December 10, 20168 yr A crude map I made real quick. The red box shows this new development north of the Topiary Park. The yellow boxes show Motorists' owned lots/structures in the area. The blue lots are owned by State Auto, whose HQ are across Broad from Motorists. The purple box over the grass lot across Town from the Topiary Park is a proposed seven story apartment building. The green box was an old Roxanne factory that was demoed and is approved for a seven story apartment building as well. Motorists has a real opportunity to turn Oak into a nice mixed use street connecting OTE to downtown.
December 11, 20168 yr Nice visualization. What is the seven-story building proposed on the Topiary Park? Hadn't heard of that. I also don't think the green site is going to happen. That developer had zero urban development experience - they clearly just wanted to tear down the bldg and see if the land became any more valuable for speculation, so they submitted a "proposal." Really big fan of the townhouses though. Great way to provide some ideal park frontage while also screening the parking structure. I hope development targets the yellow blocks shown above and not the existing old apartments surrounding the Library. That stock of hundreds of cheap, basic urban walk-up apartments can never be replaced once its gone. With just a little bit of high-end infill, adding something complimentary to the mix, this pocket could become downtown's first real "neighborhood."
December 12, 20168 yr I also don't think the green site is going to happen. That developer had zero urban development experience - they clearly just wanted to tear down the bldg and see if the land became any more valuable for speculation, so they submitted a "proposal." The 330 Oak project from Stonehenge is happening, it's been working its way through city permitting all year. Final structural approval was just given in October and the developer paid over 15k in fees for that alone. More here, http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,30341.0.html
December 12, 20168 yr This is the same developer who tore down the Ibel building in the Short North and still hasn't built its replacement over a year later. Here's the article about the other project: http://www.columbusunderground.com/seven-story-apartment-building-proposed-near-topiary-park-bw1
December 12, 20168 yr This is the same developer who tore down the Ibel building in the Short North and still hasn't built its replacement over a year later. Here's the article about the other project: http://www.columbusunderground.com/seven-story-apartment-building-proposed-near-topiary-park-bw1 It's actually currently under construction.
December 15, 20168 yr More about the Motorists development plan from our friends at CU: http://www.columbusunderground.com/motorists-unveils-development-plan-for-surface-lots-near-topiary-park-bw1 Can't say much for the initial renderings, but I do like where Motorists is going with this. Compare this view with aderwent's map of the area posted previously:
December 15, 20168 yr You know Columbus is doing something right when Motorists is building walkable infill. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 15, 20168 yr First Nationwide, and now Motorists. I'd love to see State Auto get in on this game next ;)
March 22, 20178 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: UPDATE: March 20, 2017 photos from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-italian-village-downtown-more
March 29, 20178 yr The former NAPA Auto Parts Store at 162 N. Sixth Street is being renovated by the artists group, Tacocat Cooperative, which is relocating from its Grandview Yard location, and being renamed 'Blockfort': http://www.columbusunderground.com/blockfort-art-studio-and-gallery In addition to galleries and studios, 'Blockfort' will also contain co-working space: http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/blockfort-coworking/ The Blockfort renovation of the former NAPA store at 162 N. Sixth Street is finished: http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/blockfort-adds-artist-studio-and-gallery-space-to-downtown/ http://www.columbusunderground.com/photos-new-art-studio-blockfort-opens-downtown
March 29, 20178 yr View on Grant project construction progress photos: February 2017: http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-february-2017 March 2017: http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-italian-village-downtown-more
May 20, 20178 yr An update on this project from a CU article about an another building this developer is currently renovating downtown: http://www.columbusunderground.com/residential-conversion-of-downtown-building-almost-complete-bw1 Developer Eli Adahan also provided an update on his other downtown project, a proposed mixed-use building at the southwest corner of East Town Street and Washington Avenue, across from the Topiary Park. “We’re still in the planning stages on that,” he said. “We want to build a luxurious building on the park, with retail on the first floor. In that part of Downtown, there’s hardly anything, apart from the Starbucks in the hospital.” “We need to be innovative,” he added, “it’s a beautiful, historic street, so we don’t want to propose something that will stand out too much. We hope to come back to the (downtown) commission with a proposal by the end of year.” Actually this is the purple box development from my map above.
