Was it located on this corner or in a different Casto development? It's sad to see this prominent corner have such high turnover while everything around it is much more stable. Don't you factor in demand and start off with lower rent before charging higher rent taking into consideration the average rent in this location? Someone needs to remind them that this stretch of High ain't the Short North, but I have to give them kudos for the makeover of this intersection. If you're sticking around Columbus, Downtown in particular, you might want to look into the much cheaper storefronts on S High next to RiverSouth.

No it was in The Winchester Square Plaza in Canal Winchester. Rent went up $500 in 5 years and to sign another 5 year lease would have been suicide on my part. Casto doesn't pay for anything if something goes wrong. It cost me $1700 just to fix the AC only to have to move out 6 months later. Casto also charged a 3% fee of all my sales. They are criminals and I'll tell anyone who listens to never rent from Casto.

C-Dub I'm sorry to hear about your business. The businesses I was refering to are precisely where you're talking about. They're all losing money and sadly, there's so many people who are fed bs about how buying a franchise is a 'sure bet' when it isn't and get screwed. It seems believable but in practice, investors just get set up for failure. Most small business owners can't negotiate cheaper products/shipments, cheaper gas/electricity, lower fees in royalties (in the case of a franchise) or cheaper labor (hell, most retailers can only afford to pay minimum wage p/t anyway) and they damn sure can't renegotiate with Casto to stay afloat. They seem to operate all over Columbus as if the Buckeye Real Estate of Commercial Space. Casto won't take a brunt yet sales are down all over Gender Rd with business owners being forced to run promotions that cause them to lose money, just to get a customer's foot in the door and this is a marketing area with extreme population growth and moderately high income as of recent.

I used to go to Dunkin Donuts at Broad and High all the time. All I remember is convenient location, friendly service and clean remodeled interior and of course those delicious Boston Cremes. I always thought that a buck for a donut was kinda pricey but I highly doubt they would charge that if they didn't have to. God, I hate hearing all these sad stories from business owners who had nothing but good intentions but get screwed over by having to pay ridiculous fees or royalties or rents because they're locked in and the people collecting the money won't ease up and make sacrifices like the rest of America has to. Everyone is optimistic that the economy will emerge stronger but it's been going on so long that people need to just consider this the new economy and not bank on projected growth.

It looks like the Dunkin Donuts eviction from Broad & High was a franchisee operator issue and not a Casto issue.  According to the Dispatch article - Dunkin' Donuts evicted from Downtown corner - the same franchisee operator is being sued for non-payment of rent at their second Dunkin Donuts location.  That location is at 8235 N. High St., north of Worthington, and is not owned by Casto.

 

From the Columbus Construction Update - Spring 2011 at Columbus Underground:

 

"Construction is nearing completion on Phase 2 of Bishop’s Walk at Neighborhood Launch Condos.  Once this portion of the project is finished, Neighborhood Launch will be home to 74 of its planned 300 new residential units."

 

 

From the Columbus Construction Update - Spring 2011 at Columbus Underground:

 

"Construction is progressing on The Abigail, a student-oriented apartment building located Downtown, adjacent to CCAD.  The building features one, two and three-bedroom units and is now accepting rental applications online."

 

 

Tim Hortons to open at Broad and High today

Thursday, May 12, 2011

 

Tim Hortons plans to open at Broad and High streets Downtown today, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for 8 a.m.  Business hours will be 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and 6 a.m. to 4p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

 

The chain, whose U.S. headquarters is in Dublin, has more than 70 locations in central Ohio.  Tim Hortons replaces Dunkin' Donuts at developer Casto's Broad & High project.

 

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/05/12/biz-briefs-0512-ga6ckqbe-1.html?sid=101

I found our why its damn.near impossible to find a public restroom downtown by Broad and High, atleast without buying something. Heroin addicts using restrooms for other purposes! They have to ruin it for everyone else!

I've always found it interesting that the chains & franchises (Dunkin, Starbucks, Soup Nazi) are the ones struggling at this corner, but the locals (BDF, Lola, Cinco, Caffe Daniella) seem to be doing quite well.

It's hard to make a franchise work when you have to pay 10-15% royalties and are forced to buy products that don't even sell in your area. I don't know if that's the case here but I wouldn't doubt it.

