The former Cafe Lola/Maki Go/Yuan Ye space in this project at 12 E Broad (in the base of the 8 on the Square condominium portion) has a new tenant lined up - and it is a great one...

 

Old North Columbus favorite Jack & Benny's diner is opening another location there, and it will be 24/7!

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/jack-and-bennys-downtown-diner

 

:clap:  :clap:  :clap:

 

It'll be good to have a 24/7 restaurant downtown. Good luck to them!

Work is proceeding on two of the corners at Gay & High:

 

-- One East Gay (4-story building at the southeast corner of Gay & High) - http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-starts-on-one-east-gay-development-downtown

• According to the developer, Sprint )which occupied a portion of the first floor before the fire) will reopen in that location once the renovation is complete.  Orange Boy, a customer intelligence software and services firm, will occupy the second floor.  And a lease is in the works for the third floor office space.  Two or three apartments are planned for the fourth floor.

-- Citizens Building (9-story building at the southwest corner of Gay & High) - http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/edwards-co-planning-apartments-at-gay-high/page/18/#post-1093352

• The above link shows some night-time photos of the renovation.  Ground-floor retail and 65 apartments on the upper eight floors are planned for the building.

 

While at the other end of Gay Street:

 

Downtown apartment building sold

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

Oct. 22, 2015, 2:55pm EDT

 

An apartment building near the Columbus College of Art & Design has sold to a joint venture between a Columbus investment firm and a suburban Detroit investor.  The 69-unit Abigail property at 369 E. Gay St. sold to Abigail Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of Columbus-based Peak Property Group and M Group LLC of Birmingham, Michigan.  The price paid to the seller, an affiliate of developer Daimler Group Inc. of Columbus, was not disclosed in the public record.

 

The new owners have an eye toward repositioning the property.  M Group Principal Ira Mondry told me the building offers a “great location” with its proximity to CCAD, Columbus State Community College, Franklin University and Capital Law School.  While the Abigail primarily has attracted students attending the downtown schools, Mondry said it also has non-students.  “We’re going to convert it exclusively to student housing” as leases expire, he told me.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/10/22/downtown-apartment-building-sold.html

And the Lomonico's opened next to the Domino's in the building at 340 E. Gay Street.  CU has some photos at http://www.columbusunderground.com/first-look-lomonicos-on-gay-street:

 

The building still doesn't look like much on the outside:

 

But it's actually pretty nice on the inside now.  Both of these views look toward the glass garage doors which open to the outdoor patio:

Back at Gay & High - the Edwards project proposed for the parking lot at the northwest corner was approved by the Downtown Commission yesterday.  CU has a report about this and the latest rendering at http://www.columbusunderground.com/gay-and-high-development-bw1:

 

 

The six-story mixed-use project calls for 176 apartment units, three levels of structured parking and about 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.  This developer is hoping to start work on the site in January, with a goal of final completion by late 2017.

Better than the last rendering.  Wish it were taller.

Couple of Business First reports about the Dispatch's offices moving into 62 E. Broad Street.  The new office location is getting a new Dispatch sign.  But its just a basic plain ID-type wall sign for the building.  The digital news-ticker sign and the iconic rooftop neon sign will remain in use at the 34 S. Third Street building (no word on if this is a long-term arrangement or something that goes away if the S. Third properties are redeveloped).

 

The 62 E. Broad Street is getting a pretty throughout renovation on the interior, but not much will look different on the outside (except for the new wall sign).  One potentially nice renovation feature is a plan for a "performance space" located along Broad Street in the former bank lobby.  The space would allow the Dispatch to record interviews with officials or performances by local musicians:

 

-- http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/01/05/smaller-sign-to-adorn-dispatchs-new-home.html

 

-- http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2016/01/dispatchs-new-digs-to-feature-public-performance.html

The Dispatch editor (and former writer of The Old House Handyman column) writes about their office move to 62 E. Broad Street:

 

-- http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/insight/2016/01/10/01-dispatch-ready-to-write-new-chapters.html

 

-- http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/home_and_garden/2016/01/10/1-dispatch-on-the-move-to-historic-quarters.html

 

Slideshow review of the five downtown locations the Dispatch has called home over its 145-year history:  http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/insight/2016/01/17/01-on-the-move.html

Funky new 'parklet' coming to Gay & High downtown

 

 

Even downtown Columbus’ eclectic Gay Street corridor hasn’t seen the likes of this.

