Recent report and video from NBC4 of the massive Short North streetscape project taking place along High Street:  http://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/short-north-streetscape-project-making-progress-still-years-away-from-completion/1191460152

 

Uggh. Where to begin?

 

Would it kill NBC4 to show the renderings that I assume 99% of their viewers haven't seen so they can see what this will look like when it's done? And why doesn't the city engineer talk about the fact that we will have hundreds more trees when it's done, not to mention rain gardens, etc? Also, the bump outs are described as protection for parked cars? OK. But they're mainly there to maximize pedestrian space and make crossing the street safer. Can we not emphasize that?

 

I mean, NBC4 could have even just shown b-roll of the finished Phase 1 right up the street so people can get a sense of how this is going to look when completed. Oy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Also, props to the camera guy using a telephoto lens to compress the streetscape to make it look as f***ed up as possible. ;)

 

EDIT:  NSFW language edit

Exterior finishes are beginning to be applied to the 711 building.

 

 

Multiple updates about The Castle from CU:

 

Late May construction photo from https://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-may-2018-we1

 

News that Penzone Salon + Spa will be joining White Castle and Orangetheory Fitness as retail tenants in the mixed-use development:  https://www.columbusunderground.com/penzone-salon-spa-opening-in-castle-development-in-short-north-sp1

 

The parking garage in The Castle development quietly opened its 105 public parking spaces yesterday.  These 105 public spaces comprise half of the 210 total parking spaces available in the garage:  https://www.columbusunderground.com/new-short-north-parking-garage-open-to-the-public-we1

 

If you notice at the above photo, there is a drive-thru entrance lane located next to the public parking entrance off W. 2nd Avenue.  This is part of an unique drive-thru system for the new urban-style White Castle that is replacing the former suburban-style White Caste previously on this property.  Below is a photo of the drive-thru ordering setup inside the parking garage:

^ The Dispatch article on the Penzone salon also mentions that an unnamed women's clothing store will be opening in the building as well. With those four tenants, I believe the ground floor is fully leased

 

http://www.dispatch.com/business/20180605/new-penzone-salon--spa-planned-for-castle-development-in-short-north

Close-up photo of the "Castle" sculpture at the corner of The Castle development at W. 2nd & High.  The "Castle" sculpture uses the tile from the previous White Castle restaurant that was on this site:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20180610/white-castle-picks-up-pace-of-change-with-short-north-restaurant-example

 

I haven't been through the Short North in about a month. Has the 800 N High building started going vertical yet?

I haven't been through the Short North in about a month. Has the 800 N High building started going vertical yet?

 

I live in the Short North (Italian Village), and they are starting on the 3rd floor now.  They aren't building the elevator/stair shafts all at once like other developments I've seen go up, they are just doing them floor by floor.  I'm excited to see this one take shape though, quite the addition to the area!!  I'll try to snap a picture next time I'm by it.  Also, the new WIDE sidewalks on the new street scape project are taking shape finally and the extra pedestrian space and bump outs are going to be amazing!!!  The construction is thick down in the neighborhood lately but the finished outcome is awesome!!  Growing pains for progress I suppose....

This is from earlier in the week. 800 N High is going to be very impressive

 

Late May tour of Short North construction photos from CU:  https://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-may-2018-we1

 

Brunner Building

 

 

900 North High Street (aka the UDF site)

 

 

The former site of single-story Grandview Mercantile building and future home of a four-story and six-story pair of buildings:

 

 

Six-story apartment building at Third & High:

 

 

Reconstruction of the Stonewall building at Fourth & High:

http://radio.wosu.org/post/columbus-wont-punish-developer-failed-meet-tax-break-agreement#stream/0

 

Columbus Won't Punish Developer That Failed To Meet Tax Break Agreement

 

City officials say developer Pizutti promised to create 217 new jobs while building a Short North parking garage and nearby office space. In return, the 2012 agreement granted Pizutti a 10-year, 75 percent property tax abatement.

