I honestly thought this building just currently  looked like this because it was nowhere near finished.  It's hideous.

40 minutes ago, TH3BUDDHA said:

I honestly thought this building just currently  looked like this because it was nowhere near finished.  It's hideous.

I still kind of like it for some reason, but I think if they painted all the white space or beige, whatever color it is, it would look cool. That’s probably just me though haha. 

I’m more upset with how bad the parking garage on the side looks. 

I don't think it looks bad. Eventually it will fade into the background.

 

This stretch of 3rd is parking lots and tire shops. It's really the front door to downtown for someone arriving from the airport. Hopefully is can get filled in over the next decade.

 

I agree with @Pablo, it's really not that bad. I know I started this whole thing by making the joke about the Budget rental office, but I really don't dislike how it turned out. Pablo is right, this building should barely be noticeable 10 years from now if this portion of downtown develops the way it should. 

3 hours ago, Pablo said:

I don't think it looks bad. Eventually it will fade into the background.

 

This stretch of 3rd is parking lots and tire shops. It's really the front door to downtown for someone arriving from the airport. Hopefully is can get filled in over the next decade.

 

It really is not that bad to me, partly because of what you have stated-it is not huge and will hopefully fade into the background. I did not expect much of anything with the Schottenstein name attached. Have there been any projects done with that name attached in any way that have actually overwhelmed? I almost am thankful that Millennium Tower did not get built-it might have ended up a cheap tacky looking mess.

Edited October 20, 20204 yr by Toddguy

23 hours ago, cbussoccer said:

I agree with @Pablo, it's really not that bad. I know I started this whole thing by making the joke about the Budget rental office, but I really don't dislike how it turned out. Pablo is right, this building should barely be noticeable 10 years from now if this portion of downtown develops the way it should. 

Do you guys really expect this area to become that unrecognizable over the next ten years?  All of my excitement has been for the other hot areas of town.  I hadn't considered this area getting a bit of a small boom over the next decade.

^You never know! 10 years ago I could never envisioned the building boom Italian Village is experiencing along 4th St. The boom has now jumped 5th Ave. into Weinland Park. The same with E Long St. 

1 hour ago, Pablo said:

^You never know! 10 years ago I could never envisioned the building boom Italian Village is experiencing along 4th St. The boom has now jumped 5th Ave. into Weinland Park. The same with E Long St. 

 

The same thing happened in the River South District. In 2007 it was all surface parking lots and dilapidated buildings. It's totally unrecognizable today.

 

We went from this:

 

 

 

 

to this:

 

 

 

 

in just about ten years.

My wish for 2021 is to see some significant proposals for this barren wasteland of surface parking lots

32 minutes ago, 614love said:

My wish for 2021 is to see some significant proposals for this barren wasteland of surface parking lots

Agreed. Always thought it would be nice to have a legit "Warehouse District" here. While there are plenty of red brick, 4-5 story buildings all around the city, they would definitely look more at home here, especially taking over those surface lots.

On 10/20/2020 at 9:12 AM, Pablo said:

I don't think it looks bad. Eventually it will fade into the background.

 

This stretch of 3rd is parking lots and tire shops. It's really the front door to downtown for someone arriving from the airport. Hopefully is can get filled in over the next decade.

 

 

 

Remember when there were twice as many tire shops in the vicinity?

On 10/21/2020 at 10:35 AM, cbussoccer said:

 

The same thing happened in the River South District. In 2007 it was all surface parking lots and dilapidated buildings. It's totally unrecognizable today.

 

We went from this:

 

 

 

 

to this:

 

 

 

 

in just about ten years.

It looks good, but still not a fan of front st. It could have been done better. Also those 4 story townhome or whatever they are, shouldn’t have been built that close to the downtown core. Or it should have been built like the ones on gay st. 

3 hours ago, VintageLife said:

It looks good, but still not a fan of front st. It could have been done better. Also those 4 story townhome or whatever they are, shouldn’t have been built that close to the downtown core. Or it should have been built like the ones on gay st. 

I completely agree. However, when those were built there was almost nothing happening downtown and absolutely nothing happening south of Broad Street. I would never support anything like those being built downtown now, but for the time they were pretty important. 

3 hours ago, VintageLife said:

It looks good, but still not a fan of front st. It could have been done better. Also those 4 story townhome or whatever they are, shouldn’t have been built that close to the downtown core. Or it should have been built like the ones on gay st. 

 

It's true, they were incredibly monumental when built. At the time downtown residential wasn't even on the radar, the area was literally blocks of dilapidated surface lots, and LC built the project at a pretty hefty risk. If I remember correctly, the project was pretty much how CDDC came to be, ultimately leading to the RiverSouth we have today.