 

A colorful wooden ‘parklet’ will be built in one of the public parking spaces at the northeast corner of Gay and High streets, providing passers-by and Cafe Brioso diners a quirky place to hang out – or perhaps snap a photo.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2016/01/first-look-funky-new-parklet-coming-to-gay-high.html

Pair of historic Capitol Square buildings bought by out-of-state developer

 

 

Two of Capitol Square’s oldest buildings, which were slated to become a hotel in plans that never materialized, have been acquired for $3.49 million by a developer out of Mississippi.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/02/04/exclusive-pair-of-historiccapitol-square-buildings.html

I remember 16 having a McDonald's in it. It was a really cool one with a basement.

I remember 16 having a McDonald's in it. It was a really cool one with a basement.

 

Interesting. I don't remember the McDonald's but if you look through the windows today the interior is still outfitted with booths and painted with the colors from when it was a Skyline Chili in the late 90s.

 

Such a shame these buildings have sat empty for so long.

This will be a very nice four-star hotel.

 

The parking lot a few storefronts down has to get filled in soon--one hopes.

-- The Moonlight Market will be returning to Gay Street for a fourth season in 2016 on every second Saturday from April through October:  http://www.columbusunderground.com/moonlight-market-returns-to-gay-street-for-2016-season

 

-- And MM's success is spawning a Sunday daytime version.  The Gay Street Collaborative Business Association will also produce the Sunlight Market every third Sunday between April and October in 2016:  http://www.columbusunderground.com/sunlight-market-event-series-to-bring-more-retail-shopping-to-gay-street

Back at Gay & High - the Edwards project proposed for the parking lot at the northwest corner was approved by the Downtown Commission yesterday.  CU has a report about this and the latest rendering at http://www.columbusunderground.com/gay-and-high-development-bw1:

 

 

The six-story mixed-use project calls for 176 apartment units, three levels of structured parking and about 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.  This developer is hoping to start work on the site in January, with a goal of final completion by late 2017.

 

Edwards Companies is finishing out the rest of the above High Street block from Gay Street to Long Street.  A six-story building with 56 additional apartments and additional ground floor retail is planned for the southwest corner of Long and High.

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/more-apartments-proposed-for-corner-of-long-and-high-downtown-bw1

 

Again, wish it were taller but I do like it.

Some late November 2015 construction photos from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-november-2015-part-1

 

Six-story self-storage building on Long Street looking east:

 

The 5-story, 130-unit Neilston apartment building construction site a little further east on Long Street past the self-storage building:

 

The 14-unit Sixth Street Mews condos site that backs up to the Hills Downtown Market:

Early January 2016 - The Neilston apartment building foundation going into place from http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/what-is-up-next-at-neighborhood-launch/page/12/#post-1109791:

 

 

Late January 2016 - The Neilston apartment building foundations from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-update-downtown:

Late January 2016 from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-update-downtown:

 

Second phase of Bishop's Walk is finished - another 26 condos added to Neighborhood Launch:

Late January 2016 from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-update-downtown:

 

Second phase of Bishop's Walk is finished - another 26 condos added to Neighborhood Launch:

 

Nice!! Can you please give this builder a map to Cleveland?

 

I'm currently at a presentation at Cleveland State on form based code, and this was cited (appropriately) example of how to do it right.

Those are gorgeous!

Digging is beginning at the city office building and parking garage sites.  Late November 2015 view from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-november-2015-part-1.  The office site is in the background.  The parking garage site is in the foreground.  Long Street runs between the two sites:

 

 

Late November 2015 view of the parking garage site from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-november-2015-part-1.  YMCA Building and Courtyard Marriott Hotel is across Front Street from this site.  BWC parking garage is to the left across a mid-block alley from this site:

Late January 2016 view of both construction sites from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-update-downtown.  Ground level view with the parking garage site in the foreground and the office site in the background:

Early March 2016 view of the construction site for the new eight-story City of Columbus office building at Front & Long from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-update-downtown-columbus:

 

 

And across Long Street from the office building site is the construction site for the 700-space City of Columbus parking garage from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-update-downtown-columbus

The 8-story office building at 111 N. Front Street will be named the Michael B. Coleman Governmental Center:

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/03/22/new-city-building-to-be-named-after-former-mayor.html

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-city-office-building-to-be-named-after-former-mayor-coleman

Makes sense.

Cross-posted in the Columbus Bicycling thread:

 

 

Planning Underway for Downtown Bike Hub at Front and Long

By Brent Warren, Columbus Underground

May 5, 2016 - 8:00 am

 

Planning is underway by the City of Columbus on a bike hub that would be located on the first floor of the new city parking garage being built at the northwest corner of Front and Long streets downtown.