 

The developer, though, created just 20 jobs that paid more than $12 an hour, which was the city’s minimum in order to count toward abatement deals at the time. The city has since increased that minimum to $15 an hour.

 

The wages associated with those 20 jobs came in at about $1.2 million per year, far below the expected amount of $13.3 million.

 

Columbus - "Come sign any tax abatement agreement and you won't have to abide by it, but we'll still honor the tax abatement!"

 

(Feel free to move to a different thread if it belongs elsewhere.)

" We have a pro-business enviornment™ "

In all fairness to the developers, the city's method of accounting is what's screwing with the numbers here. The Joseph development has wayyy more than 20 people working there across a restaurant, bar, 11-story hotel, 5 floors of fully-leased office space, 2 retail stores, a parking garage, and an art museum. By any truly objective measure it's a massive success

In all fairness to the developers, the city's method of accounting is what's screwing with the numbers here. The Joseph development has wayyy more than 20 people working there across a restaurant, bar, 11-story hotel, 5 floors of fully-leased office space, 2 retail stores, a parking garage, and an art museum. By any truly objective measure it's a massive success

 

Exactly. That article by WOSU oddly leaves out a lot of very important details.

Short North parking changes postponed until January

 

 

Short North parking rules that were supposed to be implemented by Thanksgiving now are targeted to take effect Jan. 22.

 

The city announced the delay on Tuesday, and said: "Transitioning of timing implementation will create an opportunity to further educate the public on the parking plan, more in-depth training of the city's enforcement staff, and allow for more time to install the necessary signs for the parking plan."

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/07/17/short-north-parking-changes-postponed-until.html

The 711 building seems to loom over Italian Village. I'm interested to see how the masonry looks on the lower levels. No activity yet on the parking garage portion of the project.

 

Two early July views of the 10-story Moxy Hotel under construction at Hubbard & High:  https://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-2018-edition-we1

 

 

Two early July views of the 10-story Moxy Hotel under construction at Hubbard & High:  https://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-2018-edition-we1

 

 

 

Anybody know how many floors are up now? I drove by about two weeks ago and it looked like they were working on the fifth floor.

I took a stroll through the Short North last night grabbing a drink with friends and then my drive to work this morning.  I included a picture approaching from Italian Village where I can see the White Castle building pretty much complete.  View is approaching behind the Fireproof building.  Regarding the Moxy Hotel site, they are currently working on floor 5.  The streetscape project obviously is moving along, I personally love all the extra wide sidewalk space and bump outs.  Once complete with all the trees and plantings it will be beautiful!!  It also appears they are putting on the stone details on the 711 High building as well as the glass on the retractable rooftop.  Apologizing in advance if the pictures are a bit large, I'm not tech savvy on how to reduce them for this site, anyone who can feel free to edit!!

^ Thanks for the update!

I took a stroll through the Short North last night grabbing a drink with friends and then my drive to work this morning.  I included a picture approaching from Italian Village where I can see the White Castle building pretty much complete.  View is approaching behind the Fireproof building.  Regarding the Moxy Hotel site, they are currently working on floor 5.  The streetscape project obviously is moving along, I personally love all the extra wide sidewalk space and bump outs.  Once complete with all the trees and plantings it will be beautiful!!  It also appears they are putting on the stone details on the 711 High building as well as the glass on the retractable rooftop.  Apologizing in advance if the pictures are a bit large, I'm not tech savvy on how to reduce them for this site, anyone who can feel free to edit!!

 

Yes, thank you for these updates.  The pictures posted perfectly!

Borror, the development and construction firm that built The Castle Building on the longtime site of a White Castle restaurant at 2nd & High, has moved its corporate offices into the Short North building from its longtime location in Dublin.  The 8,000 square foot space at 985 N. High Street offers the company nearly twice the room that the company’s 30 employees had in Dublin, allowing for future growth.

