http://www.columbusunderground.com/day-companies-buys-burned-gay-street-building-plans-renovations

 

The Gay Street building Downtown that used to house Sugardaddy's but burned this past spring will be renovated.  The ground floor retail space will be restored and the upper floors, which have been vacant for a long time, will also be readied for offices and residential.

http://www.columbusunderground.com/day-companies-buys-burned-gay-street-building-plans-renovations

 

The Gay Street building Downtown that used to house Sugardaddy's but burned this past spring will be renovated.  The ground floor retail space will be restored and the upper floors, which have been vacant for a long time, will also be readied for offices and residential.

 

Great news!

As jbcmh81 and Eridony said, this is great news.  The Day Companies has an outstanding track record in renovating properties - most notably their own offices in the 8-story Ruggery Building across Gay Street from this building.  Day also owns the 15-19 E. Gay/50 N. High building that wraps around this building.

 

More about this at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/09/08/residential-retail-eyed-for-burned-out-gay-street.html

 

It was reported late last year - posted HERE previously in this thread - that the Edward Companies had purchased the former Citizens Savings and Trust Co. building at the southwest corner of High and Gay streets and had plans to convert the upper stories into 65 apartments.  As part of a state historic tax credit award Edwards got for the building, a second project involving the construction of a new mixed-use building was also mentioned for across Gay Street on a surface parking lot.

 

Now, Columbus Underground is reporting that the renovation of the Citizens Building is being heard by the City's Downtown Commission this morning at http://www.columbusunderground.com/proposal-calls-for-65-apartments-in-citizens-building-at-gay-and-high-bw1.

 

This is a current photo of the Citizens Building at the southwest corner of High & Gay and a rundown of what Edwards is proposing according to their application to the Downtown Commission, as reported by http://www.columbusunderground.com/proposal-calls-for-65-apartments-in-citizens-building-at-gay-and-high-bw1:

 

- 65 apartment units on the upper floors of the building

- Main apartment lobby from High Street would include a restored two-story bank hall original to the building

- Two retail storefronts on either side of the main lobby entrance on High Street

- Ground-level restaurant space in the rear of the building that would be accessed from Gay Street

- Plans for entrance to a tunnel in the basement of the Citizens Building, which would allow residents of the building to access a planned new parking garage across the street that would be part of a mixed-use building on the northwest corner of High & Gay

The renovation plans for the Citizens Building at the southwest corner of High & Gay (51 N. High St.) were approved by the City's Downtown Commission this week.  According to the Business First report at the link below, the only exterior changes will be changing the existing ground floor retail entrances that are flush to the building into inset retail bays (which was the way they originally were when the building was built in 1918) and replacing non-insulated, aluminum frame windows on the 1960 upper story addition which bronze-colored metal frames.  The original steel-framed windows on the 1918 lower levels will remain.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/09/23/51-n-high-office-redevelopment-to-mimic-original.html

The slow-motion demo of 109 N. Front Street finally finished up last month.  Couple of Walker's photos from http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/109-n-front-street-to-be-torn-down/page/4/#post-1041450

 

It would have been weirdly interesting if they kept this slice of the front standing:

 

But they didn't:

That looks horrible.  Please tell me something will be taking its place and not another surface lot?

 

 

Please tell me something will be taking its place and not another surface lot?

 

In March 2014, City Council authorized spending up to $80 million for a replacement building on the 109 N. Front site.  In the Dispatch article about it at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/03/16/80m-plan-for-city-hall-campus.html, it was reported a 135,000 sq. ft. office building of up to eight stories would be the replacement.  It was also reported that this building might be under construction by summer 2015 and completed by early 2017.

 

There haven't been any renderings released of this replacement building yet.  But DesignGroup, one of the architecture firms involved in the project, had this site plan of the new city downtown campus at their website.  The area marked "111 N. Front Street" is where the replacement building would be built:

 

Late August view of Long Street in front of the nearly completed Normandy Apartments from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-august-2014

 

Late September view of Long Street in front of the Normandy from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-september-2014

 

Late September view of Long Street in front of former church being renovated by the Neighborhood Launch developer from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-september-2014

Phase Two of the Bishop's Walk condos have started construction.  Bishop's Walk faces Gay Street and is located behind (to the south of) the nearly completed Normandy Apartment Building facing Long Street.  Ground broke in August - photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-august-2014

 

Phase One of Bishop's Walk is visible in this western view from Gay Street (top far left in the image) from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-august-2014

 

Late September view of foundation work beginning at Phase Two of Bishop's Walk from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-september-2014.  This view is looking east from Gay Street.  One of the pre-existing historic houses that Neighborhood Launch is building around is visible in the background.

