October 27, 20213 yr 49 minutes ago, VintageLife said: Wish more developers in Columbus thought like Kaufman. They build great looking buildings with new concepts. No kidding. It really adds to the character of Franklinton. I’m disappointed his IBEW development in the Short North hasn’t broken ground yet.
October 27, 20213 yr 2 hours ago, amped91 said: Brett Kaufman’s takeover of East Franklinton continues! I’ll admit, when I first started reading the article, I was near certain it was going to be about Kaufman branching into the medical marijuana business. But all jokes aside, I’m glad we won’t have to wait too long for something to happen with the old Harley Davison buildings. Kaufman Development expanding Gravity with new Greenhouse concept “Kaufman Development wants to add a new health-centered concept to its Gravity project in Franklinton. Brett Kaufman, founder of Kaufman Development, bought about 2 acres on Broad Street next to the second phase of Gravity, which he plans to turn into Greenhouse, his new health and wellness-centered concept, according to a press release. The site is currently home to the Harley Davidson building at 491 W. Broad Street and a few other buildings. The Greenhouse project would consist of two buildings; one of the existing structures at the site would be renovated, while Kaufman also plans to construct a new seven-story building. Greenhouse would span 237,000 square feet total, including 320 apartments, two courtyards and space for two commercial tenants. Kaufman will share the Greenhouse concept with the East Franklinton Review Board at their Nov. 22 meeting. If ultimately approved, construction on the project would begin in early 2023.“ More details and renderings are at the link. https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/10/27/kaufman-development-expanding-gravity-with-new-con.html?utm_source=st&utm_medium=en&utm_campaign=bn&utm_content=co&ana=e_co_bn&j=25480944&senddate=2021-10-27 I can't access the link since it is a paid site but can someone describe the two acre property? Is it just between McDowell and Mary and extends south or what? 320 units is great and this sounds really nice for the area.
October 27, 20213 yr Third Phase of Gravity Development Planned for West Broad Street Kaufman Development announced plans today to expand the footprint of its Gravity development in Franklinton. The new phase of the project, dubbed Greenhouse, will occupy the block of West Broad Street between McDowell Street and South May Avenue. Plans call for a total of 322 apartments, first-floor commercial space, and wellness-focused amenities like a spa, infrared saunas, and meditation pods. A new seven-story building would take up most of the two-plus-acre site, wrapping around an existing building that currently sits at the corner of Broad and May. More below: https://www.columbusunderground.com/third-phase-of-gravity-development-planned-for-west-broad-street-bw1/ "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 27, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, wpcc88 said: The quality of his builds has gone up as well. I was very vocal about this 7-10 years ago but he’s stepped up his game. Probably has better access to capital now than when he was starting out on his own.
October 27, 20213 yr 2 hours ago, amped91 said: No kidding. It really adds to the character of Franklinton. I’m disappointed his IBEW development in the Short North hasn’t broken ground yet. I commented in favor of the IBEW development on CU a while back... He actually commented back thanking me for my support. I thought it was interesting that he was "keeping tabs" on what everyone was saying... You can see he responded to a few comments at the bottom of this article: https://www.columbusunderground.com/work-could-start-this-summer-on-ibew-project-bw1/
October 27, 20213 yr 3 hours ago, VintageLife said: Wish more developers in Columbus thought like Kaufman. They build great looking buildings with new concepts. Yeah, everyone probably thinks I hate everything, but I really just don't like bad development. I like Kaufman more often than not. Even when the projects aren't all that dense, they tend to at least put up a good product.
October 27, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, Toddguy said: I can't access the link since it is a paid site but can someone describe the two acre property? Is it just between McDowell and Mary and extends south or what? 320 units is great and this sounds really nice for the area. You should be able to get more information now that @ColDayManhas posted the CU article, but yes. It’s on the site of the former Harley Davison shop on Broad, bounded by McDowell and Mary to the east and west, respectively. This does make me wonder about the previously announced affordable housing development that Kaufman is involved with, however. The former church at the other end of this block, on the corner of State and McDowell, was slated for redevelopment. I wonder if that is still in the cards, or if Greenhouse has taken its place?
