Oh yes...it's soo far away from downtown.  ;)

 

I'd say it's a solid driver and a wedge away from downtown proper.

So, is the brewery district to Columbus as Ohio City is to Cleveland?

No.  More like the Warehouse District is to Cleveland as the Brewery District is to Columbus (seperated by a highway).  Though these days, the Arena District is the "new" "Warehouse District."

I was thinking more along the lines of physical connectivity and distance. My guess is that it would be closer than Ohio City (the lenghth of the valley and its bridges). Is it comfortable to walk to this area from downtown? Is there much going on in the adjacent area of downtown (close to Short North?).

Downtown is literally across the highway, but given the scope of Columbus' downtown, the Brewery District Kroger is really a comfortable walk away from the just southernmost area of downtown (so basically the opposite end of downtown relative to the Short North). So basically anyone in the Franklin County government center, Miranova and the Waterford, the Westin, and anywhere in that vicinity of downtown can walk comfortably from downtown to Kroger. As far as physical connectivity, Short, Front, and High Streets can take you from downtown into the area of Brewery District where the Kroger is situated.

Is this Kroger part of a larger mixed-use development? How tall is the building that will house it? I'm assuming its a smaller store without a large parking lot.

The Kroger is a stand-alone project. It sits in between two residential developments, Brewers Yard and Liberty Place. The Kroger is already built, and is housed on one floor, but has a faux "second story" to try and match with existing structure. It's a full-sized Kroger and, sadly, has a large parking lot in front of it as well.

Here's a great virtual tour of the store's exterior and surroundings:

 

http://columbusretrometro.com/panoramas/panos.cfm?pano=56&ver=qt

 

As you can see, the store has more than it's fair share of surface parking, though it is integrated into the Brewer's Yard complex immediately to the east (pan 180 degrees). The virtual tour is somewhat dated, since Liberty Place (pan 90 degrees to the right) is currently under construction along the entire stretch of Liberty St. to Short St., which form the northern and western boarder of the store's property.

Ugh. While the developments around it seem to be of high-quality, density, urban material, the Kroger's sticks out like a ... suburban big-box with some fancy detail. I do like the stone pavers that lead from the sidewalk at least, so that pedestrians have an identifiable gateway to the entrance, so at the least they do not have to wander through a parking lot.

The Kroger is a little suburban, and the parking lot is a little large, but it sits back off Front St. behind a pedestrian friendly plaza that my dog loves.  It's a funny thing about having a full service grocery store...if you live more than 3-4 blocks away...you drive.  It's not like a smallish urban market where you might just walk down and grab some produce.  When you go out and buy a 12 pack of toilet paper, a few paper towels, and a gallon of milk, you don't want to carry that back to your house if it's more than 1/4 mile away.  Living only a few hundred feet away, we walk there at least 3 times/week, but if we lived in german village, we'd probably be driving and only going once/week.

 

As far as the distance to downtown goes, I walk to the north side (opposite side) of downtown for work every day and it only takes me 18 minutes (~1 mile).  I'm about 4 blocks south of downtown proper.

Proposed Whittier Peninsula park gets a name

Tuesday,  July 10, 2007 5:47 PM

By Suzanne Hoholik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The proposed park on the Whittier peninsula finally has a name — Scioto Audubon Metro Park.  The Franklin County Metro Parks board unanimously approved the name of the Downtown park along the Scioto River this afternoon. It's the 15th park in the system.

 

The new park is a redevelopment of the site that once was home to abandoned warehouses and the city's impounding lot.  The project is a partnership between Metro Parks, the Columbus Audubon Society and city of Columbus.  Metro Parks has spent $5.5 million on the site with about half the money going to clean up the area, Hanley said.  In 2002, Columbus officials leased the site to Metro Parks for 25 years at a cost of $1 a year.  The park is expected to open next year, the same year the Grange Insurance Audubon Center will open on the 84-acre site.