 

Hopefully someday LC will see the potential and begin the redevelopment they discussed early on into denser and more appealing sections. If I recall correctly LC explained that they were designed very specifically (in quadrants) to be redeveloped if the value warranted such redevelopment in the future.

Edited December 19, 20204 yr by DevolsDance

22 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

I completely agree. However, when those were built there was almost nothing happening downtown and absolutely nothing happening south of Broad Street. I would never support anything like those being built downtown now, but for the time they were pretty important. 

I kind of figured that was the case. What year did they put them in? Also, I think if they had some type of ground floor interaction it wouldn’t be as bad either. It’s not so much the height, even though hopefully they eventually do replace them. It’s just how bland and non active they are. It’s awesome they took that chance though, because River south will hopefully be great in a few years. 
 

Are they apartments or condos?? 

Normandy Avenue Residences (Sun. 1-10-21)

The more I look at it the more I like the 150 N 3rd project. Maybe it's the colors - unique to downtown. There are monumental steps off of 3rd leading to a rooftop outdoor amenity space above parking. Hopefully the Budget site will be redeveloped but I'm afraid the site might be too small for the types of development we're seeing these days. Maybe something can work if the developer opts not to incorporate parking (not a requirement downtown). There are plenty of parking lots nearby that can be developed more easily. I'm hoping 3rd will be transformed in the next 5-10 years!

 

 

 

23 hours ago, Pablo said:

The more I look at it the more I like the 150 N 3rd project. Maybe it's the colors - unique to downtown. There are monumental steps off of 3rd leading to a rooftop outdoor amenity space above parking. Hopefully the Budget site will be redeveloped but I'm afraid the site might be too small for the types of development we're seeing these days. Maybe something can work if the developer opts not to incorporate parking (not a requirement downtown). There are plenty of parking lots nearby that can be developed more easily. I'm hoping 3rd will be transformed in the next 5-10 years!

 

 

 

I love this project and have. It has a different look that is unique. It may not have a good look that will look great in 15 years, but I like it. 

I wasn’t sure if this was the right section for this, so please move it, if it’s not.

 

Jackie O's goes big with outdoor plans for Downtown Columbus site

 

The Athens brewery Jackie O's is heading to the outdoors in Columbus, with plans to create one of central Ohio's most ambitious bar patios.

The brewery has submitted plans for a multi-level extravaganza for the N. Fourth Street property it acquired last year from Elevator Brewing Company. In all, the makeover will seat about 400 guests in a mix of picnic tables, high-tops, bar seats and cabanas.

Plans even include tables and seats inside massive concrete culvert tubes. 
 

Infill house at 96 North 5th (Sat. 2-27-21)

 

Normandy Avenue Residences

Jackie O's (Wed. 3-3-21)

 

Didn't notice this about the Jackie O's plans at first, but the expansion is pretty large (bigger outdoor space than anything downtown that I can think of), taking out ~25 surface parking spots while adding a sidewalk along Lazelle. The Pins Mechanical patio area next-door is often crowded when I ride by, so this will definitely be a popular place when finished. 

Edited March 5, 20214 yr by NorthShore647

Looks like Connect reality is moving forward with the next phase of rehab on 174 E Long St.

 

Next up is masonry repair and cleaning along with window replacements, fire escape repair (glad its not being removed), and new storefronts. I know connect is pretty slow at their rehabs, but they always seem to turn out great so I am excited this is still chugging along. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 20214 yr by DevolsDance

From the March 23, 2021 Columbus Downtown Commission Meeting: Asbestos was found in the exterior paint, and it was not believed that it could be safely removed without damaging the brick, so they are proposing to paint the brick. The stone should be able to be cleaned and repaired. Approved as presented, subject to approval from the Historic Resources Commission. 

 

Awesome! Do we know what the building will be used for? I'm assuming residential, but I can't remember if we've seen the specific plans yet.

 

Now, can we please start knocking out some more of the surface lots in this area of downtown. There is a solid of stock of pretty cool older commercial and industrial buildings surrounded by a sea of surface lots. Those buildings provide a nice a base for us to start working off of. The neighborhood launch area has been a good start, but we need like 10 times more of it.

34 minutes ago, NorthShore647 said:

From the March 23, 2021 Columbus Downtown Commission Meeting: Asbestos was found in the exterior paint, and it was not believed that it could be safely removed without damaging the brick, so they are proposing to paint the brick. The stone should be able to be cleaned and repaired. Approved as presented, subject to approval from the Historic Resources Commission. 

