Posted June 23, 20177 yr The Columbus Dispatch is beginning a seven-month series that looks at the future of Columbus. The Dispatch is calling this series, Cbus NEXT. On the Fourth Friday of each month, between now and the end of the year, the Dispatch will explore a different aspect of the future of Columbus and Central Ohio. Today’s issue focuses on growth and transportation. Here are the coming issues: July: Homes and Neighborhoods August: Health and Science September: Education October: Sports and Leisure November: Business December: Innovators and the Future The Dispatch has also set up a separate website for this Cbus NEXT series: http://www.cbusnext.com/
June 23, 20177 yr Here are some of the articles from today's Cbus NEXT issue on growth and transportation: http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/growthtransportation/site/dispatch.com/ http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/growth/site/dispatch.com/ http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/transportation/site/dispatch.com/ http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170623/signs-of-growth-seen-high-above-downtown-skyline
June 23, 20177 yr I'm glad a large Ohio newspaper is talking about growth and future for a city instead of hypothetical secession. Well done, Dispatch. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 23, 20177 yr I think a major hindrance is going to be the lack of commuter rail - and based on COTA's NextGen proposals, no one is taking the lead on it. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe all of the "smart" technology will fill in the gaps and we won't need a commuter rail of any kind. But if we're heading to a metro area of 3 million people (at this rate, it'll be before 2050), we will be held back by not connecting more areas of the city with something other than COTA buses and car2go's. Very Stable Genius
June 23, 20177 yr A new terminal at John Glenn will be completed within 15 years or so, Roberts said, to replace the current 60-year-old terminal that underwent $80 million in makeovers over the past few years. LOL. So why did we spend the $80 million in upgrades if we're going to replace the whole thing in <15 years? Very Stable Genius
June 23, 20177 yr A new terminal at John Glenn will be completed within 15 years or so, Roberts said, to replace the current 60-year-old terminal that underwent $80 million in makeovers over the past few years. LOL. So why did we spend the $80 million in upgrades if we're going to replace the whole thing in <15 years? Honestly at that point the new part may be an addition, I'd be shocked to see the airport shrinking versus growing. I see OSU or Bolton serving at the primary private aviation hub in the very near future. If I'm not mistaken OSU is planning on building a new terminal already.
June 23, 20177 yr The people will eventually stop coming if we don't build rail. It is weird that as progressive as Columbus is, it doesn't have a commuter rail system or a rail system, period. The fact that metro Columbus is so compact, dense and has a small outer-belt with linear highways running directly north south east and west from downtown towards that outerbelt, makes it very auto-friendly but that same compactness would allow for a more efficient commuter rail system than what you see in other cities like Atlanta or even Cleveland - where the city's growth has gone so far east and west. I wonder if the lack of support is mostly due to the fact that Columbusites have such high incomes and low cost of living. They can afford cars and paying to park them wherever, so they tend to not care or think about it. The city and metro is already the fastest growing and will soon be the biggest region in Ohio. In terms of MSA, I'm pretty sure they're already bigger than Cleveland. Maybe they just don't feel like they need big plans like that for growth but if they want to speed up their current growth, a proper rail system would definitely benefit them. Seems like most of the growth is from Somalis and OSU graduates who fall in love with the city and stick around. Somalis probably just feel lucky to not live in a war zone and those college grads can easily afford cars. Rail would definitely help attract different facets of society.
June 23, 20177 yr I say this again because I know movers and shakers come to this forum (and sometimes steal my ideas, like that woman who announced the new retail test-market Downtown that may even be subsidized, as I suggested they do.) Downtown needs something big. The riverfront is amazing, it got national attention this year -- my girlfriend is the APA president at CSU and told me they were discussing the success of it at the APA conference this year in NYC. It's a start but Downtown Columbus still isn't dynamic enough. It's a 5-9 office park adjacent to a great park system. With corrupt city council giving 63%-100% 15 year tax abatements to developers in the Short North, they're creating an unrealistically hot RE market along N. High St. Once those abatements are up, the SN RE market is going to crash since those abatements translate to artificially high negotiated sale prices. A shift tax abatements allocated to the CBD (particularly where parking lots are located) along with a commuter rail system with a major hub in disinvested Downtown would IMO be what could save Downtown Columbus and spur the development it desperately needs.
June 23, 20177 yr ^^And a lot of those college grads come from towns withe no jobs. Basically Columbus is already good enough for the people who move there. But you can't run on that forever.
June 26, 20177 yr "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 20, 20177 yr Between the monthly print rollouts of this Cbus NEXT series, the Dispatch (aka Gatehouse Media) is producing weekly podcasts on various issues. So far they've produced four podcasts: 1) Where we've been and where we're going 2) The identity of Columbus 3) What will transportation look like in the next twenty years? 4) How is immigration changing in Columbus? Cbus NEXT podcasts: http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/podcasts/site/dispatch.com/
July 21, 20177 yr http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/podcasts/site/dispatch.com/ ^They updated today with a podcast specifically discussing rail. I actually got quoted on there! Haha. Very Stable Genius
July 22, 20177 yr http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/podcasts/site/dispatch.com/ ^They updated today with a podcast specifically discussing rail. I actually got quoted on there! Haha. I listened to it and honestly found it a little annoying. They must've mentioned how expensive building rail is 300 times, as if expense alone was the only reason why the city lacked rail transit. At no point was it mentioned that there continue to be cities without rail that are either currently building or have recently built rail systems, indicating they found a way to get it done despite the cost. Whether one likes rail or not, the city has to do much better than just the bus. Waiting around for autonomous cars or the hyperloop doesn't seem all that realistic.
