May 12, 201510 yr Movie post-production facility to open Downtown Project is effort of CCAD, Ohio Film Group aimed at keeping talent in Columbus By Tim Feran, The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, May 7, 2015 - 1:18 AM Starting this summer, filmmakers will be able to look to Columbus for editing, visual effects, animation and other post-production work, the result of a partnership announced yesterday between Columbus College of Art & Design and the Ohio Film Group. The two organizations plan to open a state-of-the-art post-production facility in Columbus, to be operated under the Ohio Film Group name. It will offer services hard to find in central Ohio, while helping to stem the brain drain of talent that previously went to the West Coast to find jobs in those specialties. The Ohio Film Group will renovate a building at 380 E. Broad St., next door to the CCAD MindMarket, to create the 7,000-square-foot post-production, visual effects and animation studio. The Ohio Film Group will fund the $2 million project, which is tentatively expected to be complete on July 1. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/05/06/film-group-ccad-plan-post-production-facility.html
May 12, 201510 yr More news about the film post-production facility to be built at 380 E. Broad Street on the CCAD campus: CCAD: http://www.ccad.edu/blog/2015/05/ccad-and-the-ohio-film-group-partner-to-create-state-of-the-art-studio-on-campus/ COLUMBUS CEO: http://www.columbusceo.com/content/blogs/ceolive/2015/05/ohiofilmgroupccad.html NBC4: http://www.nbc4i.com/story/28992540/ohio-film-group-builds-state-of-the-art-studio-on-ccad-campus
July 27, 20159 yr Late March photo of the Grant & Long Building renovation from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-march-2015-part-1
July 27, 20159 yr Another proposal put forward for BalletMet warehouse By Brian R. Ball, Staff Reporter Columbus Business First - Updated: July 27, 2015, 12:54pm EDT JDSI Celmark Ltd. has identified another student housing project to pursue. The joint venture between Jerry Solove of Columbus developer Jerry Solove Development Inc. and Mike Balakrishnan of Celmark Development Group will bring their plans for student housing at a BalletMet-owned warehouse before the city’s Downtown Commission for review Tuesday morning. The concept calls for about 70 housing units in the 65,153-square-foot warehouse at 358 Mount Vernon Ave., with a two-story glass penthouse topping off the five-story building. Balakrishnan declined comment on the project designed by Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design until the commission meeting convenes. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/07/27/first-look-another-proposal-put-forward-for.html
July 28, 20159 yr More about the BalletMet warehouse proposal and its conceptual review earlier today at the Downtown Commission from CU: http://www.columbusunderground.com/downtown-warehouse-proposed-for-apartment-conversion
August 10, 20159 yr Some construction photos of the addition to Union Hall at Columbus State from Columbus Underground's Columbus State Community College - News & Updates: Came across this addition to Union Hall at Columbus State project at the architect's website. I think its been finished since 2014. But since the construction photos were posted here in 2012, might as well show the finished product. More photos (mostly interior) at http://sca-ae.com/project/union-hall-addition-renovation/ Exterior photo from the campus (similar view to the construction photo above): Interior photo looking toward downtown:
August 21, 20159 yr 5-story apartment complex proposed downtown I have a few more details to share on the planned 84-unit residential project planned for downtown that I wrote about in today's paper. First, a downtown real estate agent tells me he expects the project next to Franklin University at 223 E. Town St. and 185 S. Fifth St. will, in fact, get built as rental units. Developer Bluestone Brothers US Inc.'s application to the city's Downtown Commission did not specify whether they envisioned apartments or condos. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2015/08/first-look-5-story-apartment-complex-proposed.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 25, 20159 yr ^ Wonderful news about that Fifth & Town location. This could be an outstanding infill project at a great central location downtown. Here's the Google Streetview Link from Fifth & Town of the project's location. This proposed five-story mixed-use/residential building would be located next to a similarly scaled residential building at 199 S. Fifth Street. 199 S. Fifth was a 1970's-era office building converted into 28 residential condos in the mid-2000's. CU also has some more project info about the proposed Fifth & Town mixed-use/residential: http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/bluestone-plans-84-residences-at-town-and-fifth-streets Fifth & Town location - which contains two existing 1960's/70's era office buildings and surface parking. The 199 S. Fifth Street residential condo building is immediately south in this aerial view: Streetview of 185 N. Fifth Street office building and view of the back of 223 E. Town Street office building facing Fifth Street: Streetview of 223 E. Town Street office building facing Town Street: Aerial rendering showing the ground level parking garage and L-shaped upper stories proposed for the Fifth & Town mixed-use/residential building:
August 26, 20159 yr Another downtown "residential" project that's a couple blocks away from the Fifth & Town mixed-use/residential project. This one is a 105-room extended stay hotel with ground floor retail proposed for East Main Street. Hence the "residential" air quotes in describing it (almost as good as apartments, but not quite): Extended-stay hotel on tap for East Main Street By Brian R. Ball, Staff Reporter Columbus Business First - Aug. 14, 2015, 6:00am EDT East Main Street in downtown Columbus may get a 105-room Home2Suites hotel. Alliance Hospitality Inc. and Northstar Realty have filed conceptual plans with the city calling for the hotel atop 11,000 square feet of retail space. The complex would be built on the site of a commercial property at 392-404 E. Main Street and an apartment building at 382-388 E. Main Street. ... The Downtown Commission is set to review the project at its Aug. 25 meeting. ( . . . ) The project calls for a two-level, 143-slot parking deck off Cherry Street with the hotel lobby accessible from the second level. (The planned hotel would sit atop a base of retail space fronting East Main Street.) ( . . . ) Proximity to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Grant Medical Center and Franklin University was a big factor in selecting East Main Street, said Betsy Kinnear of Alliance Hospitality. “We found a great location in an up-and-coming neighborhood as downtown begins to revitalize.” ... Developer Dan Schmidt welcomed the prospect of a hotel in the Market Exchange corridor he helped revive more than 10 years ago with the redevelopment and construction of offices, housing and restaurants. “Any more development that comes here supports the restaurants and brings more traffic to the neighborhood,” said the president of CitySpace LLC. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2015/08/14/extended-stay-hotel-on-tape-for-east-main-street.html
August 26, 20159 yr This photo shows where the proposed 105-room extended hotel project would go on East Main Street. The Kar-A-Kar car wash at 392-404 E. Main Street and a vacant apartment building at 382-388 E. Main Street would be removed for this project: Rendering showing the hotel facing East Main Street - 105 extended-stay hotel rooms on the top three floors; - two-level, 143-slot parking garage with the hotel lobby accessible from the second floor; - Ground-floor retail space fronting E. Main Street: Rendering from http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/market-exchange-extended-stay-hotel/#post-1089380 showing the remaining East Main Street buildings on both sides of the proposed hotel: - Left/West is the Nutis Building that Schmidt/CitySpace converted from a printing operation into offices and has since become loft apartments at 378 E. Main Street: - Right/East is the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church at 428 E. Main Street:
August 26, 20159 yr The Dispatch had an article in today's paper about yesterday's Downtown Commission meeting where both the Fifth & Town apartments/retail project and the Home2Suites extended-stay hotel projects were reviewed: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/08/25/Apartments-and-hotel-are-planned-for-Downtown.html Both projects were up for conceptual review: - The Fifth & Town apartment/retail project received a positive review from the commission and no major changes were recommended. The project's architect said he might return next month with final design plans for approval. - The Home2Suites extended-stay hotel project was less well received by the commission. The development concept and use was fine. But the project's design was not. The commission expressed concern over the size of the windows and its generic look. Some comments about the design were: "The design looks like it belongs at the airport”; “It looks a little like a cheap product"; “The windows look very, very small"; and “I think this building needs help.” The commission also said they would rather see masonry and brick on the hotel building instead of stucco. --- To sum up, the commission chairman said “part of our goal is to try to maintain a high standard for Downtown.” In response, the hotel developer said he would return with a revised design. The article also contained this downtown location map for the two projects:
October 5, 20159 yr Update on the Fifth & Town project from CU: Town Street Apartments Downtown Moving Forward By Brent Warren, Columbus Underground October 2, 2015 - 1:07 pm A proposal from Bluestone Brothers and Crawford Hoying to tear down two small office buildings on Town Street and replace them with a five-story mixed-use building is moving forward after being approved by the Downtown Commission. Crawford Hoying Principal Bob Hoying said that they hope to begin demolition late this year and start construction in early 2016. ( . . . ) Hoying said the design for the new building at 223 East Town Street will still have to return to the commission for approval of the final architectural and landscape details. The overall footprint and size of the building is unchanged from the initial design – it will feature 84 one- and two-bedroom apartment units over 5,000 square feet of retail space. Also included is a first-floor parking garage and an amenity deck with views of downtown to the south and west. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/town-street-apartments-downtown-moving-forward