October 27, 20213 yr 1 minute ago, amped91 said: You should be able to get more information now that @ColDayManhas posted the CU article, but yes. It’s on the site of the former Harley Davison shop on Broad, bounded by McDowell and Mary to the east and west, respectively. This does make me wonder about the previously announced affordable housing development that Kaufman is involved with, however. The former church at the other end of this block, on the corner of State and McDowell, was slated for redevelopment. I wonder if that is still in the cards, or if Greenhouse has taken its place? In one of the articles, it does say that the church redevelopment is still happening.
October 27, 20213 yr 8 minutes ago, Luvcbus said: I commented in favor of the IBEW development on CU a while back... He actually commented back thanking me for my support. I thought it was interesting that he was "keeping tabs" on what everyone was saying... You can see he responded to a few comments at the bottom of this article: https://www.columbusunderground.com/work-could-start-this-summer-on-ibew-project-bw1/ That’s pretty cool, actually. I’m sure, after all the hassle of going through the approval process with that one, it’ll happen eventually. I’d imagine it’s likely a Covid issue more than anything.
October 27, 20213 yr 1 minute ago, VintageLife said: In one of the articles, it does say that the church redevelopment is still happening. I saw the same thing. I haven't seen anything stating otherwise.
October 27, 20213 yr 2 minutes ago, VintageLife said: In one of the articles, it does say that the church redevelopment is still happening. Okay, great. I was going to be disappointed if that got scrapped. Glad to see people from diverse income levels will be able to be a post of a Franklinton’s growth.
October 27, 20213 yr 3 minutes ago, VintageLife said: In one of the articles, it does say that the church redevelopment is still happening. Is this the Homeport project demolishing the historic church?
October 27, 20213 yr 36 minutes ago, jonoh81 said: Is this the Homeport project demolishing the historic church? Yeah. For some reason, I had it in my head they are rehabbing that building, not tearing it down. I don’t have high hopes, but maybe that could still happen instead.
October 27, 20213 yr 37 minutes ago, amped91 said: Yeah. For some reason, I had it in my head they are rehabbing that building, not tearing it down. I don’t have high hopes, but maybe that could still happen instead. Yeah the latest and approved version is a complete teardown, they even gave up on trying to integrate aspects of the church into the new structure. The project is just another box now.
October 27, 20213 yr 6 minutes ago, DevolsDance said: Yeah the latest and approved version is a complete teardown, they even gave up on trying to integrate aspects of the church into the new structure. The project is just another box now. Dang, that looks a lot bigger than I would’ve expected for just 50 units. I’m all for increasing the amount of affordable units in the city, but I don’t believe that they couldn’t have found a way to work in the existing structure.
October 27, 20213 yr 4 hours ago, GCrites80s said: Probably has better access to capital now than when he was starting out on his own. Yes and no as he was well connected prior. They probably just told him to “prove it.”
October 27, 20213 yr 4 hours ago, Toddguy said: I can't access the link since it is a paid site but can someone describe the two acre property? Is it just between McDowell and Mary and extends south or what? 320 units is great and this sounds really nice for the area. I believe the red outline are the extents -- it measures to the 2.0 acres the article mentions.
October 28, 20213 yr I wonder if all this activity will get Nationwide off its butt to do something with their Byers Chevy properties?
October 28, 20213 yr 25 minutes ago, Pablo said: I wonder if all this activity will get Nationwide off its butt to do something with their Byers Chevy properties? One can only hope...
October 28, 20213 yr 21 hours ago, ColDayMan said: Third Phase of Gravity Development Planned for West Broad Street Kaufman Development announced plans today to expand the footprint of its Gravity development in Franklinton. The new phase of the project, dubbed Greenhouse, will occupy the block of West Broad Street between McDowell Street and South May Avenue. Plans call for a total of 322 apartments, first-floor commercial space, and wellness-focused amenities like a spa, infrared saunas, and meditation pods. A new seven-story building would take up most of the two-plus-acre site, wrapping around an existing building that currently sits at the corner of Broad and May. More below: https://www.columbusunderground.com/third-phase-of-gravity-development-planned-for-west-broad-street-bw1/ As soon as I got off of here yesterday I went right over to CU and there it was lol. I should have known. Thanks anyway. Edited October 28, 20213 yr by Toddguy
October 28, 20213 yr 39 minutes ago, Pablo said: I wonder if all this activity will get Nationwide off its butt to do something with their Byers Chevy properties? Hopefully by selling it to a better developer.
