20 minutes ago, VintageLife said:

I have no idea of the full size, but found this on a website about the area. 
 

The Location

Currently, Neighborhood Launch is projected to grow into a nine block neighborhood and extend near the Columbus College of Art & Design.

 

I don’t think it has taken up 9 blocks yet has it? 

I counted five, running from Fourth to Grant 🤔

On 12/11/2014 at 12:03 PM, Columbo said:

- 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.

 

 

There's still the elusive 5 story condo building proposed in 2012, and mentioned again in this 2014 post (bottom green square) at the NE corner of 6th & Gay to be developed

 

Edited July 28, 20222 yr by NW24HX

16 minutes ago, NW24HX said:

 

There's still the elusive 5 story condo building proposed in 2012, and mentioned again in this 2014 post (bottom green square) at the NE corner of 6th & Gay to be developed

 

Hmmm, I was at Matt and Tony’s for dinner tonight and saw that lot was filled with building materials. I’m not sure if it was staging for a different project, or if maybe we’ll see a groundbreaking there here soon.

 

I’d not been over there for quite awhile, so I’m not sure how long it’s been like that. 

9 hours ago, amped91 said:

Hmmm, I was at Matt and Tony’s for dinner tonight and saw that lot was filled with building materials. I’m not sure if it was staging for a different project, or if maybe we’ll see a groundbreaking there here soon.

 

I’d not been over there for quite awhile, so I’m not sure how long it’s been like that. 

That lot has been filled with materials for years. I would guess they are waiting to build on it, until the rest of the area is developed. It’s probably a super convenient staging spot. 

Framing is going up for the townhomes on the corner of Long and 6th. 
 

Oh, I’ve gotta add this too: we really need a developer to take ownership of improving the Long St corridor between High and 5th the way Jeff Edwards has along High and Gay. 
 

I started my walk at Roosevelt on Long and then went over to Gay and headed west to High. Then north on High to Long, and back east  to Roosevelt. Most of Gay is really nice to walk down. Plenty of shade, nice sidewalks, plants, other people walking around, plenty of places to stop in, and the Pearl Market was nice to walk through too. High was loud, obviously, but enough shade and plenty of things to look at. Long, however, is a horrible experience. No shade, cracks and weeds on the sidewalks, hardly anything to look at except parking lots and boarded up shops, and cars speeding through. There are a few islands of activity (Slammers, Pins, etc.), but we really need someone (or several someones) to start filling in the gaps between those islands and making the pedestrian experience so much better. 

1 minute ago, amped91 said:

Oh, I’ve gotta add this too: we really need a developer to take ownership of improving the Long St corridor between High and 5th the way Jeff Edwards has along High and Gay. 
 

I started my walk at Roosevelt on Long and then went over to Gay and headed west to High. Then north on High to Long, and back east  to Roosevelt. Most of Gay is really nice to walk down. Plenty of shade, nice sidewalks, plants, other people walking around, plenty of places to stop in, and the Pearl Market was nice to walk through too. High was loud, obviously, but enough shade and plenty of things to look at. Long, however, is a horrible experience. No shade, cracks and weeds on the sidewalks, hardly anything to look at except parking lots and boarded up shops, and cars speeding through. There are a few islands of activity (Slammers, Pins, etc.), but we really need someone (or several someones) to start filling in the gaps between those islands and making the pedestrian experience so much better. 

I’m sure it will happen. Building more townhouses and getting more retail/restaurant space, will bring better walkability. 

8 minutes ago, VintageLife said:

I’m sure it will happen. Building more townhouses and getting more retail/restaurant space, will bring better walkability. 

I think so too. I’m just impatient and want it all now lol

Ok, Veruca ;-) 

 

(But also, #same)

 

 

Renovations at the Fifth Third Center continue. 
 

 

8 minutes ago, amped91 said:

Renovations at the Fifth Third Center continue. 
 

 

Is there residential going into this? Seems like it might still be hard to rent the entire thing out, with just office. 

17 minutes ago, VintageLife said:

Is there residential going into this? Seems like it might still be hard to rent the entire thing out, with just office. 