May 20, 20178 yr ^ Thanks, you're right. I got the wrong corner overlooking Topiary Park. Well, even better news!
May 22, 20178 yr Social Justice Park Planned for East Broad Street Columbus may bring to life the country’s first ever Social Justice Park. The First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ of Columbus submitted a Request for Conceptual Review to the Downtown Commission to construct the park at 404 East Broad Street in the Discovery District. More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/social-justice-park-planned-for-east-broad-street-ls1 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 10, 20178 yr Commercial tenant named for Long & Sixth apartment project in Discovery District An anchor commercial tenant has been identified for an apartment development on Long Street in downtown’s Discovery District. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/06/09/commercial-tenant-named-for-long-sixth-apartment.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 10, 20178 yr How a developer is converting old Faith Mission complex into trendy downtown apartments The latest addition to the growing list of residential options in downtown’s Discovery District is an adaptive reuse project involving a former men’s homeless shelter and a neighboring auto dealership. DeVere LLC is renovating the attached Faith Mission and Oscar Lear buildings, both three stories, with 26 second- and third-floor residential units atop 2,000 square feet of retail in the Lear portion facing Long Street. The buildings form an L-shaped structure at the northwest corner of Long and Sixth streets, next to Roosevelt Coffeehouse and Beyond Limits Training. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/06/09/first-look-how-a-developer-is-converting-old-faith.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 28, 20177 yr Motorists unveils plans for New York-style brownstone along Topiary Park A five-story apartment complex is planned along downtown’s Topiary Park as part of a broader residential makeover being put forward by Motorists Insurance Group. The Columbus-based insurance company on Tuesday detailed the first phase of a redevelopment proposal for a sea of surface parking lots it owns near its East Broad Street tower. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/06/27/first-look-motorists-unveils-plans-for-new-york.html Dispatch wrote an article as well: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170627/motorists-topiary-park-apartment-project-moving-ahead "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 28, 20177 yr I said earlier in this thread that I liked the Motorists concept with this building but didn't think much of the initial renderings. Now the renderings have caught up with the concept. Hope this happens.
June 29, 20177 yr First Phase of Motorists’ Plan Calls for Five-Story Building Overlooking Topiary Park Motorists Insurance Group revealed more details of its plan for a one-acre parking lot abutting the Topiary Park Downtown. The latest proposal, which was presented to the Downtown Commission at its meeting on Tuesday, also shed some light on the company’s plans for future phases of the development. The overall plan calls for a total of 256 units, parking for 778 cars, and another 10,000 square feet of retail space. Those future phases would fill in the additional surface parking lots that Motorists owns east of South Washington Avenue. The building facing the park would hold 68 units; a mix of townhomes, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and studios. A parking garage accessed from Oak Street would hold 114 cars, and a 4,000 square foot retail storefront would occupy the first floor of the building at the corner of Oak and Washington. ... Another topic of discussion was the plans for Library Park Drive, which would be converted into a pedestrian-only pathway under the proposal. http://www.columbusunderground.com/first-phase-of-motorists-plan-calls-for-five-story-building-overlooking-topiary-park MODERATOR EDIT: Article edited to excerpt w/ link.
June 30, 20177 yr I love that they are going to make Library Park a pedestrian walkway rather than a road. I hope the standard is of the Neighborhood Launch quality. I would think that with the roadway turned into a pathway and with the views of the park, these would be highly sought after. Hell I would push a nun down stairs to live there.
July 6, 20177 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 More about this from Business First: Columbus State finds home for new $33.6M culinary school By Tom Knox, Reporter - Columbus Business First July 3, 2017, 1:02pm EDT Columbus State Community College has found a home for its new 80,000 square-foot Hospitality and Culinary Arts School. The $33.6 million institute likely will be located at the southeast corner of Cleveland and Mt. Vernon avenues, the site of a surface parking lot. ... Construction is scheduled to begin in November and wrap up in May 2019. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/07/03/columbus-state-finds-home-for-new-33-6m-culinary.html
July 6, 20177 yr Not sure if this was already known or not, but a sign outside the View on Grant project indicates that the ground floor retail tenant will be Stauf's Coffee.
