July 1, 200915 yr The Front & Rich Parking Garage construction must be moving along well. Photo and caption from today's Columbus Dispatch... Lighting the way again Merril Sisco, in front, and David Hager, wearing orange, attach an old Lazarus parking garage sign to a new 770-space garage built on the site of one of the landmark department store’s old garages at Rich and Front streets Downtown. The new garage replaces parking spaces in the RiverSouth area that were taken up by new projects, including the Lifestyle Communities apartments in the background.
July 1, 200915 yr Like the sign, but we should be phasing out the high number of parking for cars. Simultaneously, increase bike and scooter parking. Problem solved.
July 2, 200915 yr Like the sign, but we should be phasing out the high number of parking for cars. Simultaneously, increase bike and scooter parking. Problem solved. Having a few large quantity parking garages, with spots for alternative transportation modes, is a crucial part of growing downtown. Replacing surface lots with a few midrise parking garages is a good idea. Everyone will not switch to alternative transportation modes tomorrow. Many live miles from downtown and there needs to be large scale parking garages to fulfill the demand for parking. These garages help densify the urban core by freeing up surface lots. The proper way to add these garages would be with ground floor retail, the city did not do this step right. Second, underground parking would be even better as it conceals the garages and allows for development on top of the garage. Last, the city is properly spacing the garages. While parking can be densified and grouped into parking garages, they should still be spaced so that citizens do not expect their destination to be outside their car. For downtown to be successful a combination of mass transit, evenly spaced garages, and parking spaces for bikes and scooters is needed. PS what bozo designed this sign? I like the original Lazraus name on it, but shouldn't the words "public parking" be incorporated. Suburbanites and visitors usually need those words or they are affraid they are intruding on a corporate garage with high parking rates, possible towing, etc.. This is why the Arena District garages added "public parking" to their exterior to let people know that the garages are not for nationwide employee parking only.
July 2, 200915 yr I like the sign, and while ground floor retail in the garage would have been more <i>optimal</i>, I can't shed too many tears on the fact that we're getting a rebuilt functional garage (it had been closed and gated up for years) and replacing SEVERAL BLOCKS of flat lots next door with residential development. As far as the bike/scooter parking that Columbusite is whining about... there are ongoing projects that address both issues. Plenty of bike & scooter parking with more of both on the way.
July 3, 200915 yr No one is whining except you over someone who wasn't whining in the first place. I simply stated that bike and scooter parking needs to be increased while automobile parking is reduced. The high number should at the very least be capped, since there's already tons of parking for such vehicles.
July 3, 200915 yr Maybe you weren't whining (this one time) but you were asking for something that is already happening as if you're 100% unaware of what is going on sometimes. It's tiring to read. Riversouth Transit Checklist: Less Auto Parking = CHECK More Bike Parking = CHECK More Scooter Parking = CHECK I know you'd love to see all auto parking 100% done away with and all highways demolished, but few share your extremist view, and sometimes you have to step down out of the clouds and live in reality. Otherwise, you're going to go through life complaining about EVERYTHING and you're far too young to already be a cranky old man. ;) Enjoy life. Things are good in this city. Take a breath. Stop complaining for a minute.
July 3, 200915 yr I simply advocate for integration of various modes of transportation, and that simply means giving those modes an equal playing field with cars. If that's extremist, then I guess I'm an extremist.
July 4, 200915 yr Don't get me wrong... I'm all about providing a level playing field to multiple forms of transportation. I just think this area in particular is progressing nicely already with making dedicated space for bikes and scooters.
July 13, 200915 yr From here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/riversouth-parking-garage-now-open <b>RiverSouth Parking Garage Now Open</b> By Walker | July 12, 2009 9:30am Originally announced a year and a half ago, the old Lazarus Parking Garage on South Front Street has been demolished and the new eight-level 773-space parking deck is finished and open for use. The parking deck project was added to help accommodate the removal of several neighboring suface parking lots that have been replaced with the nearly completed Annex at River South residential development, as well as the new Franklin County Courthouse development. The historic Lazarus parking sign has been preserved from the original garage and added to the new building. Just for the sake of comparison, we’ve included a larger photo of the finished garage to compare the original rendering: <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/parking-garage.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/garage1.jpg">
July 13, 200915 yr By the way, I spotted bike racks inside the SW corner of the garage. Which means INCREASED BIKE PARKING for RiverSouth. Would ya get a load of that.