Work seems to be going slow on the new townhouses. In fact no work was going on when I took these pictures on Monday afternoon. Still there has been some progress since the last update.

 

More about the corner of Gay & High.  This time about the parking lots at the northwest corner of Gay & High.

 

Business First reports that a division of Edwards (the developer renovating the Citizens Building at the southwest corner of Gay & High) has purchased the parking lot at the northwest corner.  Public records show that the Edwards affiliate 85 North High Street LLC paid $1.8 million to Gay & High LLC and $1.2 million to CEM LP for the parking lot property at 85 N. High Street.

 

This purchase is for the High Street frontage that starts at the Gay Street corner and extends north to the Elm Street mid-block alley.  A map of this downtown block was posted HERE on the previous page of this thread.

 

More about this purchase at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/10/edwards-eclipse-pays-3m-for-high-street.html

Moonlight Market Hosts Indoor Pop-Up Holiday Shopping

By Walker Evans, Columbus Underground

November 5, 2014 - 10:56 am

 

The Columbus Moonlight Market will continue to host Downtown retail events through the end of the year with a shift to indoor spaces beginning this weekend.  The popular Gay Street retail event has boasted between 60 to 100 sidewalk vendors each month during the 2014 season, and the demand for holiday shopping is keeping the event running for November 8th and December 13th editions.  Both events run from 6pm to 11pm.

 

The indoor pop-up retail spaces will take place inside the following locations:

• The large lobby of the Residence Inn Hotel on Gay Street

• The vacant retail space at 90 North High Street

• The Private Room (Privato) at Due Amici

Additional restaurants and retail stores on and around Gay Street will stay open late during the event as well, including Cafe Brioso, Zen Cha Tea Salon, zeroz Wallets, Cafe Napolitana, Plantain Cafe, 39 Below Fro Yo and others.

 

MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/moonlight-market-hosts-indoor-pop-up-holiday-shopping

Brioso Coffee’s East Long Street site up for review by Downtown Commission

 

A building once part of the Faith Mission complex on East Long Street will be reviewed Tuesday morning as the expansion site for Caf é Brioso – to be called Brioso Coffee.

 

The city's Downtown Commission will consider a request to approve renovations to the facade of a building and other improvements at 331 E. Long St. at Milton St., just around the corner from the Grass Skirt Tiki Room.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/11/17/brioso-coffee-s-east-long-street-site-up-for.html

Renderings have been released for an eight-story, 180,000 square foot City of Columbus office building that would replace the demolished 109 N. Front Street building at the southwest corner of Front & Long Streets.  Much more about this at http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-city-of-columbus-eight-story-office-building-proposed-downtown

 

This view is looking north at the proposed new office building across a new campus green from the existing City Hall.

 

This view is looking southward at the corner of Front and Long.  The existing Police HQ building is to the right.  City Hall is to the left in the background.

 

Updated site plan of the City's downtown campus plan.  The proposed 8-story, 180,000 square foot office building is listed as "111 N. Front Street".  A proposed parking garage is shown on an existing parking lot at the northwest corner of Front & Long.  This garage is still in the design stage and no renderings are available.  But, according to today's presention at the Downtown Commission, the garage would be six levels and include parking for 600 cars.

A Franklin County Courthouse knockoff.

^Pretty much.

It used to be that an 8-story building built to appropriate urban design standards was cause for celebration.

Well thank God we've passed that era.

The era of celebrating buildings built to appropriate urban design standards is over?

 

Well, I'm glad we've moved on from that initial idea and focused on that + design.  For example, Columbus Commons.  It checks all the boxes for appropriate urban design but no one here would rave about it.  OTOH, the Wood Company buildings check all the boxes for urban design AND have an actual design that we like.  Thus, we've moved on! :D

I think the new building is an improvement over what was there but it is not going to be a landmark. I'd like to see more about the parking structure though. Will it just be a parking structure or will they actually incorporate other uses into it?

I think the new building is an improvement over what was there but it is not going to be a landmark. I'd like to see more about the parking structure though. Will it just be a parking structure or will they actually incorporate other uses into it?