I can’t find anything about residential, but I do think the owner should’ve used this time to add some residential. Although I guess it’s also possible the building’s design may have made res conversion too expensive/impractical. I dunno. 
 

From what I’ve read, sounds like a lot more added amenity space in addition to modernizing the building. 

Interesting. My guess is it’ll contain rental units, in addition to whatever else CDDC decides to use it for. 
 

Here’s who’s planning to buy the Downtown YMCA building

 

“The YMCA of Central Ohio is working with the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. on a deal to buy its aging Downtown YMCA building at 40 W. Long St.

 

The two currently are negotiating a deal for the CDDC to take ownership of the building by January, YMCA CEO Tony Collins told us.

 

CDDC President Amy Taylor confirmed that the entity is "in discussions" about buying the property but couldn't comment further.

 

It was not immediately clear what the plans for the building were.”

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2022/08/25/here-s-who-s-buying-the-downtown-ymca-building

3 minutes ago, amped91 said:

Interesting. My guess is it’ll contain rental units, in addition to whatever else CDDC decides to use it for. 

 

I feel like this building, or at least part of the building, could be turned into a pretty cool hotel. 

52 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

I feel like this building, or at least part of the building, could be turned into a pretty cool hotel. 

I like that idea. I’ve never seen the inside, but from the outside it looks like a handsome building. 
 

Since part of the next Downtown strategic plan is for the CDDC to sublease space at a discounted rate in order to grow new businesses, it might not be a bad idea to use part of the building to incubate new businesses. Especially going with the hotel idea, you’d get a lot of out of town eyes on the brand(s). Downside is you don’t have a lot of visibility from the outside, without the big retail windows. But I think it could still make a good production space, and they could use some of the residential space to start a residency program for artists and fashion designers. 

Huge news for Downtown:

 

Was just recently wondering when/if we were going to hear about the redev. I think the actual look of the tower can use some work, but everything else about it I love. Quadruples the height of the previous building, gets rid of more surface parking spaces, should serve as a good bridge between Downtown Columbus and German Village (especially after the Third St bridge cap is done, will feature wraparound services including childcare, and it’s a truly mixed-income tower. 
 

I guess we’re getting our wish for more big dev news 😂 Now I just hope COTA can do something at least as good, if not better, at their Greyhound site a few blocks north. 

 

United Way of Central Ohio's downtown Columbus HQ to be redeveloped by The Community Builders, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
 

 

 

 

“The United Way of Central Ohio has selected the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and a national nonprofit developer to purchase and transform its downtown headquarters. 

 

Boston-based The Community Builders and CMHA will buy the site on South 3rd Street for $4 million. They plan to build a 12-story mixed-use project, dubbed AspireColumbus, that will include 135 apartments at various rates and about 30,000 square feet of commercial space.

 

The project is expected to cost $70 million to build, with an expected completion date of late 2025 or early 2026, according to CMHA.

 

At least a quarter of units will be for households earning less than $20,000, at least 15% of units will be for households earning less than $40,000, another 15% of units will be for households earning less than $55,000 and the remaining units will have no income restriction.“

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2022/09/06/united-way-headquarters-cmha-affordable-housing-tc.html

1 hour ago, amped91 said:

Huge news for Downtown:

 

Was just recently wondering when/if we were going to hear about the redev. I think the actual look of the tower can use some work, but everything else about it I love. Quadruples the height of the previous building, gets rid of more surface parking spaces, should serve as a good bridge between Downtown Columbus and German Village (especially after the Third St bridge cap is done, will feature wraparound services including childcare, and it’s a truly mixed-income tower. 
 

I guess we’re getting our wish for more big dev news 😂 Now I just hope COTA can do something at least as good, if not better, at their Greyhound site a few blocks north. 

 

United Way of Central Ohio's downtown Columbus HQ to be redeveloped by The Community Builders, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
 

 

 

 

“The United Way of Central Ohio has selected the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and a national nonprofit developer to purchase and transform its downtown headquarters. 

 

Boston-based The Community Builders and CMHA will buy the site on South 3rd Street for $4 million. They plan to build a 12-story mixed-use project, dubbed AspireColumbus, that will include 135 apartments at various rates and about 30,000 square feet of commercial space.