October 5, 20159 yr Updated renderings for 223 E. Town Street (aka Fifth & Town) from http://www.columbusunderground.com/town-street-apartments-downtown-moving-forward: This view is from Town Street looking southwest: This view is from Fifth Street looking northwest back toward the downtown core:
October 23, 20159 yr Update on the extended-stay hotel proposed for 382-404 E. Main Street. Project description posted at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,419.msg769741.html#msg769741, earlier in this thread. Previous hotel renderings posted at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,419.msg769742.html#msg769742: Commission Encouraged by Changes to Main Street Hotel Proposal By Brent Warren, Columbus Underground October 23, 2015 - 12:15 pm Representatives of Northstar Realty and Alliance Hospitality were back in front of the Downtown Commission this week to submit a new design for their proposed Home2 Suites extended-stay hotel at 382-404 East Main Street. The commission was not impressed with the initial design of the 100-suite hotel, saying that the windows were too small and the overall design was not up to the standards of downtown. Included in both proposals is ground floor retail fronting Main Street and a 143-space parking garage. “They greatly improved the proposal with much better lighting, materials and a more modern look,” said Commissioner Mike Brown. “It is still in the idea phase, but improved.” Brown said that the commission did request that an entrance to the hotel be included on Main – the submitted design shows the primary entrance on the top level of the two-story parking garage, in the rear of the building. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/home2-suites-hotel-columbus-bw1
October 23, 20159 yr Here are the new renderings for the revised extended-stay hotel design from http://www.columbusunderground.com/home2-suites-hotel-columbus-bw1
December 17, 20159 yr Rehab of brick duplex at 390-392 E. Town Street in downtown Columbus received state tax credits: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/12/16/drexel-theatre-microapartments-among-5-projects.html 390-392 E. Town St. (Columbus) - Project cost: $1.14 million - Tax credit: $113,400 The 1890s brick duplex at 390-392 E. Town St., vacant for seven years and previously used as offices, will be renovated into four townhome units. Located two parcels west of the former Ohio Deaf School (which was recently renovated into Cristo Rey High School) and located immediately south of the Columbus Main Library, which is currently undergoing a major renovation.
January 28, 20169 yr Columbus State considering $300,000 to study master plan's viability Columbus State Community College trustees are considering hiring someone to focus on and advance the school’s ambitious master plan. The two-year school’s administrators adopted a plan in 2013 to remake parts of its downtown campus but President David Harrison acknowledged in November that its appetite for change is still far bigger than its funding. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2016/01/columbus-state-considering-300-000-to-study-master.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 21, 20169 yr JSDI Celmark appears to be moving ahead with their renovation plan for the BalletMet warehouse building in the Discovery District that they first advanced in July 2015 - previously shown here. More about in the next post at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/03/21/first-look-developers-buy-balletmet-warehouse-with.html
March 21, 20169 yr Developers buy BalletMet warehouse with plans for 80 apartments By Evan Weese, Staff Reporter - Columbus Business First Updated: March 21, 2016, 12:45pm EDT A pair of developers has acquired the vacant warehouse next to BalletMet Columbus’ downtown headquarters, advancing nearly 2-year-old plans to redevelop the building with residences. JSDI Celmark Ltd., a joint venture between Dublin-based Celmark Development Group Inc. and Jerry Solove Development Inc. of Columbus, wants to add two levels and a rooftop patio to the five-story warehouse for their 80-unit View on Grant apartments. The 96-year-old building at 358 Mount Vernon Ave. would offer a mix of one- and two-bedroom units on floors two through seven, atop 41 parking spaces and a street-level office and sidewalk cafe, show plans being considered Tuesday by Columbus’ Downtown Commission. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/03/21/first-look-developers-buy-balletmet-warehouse-with.html