July 22, 200915 yr From here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/riversouth-parking-garage-now-open <b>RiverSouth Parking Garage Now Open</b> By Walker | July 12, 2009 9:30am That parking garage sure seemed to get finished fast. I think the old garage on this site was still being demo'd when the foundations were being poured for the RiverSouth condos across the street. But then again, a parking garage doesn't get slowed down by all those pesky interior finishes does it? Anyway, its good to see these projects getting completed. Also, good point about the covered bike parking being a part of the garage. And according to the downtowncolumbus blog, the bike parking is totally free to the public!
July 31, 200915 yr Lifestyle Communities, the project developer of the condominiums and apartments under construction at RiverSouth, posted some updated photos here. The Annex at River South condominium photos (residential units west of Front Street and south of Town Street):
July 31, 200915 yr The other two blocks are being developed now and will basically provide a mirror image of what is on the other side. Here you can picture what they'll look like on both sides of the street. Note the brick median as part of the two-way conversion. Looking north. Looking south.
August 24, 200915 yr Some progress photos from The Annex at RiverSouth taken this evening (pardon some of the lighting in some of them... was starting to get dark)... <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-3.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-4.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-5.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-6.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-7.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-8.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-9.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-10.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-11.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-12.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-13.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/annex-14.jpg">
August 24, 200915 yr Thanks for the photos guys! This part of Front Street is really going through some dramatic changes for the better. Nice update.
August 24, 200915 yr That is an amazing transformation! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 24, 200915 yr Author Truly awesome. For a company that has done essentially nothing but suburban projects, Lifestyle Communities has done a fantastic job with this development. I especially love this scene: The structures to the right are all existing buildings. I really like how well the new structure is blending into the urban environment of that area of downtown and truly enhancing it. It's so great to see all this development where a sea of blank surface lots once stood. I hope these new residences prove to be a success and serve as a catalyst to future downtown development.
August 25, 200915 yr Truly awesome. For a company that has done essentially nothing but suburban projects, Lifestyle Communities has done a fantastic job with this development. I especially love this scene: The structures to the right are all existing buildings. I really like how well the new structure is blending into the urban environment of that area of downtown and truly enhancing it. It's so great to see all this development where a sea of blank surface lots once stood. I hope these new residences prove to be a success and serve as a catalyst to future downtown development. I couldn't agree more with that assessment CMH! That view is the mid-block alley that runs north-south between Front Street and High Street. It's called Wall Street (almost all the "alleys" in downtown are called streets). That picture is looking north toward the renovated Lazarus Building. If you looked south from here you would see the new Franklin County Courthouse building under construction. In addition to this combination of old and new buildings, this alley can be wonderful passageway between the Lazarus Building at one end and the new County Courthouse at the other end. Of course Wall Street is all torn up right now. But you can really start to see the possibilities of a downtown space like this. Despite my criticism of Cap South's revised Columbus Commons plan, I do think that there's alot going right with the RiverSouth redevelopment. The Lifestyle housing projects, the Rich & Front parking garage, the Town Street improvements and finally the Scioto Mile riverfront improvements.
August 28, 200915 yr Truly awesome. For a company that has done essentially nothing but suburban projects, Lifestyle Communities has done a fantastic job with this development. ... While the overall design of the project is going to look nice, have any of you seen these up close? The framing around windows wasn't measured properly, vents are crooked, the brickwork is shabby at best. I hate to complain about it because I really want the best for this project, but I feel like Lifestyle just brought their cheap suburban crap right to our downtown. I don't know how meaningful the details will be in the end, but they are seriously lacking here. The Neighborhood Launch condos on Gay Street have these beat hands down in terms of quality.