 

Read more at http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/07/10/newpark_web.html

someone asked for a picture of the german village kroger, I happen to see it from my window so i snapped a pic, hopefully i figured out how to post it.

...It's a funny thing about having a full service grocery store...if you live more than 3-4 blocks away...you drive.  It's not like a smallish urban market where you might just walk down and grab some produce.  When you go out and buy a 12 pack of toilet paper, a few paper towels, and a gallon of milk, you don't want to carry that back to your house if it's more than 1/4 mile away.

 

Good point about urban supermarkets, and supermarkets in general: by their very nature they spur overconsumption. Though I suppose a four block drive once a week is better than a 14 mile drive once a week.

Awesome first post!

Your commentary on shopping trends in urban supermarkets is spot on, and certainly not unique.  Just today, I was chatting with the owner of Constantino's, located here in the Warehouse District in Cleveland, about the very subject.  His store is about 10,000 feet (probably about a third of the size of that Kroger, if not more) yet he thinks it's the ideal size, and more importantly provides the ideal product variety, for urban dwellers.  Most of those who live downtown, or work downtown and drop into Constantino's, are not looking to buy the 12-packs of toilet paper or 6 pack of chicken breasts.  Instead, they are much better served by a grocery that can provide prepared foods, a good selection of the basic necessities, and a some niche products.  Constantino's also benefits by having an absolutely wonderful wine selection. 

Looks very nice.  They needed something like that for quite a while.  Even though it may seem a bit suburban, as pointed out, parking is necessary when buying more than a few sundries.  I live only three blocks from my neighborhood market, but don't buy more than a few items (too expensive), and drive to a larger store once or so a month to stock up.  When one begins to gray a bit, lugging bags of groceries gets less and less fun. Plus, smaller stores usually lack the variety of a Kroger. 

^^It's rare--and wonderful--for a grocer to take a gamble catering to the locals. I think the only place you're going to see this is with one-off independents and smaller local chains. I wouldn't be surprised if the head office of larger chains such as Kroger wield a great deal of control over thier individual stores. Hence the suburban mix of products at the decidedly urban Brewer's Yard location.

 

Wow. We've got three seperate supermarket threads running simultaneously of late. Mods?

An update on the construction of the Grange Insurance expansion along South High Street in the Brewery District from capcitysavvy . . .

 

http://capcitysavvy.com/2007/08/19/construction-update-grange-insurance-expansion/

 

 

Construction Update: Grange Insurance Expansion

 

Things have come a long way since our last update on the Grange office expansion. The skeleton is up and it provides a nice southern anchor for High St.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see that thing everyday and I must say...it's been going up quite fast!

It's just a shame that Grange HQ isn't in the CBD.

Eh, it might as well be.

Former Salvation Army thrift store going condo

 

 

What once was home to used clothing and knickknacks is in line to be the site of the Brewery District's newest condominium undertaking.  Grange Mutual Insurance Group has reached an agreement to sell a historic building formerly occupied by the Salvation Army thrift store to Edwards Cos. subsidiary Eclipse Real Estate Group Inc., which plans to turn it into more than 50 condos.

 

The companies reached a preliminary agreement on the 51,000-square-foot building Sept. 26, and the conversion is expected to be complete by late 2008, said Edwards President Jeff Edwards.  "We think that of all the buildings we've renovated in the Brewery District over the years, that this one might be the best," he said.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/10/01/story5.html

Brewmaster posted a couple of photos at columbusunderground of the Salvation Army building as it currently exists in the Brewery District. 

 

 

 

 

Also, I read the condo article in Business First yesterday.  There is alot more information on the project in the full article, which unfortunately is only available to paid subscribers.  My office gets one copy of Business First that is passed around, so I don't have access to post the full article.  If someone does have access and can post the full article, it would be worth it. 

Clarmont plans on hold

 

Clarmont owner Thom Coffman says he's waiting for the results of a market study before deciding when to renovate the popular Downtown restaurant.  Coffman floated plans in February to tear down the building and develop an eight-story structure that would include shops and condominiums in addition to restaurant space.