The project is back... this is from the 6/6 City Council Meeting Highlights Bulletin

 

CREATING A MUNICIPAL CAMPUS TO IMPROVE CITY OPERATIONS: Finance Committee Chair Priscilla R. Tyson is sponsoring ordinance 0830-2011 to authorize the expenditure of $31,693,000.00 to renovate the Old Central Police Building.  The plan to create a functional Municipal Campus began over 25 years ago and will have a building design which  incorporates a unique blend of old architecture with modern technology and includes "green" standards to create an environmentally sustainable building designed at the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Level.  Some of its features will include: energy efficient lighting, reduced flow plumbing components for water conservation, high efficiency heating and air conditioning equipment with a geothermal cooling system and heat recovery system, recycled asphalt products, and a reflective roof coating to increase cooling.  When complete, the building will house the Department of Human Resources, City Attorney's Office, City Auditor's Office - Income Tax Division, Civil Service Commission, Department of Public Safety- Director's Office, and the Department of Finance and Management - Purchasing Office.

The project is now officially under way.

 

COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS:  City departments will consolidate in revamped building - Renovation work began last week at the long-empty former police headquarters on Gay Street to prepare it for six Columbus departments.

Simmering tensions between downtown restauranteurs and the city's Department of Public Service erupted late last week.  The Department of Public Service (DPS) regulates most aspects of the public right-of-way (i.e. roads, on-street parking, sidewalks).  One aspect they regulate is sidewalk dining for downtown restaurants.  This includes the permitting and inspection of sidewalk dining.  The permitting part was apparently working well enough as the number of downtown sidewalk dining patios has exploded in recent years.  However, downtown restauranteurs have felt DPS inspection of approved dining patios in the right-of-way was not working well. 

 

The issue came to a head on Thursday, August 11, 2011 after a DPS inspector came into the J. Gumbo restaurant at the corner of Gay Street and Pearl Alley and threatened to remove their dining patio.  After learning of this Liz Lessner (owner of multiple restaurants in the Short North and Downtown) had enough.  She took to Twitter and posted these two tweets:

 

@MichaelBColeman Please ask Jerry Ryser to stop harassing J Gumbo's. Enough is enough. Small business has had it.

lizlessner - August 11, 2011 at 15:50

J. Gumbo's has to remove it's flower boxes, patio furniture & patio umbrellas. Thanks, City of Columbus!

lizlessner - August 11, 2011 at 15:51

Local Blog - The 270 - posted the full twitter exchange at Liz Lessner vs Columbus Department of Public Service

 

Someone saw Lessner's tweets and started a thread at Columbus Underground:  (Threatened) Removal of J Gumbo fence and flowers downtown

 

Which lead to an article from The Columbus Dispatch:  Young sellers fight city’s aging code

 

And a Dispatch LTTE from Liz Lessner:  City hassling businesses on Gay Street

 

All of which prompted a Monday morning between DPS and the newly formed Gay Street Collaborative to hash out the sidewalk dining issues.  Here are some of the reports from Monday's meeting:

 

DISPATCH: City to business owners: We'll improve customer service

 

DISPATCH: Gay Street business owners give city officials an earful

 

CU: The Columbus Department of Public Services Battles with Downtown Businesses Over Patio Dining Codes

 

Which then prompted Mayor Coleman do some public relations on Tuesday when he went to twitter with Mayor invites his staff, the city to lunch on Gay Street.

 

Which was then reported by the Dispatch:  Coleman shows support for Gay Street restaurants and Mayor turns lunch into fence-mending with Gay Street businesses

 

It looks like the 2011 Gay Street Restaurant Revolt is accomplishing some positive outcomes for Downtown Columbus.  The Gay Street restaurants woke up city officials and the media to a mismatch between stated city goals for downtown sidewalks and the regulation and enforcement of those same sidewalks.  They also focused the attention squarely on the source of the mismatch: The Department of Public Service.

 

Below are some excerpts from an editorial in today's Dispatch.  Followed by some excerpts from an article in today's Business First:

 

Roadblocks: Rusty codes and cranky enforcement threaten Downtown’s hip vibe

DISPATCH EDITORIAL - Friday, August 19, 2011

 

Trying to run a growing city and cultivate a vibrant Downtown presents complex problems that are hard to solve.  The current one involving Gay Street merchants isn’t one of those.  Proprietors on what is arguably one of the city’s coolest streets have had it with code-enforcement officers who hassle them over the dimensions of every flowerbox and patio umbrella.  Their frustration is understandable.

(. . .)

If the Public Service Department truly is a consistent source of frustration for people trying to work and do business in the city, Coleman should insist on change.  The Gay Street crowd isn’t complaining about other city departments with which they frequently interact; at a recent gripe session with city officials, they praised the work of health inspectors, the building department and others.

(. . .)

Columbus is a maturing city, with outdated city codes that clash with an emerging neo-urban sensibility.  Some solutions, such as code rewrites to allow unlicensed vendors in the Pearl Alley farmer’s market to set up booths on the sidewalk, might take some time.  Getting the Public Service Department to live up to its name should be a lot simpler.