 

The project is expected to cost $70 million to build, with an expected completion date of late 2025 or early 2026, according to CMHA.

 

At least a quarter of units will be for households earning less than $20,000, at least 15% of units will be for households earning less than $40,000, another 15% of units will be for households earning less than $55,000 and the remaining units will have no income restriction.“

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2022/09/06/united-way-headquarters-cmha-affordable-housing-tc.html

This is great, and I’m glad there is height coming! The parking podium on the top is an ugly ass eyesore and hopefully they say something about that. At least cover it with a green style roof or something, or add 3-4 stories on top of it. 

Edited September 6, 20222 yr by VintageLife

It's great to see a bit of height, albeit just 12 stories, popping up somewhere other than along High or Broad!

6 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

It's great to see a bit of height, albeit just 12 stories, popping up somewhere other than along High or Broad!

I wish the ODP redev on Grant/Fulton would’ve gone a lot higher, more in line with this one. I’m hoping for 15+ for the Greyhound redev. 

From the Columbus underground article. Sounds like they could change the parking up a bit.

 

Beam told Columbus Underground that the initial plan calls for a parking garage to be incorporated into the project, with space for as many as 200 cars, although he stressed that the size of the garage could change. 

“We know there is a need to create a shared strategy with the city and other downtown stakeholders so that we are creating enough parking for the project to be successful, but are helping to advance long-term goals for Columbus around mobility and density,” he said. “Now that the proposal is public, CMHA, TCB and the United Way will be able engage in those discussions.”

22 hours ago, VintageLife said:

From the Columbus underground article. Sounds like they could change the parking up a bit.

 

Beam told Columbus Underground that the initial plan calls for a parking garage to be incorporated into the project, with space for as many as 200 cars, although he stressed that the size of the garage could change. 

“We know there is a need to create a shared strategy with the city and other downtown stakeholders so that we are creating enough parking for the project to be successful, but are helping to advance long-term goals for Columbus around mobility and density,” he said. “Now that the proposal is public, CMHA, TCB and the United Way will be able engage in those discussions.”

 

I mean, Downtown is the only part of the city in which there are no parking requirements and which has the best transit available, and we're still having this same conversation about how much parking to provide.  There are arguably more than enough people out there who would not require parking to live somewhere like this.

Edited September 7, 20222 yr by jonoh81

Arguably it does look like one of the better incorporated parking podiums I've seen in Columbus... Although at only 2 stories I'd prefer for them to just leave a surface lot that could be further redeveloped or something in the future...

Sounds like the plan is being presented to the Downtown Commission today and City Council next week. 
 

New downtown Columbus strategic plan looks for 40,000 residents, 120,000 workers by 2040

 

Former Mayor Michael B. Coleman will present the plan's concepts to the city's Downtown Commission on Tuesday. The Columbus City Council is scheduled to take the plan up on Monday. By the end of the year, the City Council will consider a final plan.

 

A few more noteworthy quotes:

 

"What we have to do is not take our foot off the pedal when it comes to residential housing Downtown," Hardin said. "We've got to remember we're severely underhoused in the urban core."

 

The Downtown plan's concepts also includes developing programs and incentives to boost minority- and women-owned retailers and other businesses Downtown. This includes a new vacant storefront registration policy for commercial buildings to make sure they are properly maintained while awaiting new tenants.

 

 Referring to surface parking:

 

“It’s big a number. It’s way too much,” Coleman said.

 

Coleman said there needs to be incentives to turn surface parking lots into useful commercial or residential sites and disincentives for not doing so. Hardin said those disincentives could be different tax structures for surface parking lots.

 

I believe that alone could prove a major turning point for making downtown more livable. 
 

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2022/09/27/new-downtown-columbus-strategic-plan-goal-is-40000-residents-by-2040/69511778007/

Here's a direct link to the plan being presented.