 

Coffman initially was thinking about developing 54 condos. But the slow housing market has caused him to rethink that plan.  Now, Coffman said he's thinking about having only 12 condos on the top two floors of the building and offering several floors for a boutique hotel.  Coffman said has hired the Danter Co. has been hired to create a feasibility study. 

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/10/22/ZONE.ART_ART_10-22-07_C10_RM6K92U.html

The renovation of the Salvation Army building is on the November 1st Brewery District Commission agenda for approval.  It would allow for 57 condo units in the existing warehouse building.

Former Salvation Army thrift store going condo

Business First of Columbus - by Adrian Burns Business First

 

Grange last fall disclosed it was buying the 1.4-acre Salvation Army property and said it wanted to sell the warehouse to condo developers. The company has followed through with those plans despite a slow housing market, said Grange Chief Administration Officer Mark C. Russell.

 

The deal is complex and involves Grange sharing some of the project's costs since it is building an adjacent parking garage that would provide about 61 spaces for the condo development, Edwards said. That means the developer hasn't nailed down a final cost for the project, he said.

 

Plans call for an underground tunnel to connect the former warehouse to the 1,050-space parking garage Grange will build next door.  The garage as well as a 230,000-square foot Grange addition, which will include an office tower and data center, are expected to be completed by January 2009, Russell said.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/10/01/story5.html?page=1

Red Roof Inn HQ is moving back to Columbus.  And they are locating just south of downtown in the Brewery District.  Via the Red Roof Inn press release at ColumbusUnderground.com - http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10933.  

 

Red Roof Inn Announces Return to its Roots

The economy lodging brand will re-establish its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio

 

COLUMBUS, OHIO—(November 28, 2007)—Red Roof Inn, an innovative leader in the economy lodging segment, announced today that the company’s headquarters will return to its hometown, Columbus, Ohio.  The brand’s new corporate office will be located at 605 South Front Street in Columbus’ historic Brewery District.  In addition, the company will maintain its current Columbus training facility located at 121 E. Nationwide Boulevard.

 

“Red Roof Inn has great history with the City of Columbus,” said Joe Wheeling, CEO for Red Roof Inn. “We were founded here 35 years ago and are excited to return to our roots. Columbus is the perfect market for us—the city is centrally-located to our brand, has a great workforce and an exceptional community.”

 

Red Roof Inn was incorporated by founder James R. Trueman in 1972 and its first Inn opened in Columbus, Ohio, with a single room rate of $8.50 in 1973. The brand established its first headquarters in the German Village area of Columbus and then later moved to Hilliard, Ohio until Accor North America acquired the brand in 1999. Under Accor’s management, Red Roof Inn moved its base of operations to Accor North America’s headquarters in Carrollton, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. In April 2007, Accor sold Red Roof Inn to Citi’s Global Special Situations Group and Westbridge Hospitality Fund, L.P. for $1.313 billion, prompting Red Roof Inn’s search for a new headquarters.

 

“Red Roof Inn’s return to Columbus is a great addition to our local economy and a great choice for their future,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “We are excited that Red Roof Inn's nationally recognized corporate headquarters will call Columbus' Brewery District home and we welcome the new jobs to the city.”

 

The City of Columbus, through the Columbus Department of Development, awarded Red Roof Inn a jobs growth incentive equal to 30 percent of the withholding for new employees as an incentive to make Columbus the home for its corporate headquarters. The State of Ohio also awarded the brand incentives for re-establishing its base of operations in Columbus, including a 50 percent Jobs Creation Tax Credit for a five-year term.

 

The Red Roof Inn headquarters will be comprised of accounting, legal, franchising, construction, training and administrative departments. The brand intends to add an additional 80 employees over the next 18 – 24 months who will occupy the new work space.