 

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2011/08/19/roadblocks.html

 

---

Gay Street patio controversy nets promises of cooperation from city

Business First - by Dan Eaton

Date: Friday, August 19, 2011, 6:00am EDT

 

As the ire of Gay Street restaurateurs cools and Columbus officials promise more civility, both sides will explore changes that, if the eatery operators have their way, could make business easier.

(. . .)

Cleve Ricksecker, Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District’s executive director, said heavy regulation and muddled processes are squeezing businesses and are a deterrent to development.  “Cities aren’t made by big municipal projects,” he said.  “They’re made by the thousands of entrepreneurs who are empowered and unleashed.”  Some of those entrepreneurs were unleashed this week.  City officials met with frustrated Gay Street restaurant owners Aug. 15.  Both sides left the table with a pledge from the city for improved customer service from inspectors and the promise of a committee to address code and communication issues.

(. . .)

Downtown restaurants work with several departments, including Building Services for building code, the Downtown Commission for exterior appearances and Public Service for sidewalk patios.  Ricksecker said downtown is a different breed that doesn’t always fit with the city’s codes and leads to conflicts, but exceptions have been made.  Ohio’s building code grants cities leeway on code standards for older buildings, while the Downtown Commission, established in 1997, operates separate from the rest of the city’s zoning.  “It was intended to speed up the process for downtown development to make it as hassle-free as possible,” Ricksecker said.  “It shifted the emphasis from separating uses to does it look good, does it function well? That made all the sense in the world.”

 

Right-of-way issues – patios, flower boxes, umbrellas, awnings – still are handled the same throughout the city.  Jeff Mathes, owner of Due Amici on Gay Street and Barrio on High Street, said making downtown its own zoning district works and separating and centralizing right-of-way issues in the district makes sense, too.  Mark Kelsey, Public Service director, said at the meeting he is open to changing permitting processes and city codes where possible.

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/08/19/gay-street-patio-controversy-nets.html

One more post about the 2011 Gay Street Restaurant Revolt. :-) 

 

Walker Evans - founder of the Columbus Underground website and sometimes poster here at Urban Ohio - had a two-part in-depth interview with several officials from the Columbus Department of Public Service to "hear more about what is being addressed, why things have unfolded in the way that they have, and what sort of changes we can be seeing in the near future."  Below are the links to the transcript of Part 1 and Part 2 of his interview with Public Information Office Assistant Director Rick Tilton, Division of Planning & Operations Administrator Patti Austin and Division of Mobility Options Administrator Randy Bowman.

 

Followup Interview with Department of Public Service on Downtown Patio Issues – Part 1

 

Followup Interview with Department of Public Service on Downtown Patio Issues – Part 2

Edible Arrangements expanding to Broad & High

By Brian R. Ball, Business First

Date: Friday, September 16, 2011, 6:00am EDT

 

Edible Arrangements franchisee Chris Bukovac has signed a five-year lease at the Broad & High development downtown that will bring about an expansion of the fruit retailer’s product line.  Bukovac expects to move as early as November into 1,200 square feet at 14 N. High Street between a Tim Hortons shop and a Burgers Dogs and Fries.

 

The entrepreneur first brought Edible Arrangements to Columbus in 2007, offering its chocolate-covered-fruit gift bouquets and baskets at a store on Grandview Avenue.  The fruit comes arranged on sticks set in planters, vases and coffee cups or just boxed.  She added a Reynoldsburg location in August 2009.  The downtown store also will offer fruit smoothies, sundaes, salads, juices and “grab-and-go” fruit.

 

The Edible Arrangements lease leaves just 1,200 square feet of street-level space available on the High Street side and 1,500 square feet on the Broad side of developer Casto’s office, retail and residential complex.

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/09/16/edible-arrangements-expanding-to.html

Renovation Planned for 34-38 W. Gay Street

 

 

Included in Dispatch article "Downtown upgrades attract retailers".  Below is an excerpt from the article (which gives the erroneous address of 34-38 E. Gay Street):

 

Architects Sara Purcell and John Reagan know one way to keep busy is to buy and renovate your own buildings.  The duo behind Reagan Purcell Architects just bought its fifth investment property, and plans to move to the E. Gay Street building from its Short North building in the spring.

 

Through their Mohawk Properties, the pair bought 34-38 W. Gay St. for $550,000 at the end of August, according to property records.  They now plan to invest $250,000 in a renovation of the three-story brick building that was originally built as a hotel in 1905.  “We’re kind of excited about what the city’s been doing Downtown,” Reagan said.  “We really like what’s been done on Gay Street and along the riverfront, and this is right in the heart of that whole area.”