 

It will at least include retail on the ground level, according to what was passed through City Council last month.

 

Faith Mission redevelopment to include 8 apartments, 2nd storefront

By Brian R. Ball, Staff Reporter

Columbus Business First - Nov. 20, 2014, 12:55pm EST

 

The planned Brioso Coffee roasting operation and cafe I wrote about Monday will be joined by four apartments apiece at 329 and 331 E. Long Street.

 

Columbus developer Don DeVere will work with landlord Edwards Cos. on the redevelopment of the former Faith Mission properties located east of the first phase of the landlord's Normandy apartments that are now leasing in the Discovery District.

 

DeVere told me – after the city's Downtown Commission approved the project Tuesday – that Brioso likely will open in early 2015.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/11/20/brioso-coffee-development-to-be-joined-by-second.html

More foundation work at Phase 2 of the Bishop's Walk condos.  Taken in late October 2014 by http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-october-2014-part-1

 

 

The Edwards Companies, developer of Neighborhood Launch, announced plans to build a six-story self-storage building on a surface parking lot it owns near their Neighborhood Launch development.  Below are the reports from Columbus Underground and Business First:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/neighborhood-launch-plans-to-add-six-story-storage-building

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/11/24/6-story-self-storage-building-planned-downtown.html

 

It appears that this six-story self-storage building would be built on an existing surface parking lot owned by the Edwards Companies at the southeast corner of Long Street and Young Street.  Below is a map showing where the storage building is being proposed.  The building's short side would front Long Street, while the building's long side would face Young Street (a mid-block alley) and the rest of the surface parking lot (which is not owned by the Edwards Companies).  A two-story office building is that fronts Fourth Street is across Young Street from the site and five-level parking garage that also fronts Fourth Street is across Elm Street (another mid-block alley) from the site.

A storage building is not something I would normally be excited about, but the Neighborhood Launch development has so far seemed to be high quality so hopefully this continues that record. I am glad it is a rather out of the way location. I also think the part about the wine storage is interesting.

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/12/first-look-downtown-churchs-17-7m-transformation.html

 

More photos of the Edwards Companies renovation of the historic Welsh Presbyterian Church at 315 E. Long Street into a community center for the Neighborhood Launch development at the above link:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/photos-the-welsh-at-neighborhood-launch

 

CU has more photos of the Edwards Companies renovation of the historic Welsh Presbyterian Church at 315 E. Long Street into a community center for the Neighborhood Launch development at the above link.  The Welsh also serves as a leasing office for The Normandy apartments shown in the background of the below photo.

 

Also - according to the CU report that accompanied their photo-tour - two apartment units have been added into the 1940s-era addition on the back of the original church.  The basement has been renovated to include a fitness center and movie theater room for residents, and next spring, a pool will added to the outdoor patio out back.

 

Here are a few photos inside the renovated church from CU.  This is a view of the main floor looking toward the Long Street front entrance of the building:

 

This is a view of the main floor looking toward the back of the building from a mezzanine loft in this room:

 

Many more interior photos at http://www.columbusunderground.com/photos-the-welsh-at-neighborhood-launch

And a bunch more recent updates about Neighborhood Launch news from CU.  Here are the first two updates:

 

- Construction on The Normandy - the first of two new 130-unit five-story apartment buildings located along the Long Street side of Neighborhood Launch - is wrapping up.  The first tenants began moving into the building on August 1st and it is currently just over one-third occupied:  http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-normandy-wraps-construction-continues-with-leasing

 

- And with the completion of The Normandy comes an announcement that The Neilston - the second of two new 130-unit five-story apartment buildings located on Long Street - would begin construction next spring:  http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-neilston-apartment-building-to-break-ground-in-spring

Still more from http://www.columbusunderground.com/second-phase-of-bishops-walk-condos-selling-quickly-downtown:

 

- Update on condo sales for the second phase of Bishop’s Walk at Neighborhood Launch.  The construction of these future three-story condos are still only at the foundation level - but of the 26 units under construction, 17 are already sold or in contract.  Available condos at Bishop’s Walk range from 674 square foot one-bedroom flats for $171,800 up to two-bedroom 1,724 square foot townhomes for $491,400.