 

https://columbusohdev.app.box.com/s/ue46v17rni6rqhgv0oc2v7vwerd2rqgw/file/1010992622624

 

Seeing plenty of new proposals and new terminology in just this visual alone. Looks like the primary focus would be capitalizing on the peninsula and tying the some of the northern and eastern properties of the river followed by connecting transit corridors through the center of downtown.
Not sure about whether some of the branding ideas will catch on though. Calling the area by AEP the Diamond District? Well...we'll see about that.

1 hour ago, cbussoccer said:

Here's a direct link to the plan being presented.

 

https://columbusohdev.app.box.com/s/ue46v17rni6rqhgv0oc2v7vwerd2rqgw/file/1010992622624

 

The pedestrian bridge would also be a great addition, if it gets done this time. I would love having that quick connection between the Peninsula/East Franklinton and the AD. 

1 hour ago, cbussoccer said:

Here's a direct link to the plan being presented.

 

https://columbusohdev.app.box.com/s/ue46v17rni6rqhgv0oc2v7vwerd2rqgw/file/1010992622624

 

That link isn't working for me...  Do you have any others?

Just now, Luvcbus said:

That link isn't working for me...  Do you have any others?

 

I got it from the Downtown Commission meeting materials for this month. 

 

https://www.columbus.gov/development/public-meetings/Columbus-Downtown-Commission/

So everyone else missed the development by the convention center lot? Or that the 15-story project near the commons is back on track?

39 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

So everyone else missed the development by the convention center lot? Or that the 15-story project near the commons is back on track?

The 15 story is the greyhound bus station plan. The 15 story that was planned for the holiday inn parking lot, is not on this map. 

36 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

So everyone else missed the development by the convention center lot? Or that the 15-story project near the commons is back on track?

I saw it, lol. And the unheard-of Confluence Park towers 😮 Hopefully it comes through! But on renderings like these I usually reserve my excitement until a mention of the individual project is released. But this is great news and if all this comes to fruition...oh yeah. I'll be psyched.

4 minutes ago, PrestoKinetic said:

I saw it, lol. And the unheard-of Confluence Park towers 😮 Hopefully it comes through! But on renderings like these I usually reserve my excitement until a mention of the individual project is released. But this is great news and if all this comes to fruition...oh yeah. I'll be psyched.

Yeah, I look at it as more of a wish list, but I would love to see all of this happen. Would be nice to see that Convention Center lot get developed. I think the Confluence Park towers idea originated with the Rapid5 project. 

5 minutes ago, PrestoKinetic said:

I saw it, lol. And the unheard-of Confluence Park towers 😮 Hopefully it comes through! But on renderings like these I usually reserve my excitement until a mention of the individual project is released. But this is great news and if all this comes to fruition...oh yeah. I'll be psyched.

 

Some of this was first mentioned with Rapid 5 

 

Link is here:

 

https://www.rapid5.org/envision

 

(Confluence Park stuff starts on page 138)

 

 

 

Pardon me if it’s a dumb question but instead of building a brand new pedestrian bridge from Arena District to Franklinton couldn’t they just build something attached to the existing railroad bridge that goes across for pedestrians to use? Seems like it would be way cheaper/quicker. 
 

Sidenote I tried to upload pictures if said bridge and for some reason anything I try to upload says it’s too large. Never had this issue before. Any help?

4 minutes ago, 614love said:

Pardon me if it’s a dumb question but instead of building a brand new pedestrian bridge from Arena District to Franklinton couldn’t they just build something attached to the existing railroad bridge that goes across for pedestrians to use? Seems like it would be way cheaper/quicker. 
 

Sidenote I tried to upload pictures if said bridge and for some reason anything I try to upload says it’s too large. Never had this issue before. Any help?

uh oh-  sounds like you might need to become a premium member to upload any more pics.  that happened to me a few months ago 😉

This is the bridge I’m referring to. Wouldn’t it be possible to build a pedestrian bridge on this already existing one? Am I crazy or does no one else think this is a viable option?

 

I’m all for a new bridge being built especially if it’s going to be something awesome but I’m the meantime this could be a solution.

3 minutes ago, 614love said:

This is the bridge I’m referring to. Wouldn’t it be possible to build a pedestrian bridge on this already existing one? Am I crazy or does no one else think this is a viable option?