 

Reagan and Purcell plan to go before the Downtown Commission on Tuesday to present their plans for the exterior, which include the addition of large windows and a canopy.  The building has sat empty for a few years.  Reagan says that as they’ve done with other properties, the plan is for the 25-year-old architecture firm to occupy the upper floors and lease out the ground floor, possibly to local retailers.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/09/25/downtown-upgrades-attract-retailers.html

Somewhat random Gay Street stuff . . .

 

THE METROPRENEUR: Gay Street Collaborative excited about its plans, potential

 

COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND: Gay Street Grows Brighter with New Banner Installation

 

COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Banners herald a united Gay St.

One more random Gay Street project.  51-53 E. Gay Street actually.

 

Couple buys Downtown building to renovate, live in

Couple buys Downtown building, plans to move into top 2 floors, rent ground level to business

By Marla Matzer Rose, The Columbus Dispatch

Monday, November 21, 2011 - 7:33 AM

 

A vacant building on a mostly revitalized block of Downtown’s Gay Street is getting another shot at renovation, after a plan last year fell through.  The 106-year-old building at 51-53 E. Gay St. was bought by Jim and Dianne Brennan, who plan to renovate the top two floors of the three-story building to live in, and revamp the ground floor’s retail space to lease out. 

 

The sale price was $350,000, and Jim Brennan, creative director of the Columbus office of architecture and engineering firm URS Corp., estimates that he and his wife will spend at least another $350,000 to overhaul the building.  Brennan said he’s in discussions with a retailer specializing in vinyl records to occupy the ground floor starting early next year.  He said he initially talked to two restaurateurs about the space, “but we decided not to put another restaurant there” on a block that features several popular eating spots.

 

Capital City Photo most recently occupied the street-level space.  The DeMond family, which ran the store, also owned the building.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/11/21/couple-buys-downtown-building-to-renovate-live-in.html

 

Below is a 2008 Auditor's website photo.  51-53 E. Gay Street is the three-story white building with the Capital Photo signage.

One more random Gay Street project.  51-53 E. Gay Street actually.

 

Couple buys Downtown building to renovate, live in

Couple buys Downtown building, plans to move into top 2 floors, rent ground level to business

By Marla Matzer Rose, The Columbus Dispatch

Monday, November 21, 2011 - 7:33 AM

 

A vacant building on a mostly revitalized block of Downtown’s Gay Street is getting another shot at renovation, after a plan last year fell through.  The 106-year-old building at 51-53 E. Gay St. was bought by Jim and Dianne Brennan, who plan to renovate the top two floors of the three-story building to live in, and revamp the ground floor’s retail space to lease out. 

 

The sale price was $350,000, and Jim Brennan, creative director of the Columbus office of architecture and engineering firm URS Corp., estimates that he and his wife will spend at least another $350,000 to overhaul the building.  Brennan said he’s in discussions with a retailer specializing in vinyl records to occupy the ground floor starting early next year.  He said he initially talked to two restaurateurs about the space, “but we decided not to put another restaurant there” on a block that features several popular eating spots.

 

Capital City Photo most recently occupied the street-level space.  The DeMond family, which ran the store, also owned the building.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/11/21/couple-buys-downtown-building-to-renovate-live-in.html

 

Below is a 2008 Auditor's website photo.  51-53 E. Gay Street is the three-story white building with the Capital Photo signage.

 

Construction has begun!

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/gay-street-construction.jpg">

From the Columbus Construction Update - Spring 2011 at Columbus Underground:

 

"Construction is progressing on The Abigail, a student-oriented apartment building located Downtown, adjacent to CCAD.  The building features one, two and three-bedroom units and is now accepting rental applications online."

 

 

This project has been completed my friends.

 

EDIT: A photo of the completed 7-story apartment building is here.

Walker posted another construction photo of 51 E. Gay Street over at Columbus Underground.  Great little project!

 

And one more from http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/51-e-gay-st

 

This place is really looking good. Will have more info soon about the business moving in there. ;)

More storefront work at 51 E. Gay Street from http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/51-e-gay-st

 

 

This place is really looking good. Will have more info soon about the business moving in there. ;)

Walker is true to his word.  Here's his info on the new business locating at the ground floor of 51 E. Gay Street:

 

CU: Vinyl Frontier Boldly Opens New Retail Shop on Gay Street This Summer

 

The couple who bought the building deserve huge kudos... they bucked the all too popular downtown Bob Weiler trend of waiting for a business opp before improving a space and instead went with "build it and they will come" approach. The gamble quickly paid off!