August 28, 200915 yr I haven't been over to see the Annex condos since the exterior was finished yet. So I can't comment on the up close detail quality. I have seen The Neighborhood Launch (Gay Street Condos) finish quality up close. And you are probably right about some the Annex details not being as good as the Neighborhood Launch. But the Neighborhood Launch sets a very high quality threshold to follow. And Neighborhood Launch does have higher price points than the Annex project. Not neccessarily an excuse for the Annex project, but maybe an explanation. According to this article which was posted here in The Random Developments thread, here are the Annex Condos and the Neighborhood Launch Condos price info: • The Annex at River South, developed by Lifestyle Communities, features 134 apartments and 76 condominiums on Front Street. All are being built at once and are expected to open between Oct. 1 and the end of the year. Apartments rent for $700 to $1,650; condos sell from the $150,000s to the low $400,000s, with most less than $250,000. • Neighborhood Launch, developed by the Edwards Cos., is scheduled to include 300 condominiums along Gay Street between 4th and 6th streets. The first phase, including 47 units, has been built, and developers hope to begin the second phase of 28 units in the fall. Prices range from $152,500 to more than $700,000, but most cost $200,000 to $400,000.
August 29, 200915 yr (I don't think this news was posted here before. Slightly edited to reflect the time difference from Walker's original post at CU.) From http://www.columbusunderground.com/part-of-south-front-street-goes-two-way-tomorrow Part of South Front Street Goes Two Way By Walker | August 19, 2009 6:15pm The ongoing development in the Riversouth portion of Downtown just reached another milestone as part of the reconfigured two-way layout of South Front Street opens to traffic on August 20. The stretch of Front Street between Broad and Town Streets will be open to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians beginning August 20, while the stretch between Town and and Rich Streets is scheduled to open mid-November. The improvements to the streetscape also include upgraded sidewalks, streetlights, storm sewers, water lines, brick turn lanes, street trees, rain gardens, and ornamental street lights. The planned improvements helped to secure private investment in the area including the nearly completed 213-unit Annex at Riversouth residential development by Lifestyle Communities. The reconfigured street should also encourage new retail development along Front Street, especially in the recently renovated Lazarus building.
September 21, 200915 yr Happened across an overhead rendering of the Annex at River South residential projects here. - The condo units, which are nearly completed, are to the left in the rendering. The apartments are to the right. Front Street runs between them. - Town Street is the street at the top of the rendering. You can see part of the Lazarus Building and a State Office Building there. - Rich Street is the street at the top of the rendering. You can see part of the recently finished parking garage at the corner of Front & Rich.
October 22, 200915 yr The northern most units on the east side side of Front Street are getting all bricked up on the outside and closer to completion. I can't say I'm a big fan of the way they've built the lower-level facade along the east side of Front Street. The half-underground garage is at street level at this side, and they way they've designed it looks as if there used to be windows there and they've been bricked up. Not that you can make a brick wall look too attractive, but this is one glaring mistake on this project that has otherwise grown on me quite a bit since it was first announced. Hopefully the addition of 250+ new residents in this area will help to add some pedestrian-activity vibrancy to make up for the "big brick wall" issue. <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/lc-1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/lc-2.jpg">
December 11, 200915 yr Some more photo updates from The Annex at Riversouth. Looks like most all of the exterior work on the east half of the development is wrapping up. Not sure what the insides are like, or when people will start moving in to that side. Gotta be fairly soon. <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc-1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc-2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc-3.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc-4.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc-5.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc-6.jpg">
December 28, 200915 yr Some more photo updates from today. The East Side looks very much complete on the outside except for a few finishes here and there. I'm really liking the streetscaping done along Front. Benches and bike racks and shrubs and planters and trees. Will really make the sidewalk feel cozy once everything starts turning green next spring. <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc3.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc4.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc5.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc6.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc7.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc8.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lc9.jpg">
December 28, 200915 yr Thanks for the photo updates. The Front Street section and the alley leading to the Lazarus Building are looking very good indeed!