October 28, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, Pablo said: I wonder if all this activity will get Nationwide off its butt to do something with their Byers Chevy properties? We need a new update on the 15-story tower too!
October 28, 20213 yr https://www.columbusunderground.com/proposed-franklinton-building-grows-to-15-stories-bw1/ I totally forgot about this 15-story proposal. I remembered the Mondrian-style building that was first proposed. This was only in April of this year that the brought the revised proposal that filled the block. More of this energy on W Broad, please! Still so many empty blocks heading west to the Mount Carmel East campus. MKSK had proposed a cap over 315 at Broad as well -- considering how narrow the sunken highway is there that could be very doable and so great for this stretch to create a contiguous street wall of new developments on the south side of W Broad.
October 29, 20213 yr 13 hours ago, jebleprls22 said: https://www.columbusunderground.com/proposed-franklinton-building-grows-to-15-stories-bw1/ I totally forgot about this 15-story proposal. I remembered the Mondrian-style building that was first proposed. This was only in April of this year that the brought the revised proposal that filled the block. More of this energy on W Broad, please! Still so many empty blocks heading west to the Mount Carmel East campus. MKSK had proposed a cap over 315 at Broad as well -- considering how narrow the sunken highway is there that could be very doable and so great for this stretch to create a contiguous street wall of new developments on the south side of W Broad. A ton of good existing stock there that could be redeveloped as well. The building next to Restaurant Equippers is one that comes to mind. This proposal is for the old Byers correct?
October 29, 20213 yr 7 hours ago, wpcc88 said: A ton of good existing stock there that could be redeveloped as well. The building next to Restaurant Equippers is one that comes to mind. This proposal is for the old Byers correct? No - it's for one block west were the hotel is located. Nationwide has not proposed anything for their properties in Franklinton that I am aware of.
October 29, 20213 yr More good news for East Franklinton! The Columbus Historical Society has announced they will be taking ownership of the Engine House #6 on W Broad, which is located right next to all of Gravity’s activity. I couldn’t find anything on the web yet, so I included a screenshot from their email: When I lived at Gravity, I always thought the engine house was a beautiful building and had hoped it would see some new life instead of getting bulldozed. So I’m really excited about this announcement. Here’s an article from the Dispatch that was released last year, when the CHS announced they wanted to buy the building: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2020/12/17/columbus-historical-society-eyes-historic-engine-house-headquarters/3920115001/?fbclid=IwAR3huVQiPXj5rJQ-uI-5A1ZPVcYjx6fjyo0FrYIv5mCxhtH-6zLd7mSK_4c Edited October 30, 20213 yr by amped91
October 29, 20213 yr 28 minutes ago, amped91 said: More good news for East Franklinton! The Columbus Historical Society has announced they will be taking ownership of the Engine House #6 on W Broad, which is located right next to all is Gravity’s activity. I couldn’t find anything on the web yet, so I included a screenshot from their email: When I lived at Gravity, I always thought the engine house was a beautiful building and had hoped it would see some new life instead of getting bulldozed. So I’m really excited about this announcement. Here’s an article from the Dispatch that was released last year, when the CHS announced they wanted to buy the building: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2020/12/17/columbus-historical-society-eyes-historic-engine-house-headquarters/3920115001/?fbclid=IwAR3huVQiPXj5rJQ-uI-5A1ZPVcYjx6fjyo0FrYIv5mCxhtH-6zLd7mSK_4c I’m glad they are moving ahead with this. I was worried it would be torn down.
October 30, 20213 yr 6 hours ago, VintageLife said: I’m glad they are moving ahead with this. I was worried it would be torn down. It is hard to believe they would even possibly ever consider demolishing such a structure but then again, we are talking about Cbus here.
November 5, 20213 yr 8 hours ago, 614love said: This building in Franklinton got a nice makeover It looks much better. Has it been announced what it’s going to be used for now?