 

“We are pleased to welcome Red Roof Inn as a new corporate tenant at Brewers Yard,” said Doug Godard, senior vice president for CB Richard Ellis and leasing agent for the office property. “Red Roof Inn’s headquarters relocation adds to the excitement and momentum of the vibrant Brewery District.”

 

Red Roof Inn is considered a leader in economy lodging because of its dedication to guest satisfaction. The brand currently has more than 325 properties nationwide and is working to strategically grow through franchising, acquisitions and new development.

 

Red Roof Inn plans to occupy its new office space in the first quarter of 2008. For more information on employment opportunities with Red Roof Inn, please visit www.RedRoof.com .

Hail yeah! Good move, Red Roof Inn.

Yay!

^I just pictured you jumping up and down and clapping furiously while saying that.

 

The horror...

BANNED!

Great news, and they chose downtown instead of an office park on the outerbelt.  Outstanding news for Columbus.

Very good pickup for DT!

Great news, and they chose downtown instead of an office park on the outerbelt.  Outstanding news for Columbus.

 

Indeed. The company I work for is out in Polaris, and we outgrew our space. Not for a hot second did the bosses consider any other option than staying out there, and considering the deals being offered by the office buildings that spring up along Polaris Pky every 10 days, it's tough to blame them from a dollar price-only standpoint. Extra kudos to RRI for being smart enough to sidestep the trap.

 

Now let's get those new employees moved in to their new walking-distance condos, apartments and houses down there, lucky stiffs.

New site for towed cars

City Council still must OK plan to move impounding lot to new South Side spot

Tuesday,  December 4, 2007 3:13 AM

By Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Columbus officials have struck a deal to move the city impounding lot off the Whittier Peninsula. By 2009, towed cars and trucks will be stowed a few miles south, next to a neighborhood that South Side leaders fought to protect.  The new lot would be between the Scioto River and S. High Street, south of Rt. 104, if the Columbus City Council approves the deal between the city and Shelly Materials, a limestone-quarrying company.  The council is to vote Monday to spend $4 million to buy 54 acres of quarried land that's in the flood plain.

 

The location is one that Columbus Finance Director Joel Taylor identified nearly two years ago as suitable for the largest city real-estate deal in recent memory.  It's taken since then to satisfy South Side residents' concerns and negotiate with Shelly to improve the site.  Shelly agreed to install utilities on the site and already has trucked in fill dirt.  Under terms of the sale, Shelly also is to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to have the site removed from the flood plain, said Shelly attorney Laura Comek, and to construct 35 acres of gravel parking for towed cars. Work is to be completed by March 2009, but the city could get access to the site sooner.

 

Read more at  http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/12/04/20071204-B3-00.html

Looks like those thousands of cars will be movin on down the road!

 

 

South Siders to speak up before City Council votes on impounding lot plan

Monday,  December 10, 2007 - 3:01 AM

By Debbie Gebolys, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

South Side homeowners want their say tonight before the Columbus City Council buys a limestone quarry next to their properties.

 

The council is scheduled to buy the 54-acre Shelly Materials site for $4 million and eventually move the city's impounding lot there. City officials said last week that the purchase is contingent upon Shelly installing roads, utilities and a 35-acre gravel parking lot, and elevating the land above the flood plain.

 

But 2 1/2 years after the city started negotiations to buy the quarry, the site remains in the flood plain, and Shelly hasn't applied to have it changed. Although Shelly began backfilling the site to raise its elevation, none of the other improvements is complete.

 

And homeowners in neighboring Scioto Village, off S. High Street, say they've never been contacted for their input on the city's plans.

 

When Scioto Village homeowner Dave Bonner learned through news stories last week that the council vote was coming, he began calling city, state and federal officials. The city's South Side liaison and Shelly's attorney promised to meet with Scioto Village residents this morning, hours before the scheduled vote.

 

"Obviously, we want to ensure that everyone in the South Side neighborhood who is affected by this knows what is going on," said Cynthia Rickman, spokeswoman for the Columbus Development Department.