 

Interior photo from the new Borror corner meeting room in The Castle Building:  http://www.dispatch.com/business/20180801/borror-moves-offices-from-dublin-into-its-castle-building-in-short-north

 

More interior photos of the new Borror offices in The Castle Building at http://www.dispatch.com/business/20180801/borror-moves-offices-from-dublin-into-its-castle-building-in-short-north

More tenant news for The Castle:  https://www.columbusunderground.com/retail-at-the-castle-100-leased-with-relocation-of-vamp-official-sp1

 

-- Expected to open by late fall of 2018, Vamp Official’s relocation from a nearby Short North location to 969 N. High Street makes the 8,000 square feet of ground-level retail space in The Castle 100 percent leased.

 

-- The boutique will be joined by another Short North transplant, Penzone Salon + Spa at 967 N. High Street.

 

-- Oragetheory Fitness will also open its 12th Central Ohio location at 977 N. High Street.

 

-- The building’s namesake White Castle opened earlier this summer in a restaurant space seating 50 and serving sliders 24 hours a day at the corner of 2nd & High.

 

-- Project developer Borror’s Urban Leasing office rounds out the building’s ground-floor retail space.  This office will serve as a centralized management location for Borror’s Short North and Downtown properties.

Take a look inside Borror's new Short North headquarters

 

After 10 years in Dublin, Borror has moved its headquarters to the Short North, relocating 30 home office employees into 8,000 square feet at The Castle, which it just completed at 985 N. High St.

 

From that site, the developer will continue to manage 15,000 rooftops across the city and oversee the development of hundreds more.

 

It's a move that brings Borror blocks away from peers including Kaufman Development and Wood Cos. While it has significant residential holdings in the suburbs, Borror has been busy helping build out Columbus' new urbanism downtown and in the Short North.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/08/08/take-a-look-inside-borrors-new-short-north.html

 

5-story apartment project in the Short North back for review

 

A five-story development is proposed at High and 3rd.

 

The mixed use project will replace Yoga on High's old home at 1081 N. High St.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/08/08/5-story-apartment-project-in-the-short-north-back.html

 

I like the High St. facade of the 711 building. The park side, however, is all glass and reminds me of a Dublin office building.

 

^ Nice. The Short North definitely has a certain look. I mean, if you simply showed UO that building and played "Guess Where?, I bet 90 percent would guess it was SN.

I drove down High yesterday and it looked like they were working on the sixth floor of the Moxy hotel. It will probably start to be visible from 670 soon if it isn't already.

Nice view from atop the convention center garage.

 

The crane on the left is being dismantled this coming weekend leaving with only one crane in the Short North for right now. I wonder how long it will be until we add another one.

Nice view from atop the convention center garage.

 

 

Wow this really has an impact.

Beginning today (Sunday) through Tuesday, High Street traffic will be shut down in both directions between Buttles Avenue and Lincoln Street so the construction crane used on The Lincoln office tower at 711 N. High Street can be disassembled and removed.  Pedestrian access to the area will be maintained except in specific locations where safety is an issue.

 

The Short North Arts District Traffic Jam! will be held today from noon to 4 p.m. with live performers and three parking garages — The Joseph, The Castle and The Hub — offering free parking.  Below is a map of the posted detours with more info at the links.  High Street will reopen on Wednesday:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20180822/n-high-street-closure-in-short-north-excuse-for-traffic-jam

 

https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/short-north-braces-for-three-day-shutdown-of-north-high-street-traffic

 

Crane removal is quite an operation. There are about a dozen semis staged on High St. Some of the construction work on the building has been called off during crane removal for safety reasons. Lots of onlookers too (like me)! Also, the crane is a lot larger than it seems. You can see just a small part of the jib on a trailer in the last photo.

 

 

 

 

Dropping off my rent today and thought I'd snap a quick progress pic of the Moxy Hotel building.  Looks like they are starting the 7th story....I like the floors 6-10 won't be the exact footprint of the block building below it.  I also like that this portion is to be glass, not brick, it will add a bit of diversity compared some of the other developments in the area!!