July 11, 20177 yr Here are the new renderings for the revised extended-stay hotel design from http://www.columbusunderground.com/home2-suites-hotel-columbus-bw1 The building has reached it's full height along E. Main St.
July 11, 20177 yr Great shot! That went up really quickly and really adds a lot to the streetscape along Main there.
July 11, 20177 yr Great shot! That went up really quickly and really adds a lot to the streetscape along Main there. I agree, it reduces the width of the street visually.
August 5, 20177 yr The building has reached it's full height along E. Main St. Tim Hortons will be opening a new location in the ground floor retail space of this hotel. Should be a nice addition to the area.
August 6, 20177 yr ^ E. Main Street view of the Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-downtown-columbus-july-2017
August 21, 20177 yr Construction update on the View on Grant apartment project - https://www.theviewongrant.com/. A July 31 photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-downtown-columbus-july-2017 of the rooftop addition beginning to be framed atop the existing warehouse building that is being renovated:
August 21, 20177 yr ^ The application submitted by the Behal Sampson Dietz architectural firm on behalf of property owner EB 2016, calls for five stories of residential units above a one-and-a-half story parking structure that would be partially under ground: http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-six-story-residential-building-proposed-on-east-broad-street Here is a streetview of the existing office building at the NW corner of Broad & Grant: Here is a rendering of the new building proposed for the NW corner of Broad & Grant:
August 21, 20177 yr ^ That ground floor is the epitome of bad design. Agreed. But it shouldn't take much tweaking to integrate the ground floor with the rest of the building (which looks pretty good). That's why we have a Downtown Commission with design review authority.
August 22, 20177 yr ^ That ground floor is the epitome of bad design. Agreed. But it shouldn't take much tweaking to integrate the ground floor with the rest of the building (which looks pretty good). That's why we have a Downtown Commission with design review authority. I agree about the rest of the building being pretty good. I wish they would add some ground floor retail. It's much needed, especially on a street like Broad with the number of huge office buildings.
August 23, 20177 yr CU article detailing yesterday's Downtown Commission review of the six-story residential building proposed for the NW corner of Broad & Grant (350 E. Broad Street). During the conceptual review, project representatives said that the current building height and design would hold between 55 and 65 apartment units: http://www.columbusunderground.com/plans-reviewed-for-new-six-story-residential-building-on-broad-street
September 7, 20177 yr Updated rendering 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: March 2017 construction update: https://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,419.msg845724.html#msg845724 Sept. 3, 2017 photo of the 223 E. Town Street project at the southwest corner Fifth & Town. The nearly completed project will contain 84 apartments, an internal parking garage and ground-floor retail space facing Town Street: http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-cranes-dot-the-skyline-in-downtown-columbus
September 27, 20177 yr Discovery District: Planners eye $2M facelift as downtown sees increasing development A nonprofit company is raising funds for a neighborhood facelift in a part of downtown burgeoning with development. The Discovery District, which covers a good portion of eastern downtown and is home to the Columbus Museum of Art, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus State Community College and other cultural hubs, has seen significant development since property owners set up a Special Improvement District to support it a decade ago. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/09/26/discovery-district-planners-eye-2m-facelift-as.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 27, 20177 yr Downtown Commission Hears Ideas for Discovery District A new “Placemaking Plan” for the Discovery District was presented to the Downtown Commission on Tuesday. Cleve Ricksecker, Executive Director of the Discovery District Special Improvement District, updated the commission on some of the highlights of the plan, including a Discovery Trail meant to connect destinations like the Main Library, the Columbus Museum of Art, Thurber House, and the Topiary Park. More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/ideas-for-discovery-district-presented-to-downtown-commission-bw1 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 4, 20177 yr http://www.dispatch.com/news/20171103/ccad-announces-state-of-the-art-animation-center The Columbus College of Art and Design announced Friday that it will be adding a new $1.5 million, state-of-the-art animation center. The new center will be added within CCAD's Design Studios at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and East Broad Street. . . . Construction on the animation center is slated to begin in March, with its opening scheduled for fall of next year.