December 28, 200915 yr Haha, I guess I was too slow. I took pictures of this area and city center just the day before but haven't been able to post yet. It's crazy what is going on downtown. I got to talk to someone at the annex and promoted Urban Ohio. She was well aware of Columbus Underground.
January 1, 201015 yr Saw this in person last week and was impressed... Columbus is really making some progress filling the holes downtown.
March 21, 201015 yr One more new one on LC's Annex at Riversouth. Looks like the final touches are going in around the outside. Not sure how finished the interiors are, but I have to imagine they're about finished. Just need to resurface the streets. The construction took quite a toll on Rich & Front. <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/construction7.jpg">
March 25, 201015 yr This is a great project. Between this and the Gay Street development, Columbus is filling in quite a few lots.
August 23, 201014 yr Couple of new photo updates from today: <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/annex-1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/annex-2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/annex-3.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/annex-4.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/annex-5.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/annex-6.jpg">
August 23, 201014 yr Unbelieveable. Columbus has so much momentum going right now! This project really turned out beautifully.
August 23, 201014 yr One other thing I forgot to mention... there's a new <A href="http://www.jimmyjohns.com">Jimmy John's</a> opening up the street from RiverSouth, about a block and a half north of where all of these new apartments are wrapping up. I imagine it will mostly cater to the 9-to-5 office crowd, but perhaps they'll consider some weekend hours if they can fill those 206 units with around 300 new residents. ;)
November 26, 201014 yr Wall Street “Inspirations” to Spark New Retail Ideas By Walker | November 13, 2010 10:00am The Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District recently held their annual meeting and provided a recap of everything they’ve accomplished in the past year. Additionally, a creative eye was cast upon the future through some new conceptual renderings showcasing retail opportunities along Wall Street, just south of the Lazarus Building. Columbus Underground spoke with Kacey Brankamp, Retail Recruiter at Capital Crossroads, to find out more about what the future may hold for Downtown retail in this area. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/wall-street-inspirations-to-spark-new-retail-ideas
November 30, 201014 yr Two news reports about businesses moving into a recently renovated portion of the Lazarus Building. Cup o'Joe/MoJoe Lounge and Huntington National Bank have agreed to lease about half of the 14,000 square feet of ground floor retail space along High Street in the Lazarus Building. This area along High Street was renovated after the overhead walkway that previously connected the building with the City Center Mall was removed. Here are the two news reports - one from the Dispatch and the other from Columbus Underground: COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Lazarus building to get jolt of caffeine COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND: MoJoe Lounge Coming Soon to The Lazarus Building
April 17, 201114 yr From the Columbus Construction Update - Spring 2011 at Columbus Underground: "The RiverSouth neighborhood located Downtown remains under heavy construction as streets, sidewalks and utilities get a complete overhaul along Front Street, Rich Street, Main Street and others."