 

Thanks for this update, I was wondering why they were going to paint the brick over again. At least they are using Sherwin Williams paint.

On 2/19/2021 at 2:27 PM, VintageLife said:

I wasn’t sure if this was the right section for this, so please move it, if it’s not.

 

Jackie O's goes big with outdoor plans for Downtown Columbus site

 

The Athens brewery Jackie O's is heading to the outdoors in Columbus, with plans to create one of central Ohio's most ambitious bar patios.

The brewery has submitted plans for a multi-level extravaganza for the N. Fourth Street property it acquired last year from Elevator Brewing Company. In all, the makeover will seat about 400 guests in a mix of picnic tables, high-tops, bar seats and cabanas.

Plans even include tables and seats inside massive concrete culvert tubes. 
 

 

The Jackie O's patio was approved by the Downtown Commission today.

 

Also approved was a smaller temporary patio. The owner of Jackie O's said they were having some issues with a parcel that dates back to the 1830s that may delay the construction of the larger patio, and so they prepared plans for a temporary patio in the event that it would be necessary. It sounded like the temporary patio may not be necessary after all and that they would be able to go straight to building the full patio pictured above but they weren't completely sure yet (but should know soon).

 

Just saw that a company named Urban Restorations just submitted a conceptual review for a 3 story 4 unit building at the corner of long and 6th. 
 

sorry for the low quality, it was a screen grab. 

Edited June 16, 20214 yr by VintageLife

Normandy Avenue Residences (6-19-21)

 

 

 

Infill house at 96 North 5th

 

Unsure if this is the right thread for this...but the Greyhound station downtown is now slated for mixed-use redevelopment.

 

COTA has agreed to buy the Greyhound station for redevelopment and a transit center

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/07/21/cota-buy-greyhound-station-redevelopment-transit-center/8038610002/

 

Greyhound bus service will be moving to the existing COTA terminal in the Columbus Commons parking garage by fall.

 

COTA does not have exact plans for the site yet, but they have said the transit hub will just be one part of the overall mixed-use redevelopment -- they said the transit function should be a "secondary" use and not the most visible part of the redevelopment.

 

This comes after Greyhound agreed to work to address the crime and other issues at the station.

2 minutes ago, .justin said:

Unsure if this is the right thread for this...but the Greyhound station downtown is now slated for mixed-use redevelopment.

 

COTA has agreed to buy the Greyhound station for redevelopment and a transit center

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/07/21/cota-buy-greyhound-station-redevelopment-transit-center/8038610002/

 

Greyhound bus service will be moving to the existing COTA terminal in the Columbus Commons parking garage by fall.

 

COTA does not have exact plans for the site yet, but they have said the transit hub will just be one part of the overall mixed-use redevelopment -- they said the transit function should be a "secondary" use and not the most visible part of the redevelopment.

 

This comes after Greyhound agreed to work to address the crime and other issues at the station.

Oh happy f*cking day!! This is great news!!! 

5 minutes ago, .justin said:

Unsure if this is the right thread for this...but the Greyhound station downtown is now slated for mixed-use redevelopment.

 

COTA has agreed to buy the Greyhound station for redevelopment and a transit center

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/07/21/cota-buy-greyhound-station-redevelopment-transit-center/8038610002/

 

Greyhound bus service will be moving to the existing COTA terminal in the Columbus Commons parking garage by fall.

 

COTA does not have exact plans for the site yet, but they have said the transit hub will just be one part of the overall mixed-use redevelopment -- they said the transit function should be a "secondary" use and not the most visible part of the redevelopment.

 

This comes after Greyhound agreed to work to address the crime and other issues at the station.

This is awesome news. I was hoping they would turn this into some mixed use development. Hopefully it’s great proposal and moves quickly. 

Quote

The new facility will serve as a hub for COTA, including the planned Northwest Corridor that includes Olentangy River Road and the East-West Corridor along East and West Broad and East Main streets. COTA plans to create bus rapid transit routes along those corridors as part of the LinkUS Columbus effort.

 

Based on the above quote, this development better have some good height. I don't expect anything super tall due to the large size of the lot, but I could easily see two 15-20 story towers going here. Being located directly above a BRT terminal would be a huge draw for businesses and residents alike. It would also be a good spot for some hotel space. It would likely be linked to the airport and the proposed BRT line could easily get visitors over to OSU. 

12 minutes ago, .justin said:

Unsure if this is the right thread for this...but the Greyhound station downtown is now slated for mixed-use redevelopment.