 

City officials say the Shelly site is the best way to replace the Whittier Peninsula impounding lot, which is to be redeveloped into a Metro Park. They say the lot to hold towed vehicles won't disrupt the neighborhood because plans call for a new three-fourths-mile road extending south from Rt. 104 as the only access to the lot.

 

The road to the impounding lot originally was going to pass South Side homes, but the newer plan will keep all traffic to the impounding lot out of residential neighborhoods.

 

City officials thought they had met with everyone interested in the project because members of the Scioto Southland Civic Association signed off on the plan once the road was moved. But nobody informed the people who live closest to the quarry.

 

Bonner thinks the city should know that Shelly workers say they are hauling contaminated soil from the former trash-burning power plant to build up the quarry.

 

David Schein of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal flood-plain regulations don't allow contaminated soil to be used as fill dirt and suggested that local flood-plain officials be alerted.

 

Neighbors also say the city should have noticed that bringing the quarry out of the flood plain means crews are raising the area above their houses.

 

Betty Miller, who has lived in Scioto Village since 1965, said she learned of the city's plans on Friday. She calls the mounds of dirt at the quarry "that big mountain that we can see from my house."  "It's higher than my house," she said.

 

Toni Glenn has lived in Scioto Village since 1959, and said the impounding lot plan, like the failed power plant, is another raw deal.

 

"It's the South Side. Just dump it here," she said. "Maybe they thought no one's going to complain about it because we're used to being trampled on."

 

Glenn, Bonner and others said they will ask the city tonight to delay the purchase.  "What's the rush?" Glenn asked. "You're still not out of the flood plain."

 

 

 

Quarry deal OK'd

Tuesday,  December 11, 2007 - 3:06 AM

By Barbara Carmen, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

In other business, the council:

 

• Agreed to pay Shelly Materials nearly $4 million for an old limestone quarry onto which it will move the city's impounding lot.  Shelly is donating the land; the city is paying it to put gravel in the parking area, build up the soil so future buildings won't sink and add utilities.  Neighbors had been poised to object to the project, but their questions were answered yesterday morning and no one showed up last night to oppose the deal.

 

 

"Neighborhood opposition?  I don't see no neighborhood opposition!"

 

Green space, green design

Grange Insurance plans plaza, new offices with environmental touches

Monday,  February 4, 2008 - 2:57 AM

By Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The Columbus insurer is about halfway through its $90 million, 240,000-square-foot addition to its Brewery District office building.  The project features the 10-story building, a parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces, and a plaza that will create a landmark in the district at S. High and W. Sycamore streets.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/02/04/grange_building.ART_ART_02-04-08_A8_0VEKCQA.html?sid=101

I like the new addition!

Yeah, this really went up fast. The new parking deck is underway already. Hope to see some of the retail space fill in around that area soon too.

Great update on the parking garage part of the Grange office expansion in the Brewery District at http://capcitysavvy.com/2008/02/24/like-a-good-neighborgrange-is-there/

 

Like a Good Neighbor…Grange is There

by Eric on February 24, 2008

 

So maybe that’s a different insurance company’s catchphrase, but it fits Grange in this instance.  In expanding their headquarters to add hundreds of jobs, they also found themselves needing more parking capacity.  What they did next was nothing short of miraculous given the trends in Columbus over the last 50 years.

 

They acquired the land adjacent to their building for parking, and had they followed trends from other downtown employers, they would have created a single-use structure that effectively killed all street level activity.  Thankfully, they decided to go a different route and integrate a mixed-use parking garage into the existing neighborhood.

 

Here’s a rendering looking Northeast from the corner of Front and Sycamore…

 

 

There’s another rendering and a construction photo below…

 

If I have a criticism, it’s that they have a skywalk over future retail shops.  Seems a little counterintuitive to isolate pedestrians from the action below.  Still, the positives of this development outweigh this negative.

 

 

And here’s a construction pic from a couple weeks back…

 

 

It roughly matches up with the first rendering. You can also see the former Salvation Army building in the background which is in the process of being converted into condos…also courtesy of Grange (and discussed in Urban Ohio at this thread).