 

Below is a development map for Neighborhood Launch showing the location of the second phase of the Bishop's Walk condos - outlined in blue:

Last update from http://www.columbusunderground.com/more-gay-street-condos-to-break-ground-in-2015:

 

- The developer also told CU that a 14-unit for-sale townhome project is planned behind The Welsh, the church recently renovated into a community center and sales office for Neighborhood Launch.  These townhomes would occupy an interior mid-block between Sixth Street and Milton Alley.  The townhomes are still in the design phase, but CU was told: “The style will be a little different than our other condos in the area, and that will carry through to the parking lot behind The Normandy, which will be used for parking for awhile, but will eventually be filled in with the same kind of townhomes.”  CU was also told, “We’re working on some drawings to be able to start those new condos around the end of the 1st quarter of 2015."

 

- At the northeast corner of Sixth Street and Gay Street - immediately south of these newly announced townhomes - a five-story residential building was proposed in 2012.  CU was told that this building is still planned to be built there, but there is no definitive timeline for its start.

 

Below is a development map for Neighborhood Launch showing the location of the two projects mentioned above - outlined in green:

Wow, that is a lot of development for next year!

Another piece about the Edwards Cos. renovation of the historic Welsh church into a community center for their Neighborhood Launch development.  More beautiful slideshow photos of the inside and outside; diagram of the Neighborhood Launch development:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2014/12/28/old-downtown-church-restored-for-use-as-apartments-community-center.html

Business First reports that a division of Edwards (the developer renovating the Citizens Building at the southwest corner of Gay & High) has purchased the parking lot at the northwest corner.  Public records show that the Edwards affiliate 85 North High Street LLC paid $1.8 million to Gay & High LLC and $1.2 million to CEM LP for the parking lot property at 85 N. High Street.

 

This purchase is for the High Street frontage that starts at the Gay Street corner and extends north to the Elm Street mid-block alley.  A map of this downtown block was posted HERE on the previous page of this thread.

 

More about this purchase at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/10/edwards-eclipse-pays-3m-for-high-street.html

 

Still more parking lots purchases from the developer (Edwards) of the Citizens Building at the southwest corner of Gay & High.  Above is the previous report from October about parking lots they purchased adjacent to parking lots they previously purchased at the northwest corner of Gay & High.  Now, Business First is reporting they have purchased the remaining parking lots on the block, north of the Elm Street mid-block alley to Long Street:

 

Edwards Cos. buys more downtown real estate near planned residential project

By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter - Columbus Business First

UPDATED: Jan 23, 2015, 4:03pm EST

 

Edwards Cos. and its Eclipse Real Estate Group have taken control of another downtown Columbus parking lot.  Public records show Park National Bank sold the property at 101-121 N. High St. to Edwards Cos. affiliate 111 North High Street LLC for $2.15 million.

 

The real estate move comes as Eclipse continues planning to build a complex with 96 apartments and parking garage at 85 N. High St., immediately to the south.  Another Edwards affiliate bought the adjacent property last fall for $3 million.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/01/23/edwards-cos-buys-more-downtown-real-estate-near.html

With this third phase of parking lot purchases in this block by the Edwards Companies, this is their current property ownership:

 

- Blue shows the surface parking lots;

- Red shows the Citizens Building at the southwest corner of Gay & High;

 

 

With these parking lots now under Edwards Companies ownership plus the Whites-Haines/Madison's Buildings across High Street now under Day Companies ownership, this is a massive step forward for this area.  These are two stable and competently run local real estate groups with a history of urban projects in Columbus.  Getting these properties out of the hands of the previously lousy ownership is the first to doing something great at the biggest remaining "parking dead spot" and "least maintained buildings" in the downtown core.

Here's an excerpt of that recent Business First article about part of the ground floor of 36 W. Gay Street leasing to a boutique bridal shop...

 

Boutique bridal shop leases space in downtown’s Gay Street retail corridor

By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter

Columbus Business First - Jun 13, 2014, 3:40pm EDT

 

Two sisters from Chicago plan to open their B. Loved Bridal shop this fall next to a planned medical spa (at 40 W. Gay St.) I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.

 

Jenny Bartosek and sister Lesley Bartosek will lease 1,800 square feet on the street-level of 36 W. Gay Street in September or early October to fill what they see as an opening for a boutique operation that’s also close to a Diamond Cellar jewelry store (at 22 W. Gay St.).