March 21, 20169 yr http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/03/21/first-look-developers-buy-balletmet-warehouse-with.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 26, 20169 yr About a block north of the BalletMet warehouse project... Platform Beer Opening Downtown Brewery & Brewpub By Walker Evans, Columbus Underground March 25, 2016 - 10:10 am Platform Beer is headed to Columbus in a big way. The Cleveland-based brewery announced this morning that they’ll be launching a production facility and tasting room at 408 North Sixth Street in the Discovery District in Downtown Columbus. “Columbus was the most logical next step for us,” said Paul Benner, Owner and Chief Brewing Officer at Platform. “The beer scene in Columbus is developed already. This is also exciting for me because I’m originally from Columbus and grew up there.” The 12,000 square foot facility will be divided up for production, distribution, a brewpub and some outdoor patio seating that includes a rooftop patio. The location of the facility might seem a bit off the beaten path, but Benner said that the skyline views from the rooftop patio is one of the things that sold them on the spot. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/platform-beer-columbus
March 31, 20169 yr The Metropreneur (formerly Metropreneur Columbus website) has been running a regular series that profiles local small companies and their urban office spaces. This one is about the Ibel Agency, an advertising agency that moved from a Short North location into Downtown's Discovery District. Ibel previously owned a one-story building at Third & High in the Short North. They sold that building - which has been demolished for a six-story residential project - and moved into a warehouse building at 243 N. Fifth Street. That warehouse building at 243 N. Fifth Street has been rebranded as 'Factory No. 6' and its four floors are home to a collection of creative businesses including the Ibel Agency, Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design, Fulcrum Creatives, Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative, Choptank Agency and Five ID Studio: More photos at http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/at-work-ibel-agency-enjoys-move-to-discovery-district/
April 3, 20169 yr These projects are cool and could evoke some interesting synergy if the dots were connected. Why does Columbus not double down more on the "Warehouse District" branding? It would be no more contrived than "Arena District" or "Italian Village" and sounds way more compelling than "Discovery District."
April 26, 20169 yr A step forward for this project ... View on Grant Apartment Proposal Receives Design Updates By Walker Evans, Columbus Underground April 26, 2016 - 2:51 pm The View on Grant apartment development proposal went back in front of the Downtown Commission this morning with some new details on the project. Last month the design was updated to include a large cantilevered addition to the top of the building located at 358 Mt. Vernon Avenue, which would add three additional floors to the historic brick structure. Today, a more detailed view of the building was presented. ( . . . ) The cantilever roof addition was approved unanimously by the Commission, with further project design review still pending final approval before the project moves forward. If approved, the project will add approximately 80 new apartment units to the Discovery District and will include a ground-floor cafe retail space, indoor parking and outdoor patio amenities on the top floors. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/view-on-grant-apartment-proposal-receives-design-updates
April 26, 20169 yr Here are the updated renderings for the View on Grant from http://www.columbusunderground.com/view-on-grant-apartment-proposal-receives-design-updates. Maybe it's the improved quality of these renderings compared to the earlier ones, but I like this updated version much more than the earlier design. Check out the CU article for an interesting back-and-forth between the project architect and the Downtown Commission about the cantilevered addition:
April 27, 20169 yr Well, for an area of downtown without much *BAM*...this will bring it. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 25, 20169 yr Another Discovery District renovation project announced: -- Three Discovery District Buildings Planned for Mixed-Use Development: http://www.columbusunderground.com/three-discovery-district-buildings-planned-for-mixed-use-development -- Faith Mission shelter to become loft apartments: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/05/24/1-plan-calls-for-lofts-on-site-of-homeless-shelter.html
May 25, 20169 yr ^ Both CU and the Dispatch are talking about the same project, but the Dispatch headline emphasizes one part of it. So here are the three buildings involved: 288 E. Long Street and 294 E. Long Street 151 N. Sixth Street — currently home to the Faith Mission Men’s Shelter. According to http://www.columbusunderground.com/three-discovery-district-buildings-planned-for-mixed-use-development: "A trio of three-story buildings located in the Discovery District sub-neighborhood in Downtown Columbus will be getting a residential and retail conversion if a new plan is approved (by the) Downtown Commission. Local developer Don DeVere has submitted plans to renovate 288 East Long Street, 294 East Long Street, and 151 North Sixth Street — the latter of which is currently home to the Faith Mission Men’s