I dig it but what's up with the "rooftop" greenery on the skywalk?  Is it an indoor/outdoor skywalk?  Now I'm confused LOL!

I think it is greenery, and I like it.

GBQ leaving Brewery District, making way to new offices in Arena District

Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball Business First

Thursday, March 13, 2008

 

GBQ Partners LLC plans to jump to the Arena District this year after 15 years operating in the Brewery District south of downtown Columbus.  Managing director Wade Kozich told Columbus Business First that the accounting and consulting firm has signed a lease to take two floors at 230 West St. to accommodate its continued expansion.

 

GBQ has grown from a staff of 30 employees when it started out at 500 S. Front St. in the early 1990s to a work force of 130 people this year.  The firm occupies about 28,000 square feet in the Brewery District and will take 39,000 square feet in the Arena District.

 

MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/13/story3.html

 

 

Good for the Arena District / bad for the Brewery District  :x

Audubon Center breaks ground

Thursday, April 24, 2008

DAVID J. CROSS, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Officials from the Grange Insurance Audubon Center celebrated the groundbreaking for a new facility Tuesday with an Earth Day tree planting.  The 18,000-square foot center, located at Scioto Audubon Metro Park on the Whittier Peninsula, is expected to be completed late spring 2009.

 

The event also marked the start of the not-for-profit's fundraising campaign. To date public and private donations have contributed about $13-million to the center's $14.5-million goal. The organization is looking to the public to help close the funding gap.

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/042408/GermanVillage/News/042408-News-529146.html

'Green' features to help Audubon center blend in with park

Monday, May 5, 2008 - 6:31 AM

By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The $14.5 million Audubon center will sit on 5 acres in the 84-acre Scioto Audubon Metro Park, which is under construction on the Downtown peninsula.  The purpose of the 18,000-square-foot center revolves around the environment.  One of the primary examples is the site's use of rainwater.  Improper storm-water runoff can flood sewer systems and erode streams and rivers.  The Audubon center will reduce runoff by directing it into a rain garden just off the main walkway into the building.

 

Rain from the building's roof will be directed to the garden by four open downspouts that will run under the walkway and empty into the rain garden.  From there, water will be sent to a manmade wetland.  Bioswales, or shallow depressions, will collect excess rainwater from the parking lot, which will be made of a permeable material painted a light color to reduce heat.  Other "green" aspects of the building include:

 

• A roof that has vegetation growing in parts, which slows the absorption of water and reduces heat.

 

• A narrow building form, which maximizes ambient sunlight, allowing for reduced energy costs.

 

• Sloped portions of the roof, which will accommodate future solar cells that can power the building.

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/05/05/ZONE0505.ART_ART_05-05-08_C10_8LA3FEO.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101

^ The Grange Insurance Audubon Center on the Whittier Peninsula won a Columbus AIA green design award...

 

DesignGroup honored for 'green' design

Business First of Columbus

Brian R. Ball, Business First

Friday, May 2, 2008

 

The Columbus chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized the firms April 29 with Designing Toward Sustainability awards.  DesignGroup won for the Grange Insurance Audubon Center under construction west of the Brewery District downtown.  DesignGroup beat out six other entries of unbuilt projects with its 18,000-square-foot nature education center, part of a bird sanctuary and park being developed by Audubon Ohio, the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks and the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District.

 

The education center, set for a mid-2009 opening, will include a geothermal heat exchange and feature a rooftop garden designed to reduce heat reflection and absorb rain water.  The center also is being built using recycled materials.

 

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/05/05/story13.html

Nice update of the Audubon Center under construction on the Whittier Peninsula site just south of downtown Columbus from CapCitySavvy.com

 

Link: http://capcitysavvy.com/2008/06/04/whittier-audubon-center/

 

 

And there's also a website up for the project at http://www.grangeinsuranceauduboncenter.org/index.htm