 

I’m all for a new bridge being built especially if it’s going to be something awesome but I’m the meantime this could be a solution.

I dunno. Could be a pretty unpleasant experience walking across if a train is crossing at the same time. 

The railroad company is probably not going to want that.

7 minutes ago, 614love said:

This is the bridge I’m referring to. Wouldn’t it be possible to build a pedestrian bridge on this already existing one? Am I crazy or does no one else think this is a viable option?

 

I’m all for a new bridge being built especially if it’s going to be something awesome but I’m the meantime this could be a solution.

 

That seems like an unnecessarily expensive and complicated thing to do. There's no space on that bridge for pedestrians to safely walk, so an extension would have to be built on one of the sides. Even if you were able to construct the extension, the experience of walking next to a loud diesel engine would be quite unpleasant unless you are a train enthusiast.

 

If the rail line were abandoned it would be a great idea, but given that the rail line is in use I think it would be far too complicated.

Nice idea in theory/economically I suppose, however working with rail companies is sooooooo bad, they are insanely difficult.

28 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

 

That seems like an unnecessarily expensive and complicated thing to do. There's no space on that bridge for pedestrians to safely walk, so an extension would have to be built on one of the sides. Even if you were able to construct the extension, the experience of walking next to a loud diesel engine would be quite unpleasant unless you are a train enthusiast.

 

If the rail line were abandoned it would be a great idea, but given that the rail line is in use I think it would be far too complicated.

If it were out of use, it would be sweet as a conversion to pedestrian!

Unfortunately it's virtually impossible to deal with the railroads for something even as simple as repainting an existing bridge. They are notorious for dragging the simplest things out into years-long sagas - and a pedestrian bridge attached to an existing 19th century trestle is exponentially more complicated that that

 

 

Edited September 28, 20222 yr by NW24HX

Downtown strategic plan: More ground-floor retail and a more active riverfront to come from planning

 

Downtown Columbus residents and visitors can expect more ground-floor retail offerings and more activities along the riverfront in the near future.

 

Those are key components of the Columbus Downtown Development Corp.'s new strategic plan, which will be presented to Columbus City Council early next month.

 

Goals of the plan include:

• Growing local businesses downtown by 20% by 2040 (particularly those owned by people of color).
• Increasing the number of people living downtown.
• Getting 120,000 people working downtown by 2040.
• Creating a public art plan for downtown by 2025.
• Improving the urban tree canopy.
• Expanding non-car mobility options around downtown.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2022/09/28/downtown-columbus-retail-riverfront-rooftop.html

 

16 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

Downtown strategic plan: More ground-floor retail and a more active riverfront to come from planning

 

Downtown Columbus residents and visitors can expect more ground-floor retail offerings and more activities along the riverfront in the near future.

 

Those are key components of the Columbus Downtown Development Corp.'s new strategic plan, which will be presented to Columbus City Council early next month.

 

Goals of the plan include:

• Growing local businesses downtown by 20% by 2040 (particularly those owned by people of color).
• Increasing the number of people living downtown.
• Getting 120,000 people working downtown by 2040.
• Creating a public art plan for downtown by 2025.
• Improving the urban tree canopy.
• Expanding non-car mobility options around downtown.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2022/09/28/downtown-columbus-retail-riverfront-rooftop.html

 

The trees! We have so many young trees in this city, I can't wait to see them all grown up. Super jealous when I visit other cities and they have a bunch of old growth trees in more urban areas. We kinda only have that in a few neighborhoods and in the parks.

On 8/25/2022 at 11:35 AM, amped91 said:

Interesting. My guess is it’ll contain rental units, in addition to whatever else CDDC decides to use it for. 
 

Here’s who’s planning to buy the Downtown YMCA building

 

“The YMCA of Central Ohio is working with the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. on a deal to buy its aging Downtown YMCA building at 40 W. Long St.

 

The two currently are negotiating a deal for the CDDC to take ownership of the building by January, YMCA CEO Tony Collins told us.

 

CDDC President Amy Taylor confirmed that the entity is "in discussions" about buying the property but couldn't comment further.