April 18, 201114 yr There is a downside to RiverSouth, which is that the dense commercial blocks just south of the renovated Lazarus building look the same well after hundreds of residents were added right next door and hundreds more in addition to that a short distance north of the state house, not to mention the Scioto Mile will be debuting later this year and nothing here will be ready for visitors. Well, at least Subway, a non-local chain, believes in S High more than most local Columbusites. Along with Subway, Liz Lessner chose a space with low visibility, off of High on Mound, and is laughing at gutless local entrepreneurs who deem the area is too risky while raking in the dough. And why not? By being a bunch of pussies she has no competition except for the long time dive bar Main Bar. Anyway, here are the under-utilized blocks from the Lazarus building with The Annex (300 apartments 90% occupied) located just south behind the commercial blocks listed below on the west side of High to Mound where the new courthouse was built. Town & High (west) Rich & High (west) Cherry & High (west) Mound & High (east)
June 14, 201113 yr A little late on this notice from The Dispatch - but as construction is starting to wind down on the Scioto Mile and in the RiverSouth area more downtown streets are either converting from one-way to two-way or returning to two-way travel. Main Street bridge, 2nd St. now two-way
July 7, 201113 yr City hopes for private development Thursday, July 7, 2011 - 06:03 AM By Marla Matzer Rose, The Columbus Dispatch As with the nearby Columbus Commons park project, city leaders hope money spent on improving the Scioto Mile will spark even more investment from the private sector. Although not readily visible, some changes have already begun. If not for the Scioto Mile, developer Don Casto said, a Casto family investment group would "still be sitting on" a now-vacant building it has owned for 25 years near the park at Main and Front streets. Most recently, he said, the property was used as a storage facility but made little money. It was shut down a couple of years ago. Now, Casto is studying renovation ideas for the seven-story former shoe factory, with a conversion to office space or luxury apartments most likely. READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/07/07/city-hopes-for-private-development.html?sid=101
July 8, 201113 yr ^ Very excited to hear about Casto re-evaluating that building. Would make a great spot for ground-floor retail and apartments above. Hopefully they can figure out a good way to make the financial side of it work.
July 13, 201113 yr <b>The List: 10 Things We’d Like to See Happen Next in RiverSouth</b> By: Walker <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/south-front-street.jpg"> The RiverSouth area in Downtown Columbus was first envisioned around a decade ago, and many of the original set of individual projects have either been recently completed (Main Street Bridge, Annex at RiverSouth, Courthouse Annex, Scioto Mile, RiverSouth Parking Garage, etc) or in the process of wrapping up over the next year (streetscaping and infrastructure improvements, the Rich Street bridge, etc). So… what comes next for RiverSouth? New residential development? Retailers? Or something else? Here’s a list of 10 things we’d like to see happen in the RiverSouth area over the next five years: READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-list-10-things-wed-like-to-see-next-in-riversouth
July 18, 201113 yr ^ Love that article. That photo shows Front Street as it goes over I-70/71 to the Brewery District. It would be a tremendous improvement if Front Street could be capped here and the two-way conversion continued south of the freeway. The RiverSouth development could then link up with the Brewery District.
July 18, 201113 yr The Cup o’ Joe/MoJoe Lounge opened this morning in the new High Street retail section of the renovated Lazarus Building. According to the Columbus Underground article linked below: "Coffee service will be available at MoJoe Lounge all this week from 6am to 6pm. Lunch service will be added later this week, and the full restaurant and bar hours will be expanded the following week to operate Mon 6am-6pm, Tue/Wed 6am-9pm, Thur 6am-Midnight, Fri 6am-1am, Sat 8am-1am and Sun 8am-9pm." Full article: MoJoe Lounge Opens Downtown Location
October 15, 201113 yr More RiverSouth construction photos from Columbus Underground: View of the The Annex at RiverSouth apartment development on Front Street. These apartments replaced several blocks of surface parking lots. Front Street is still under resurfacing construction. Photo taken from the roof of the new parking garage at Rich & Front. View of Rich Street between Front & High shows there is still more street resurfacing work to do along with new sidewalks, rain gardens, etc. One of the three new apartment buildings built in RiverSouth is to the left. The new parking garage is to the right. Rich Street south of Front to mid-block alley. The Annex apartment building on left. The new parking garage is the background on the right. Rich Street further south of the mid-block alley to Civic Center Drive is getting the same brick paving treatment. Columbia Gas office building to the left and the Bicentennial Plaza office building to the right.
November 10, 201113 yr Portions of Front Street, Rich Street and Main Street within the RiverSouth neighborhood in Downtown Columbus reopened yesterday after being converted from one-way traffic to two-way traffic. Below are two reports from Columbus media about this. A map of the converted streets is included at the Dispatch article: COLUMBUS UNDERGROUND: Three More Downtown Streets Converted to Two-Way Traffic COLUMBUS DISPATCH: 3 Downtown streets changed to 2-way traffic
Create an account or sign in to comment