Shelter." "While the buildings face different streets, they form an L-shape toward the north end of the properties, which would be opened up to serve as a connection between the addresses. The submitted plans call for 30 residential units on the two upper floors of the interconnected buildings with a ground-floor parking garage entrance from Sixth Street with room for 31 cars, and a new 1,791 square foot commercial space on the Long Street side — which is in addition to the existing Beyond Limits Training fitness studio at 294 East Long Street." Here is a location map showing the L-shape formed by the three buildings in the project: According to CU and http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/05/24/1-plan-calls-for-lofts-on-site-of-homeless-shelter.html: CU: "The Faith Mission Men’s Shelter (at 151 N. Sixth Street) has already announced plans to relocate two blocks north to a larger facility at Grant Avenue where the organization is bringing multiple operations under one roof." Dispatch: "Faith Mission residents would move to a larger building at 217 N. Grant Avenue that will be converted into a shelter. The move would bring the shelter closer to a Faith Mission kitchen that opened three years ago on Grant. ... The new shelter would house the same number of residents as the current shelter, up to 42 women and 110 men. The building would also include space for veterans and an employment resource center." This would be the second move in recent years for the Faith Mission in this part of Downtown. The Faith Mission was originally located in an historic church at 315 E. Long Street that was converted into a homeless shelter. In 2012, Edwards Cos., the developers of the nearby Neighborhood Launch project, swapped the larger building at 151 N. Sixth Street for the historic church: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,8471.msg640335.html#msg640335 -- Edwards later renovated that historic church as a community center for its Neighborhood Launch residential development: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,8471.msg736839.html#msg736839 Now, the Faith Mission is selling the 151 N. Sixth Street building they obtained in that 2012 building swap to another developer to fund a move to an even larger building at 217 N. Grant Avenue.
May 25, 20169 yr ^ Project update in the comments section of http://www.columbusunderground.com/three-discovery-district-buildings-planned-for-mixed-use-development from Walker Evans: "UPDATE! This project was approved unanimously by the Downtown Commission this morning. Moving forward!"
May 26, 20169 yr Loft-style apartments and retail coming to Long and Sixth downtown The Faith Mission and an attached vacant building in downtown’s Discovery District will be redeveloped with a mix of loft-style apartments and street-level retail. DeVere LLC plans to renovate the men’s homeless shelter and attached structure, both three stories, with 30 second- and third-floor residential units atop 2,000 square feet of retail facing Long Street. The buildings form an L-shaped structure at the northwest corner of Long and Sixth streets. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/05/25/loft-style-apartments-and-retail-coming-to-long.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 3, 20169 yr New Culinary School Facility Planned at Columbus State The culinary program at Columbus State Community College has been ranked as one of the Top 20 culinary schools in the United States. So it only makes sense that the expansion of the program would serve as a first step toward implementing the college’s large-scale master plan. More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-culinary-school-facility-planned-at-columbus-state "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 6, 20168 yr 1880s building on Long Street downtown renovated for offices A building from the 1880s situated in a developing area of downtown has been renovated for offices, amid a tight market for Class A space in and around Columbus’ central business district. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/07/06/1880s-building-on-long-street-downtown-renovated.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 19, 20168 yr Updated renderings for 223 E. Town Street (aka Fifth & Town) from http://www.columbusunderground.com/town-street-apartments-downtown-moving-forward: This view is from Town Street looking southwest: Update on the 223 E. Town Street apartment project from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-edition. This mid-July photo shows that the 1 and 2-story office buildings on the site have been demo'd for this project. This photo shows the same view as the above rendering - looking southwest from the corner of Town & Fifth. To the left, along Fifth Street, is a 1970's-era office building that converted into 28 residential condos in the mid-2000's. To the right, along Town Street, is a 1970's-era Holiday Inn that received a cosmetic redo a few years ago. The 223 E. Town Street project will contain 84 apartments, an internal parking garage and ground-floor retail space facing Town Street:
July 19, 20168 yr ^Glad to see some new development in that area, hopefully it helps to pull some focus that direction.