November 7, 20177 yr More on that... CCAD Building New State-of-the-Art Animation Center The Columbus College of Art & Design is giving a big boost to its animation program. Representatives from the college unveiled plans today to construct a new $1.5 million facility inside the Design Studios on Broad building on the Downtown campus. The facility will be formally known as the Cloyd Family Animation Center, and will house both analog and digital drawing studios, a virtual reality drawing lab, a stop-motion classroom, and additional gallery, classroom and flex space. “Animation is a growing industry here in Columbus and around the world,” stated Charlotte Belland, Chair of CCAD’s Animation program. “At the end of the day, animation is all about storytelling. But animators also need to know the latest industry-standard software.” More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/ccad-building-new-state-of-the-art-animation-center "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 14, 20177 yr Construction photo of the five-story Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel on East Main Street in downtown. Posted October 15 at http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-downtown-columbus-east-franklinton
November 14, 20177 yr Updated rendering 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: March 2017 construction update: https://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,419.msg845724.html#msg845724 Sept. 3, 2017 photo of the 223 E. Town Street project at the southwest corner Fifth & Town. The nearly completed project will contain 84 apartments, an internal parking garage and ground-floor retail space facing Town Street: http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-cranes-dot-the-skyline-in-downtown-columbus Oct. 15, 2017 photo of the even-more-nearly completed 223 E. Town Street project at Fifth & Town: http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-downtown-columbus-east-franklinton
November 14, 20177 yr Nothing special but not the worst looking project either. And in an area that could certainly use more density and activity. Borror plans 220-unit mixed-use property in Discovery District Borror is submitting plans for a six-story, mixed-use development site in its first foray into the Discovery District in downtown Columbus. The plan calls for 220 boutique apartments and 15,000 square feet of commercial space from 229 to 275 E. State St., and would be the largest multifamily project to date for the Columbus developer. The planned development would feature two parking levels for occupants with frontage along State Street and garage entrances in the alley behind it. https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/11/14/borror-plans-220-unit-mixed-use-property-in.html
November 14, 20177 yr ^ I thought the district as a "cultural hub" would call for something a lot more adventurous. But there's nothing really wrong with that imho.
November 15, 20177 yr Nothing special but not the worst looking project either. And in an area that could certainly use more density and activity. Borror plans 220-unit mixed-use property in Discovery District Borror is submitting plans for a six-story, mixed-use development site in its first foray into the Discovery District in downtown Columbus. The plan calls for 220 boutique apartments and 15,000 square feet of commercial space from 229 to 275 E. State St., and would be the largest multifamily project to date for the Columbus developer. The planned development would feature two parking levels for occupants with frontage along State Street and garage entrances in the alley behind it. https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/11/14/borror-plans-220-unit-mixed-use-property-in.html It is not so bad, it will add about 300 residents, have ground floor commercial facing State instead of parking, and will fill in a midblock site leaving more prominent sites for(hopefully)more ambitious proposals.
December 18, 20177 yr Closer look at the View on Grant project posted 11/28 at http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-november-2017-part-1
December 18, 20177 yr This project is such a great precedent for a simple, iconic modern addition to a historic building that really makes a fantastic project. Hopefully many more like this and the same quality of architecture will continue in the Discovery District.
December 18, 20177 yr I am going to have to disagree....that two story addition is going to look like a monstrous parasite has landed on the building.
December 19, 20177 yr First phase of Topiary Park area brownstones given the go-ahead The first phase of a Downtown redevelopment project pushed by Motorists Insurance Group near the Topiary Park has been given the green light. The Downtown Commission approved the first building for the planned five-story apartment complex to be built on what is now a set of parking lots near the insurer's tower on E. Broad Street. This first phase will have 91 units of what have been described as London- or New York-style brownstones on the northern border of the park. The apartments will be served by a 155-space parking garage. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/12/19/first-phase-of-topiary-park-areabrownstones-given.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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