhoods, to this far-flung corner of the city, but left for another location next door in Milo-Grogan to expand (you can still see where the old location was on the map in the previous link). North Central basically suffers from being a one hit wonder no more and easily ranks towards the bottom of Columbus neighborhoods that you would ever want to visit, let alone actually live in day in and day out.

 

 

What "dangerous bar" up the street on Joyce are you referencing?  You mentioned dangerous establishments in the area a couple times, I'm curious to what places specifically.

That part of Columbus is one of the reasons the place reminds me of a western city.  Its like the outer areas of Sacramento, that are on a grid but most likely were platted during the early 1900s, just in time for "Model T suburbia", or are failed or underdeveloped interurban RR- driven plats..spec development driven by new transportation lines.  So you get this  a collection of little street grids with open space and low density industrial between them.

 

Basically an underdeveloped area that was more or less lower end of the working class.

 

In Sacramento these areas became latino barrios or outlying black areas. 

 

Re the discussion of retail.....I wonder if there ever was much corner or busy-street retail in this area?  Maybe just enough to serve the residential areas but these possibly closed with the advent of supermarket shopping and early strip-centers, say in the 1940s or 1950s. 

 

 

That part of Columbus is one of the reasons the place reminds me of a western city.  Its like the outer areas of Sacramento, that are on a grid but most likely were platted during the early 1900s, just in time for "Model T suburbia", or are failed or underdeveloped interurban RR- driven plats..spec development driven by new transportation lines.  So you get this  a collection of little street grids with open space and low density industrial between them.

 

Every time friends visit from Cincinnati they comment on how big everything is in Columbus. Big apartments, big roads, big lots, big warehouses. Columbus is Ohio's Texas.

It makes the comparisons to Austin even more apropos. And I'm thinking that the little strip mall developments on E 5th were once old commercial buildings (maybe two stories), but these were torn down. Who knows, since no one bothered to take pictures of the area back then. Oh, and all of the bars in the neighborhood have had their liquor licenses in peril because of high levels of violent activity. You can always visit Jeff's Place (one on Joyce), Pam's Lounge, Grown Folks' Lounge (the other one w/ metal detectors), and Friendly Grill for yourself.

It makes the comparisons to Austin even more apropos. And I'm thinking that the little strip mall developments on E 5th were once old commercial buildings (maybe two stories), but these were torn down. Who knows, since no one bothered to take pictures of the area back then. Oh, and all of the bars in the neighborhood have had their liquor licenses in peril because of high levels of violent activity. You can always visit Jeff's Place (one on Joyce), Pam's Lounge, Grown Folks' Lounge (the other one w/ metal detectors), and Friendly Grill for yourself.

 

I've been to Grown Folks before, nothing has ever happened, but I can't speak as strongly about that establishment as I can Jeff's.  Jeff's is about as tame as they come.  A large patio for talking and smoking, a tiny, tiny dance floor, pool table, and the bar with a friendly local woman pouring drinks.  Been in there several times, the only reason I could ever imagine a disturbance there would be if a group of punks from another part of town came in there and started disrespecting people.  Never seen it happen in person though.

I was actually stopping there, but the owner was hanging out in front (it's how I learned Jeff's Place is no longer owned by Jeff) told me I probably shouldn't be there, so I figured I'm not going to question the owner. Pam's Lounge though, well, a friend got dragged there once and whenever I suggested going there I got a stern, "No." Now Lisska, just further east on 5th (just outside of North Central in Krumm Park): if that were in just about any other city it would be a popular joint, but in Columbus people are scared to death to even set foot in a blue-collar bar. A shame, really. I think you should post a positive Yelp! review of Jeff's Place: not a single NC bar has a review.

American Addition Neighborhood Gains Six New Homes, More Soon to Come

By: Walker

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/american-addition-sign.jpg">

 

Only a few short months ago we were announcing the groundbreaking of four new Homeport homes in the American Addition neighborhood, located just three and a half miles northeast of Downtown Columbus. This afternoon, a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place to celebrate the completion of six new homes in this neighborhood. Needless to say, the mild winter this season has been great for construction.

READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/american-addition-neighborhood-gains-six-new-homes-more-soon-to-come

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/american-addition-02.jpg">

How long has the name American Addition been around? I'd never heard of it until recently... I did a quick google search and can only find the Homeport stuff!

 

Is the name a rebranding?

^1898 per the sign in the photo.

 

Seriously, though, I believe this neighborhood was historically platted as American Addition.

Well in that case, does any one know when I can find non-homeport information about the area? I was hoping it was a rebranding so I'd have another name to google!

The American Addition: History of a Black Community by Felix James and published in 1979.

 

First Phase of American Addition Improvements Complete

By Brent Warren, Columbus Underground

November 6, 2014 - 7:10 am

 

The first phase of infrastructure improvements for the American Addition neighborhood are complete, bringing sidewalks, streetlights, and a curb-and-gutter storm drainage system to the small collection of houses just east of Joyce Avenue on the city’s northeast side.

(. . .)

Homeport has partnered with the city on the project, building and selling ten new homes in the neighborhood, with plans to build up to ten more in 2015.  The affordable housing non-profit eventually hopes to develop an additional 80 lots in the neighborhood.

 

Additional streets in the neighborhood will receive similar infrastructure improvements as part of phases two and three of the project.  Included in all phases is new green infrastructure, including rain gardens and pervious concrete curbs.

 

MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/first-phase-of-american-addition-improvements-complete-bw1

City Council approved a $4 million contract to reconstruct streets, alleys and sidewalks in the American Addition neighborhood:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/10/17/City-Council-approves-spending-for-American-Addition.html

Ohio EPA cleanup planned for a contaminated ditch running east from the former American Zinc / American Smelting and Refining Company property.  This ditch also runs past the American Addition neighborhood:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/11/17/state-plans-cleanup-of-zinc-polluted-ditch-in-columbus-neighborhood.html

^The one who Smelt it dealt it!