July 19, 20168 yr Agreed. Having Franklin University there should help out. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 21, 20168 yr A four-story building, long up for sale, has been acquired at the corner of Broad and Grant Streets. Any one know who gobbled it up and what might be planned?
August 2, 20168 yr A four-story building, long up for sale, has been acquired at the corner of Broad and Grant Streets. Any one know who gobbled it up and what might be planned? If it's this four-story office building at the northwest corner of Broad and Grant, then I'd guess it's just the building changing ownership and would continue as office space.
August 24, 20168 yr View on Grant Apartment Development Gets Further Updates While construction work has already begun on the View on Grant apartment project in Downtown Columbus, the building plans are continuing to see some revisions. When the project was first proposed over a year ago, it included an addition on the north side of the building, which was later removed during the design revision process. That north addition is now back on the drawing board, and was reviewed by the Downtown Commission this morning. More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/view-on-grant-columbus "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 25, 20168 yr Columbus, where even the libraries are gentrifying neighborhoods. :| Library Calling for Demolition and Redevelopment of Grant Oak Apartments The Columbus Metropolitan Library is soliciting proposals to redevelop the row of apartment buildings just north of the newly renovated Main Library downtown. The library has posted a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on their website that specifies what they have in mind for the site – two mid-rise apartment buildings framing a small park, with two new roads providing access to the library parking garage from Oak Street. More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/library-calling-for-demolition-and-redevelopment-of-grant-oak-apartments "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 25, 20168 yr I think overall this would be a great plan if they were to keep the new apartments in the same price range. There is a huge shortage of affordable apartments such as these in the downtown area. I do like the idea of increasing retail around the area and the prospect of a 5-10 story medical building (10 stories please!) is a bit exciting.
August 25, 20168 yr I think overall this would be a great plan if they were to keep the new apartments in the same price range. There is a huge shortage of affordable apartments such as these in the downtown area. I do like the idea of increasing retail around the area and the prospect of a 5-10 story medical building (10 stories please!) is a bit exciting. A couple points, The larger overall map at the bottom of the article is not necessarily any concrete plan that will ever actually happen, but rather a rehash of existing "visions" developed by the city several years ago. To date, there has been zero movement on virtually any of those things, and there are no real proposals for any of it now. Not to mention, moving forward with any of those parts and pieces can happen while leaving these existing apartments alone, their remaining doesn't impede other new developments at all. There is no way any new build would be able to exist in the same price range as the current apartments. They are proposing demolishing 130 well-maintained affordable units and replacing them with ~100 total, 10 of which would be "workforce housing." Additionally, this would likely be taking advantage of city funds dedicated to the development of new affordable housing which would be much better put to use elsewhere. I'd say that is a bad deal. Period. The real motivation here seems to be firstly profit, and second improving access to their parking garage, which is really not difficult or "unsafe" at all as-is. CDDC being involved gives me no confidence in the quality of the new buildings proposed or any developer that will be attached to them. CDDC selected Carter and gave us HighPoint, which is probably the worst new-build in downtown Columbus in decades. Grant Hospital has been promising to build a medical office building on that lot since the late 1990s when existing housing which had been on the site was demolished. They have applied for several extensions to the supposed time limit which was put on their operating a surface parking lot there since, and all have been granted. One day they may build something, but I'm certainly not holding my breath. Further, their last new-build medical building at State and 6th, is a 6-story urban design disaster. It is totally dead at ground level and connects to the main hospital via skywalk, certainly better than something the Cleveland Clinic would dream up, but not at all an exciting, productive addition to the streetscape. TL;DR, there is no shortage of empty suface lots and underutilized land in this part of downtown. Demolishing the one fully built-out parcel that houses a large number of well-maintained, desperately-needed affordable units is totally counter productive and has no net gain for the area. CML should be taken to task for this proposal IMO.