 

It was not immediately clear what the plans for the building were.”

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2022/08/25/here-s-who-s-buying-the-downtown-ymca-building

An update:

 

Downtown nonprofit led by former mayor Coleman has deal to buy historic YMCA building

 

“Columbus Downtown Development Corporation has reached an agreement to purchase the historic Downtown YMCA building, former Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, the group's board president, told the City Council Monday evening.

 

While not disclosing what the private, nonprofit development corporation plans to do with the aging structure, Coleman hinted that it would involve new affordable housing. 

 

"We got it done, right? CDDC has worked out a arrangement, a deal with YMCA to gain control over it," Coleman said during a presentation on the long-range plan for Downtown, saying a deal was agreed to on Friday. "It's a big deal, because what we know is that the YMCA (building) will be a place for affordable housing in our community, a very a important, a very tough building to redevelop.

 

Reached after the meeting, Amy Taylor, CDDC president, said a sale contract should be signed this week.“

 

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2022/10/04/columbus-downtown-development-corporation-gets-downtown-ymca/69535245007/

Columbus City Council approves plan to quadruple downtown population
 

“Columbus is booming, but city leaders say it's not growing fast enough. Monday, Columbus City Council unanimously approved a resolution to quadruple the downtown Columbus population by 2040.

 

Currently, there are more than 10,000 people living in downtown Columbus, but if the city council gets its way, there will be 40,000 by 2040.“

 

https://www.10tv.com/mobile/article/news/local/columbus-city-council-approves-a-plan-to-quadruple-the-downtown-population/

1 hour ago, amped91 said:

An update:

 

Downtown nonprofit led by former mayor Coleman has deal to buy historic YMCA building

 

“Columbus Downtown Development Corporation has reached an agreement to purchase the historic Downtown YMCA building, former Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, the group's board president, told the City Council Monday evening.

 

While not disclosing what the private, nonprofit development corporation plans to do with the aging structure, Coleman hinted that it would involve new affordable housing. 

 

"We got it done, right? CDDC has worked out a arrangement, a deal with YMCA to gain control over it," Coleman said during a presentation on the long-range plan for Downtown, saying a deal was agreed to on Friday. "It's a big deal, because what we know is that the YMCA (building) will be a place for affordable housing in our community, a very a important, a very tough building to redevelop.

 

Reached after the meeting, Amy Taylor, CDDC president, said a sale contract should be signed this week.“

 

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2022/10/04/columbus-downtown-development-corporation-gets-downtown-ymca/69535245007/

Good news, hopefully the repurpose it properly 

^The FB comments on 10TV's page are awesome - a bunch of fear mongering about crime, commuting issues and the pandemic. Sprinkle in comments about high rents and parking. The grocery store issue puzzles me. Suburbanites will think nothing of driving 15 minutes to the Kroger in Sunbury but god forbid you have to cross I-70 to get to the Brewery District Kroger.

5 minutes ago, Pablo said:

^The FB comments on 10TV's page are awesome - a bunch of fear mongering about crime, commuting issues and the pandemic. Sprinkle in comments about high rents and parking. The grocery store issue puzzles me. Suburbanites will think nothing of driving 15 minutes to the Kroger in Sunbury but god forbid you have to cross I-70 to get to the Brewery District Kroger.

 

FB comments should only ever be read for comedic purposes. If you are attempting to use logical reasoning to understand their "arguments", you are doing it all wrong. Just read it, laugh, and move on.

2 minutes ago, Pablo said:

^The FB comments on 10TV's page are awesome - a bunch of fear mongering about crime, commuting issues and the pandemic. Sprinkle in comments about high rents and parking. The grocery store issue puzzles me. Suburbanites will think nothing of driving 15 minutes to the Kroger in Sunbury but god forbid you have to cross I-70 to get to the Brewery District Kroger.

I actively try to avoid reading any of the FB comments for any of the local media pages. It’s almost always a toxic cesspool of racism, fear mongering and disdain for anything urban. 
 

The parking stuff always gets me. Currently, you can go in any direction downtown and immediately find a parking lot or garage, yet people will still complain there’s not enough parking.