 

The facility would be open to the public and would offer cyclists a place to store their bikes, change, and take a shower, although exactly what other amenities would be available (and who would run it) is still up in the air.  Those decisions will be made after the city reviews a feasibility study completed by local advocacy group Yay Bikes.

 

MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/downtown-bike-hub-bw1

A very small update in today's Dispatch on the hotel project mentioned a few posts up.

 

The hotel will be called The Hayden Columbus, and be part of Hilton's Curio Collection. This would position it at about the same level as the soon-to-open Hotel Leveque one block to the west, which is a Marriott Autograph Collection property.

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/05/22/1-downtown-columbus-to-get-4-more-boutique-hotels.html

 

http://curiocollection3.hilton.com/en/index.html

:clap:

The six-story self-storage building is finished at 195 E. Long Street.  This was not built by the Neighborhood Launch developer (Edwards) but it is directly adjacent to NL.  Business First has a slideshow of the exterior and interior of the Tri-Village Self Storage building that was built by Brexton LLC, just after it opened in May:  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2016/05/first-look-long-street-self-storage-facility.html

 

Here one of the exterior views of the six-story self-storage building from the corner of 4th & Long looking southeast.  IMO, it looks better than the project rendering (which, unfortunately, is not huge praise).  And it goes without saying that this 21st-century warehouse building doesn't have the character of its 19th-century counterpart.  But it is a decently handled background structure that serves a vital need for the many new residents moving downtown:

 

View from the Long Street sidewalk looking east toward part of the Neighborhood Launch development.  Visible in the background is the recently completed five-story 130-unit Normandy apartment building and the construction site for an identical 130-unit Neilston apartment building.  According to the Business First article, the Tri-Village Self-Storage building has over 700 storage units of varying sizes available throughout its six above-ground levels which are accessible 6 a.m. to midnight.  But the building also includes a below-grade wine-storage cellar.  This part of the building has a separate side storefront (shown in the previous photo) that has a testing lounge with 24-hour access to the wine-storage cellar, accessible only by fingerprint scanner: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2016/05/first-look-long-street-self-storage-facility.html

Some more May 2016 construction updates on Neighborhood Launch, this time from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-may-edition:

 

The five-story 130-unit Neilston apartment building construction site, as viewed from Long Street looking southwest.  The previously mentioned Tri-Village Self-Storage building is visible to the right in the background:

 

Couple of views of the five-story 130-unit Neilston apartment building construction site from a side street (Fifth Street).  This is near Fifth & Long with the recently completed identical 130-unit Normandy apartment building in the background:

 

This view is also from Fifth Street, but further south and closer to Gay Street.  One of the buildings that pre-existed the Neighborhood Launch development is visible to the right.  To the left, but not visible in this photo, is an earlier three-story townhouse phase of NL:

Two photos of a different May 2016 Neighborhood Launch construction site located one block east of the Neilston site from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-may-edition

 

View of the 14-unit Sixth Street Mews condo project from Gay Street looking north.  Normandy apartment building is visible in background to the left; Hills Downtown Market is visible to the right:

 

View of the 14-unit Sixth Street Mews condo project from Sixth Street looking northeast.  The historic Welsh Church that was converted into a Neighborhood Launch community center is in the background:

View from the LeVeque Tower of the sites for the eight-story City of Columbus office building and the 700-space City of Columbus parking garage under construction along N. Front Street from http://www.columbusunderground.com/leveque-apartments-to-start-pre-leasing-in-july-condos-soon-to-follow:

 

^So many flat surface lots that need to go - I think there's several more along High Street.

^So many flat surface lots that need to go - I think there's several more along High Street.

 

Do you mean parking garages?  Because there's not many surface parking lots in that photo.  And the most obvious one to the right that faces High Street has a project planned for it:  http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14074.msg791330.html#msg791330

 

You mention "there's several more along High Street".  Where?  Going north from this view there's the lot next to the Atlas Building (which the Atlas owners are viewing as a phase 2 of their recently completed Atlas renovation).  And that's it until you cross the I-670 Cap and enter the Short North (and those lots are quickly being built on).  The only High Street surface lot remaining south of this view is the NW corner of Main & High.  And that remains stubbornly so because of this owner/tenant court case:  http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,1965.msg746847.html#msg746847

^ Not to quibble or take this too far off-topic, because as you said a lot of progress is being made, but there are a few more stubborn ones along High downtown that I'd love to see disappear in the near future as well:

 

- Greek Orthodox Cathedral surface lot at Swan St

- Surface lot between Elevator Brewing building and vacant former Wendy's at Spring St