 

COTA has agreed to buy the Greyhound station for redevelopment and a transit center

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/07/21/cota-buy-greyhound-station-redevelopment-transit-center/8038610002/

 

Greyhound bus service will be moving to the existing COTA terminal in the Columbus Commons parking garage by fall.

 

COTA does not have exact plans for the site yet, but they have said the transit hub will just be one part of the overall mixed-use redevelopment -- they said the transit function should be a "secondary" use and not the most visible part of the redevelopment.

 

This comes after Greyhound agreed to work to address the crime and other issues at the station.

That’s great news! Every time I pass by this property I can’t help to think how underutilized this space is. Can’t wait to see what they propose. 

8 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

Based on the above quote, this development better have some good height. I don't expect anything super tall due to the large size of the lot, but I could easily see two 15-20 story towers going here. Being located directly above a BRT terminal would be a huge draw for businesses and residents alike. It would also be a good spot for some hotel space. It would likely be linked to the airport and the proposed BRT line could easily get visitors over to OSU. 

Hopefully it will push the development of the holiday inn lot also. The proposal for that a few years ago looked great. 

On 2/23/2018 at 2:25 PM, Pablo said:

New 15-Story Building Proposed Downtown

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-15-story-building-proposed-downtown-we1

http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/themes/patterns/timthumb.php?src=http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/15-story-building-01.jpg&q=90&w=650&zc=1&

 

 

I wonder if this 15-story tower might come back to life once the Greyhound station moves. I doubt it, but one can hope.

Just now, VintageLife said:

Hopefully it will push the development of the holiday inn lot also. The proposal for that a few years ago looked great. 

 

Apparently we were thinking the same thing at the same time. See my last post...lol

2 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

Apparently we were thinking the same thing at the same time. See my last post...lol

That is the one I’m talking about. It still looks great haha

4 minutes ago, VintageLife said:

Hopefully it will push the development of the holiday inn lot also. The proposal for that a few years ago looked great. 

Also, I never knew this is known as the Red Brick District. Learn something new every day 😂

1 hour ago, VintageLife said:

Hopefully it will push the development of the holiday inn lot also. The proposal for that a few years ago looked great. 

True but I’m more worried about the lots across the street from dirty franks. It’s a sea over there.

2 minutes ago, 614love said:

True but I’m more worried about the lots across the street from dirty franks. It’s a sea over there.

 

Main Street and 4th Street both have a ton of potential. They have a good core of attractive old buildings to develop around. We've already seen The Harlow pop up, and I think we'll continue to see more infill in the area. Depending on what happens with this Greyhound site, we could really see things get kicked off on Rich Street as well. 

 

One big thing holding this area back, in my opinion, is the large one way streets with fast moving vehicles. It's just not a very comfortable area to walk around because of that. It would be amazing if we could turn all three of those main roads into two way streets. I think it would be a game changer for the area.

20 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

Main Street and 4th Street both have a ton of potential. They have a good core of attractive old buildings to develop around. We've already seen The Harlow pop up, and I think we'll continue to see more infill in the area. Depending on what happens with this Greyhound site, we could really see things get kicked off on Rich Street as well. 

 

One big thing holding this area back, in my opinion, is the large one way streets with fast moving vehicles. It's just not a very comfortable area to walk around because of that. It would be amazing if we could turn all three of those main roads into two way streets. I think it would be a game changer for the area.

Or just leave them one ways but put actual protected bike lanes and better transit along 4th. I agree that it isn’t a great walking area at all, but I doubt making them two way would even change that. 

COTA buying downtown Greyhound terminal, plans redevelopment with 'character and vibrancy'

 

The Central Ohio Transit Authority plans to buy the downtown Columbus Greyhound station for $9.5 million, but wants much more than buses to use the 2.5-acre site at 111 E. Town St.

 

Greyhound Lines Inc. has been selling its downtown terminals around the country in recent years, opting for shared hubs with other transportation providers. In Columbus, the bus line would sublet space from COTA in its Rich Street terminal across the street, in the ground floor of the Columbus Commons parking garage.

 

"This site is exceedingly well located in terms of services and planned service," said Terry Foegler, COTA's chief development officer.

 

The city and private developers have been interested in the 51-year-old eyesore for decades. COTA is working with city officials and the Columbus Downtown Development Corp./Capitol South to plan mixed uses, Foegler said.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/07/21/cota-to-buy-greyhounds-downtown-columbus-terminal.html

 

I wonder if COTA will sell the transfer station on Spring St when complete freeing up that underutilized plot of land as well 

I still can't believe they tore down Central Market for that.  