August 25, 20168 yr I think overall this would be a great plan if they were to keep the new apartments in the same price range. There is a huge shortage of affordable apartments such as these in the downtown area. I do like the idea of increasing retail around the area and the prospect of a 5-10 story medical building (10 stories please!) is a bit exciting. A couple points, The larger overall map at the bottom of the article is not necessarily any concrete plan that will ever actually happen, but rather a rehash of existing "visions" developed by the city several years ago. To date, there has been zero movement on virtually any of those things, and there are no real proposals for any of it now. Not to mention, moving forward with any of those parts and pieces can happen while leaving these existing apartments alone, their remaining doesn't impede other new developments at all. There is no way any new build would be able to exist in the same price range as the current apartments. They are proposing demolishing 130 well-maintained affordable units and replacing them with ~100 total, 10 of which would be "workforce housing." Additionally, this would likely be taking advantage of city funds dedicated to the development of new affordable housing which would be much better put to use elsewhere. I'd say that is a bad deal. Period. The real motivation here seems to be firstly profit, and second improving access to their parking garage, which is really not difficult or "unsafe" at all as-is. CDDC being involved gives me no confidence in the quality of the new buildings proposed or any developer that will be attached to them. CDDC selected Carter and gave us HighPoint, which is probably the worst new-build in downtown Columbus in decades. Grant Hospital has been promising to build a medical office building on that lot since the late 1990s when existing housing which had been on the site was demolished. They have applied for several extensions to the supposed time limit which was put on their operating a surface parking lot there since, and all have been granted. One day they may build something, but I'm certainly not holding my breath. Further, their last new-build medical building at State and 6th, is a 6-story urban design disaster. It is totally dead at ground level and connects to the main hospital via skywalk, certainly better than something the Cleveland Clinic would dream up, but not at all an exciting, productive addition to the streetscape. TL;DR, there is no shortage of empty suface lots and underutilized land in this part of downtown. Demolishing the one fully built-out parcel that houses a large number of well-maintained, desperately-needed affordable units is totally counter productive and has no net gain for the area. CML should be taken to task for this proposal IMO. Great post! I could not agree more. This really pisses me off. This is exactly what we should NOT be doing! It just makes want to protest or something it pisses me off that bad. I am going to have such a grudge against the library if they do this. What the hell is wrong with our city officials who will just go along with this?
August 26, 20168 yr I'm really disappointed with CML and this proposed development. The garage access route is pure BS. I thought this was very interesting: Got an Affordable Housing Crisis? Save the Cheap Housing You Already Have. http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/08/got-an-affordable-housing-crisis-save-the-cheap-housing-youve-already-got/497234/
November 17, 20168 yr Columbus State buys downtown parking lots for $2.2M The school had been leasing the lots for student parking from a company affiliated with the Germain automotive family. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/11/17/columbus-state-buys-downtown-parking-lots-for-2-2m.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 9, 20168 yr :clap: Motorists to invest $20 million in Downtown development Motorists Insurance Group has announced it will initially invest nearly $20 million to begin developing its real estate holdings in Downtown Columbus. The Columbus-based company plans to develop mixed-use residential and commercial retail buildings overlooking the Discovery District's Topiary Park. The insurer sees 68 apartments, 114 parking spaces and a small area for ground-floor retail in the first phase at the northwest corner of Library Park North and Washington Avenue, followed by four more residential and retail buildings later on. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/12/09/motorists-to-invest-20-million-in-downtown-development.html#
December 9, 20168 yr With downtown development momentum growing each year, this kind of project announcement seemed inevitable. But it's really great to see Motorists finally filling in this parking lot overlooking the Topiary Park. Great development site. As a bonus, it also would cover up the Motorists parking garage.
December 10, 20168 yr This is fantastic news. Huge kudos to Motorists Insurance for basically establishing a miniature NRI and investing in the downtown real estate market. There is a lot of potential in the Discovery District sitting in the form of dozens of lonely asphalt parking lots. With CSCC, CCAD, CMA, CML, and now Motorists getting in on the action, along with guidance from the CDDC, the future is looking bright for the area.
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