Yeah, a look a all of his properties on Parsons sitting empty for years should hint to him that maybe he might want to fix up a space or two in the best location in the context of "best" for Parsons Ave which I'm thinking is along Schumacher Place). Gay Street has already filled out on the other hand, so it's interesting to see retail on what is otherwise a gastronomic strip (food, booze, and lattes).

 

Not sure I agree that this won't hurt Spoonful; this location is much more accessible with a direct connection to High St whereas Spoonful and B1 require a walk north from Gay alongside a parking lot facing on the NW lot of Gay and 3rd which really needs a 3 story+ building with retail fronting 3rd to connect to the existing retail on Long which is now an island unto itself and also requires crossing the anti-pedestrian zone of 3rd: pedestrian traffic drops off. I hope someone will do something with the mixed-use building next to B1 now that there's ever less retail space on Gay to work with to fill out a retail cluster on Long so that it will better compliment the successes on Gay St.

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/2-new-five-story-apt-bldgs-w-underground-pkng-245-277-e-long-st?replies=15#post-420470

 

Looks like Neighborhood Launch, which has been redeveloping Gay Street residential, is now planning to build 2 5-story residential buildings with 130 units each. 

There go two more surface parking lots.  Can't wait to see what this phase looks like.  Below is a Neighborhood Launch master plan that Walker posted at Columbus Underground.  He hi-lighted the completed portion of Neighborhood Launch in yellow.  I added the future locations of the two five-story buildings facing Long Street in red.

 

*Like button* except for that tree-lined parking lot on Long.

They are really doing a nice job with this. 

More about the two five-story buildings Edwards has planned for the Long Street portion of Neighborhood Launch from Business First.  Below is the link to article (which is unfortunately subscription only for the entire piece) and a rendering of the two proposed Long Street apartment buildings:

 

Edwards Cos. planning 260 apartments along Long Street

 

 

 

Walker posted a Long Street elevation and site plan for these two apartments at Columbus Underground.  Below is the link.  I didn't think it was possible to like this project any greater after viewing the earlier rendering.  And then I saw the elevation.  (DROOL)  That is some good urban stuff.

 

Neighborhood Launch to Build 260 New Downtown Apartment Units

 

 

 

I need to see the materials but I'm okay with this.  I perhaps wanted them to use Columbus' unique orange brick in the facade but I'll take it.

Also, these units along Gay Street:

 

 

I'm okay with as well.  It breaks it up from the more traditional Bishop's Walk and friends.

Columbus State needs to build another parking garage and an academic building on the south side of campus near Gay to really begin to de-parking lot this corner of dt.

A notice from Columbus Underground about plans for one of the few vacant ground floor retail locations on Gay Street:

 

ZenCha Opens on Gay Street This Spring

 

Meanwhile the 51 E. Gay Street storefront reconstruction keeps getting better and better.

 

Photo update from http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/51-e-gay-st/page/2

 

 

A bit of local gossip/news involving the Neighborhood Launch development.  Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman has brought one of the "contemporary-styled" townhouse condos that face Fifth Street in the development.  Below is a link to the article in the Dispatch and a photo of the condo:

 

Dispatch: Mayor moves to new Downtown condo

 

 

 

EDIT: As it turns out, the photo on the left taken by the Dispatch was not the Mayor's condo.  A neighboring condo unit, shown in the photo on the right, is the Mayor's actual condo.

The mayor has lived Downtown for years now, something I always respected.  It's one thing to promote an area, while it's another to live there. 

Agreed.

Construction photos from our friends at Columbus Underground showing the work being done on and around the former Police HQ building.  The first photo is from December 2011 and shows work on a future plaza between the current Police HQ building (to the left) and the former Police HQ building (to the right).  This plaza faces Marconi Boulevard.

 

 

The next two photos show the glass addition being built at the former Police HQ Building facing Front Street.  The first photo is from is from February 2012.  The second photo is from April 2012.

 

 

MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/police-hq-renovation-work-underway

Ugly, ugly, ugly

^And unnecessary.

^And just bad.

I like where the city is going with the campus plan and I'm not opposed to modern additions to historic buildings.  But I totally agree with you guys.  Especially ink's assessment of the addition being "unnecessary". 

 

I've never heard anyone explain why the small square footage added by this glass box addition made occupying the former Police HQ building viable vs. not adding it.

needs moar '70s office park

Well, in a couple of decades they can rip off the glass addition and restore the original facade -- like when COSI moved and the Frank Packard-designed Memorial Hall returned.