November 5, 20213 yr On 10/29/2021 at 2:11 PM, amped91 said: More good news for East Franklinton! The Columbus Historical Society has announced they will be taking ownership of the Engine House #6 on W Broad, which is located right next to all of Gravity’s activity. I couldn’t find anything on the web yet, so I included a screenshot from their email: When I lived at Gravity, I always thought the engine house was a beautiful building and had hoped it would see some new life instead of getting bulldozed. So I’m really excited about this announcement. Here’s an article from the Dispatch that was released last year, when the CHS announced they wanted to buy the building: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2020/12/17/columbus-historical-society-eyes-historic-engine-house-headquarters/3920115001/?fbclid=IwAR3huVQiPXj5rJQ-uI-5A1ZPVcYjx6fjyo0FrYIv5mCxhtH-6zLd7mSK_4c CU’s article on the purchase: Franklinton Fire Station Acquired by Columbus Historical Society “The Columbus Historical Society announced the week that it has purchased the former fire station at 540 W. Broad St. The organization held an event at the historic building yesterday to commemorate the transfer of the property. Additional money will need to be raised to renovate the structure. Plans call for exhibit space and possibly a cafe and gift shop on the first floor, which could also be used for events. The second floor would hold office space for CHS and a library, while the basement level could hold an archive. Earlier this year, the city gave two other nearby historic structures to CHS – the Harrison house at 570 W. Broad St. (built in 1807), and the Sullivant land office behind it (built in 1822). The organization is hopeful the three structures together can help create “the beginning of a Columbus historic district that can become a destination,” according to a press release.“ https://www.columbusunderground.com/franklinton-fire-station-acquired-by-columbus-historical-society-bw1/?fbclid=IwAR0wLWaKb0P-FrEj2XuKWOf6dGGoblWfwCQU0RbOztewaFtkd4HmgJ8yRqY
November 6, 20213 yr i was on Marconi a few minutes ago and snapped this real quick... it's kind of hard to see because its looking straight into the sun
November 7, 20213 yr On 11/5/2021 at 2:31 PM, amped91 said: CU’s article on the purchase: Franklinton Fire Station Acquired by Columbus Historical Society “The Columbus Historical Society announced the week that it has purchased the former fire station at 540 W. Broad St. The organization held an event at the historic building yesterday to commemorate the transfer of the property. Additional money will need to be raised to renovate the structure. Plans call for exhibit space and possibly a cafe and gift shop on the first floor, which could also be used for events. The second floor would hold office space for CHS and a library, while the basement level could hold an archive. Earlier this year, the city gave two other nearby historic structures to CHS – the Harrison house at 570 W. Broad St. (built in 1807), and the Sullivant land office behind it (built in 1822). The organization is hopeful the three structures together can help create “the beginning of a Columbus historic district that can become a destination,” according to a press release.“ https://www.columbusunderground.com/franklinton-fire-station-acquired-by-columbus-historical-society-bw1/?fbclid=IwAR0wLWaKb0P-FrEj2XuKWOf6dGGoblWfwCQU0RbOztewaFtkd4HmgJ8yRqY I would think this part of Franklinton wouldn't make a great historic district. Many older structures not destroyed by repeated floods have ended up meeting the wrecking ball, and it's still happening. "East" Franklinton is mostly empty lots now, not much left to create a cohesive historic district. It's good they are saving *some* of what they can, though.
November 8, 20213 yr On 11/6/2021 at 8:31 PM, jonoh81 said: I would think this part of Franklinton wouldn't make a great historic district. Many older structures not destroyed by repeated floods have ended up meeting the wrecking ball, and it's still happening. "East" Franklinton is mostly empty lots now, not much left to create a cohesive historic district. It's good they are saving *some* of what they can, though. I completely understand if the buildings are so far gone that repairing and renovating them would cost more than the property/building is worth. I just hope that if some of these older buildings are still structurally sound that someone saves them and renovates them for some cool apartments or for commercial use.
November 8, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, TIm said: I completely understand if the buildings are so far gone that repairing and renovating them would cost more than the property/building is worth. I just hope that if some of these older buildings are still structurally sound that someone saves them and renovates them for some cool apartments or for commercial use. I don't think it's ever really about whether a building can be saved, but just how much someone is willing to spend fixing it. Almost anything can be rebuilt/fixed given enough motivation. Most of the fixes are just going to cost more than the owners want to pay. Demolition is cheap. In that regard, I would much rather tax credits go into preserving historic structures than in simply subsidizing new construction, but as it stands now, developers have to fight over limited funds even if they want to bother with it.