The Wood Co's 711 N High I think is my favorite building (top 2 anyway) in the SN.  They need to build a few more with a similar massing and style.  It's classy, visually appealing, the right size, and looks well made.  Love it

Another view of the 800 North High project. Finally something that's not a cube!

 

it funny to see wood co doing major construction like that. they were my landlords way back when when i lived nearby at warren and high. it was smalltime then, but they were nice people and they really believed in the short north. its good to see them doing well.

 

Don't know the name of this project but I like how it's turning out except for one thing...

 

When you get up close the workmanship is horrible. All the individual panels are off kilter and the gaps between them are inconsistent. I wish the victorian village commission would consider local contractors ability to install the building materials properly when approving these projects because this doesn't look good. At night they've installed up lighting that only highlights this even more.

 

This building is on the University of Michigan campus and uses a similar cladding material and when professionally installed it looks top notch and is a great substitute for brick.

 

The Castle does not look good at all. Every time I pass the thing I'm in awe of how bad it looks.

 

This is the first complete section of the short north street improvements and it looks fantastic. Not the best picture though. When they repave the street it's really going to look fantastic.

 

UDF / Serendipity Labs:

 

They've started the 8th floor. 2 more to go.

 

 

 

#1 - Thank you very much for posting, my job took me south so I haven't been back in over a month. 

 

#2 - The building quality on that project(which has taken two years+ to get to this point) is probably because of financing and budget for labor.  It's not a big name developer doing that project so their pockets aren't as deep.  Look at Kaufman at 600 Goodale as prime example.  I will admit they have improved but that is what I judge their quality on.

 

That being said #3 - You can ALWAYS expect good things and a fast build from Elford.  That is part of their core values so pay attention to that where you can.  Look at the UDF project for a prime example of what I'm talking about.

The Castle is really horrible as far as exterior materials and finishes. Even down to the graphics/signage is so poorly done it's incredible. I agree that every time I go by I just can't even believe that's the final product. Very disappointed in Borror and DesignGroup on that one

 

 

 

This looks like a dorm. I suppose it is as close to a dorm as you'll get with all micro units. I'm thinking their development on Oak St. downtown will be using these same panels, but brighter red. Nervous about that now that I see this.

The Castle is really horrible as far as exterior materials and finishes. Even down to the graphics/signage is so poorly done it's incredible. I agree that every time I go by I just can't even believe that's the final product. Very disappointed in Borror and DesignGroup on that one

 

Wait...is it done?

The Castle is really horrible as far as exterior materials and finishes. Even down to the graphics/signage is so poorly done it's incredible. I agree that every time I go by I just can't even believe that's the final product. Very disappointed in Borror and DesignGroup on that one

 

Wait...is it done?

 

The exterior and the White Castle part are done. They're finishing up the rest of the interior.

First Look: Brunner Building

 

 

Work is wrapping up at the Brunner Building, a six-story mixed-use project at 940 N. High St. On the first floor, clothing retailer THREAD opened last month and the build-out for Ampersand Asian Supper Club next door has started.

 

Workers have moved into the second-floor office space and about half of the 33 apartments in the building – and all of the penthouse units – have already been spoken for, according to Tyler Puhl, Leasing Director for the Wood Companies.

 

“It’s leasing well, especially the higher end units,” he said. “There has been interest in those since we first put them out there…the views are incredible, so I think people are willing to lock those down in advance.”

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/first-look-brunner-building-bw1

 

Another Instagram photo:

 

Another Instagram photo:

 

 

It's amazing what the redevelopment of the UDF site did for the Short North in terms of visual appeal. Very underrated project in my opinion.

 

 

 

Looks like this is called Valencia on High:

 

https://valenciashortnorth.com/

 

$995-$1295 for 558-668sqft.

Another Instagram photo:

 

 

It's amazing what the redevelopment of the UDF site did for the Short North in terms of visual appeal. Very underrated project in my opinion.

 

I agree but would add in the Brunner & Donatos buildings

Took some pics out during lunch today...

 

At the Pizzuti project, foundation walls are done, and steel is on site. This should start going up pretty quickly now