The city really had it out for Central Market. Not sure why. I don't think it was pressure from Greyhound.

1 hour ago, GCrites80s said:

The city really had it out for Central Market. Not sure why. I don't think it was pressure from Greyhound.

 

Going back through old articles, the change in attitude was very fast.  One year they were celebrating it as a Columbus icon for its like 100th anniversary, and a few years later it was a Downtown "eyesore" that stood in the way of progress.  From what I understand, the Greyhound station only entered the picture after demolition was already planned.  I think the whole "Market Mohawk" urban renewal people figured out that Central Market occupied prime territory and just decided it needed to go, which prompted a lot of subsequent articles about how it needed more maintenance than it was worth.

Edited July 21, 20213 yr by jonoh81

COTA to Buy Greyhound Station, ‘Substantial’ Development Planned for Site

 

The Central Ohio Transit Authority is in contract to buy the Greyhound station Downtown for $9.5 million. The agency plans to tear down the aging facility and wants to see a mixed-use, transit-oriented development constructed on the 2.5-acre site, although there are many details still to be worked out about who would oversee the project and exactly what it would look like.

 

As part of the deal, Greyhound’s operations will shift to COTA’s existing Rich Street terminal, which is located about a block away, on the ground floor of the Columbus Commons parking garage.

 

It’s a strategy Greyhound has been employing around the country – selling off large, often deteriorating stations in central locations and working with local transit agencies to lease space in more modest facilities nearby.

 

When Terry Foegler, COTA’s Chief Development Officer, started at the agency last summer, he learned that Greyhound had recently reached out about potentially using one of COTA’s terminals.

 

“I told Greyhound, we’ll talk with you about negotiating a sublease of Rich Street, if you give us the exclusive right to talk to you about the [station] site,” he said. “They were going to put it on the market, [but] signed a letter of intent to work with us.”

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-to-buy-greyhound-station-mixed-use-development-planned-bw1/

 

5 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

COTA to Buy Greyhound Station, ‘Substantial’ Development Planned for Site

 

The Central Ohio Transit Authority is in contract to buy the Greyhound station Downtown for $9.5 million. The agency plans to tear down the aging facility and wants to see a mixed-use, transit-oriented development constructed on the 2.5-acre site, although there are many details still to be worked out about who would oversee the project and exactly what it would look like.

 

As part of the deal, Greyhound’s operations will shift to COTA’s existing Rich Street terminal, which is located about a block away, on the ground floor of the Columbus Commons parking garage.

 

It’s a strategy Greyhound has been employing around the country – selling off large, often deteriorating stations in central locations and working with local transit agencies to lease space in more modest facilities nearby.

 

When Terry Foegler, COTA’s Chief Development Officer, started at the agency last summer, he learned that Greyhound had recently reached out about potentially using one of COTA’s terminals.

 

“I told Greyhound, we’ll talk with you about negotiating a sublease of Rich Street, if you give us the exclusive right to talk to you about the [station] site,” he said. “They were going to put it on the market, [but] signed a letter of intent to work with us.”

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/cota-to-buy-greyhound-station-mixed-use-development-planned-bw1/

 

Like someone else said, if they are going to use the word, substantial, this thing better be 20+ stories tall and have an amazing design. You can’t just throw words like that out there and then present people with a 7 story building. 

1 hour ago, VintageLife said:

Like someone else said, if they are going to use the word, substantial, this thing better be 20+ stories tall and have an amazing design. You can’t just throw words like that out there and then present people with a 7 story building. 

Agreed. At the minimum 12 floors-At the minimum. If they are talking about mixed use and transit oriented they need density and they can achieve that(and probably a decent amount of parking-this is still Cbus)with going big and maximizing that 2.5 acres. This could be huge for that part of Downtown and could be a catalyst for connecting those nodes just south along Main and Fourth. 

 

This might even get something like that proposal on the Holiday Inn property going and fill in some lots(like the big ones just south of this site).  Fill in those lots and the Greyhound site and you can have a large actual neighborhood forming something like what has happened with River South and Neighborhood Launch.

 

And here is an idea, how about remaking a new Central Market?-something like a baby North Market. If you get the area built up enough it could work. It would not necessarily have to be a smaller carbon copy of the North Market-maybe some kind of hybrid that would still have enough options to be worthy of the name "market". It would only be a few blocks from River South and right by Grant Hospital and Franklin University and right by Columbus Commons. 

 

Make it happen for Chrissakes Columbus "movers and shakers'!  Move it and Shake it! 

Edited July 22, 20213 yr by Toddguy