November 8, 20213 yr 3 hours ago, jonoh81 said: I don't think it's ever really about whether a building can be saved, but just how much someone is willing to spend fixing it. Almost anything can be rebuilt/fixed given enough motivation. Most of the fixes are just going to cost more than the owners want to pay. Demolition is cheap. In that regard, I would much rather tax credits go into preserving historic structures than in simply subsidizing new construction, but as it stands now, developers have to fight over limited funds even if they want to bother with it. That's kinda my point. If the cost to repair is so astronomical that it shoots way past what a develop can expect to make on the renovated property, then from a financial standpoint It wouldn't make any sense. If it costs $1.5M to buy the property and building, but another $8M to renovate it into 20 market rate apartments, it's going to take much longer than they would like to start actually turning a profit on the property. And these numbers are entirely made up just for the example, I have no idea what the costs and expected return rates are.
November 12, 20213 yr 3 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: Cover My Meds looking good too! This thing has to almost be done right? Benn topped out and had windows and all that for a good while now.
November 12, 20213 yr 17 minutes ago, TIm said: This thing has to almost be done right? Benn topped out and had windows and all that for a good while now. When i drove up closer, it looked like the main part they were currently working on is the area between the two main buildings.
November 16, 20213 yr 18 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: Here's a couple shots of The Peninsula with Gravity 2 in the background Great shots! Thanks for the updates. It's crazy to think that these shots would have practically bare just a year ago.
November 16, 20213 yr Found a few more renderings of Gravity III. Hopefully this one doesn’t get changed. Love all the plant life. sorry for the super low quality
November 16, 20213 yr 42 minutes ago, VintageLife said: Found a few more renderings of Gravity III. Hopefully this one doesn’t get changed. Love all the plant life. sorry for the super low quality Wow those look awesome! Love the rainbow rock art sculpture similar to the ones I’ve seen in Vegas and Miami. I was just traveling in Portland and Seattle last week and was so jealous of how good their apartments look compared to ours. It seem as though our best looking ones are the standard, but projects like this definitely make me feel better about the future of our housing (in some areas) lol
November 16, 20213 yr 2 hours ago, cbussoccer said: Great shots! Thanks for the updates. It's crazy to think that these shots would have practically bare just a year ago. i know they're not the best quality, (my phone's not the greatest)... but i get to check a lot of this stuff out while I'm at work. i figured since I'm there anyway, i can try to get a pic for anyone that mite be interested in seeing how things are progressing
November 16, 20213 yr 6 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: i know they're not the best quality, (my phone's not the greatest)... but i get to check a lot of this stuff out while I'm at work. i figured since I'm there anyway, i can try to get a pic for anyone that mite be interested in seeing how things are progressing We all appreciate it! Maybe it's time for us to crowdsource a new phone with a better camera for you...lol
November 16, 20213 yr It looks like the parcel includes that lone single family house that's left. Once the CMHA building replaces that church nearly that entire block will be filled!
November 16, 20213 yr The old school building moves one step closer to getting new life: Former Bellows School to become apartments, office “Columbus City Council on Monday approved the redevelopment of the former Bellows Avenue School, located at 725 Bellows Ave. According to plans submitted to the city, building owner Yhezekel Levi plans to build out about 9,000 square feet of office space on the ground floor and 27 apartments on the upper floors of the former school. The apartments will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. There will also be three single-family homes constructed on the site and eight walk-up style townhome apartments. The long-term goal is for those units to be sold, said Juliet Bullock, the architect for the project. There will be garages for the single-family homes and townhomes and a parking lot for the apartments in the old school building. The parking lot will be in the center of the site, screened from Bellows Avenue and Campbell Avenue, Bullock said. Construction on the project will start soon, depending on the permitting process. Bullock said Levi hopes construction will wrap up in about a year.“ https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2021/11/16/bellows-development.html
November 17, 20213 yr 18 hours ago, CbusOrBust said: i know they're not the best quality, (my phone's not the greatest)... but i get to check a lot of this stuff out while I'm at work. i figured since I'm there anyway, i can try to get a pic for anyone that mite be interested in seeing how things are progressing Even with your phones natural "movie or TV scene set in Mexico" yellow filter, we still greatly appreciate them!
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