- Surface lot between One Columbus building and COTA's HQ at Lynn St

- Vacant grass lot north of Franklin County Courthouse at Main St (not parking anymore but still pretty bad)

^^-A good 50% of the block of High Street between Gay and Long (partial on the East, nearly all of the West)

-Maybe I'm wrong, but the corner of High and Lynn (west side)

-Some flat lot(s) nestled in at the corner of Spring and High (near Elevator)

-Eastern side of High Street just north of Long - actually, almost the whole block around the condemned Long Street garage I believe

^^-A good 50% of the block of High Street between Gay and Long (partial on the East, nearly all of the West)

-Maybe I'm wrong, but the corner of High and Lynn (west side)

-Some flat lot(s) nestled in at the corner of Spring and High (near Elevator)

-Eastern side of High Street just north of Long - actually, almost the whole block around the condemned Long Street garage I believe

 

Lots of surface lots need to go, but High St is actually looking good. That picture above includes the massive 2 parking lots (High/Gay) that will be torn down the next two years with an Edwards development. A lot of the lots in that picture toward Front will be filled too.

The big opportunity will be Nationwide Blvd to Long St, From High St to Grant. Way too many open lots there. The good news is that the Long St part is making strong progress as neighborhood launch closes out and some of the rumored projects for 4th and Long.

 

 

Looking south along N. Front Street. View from the BWC Tower north of the construction sites for the eight-story City of Columbus office building and the 700-space City of Columbus parking garage from http://imgur.com/r/Columbus/CMwI5D2:

 

Two more photos of the construction sites for the eight-story City of Columbus office building and the 700-space City of Columbus parking garage going up along N. Front Street from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-edition:

 

Mid-July view of the Coleman Government Center construction site from Long Street looking southeast toward the rest of downtown:

 

Mid-July view of the parking garage site from Front Street looking southwest with the Coleman Government Center building site in the background:

 

Mid-July view of the 14-unit Sixth Street Mews condo project from Sixth Street looking southeast:  http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-edition

 

The Edwards' Gay and High project is finally under construction - shoring work is ongoing.

 

IMG_1560 by paul2741, on Flickr

^ Great news that it's underway.  Thanks for the update.

An update on the future of the former Dispatch building at 34 S. 3rd Street and possibly the S. 3rd Street properties that are immediately south of the Dispatch building:

 

---

Longtime Columbus Dispatch home could be leased within a year

By Tom Knox, Reporter - Columbus Business First

Updated: July 29, 2016, 4:20pm EDT

 

The former Columbus Dispatch building could soon be occupied by new tenants.  The space at 34 S. 3rd St. will likely be mixed-use and undergo basic renovations to its infrastructure, said Michael Fiorile, chairman of building owner Capitol Square Ltd.

 

“I would hope we’ll be done within a year and look to lease the space,” Fiorile told me. ... A future tenant could be WBNS-FM (97.1 The Fan), the popular sports-talk station that broadcasts Ohio State University football games.  Its lease in the Brewery District ends in two years.  The Wolfe family owns the station as part of RadiOhio Inc.

 

Capitol Square is the real estate and investment arm of the Wolfe family's Dispatch Printing Co.  It owns a large chunk of coveted downtown Columbus real estate and is partnering with Nationwide Realty Investors on the project to figure out what, exactly, the next use will be for 34 S. 3rd. ... “I’m fairly certain it’ll be some type of mixed-use and fairly certain on it not being a tower,” Fiorile said.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/07/29/longtime-columbus-dispatch-home-could-be-leased.html

"fairly certain on it not being a tower"

 

:whip:

While that's disappointing that it won't be a tower, I'll withhold judgement until I see the plans. A 12 to 15 story project that takes up that whole block, has ground floor retail, housing, and office space wouldn't necessarily be a bad proposition. Although I really, really wanted to see a big signature tower go up there.

Well to be fair they only mentioned 34 south Third, which is the Dispatch building itself. They did not necessarily comment on all of the property along Third down to State. Even around 25 years ago when the proposed that Capital Plaza tower the old Dispatch building would have remained. 'The next use for' suggests they are just talking about the Dispatch building, which I would imagine they would want to keep intact and all. At least this is what I am sticking with until I hear more.

Huh. You're right, but I got the sense reading it that they weren't talking about the Dispatch building, but the adjoining property. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I'm also hearing that the block to the east is potentially in play.

 

I also take the above comments to mean mixed-use for the historic Dispatch bldg specifically. I think they're going to pretend they need the attached parking to support the mixed-use until a larger solution for parking presents itself, in which case, the parking lot is available for development.