July 24, 20177 yr http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/podcasts/site/dispatch.com/ ^They updated today with a podcast specifically discussing rail. I actually got quoted on there! Haha. I listened to it and honestly found it a little annoying. They must've mentioned how expensive building rail is 300 times, as if expense alone was the only reason why the city lacked rail transit. At no point was it mentioned that there continue to be cities without rail that are either currently building or have recently built rail systems, indicating they found a way to get it done despite the cost. Whether one likes rail or not, the city has to do much better than just the bus. Waiting around for autonomous cars or the hyperloop doesn't seem all that realistic. Yes, basically the whole point was, "Well...it's expensive! So let's pass and wait for autonomous cars or maybe the hyperloop!" Is it more expensive now because of...wait for it...inflation? They even briefly mention the streetcar in Cincinnati and how we had a similar proposal under Coleman in '07 (I think?). More excuses and further proves the small-time thinking that exists for many in the city. Very Stable Genius
July 24, 20177 yr And techies turn up with with a bunch of vaporware and the city "oohs" and "ahhhs" instead of the jaded attitude it should have.
July 24, 20177 yr I'd love to see rail too, but I wonder if it's the only option? Right now Columbus is still very car oriented - The only parts that are really breaking from that mold are Campus down through German Village, and Franklington through Old Towne East. That's a pretty small footprint (maybe parts of grandview and hilltop fall into that too) and although rail would be great for it, aren't there other non-car solutions to transportation? What about cable propelled systems? Lower cost of entry, wouldn't be good for huge distances, but maybe works well for just connecting a few neighborhoods. Rail seems like it's a long way off - even if we agreed to start today, we'd be looking at a decade before we get results and much longer before we have true saturation. Not to say we shouldn't keep going that route (especially inter-city service) but if there's too much resistance, maybe look outside the norms... not to mention, doing something unique would help differentiate Columbus - something desperately needed for a landlocked city in the midwest/great lakes.
July 28, 20177 yr The Dispatch (aka Gatehouse Media) has published the second part of its 'Cbus NEXT - The Future of Columbus' series. This part looks at homes and neighborhoods and is called "Where We Live": http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/where-we-live/site/dispatch.com/
July 28, 20177 yr Where We Live: http://gatehouseprojects.com/cbusnext/where-we-live/site/dispatch.com/ There are seven articles in this part of the series. The Gatehouse/Dispatch isn't set up for linking to these individual articles - you need to go to above link and navigate to each article. But here is an overview of the articles in the 'Where We Live' section: - Housing Trends: Homes and neighborhoods that will be in demand in 20 years - Boomers and Millennials: What two influential groups want from their houses and neighborhoods - History of Houses: A look at Columbus houses over the years - Tale of two neighborhoods: How Franklinton and Olde Towne East are trying to make big comebacks - Affordability: Columbus housing market is hot, but can people afford it? - Technology: Here are 10 things you might find in your future home - Bridge Street: How Dublin is building a downtown of the future - Predictions: What people in the community and business leaders predict for the future of housing in Central Ohio
August 11, 20177 yr Found another link to the Dispatch's Cbus NEXT podcasts: https://omny.fm/shows/cbus-next This site allows one to individually link each podcast in this series. Here are the three podcasts posted for the latest Cbus NEXT issue that looks at homes and neighborhoods and is called "Where We Live": https://omny.fm/shows/cbus-next/the-future-of-housing-neighborhoods -- This is an interview with Bob Schottenstein of M/I Homes, one of the largest Central Ohio home builders. Unfortunately M/I almost exclusively builds in suburban and exurban locations. So unless you're really interested in hearing Bob talk about the quality of his M/I homes and why those darn land and development costs force him to charge those high prices for those new homes, you might want to skip this one. https://omny.fm/shows/cbus-next/the-dublin-bridge-street-district -- Now this is more like it. Terry Foegler with the City of Dublin is interviewed about the forward-thinking Bridge Street District plan that Dublin is implementing. Foegler is leading their efforts to implement this Bridge Street District vision for a 1200-acre area of Dublin that they've targeted for urban, walkable mixed-use developments and redevelopments. https://omny.fm/shows/cbus-next/continued-development-in-olde-towne-east-franklint -- Mark Ferenchik, a longtime reporter for the Dispatch, is interviewed about a recent article he wrote on development projects in the Olde Towne East and Franklinton neighborhoods that are immediately east and west of downtown.
January 4, 20187 yr The Columbus Dispatch finished up its seven-month Cbus NEXT series that looked at the future of Columbus. Here is the full seven-part series (click on the menu in the upper right corner): http://gatehousenews.com/cbusnext/915-2/ The last part of the series, called 'Building a Better Columbus' had the following articles: http://gatehousenews.com/cbusnext/what-do-we-want-for-columbus/ http://gatehousenews.com/cbusnext/what-columbus-needs/ http://gatehousenews.com/cbusnext/columbus-reputation/ http://gatehousenews.com/cbusnext/columbus-futurists/
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