 

Jenny Bartosek told me she came to Columbus three years ago and works at the Ohio Department of Health while her sister stayed in Chicago and has worked as an event and meeting planner.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/06/13/boutique-bridal-shop-leases-space-in-downtown-s.html

 

According to an article in Columbus Bride magazine, (which is apparently a thing), B. Loved Bridal Boutique will be opening on Gay St next week.

http://www.columbusbride.com/content/blogs/Bustled/2015/01/b-loved-bridal-opens-next-month-downtown.html

 

And here's an image of the renovated storefront from the shop's instagram account,

 

More about the restaurants moving into 340 E. Gay Street.  It was previously reported HERE that Betty's was going to relocate from the Short North into this building.  This was followed by an anouncement HERE that Domino's Pizza was going to join's Betty's in the building.

 

Now it's being reported that Betty's will not longer relocate into 340 E. Gay Street.  Instead Lomonico’s, which opened its first restaurant in last October in Pickerington, will take over that space in the building.  Domino's is still planning to open there.  So they'll now be a pizza place next to another pizza place in the building! 

 

More about Lomonico's located at 340 E. Gay Street from CU and an article from Business First about why Betty's choose not to relocate there at the link below:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/lomonicos-restaurant-opening-downtown-location

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/08/betty-s-by-osu-open-24-7-liz-lessner-keeping-open.html

 

I know everyone has been waiting for this momentous occasion and now it looks like Domino's is ready to open its downtown location.

 

 

With these parking lots now under Edwards Companies ownership plus the Whites-Haines/Madison's Buildings across High Street now under Day Companies ownership, this is a massive step forward for this area.  These are two stable and competently run local real estate groups with a history of urban projects in Columbus.  Getting these properties out of the hands of the previously lousy ownership is the first to doing something great at the biggest remaining "parking dead spot" and "least maintained buildings" in the downtown core.

 

Indeed. Transforming this mostly-dead block will be a huge win for downtown.

Progress on Bishop's Walk seems to be moving slowly, but it's getting there.

 

 

 

I know everyone has been waiting for this momentous occasion and now it looks like Domino's is ready to open its downtown location.

 

 

This was more exciting when Betty's was part of the project.  But thanks for the Domino's update anyway.  And it is just Domino's now, not 'Domino's Pizza' anymore.  If you've seen their latest TV ads, you know why.

With these parking lots now under Edwards Companies ownership plus the Whites-Haines/Madison's Buildings across High Street now under Day Companies ownership, this is a massive step forward for this area.  These are two stable and competently run local real estate groups with a history of urban projects in Columbus.  Getting these properties out of the hands of the previously lousy ownership is the first step to doing something great at the biggest remaining "parking dead spot" and "least maintained buildings" in the downtown core.

 

Indeed. Transforming this mostly-dead block will be a huge win for downtown.

 

More about the redevelopment of this area from http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/02/05/tax-credits-key-to-downtown-project.html -- (this was also posted in the White Haines/Madison's Building thread):

 

Edwards Cos. plans 14 more downtown housing units

 

 

Edwards Cos. has signaled its intent to build even more housing as part of its Neighborhood Launch condo and apartment community.

 

The developer's Eclipse Real Estate Group division has filed an application with the city's Downtown Commission for the 0.41-acre development site in the middle of the North Sixth Street block that backs up against the Hills Market at 95 N. Grant Ave. The project involves 14 units.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2015/02/edwards-cos-plans-14-more-downtown-housing-units.html

Nice to see this development finally connecting to the "Discovery District"

Edwards Cos. plans 14 more downtown housing units

 

 

Edwards Cos. has signaled its intent to build even more housing as part of its Neighborhood Launch condo and apartment community.

 

The developer's Eclipse Real Estate Group division has filed an application with the city's Downtown Commission for the 0.41-acre development site in the middle of the North Sixth Street block that backs up against the Hills Market at 95 N. Grant Avenue.  The project involves 14 units.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2015/02/edwards-cos-plans-14-more-downtown-housing-units.html

 

APPROVED:  Edwards Cos. 6th Street Mews condos approved by Downtown Commission:  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/02/24/edwards-cos-6th-street-mews-condos-approved-by.html

B. Loved Bridal Boutique opened this week in the ground floor of the renovated three-story building at 36 W. Gay Street:  http://www.columbusunderground.com/first-look-b-loved-bridal-boutique

 

Some more of the Bishop's Walk

One more