February 10, 201312 yr Wow, I have been out of the loop for far too long! Nice to see how things are progressing lately! Love it all.
August 28, 201311 yr Reposting some Capitol Square development news that was wiped out during the 2013 server crash. Lots of good stuff happening in the heart of downtown Columbus, but first a project that is a mixed blessing... Capitol Square corner to shine anew under Arshot redevelopment plan Arshot signs Heartland Bank to give life to corner of State & High By Rick Rouan, Staff reporter Business First - Feb 8, 2013, 6:00am EST Heartland Bank is joining Arshot Investment Corp. in an effort to transform the southwest corner of Capitol Square in Columbus into a gateway to South High Street. The Gahanna-based community bank will do its part by moving its downtown office from 65 E. State Street, a block east to the corner of State and High, where it is buying space on the first floor of the former Cord Camera Centers Inc. building at 101 S. High Street. Arshot affiliate Town Square Ltd. acquired the building for $465,000 in December and the developer will convert the top three floors into office space. Heartland and Arshot hope to enliven that corner much like Columbus-based Casto has done with its redevelopment a block north at Broad and High streets, including large video boards. The project has won approval from the city’s Downtown Commission to add tickers and a video mesh that would wrap around the top three stories of the building’s northeast corner. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2013/02/08/project-will-give-life-to-corner-site.html Below is a before and after view of the Heartland Bank project at State & High. If only they would nix that huge sign over the upper stories, then it would be perfect.
August 28, 201311 yr Now for something more unequivocally positive going into the Capitol Square area of downtown. New streetscape improvements were finished earlier this year on the four blocks opposite of the state-owned Capitol Square. These streetscape improvements were done jointly by the City of Columbus and the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District. Below are two reports from the Columbus Dispatch and Columbus Underground and two graphics showing the scope of the project: Columbus Dispatch: Planters to add color to streets around Statehouse Columbus Underground: New Planters Installed Around Capitol Square
August 28, 201311 yr And finally, a somewhat controversial Holocaust memorial project that was eventually overwhelmingly approved for the Statehouse Grounds... Statehouse site chosen for Holocaust memorial By Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, August 16, 2012 - 9:21 AM A Holocaust memorial will be built just where Gov. John Kasich wanted — at the southwestern corner of the Statehouse grounds. The only holdout in Tuesday’s 13-1 vote by a special panel of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board was former state Sen. Richard H. Finan, who opposed the idea of a Holocaust memorial from the beginning. The selected site is an open area of the Statehouse grounds across State Street from the Ohio Theatre and above the underground parking garage. ... The $2 million project, to be paid for by private donations, will be the first Holocaust memorial at any Statehouse in the nation. ... Ground breaking for the project is expected to be next spring, with completion slated for 2014. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/08/16/statehouse-site-chosen-for-holocaust-memorial.html
August 29, 201311 yr A random residential project from April that got lost in the server crash. Not a bad looking project too, especially considering its Tuttle Mall adjacent location. Upper Arlington-based Vision Development, which is currently completing its 32-unit Chesapeake Park Apartments near Northwest Boulevard, has recently broken ground on a new 228-unit apartment complex near Tuttle Mall. The $23 million project, to be called The District Apartments, will offer a mix of apartments, carriage houses and townhouses ranging from 720 to 1,700 sq. ft., with the goal of completing construction by summer of 2014. More information can be found online at www.thedistrictapartments.com. Business First and Columbus Underground also has some more about this at the links below: Business First: First Look: More apartments near Tuttle Mall by Vision Development Columbus Underground: 228-Unit Apartment Complex Planned Near Tuttle Mall
August 30, 201311 yr If you watch tomorrow's OSU football game, you may notice a change in the Olentangy River that flows next to Ohio Stadium. Since last season, the 5th Avenue Dam upstream in the river has been removed. That's lowered the water level and exposed alot of flood plain area that was previously covered. The river looks a little ragged while the exposed banks are reshaped and reworked. What isn't landscaped by man will be reclaimed by nature and should leave the Olentangy looked much better in future years. But for now, it's a work in progress. The Olentangy River narrowing project has been posted previously here in this thread. Below are some more recent reports about the project from local media this year: WOSU: Olentangy River Restoration A Year From Completion Columbus Underground: Project Update: Fifth Avenue Dam Removal Columbus Dispatch: Rebuilding the banks of the Olentangy full of challenges
September 16, 201311 yr Walker at Columbus Underground has a Q & A with Angela Meleca who opened an art gallery at 144 E. State Street in downtown Columbus. The building also houses her husband's highly regarded architecture firm, Meleca Architecture. Below is a link to the Q & A at CU. Also below are a couple of photos showing the building's exterior. The inaugural exhibition includes a sculptural head on a pedestal outside the building. Passersby can rotate the stone head on its base: CU: Angela Meleca Opens Contemporary Art Gallery Downtown
September 25, 201311 yr Former Kmart site at Olentangy and Bethel to host 325 apartments By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Business First - Sept. 24, 2013, 4:32pm EDT The site of a former Kmart along Olentangy River Road is being targeted for redevelopment into – what else? – an apartment complex. Taylor House LLC, an affiliate of Westerville-based apartment developer Preferred Living, bought the 11-acre site at 5005 Olentangy River Road in the back corner of the Olentangy Square Shopping Center nearly two weeks ago as part of a deal involving a Wendy’s and Tim Hortons out front along Bethel Road. Preferred Living partner Nick King in an email confirmed plans for a 325-unit project called Taylor House that should be completed in mid-2014. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/09/24/former-kmart-site-at-olentangy-and.html
September 28, 201311 yr The roughly mile long portion of High Street through downtown is getting resurfaced. Last month the project started on the north end at Nationwide Boulevard and will work its way south to the Franklin County Government Center on South High and Fulton Street. At each intersection, ADA ramps will be replaced with updated versions and the existing brick crosswalks will be repaired. Below is a photo of some the work being done at High and Chestnut near the Nationwide Insurance HQ. Columbus Underground has been updating the project's progress at http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/downtown-high-street-resurfacing-project
October 7, 201311 yr Former Kmart site at Olentangy and Bethel to host 325 apartments By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Business First - Sept. 24, 2013, 4:32pm EDT The site of a former Kmart along Olentangy River Road is being targeted for redevelopment into – what else? – an apartment complex. Taylor House LLC, an affiliate of Westerville-based apartment developer Preferred Living, bought the 11-acre site at 5005 Olentangy River Road in the back corner of the Olentangy Square Shopping Center nearly two weeks ago as part of a deal involving a Wendy’s and Tim Hortons out front along Bethel Road. Preferred Living partner Nick King in an email confirmed plans for a 325-unit project called Taylor House that should be completed in mid-2014. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/09/24/former-kmart-site-at-olentangy-and.html Columbus Underground had a photo of the Taylor House 325-unit apartment project at the former Kmart site at Olentangy and Bethel. It is obviously pre-demolition of the vacant Kmart at the project site. Late September 2013 - http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-september-2013-part-2
October 16, 201311 yr Despite the 'Worthington' in the below headline and the proposed developments proximity to the City of Worthington - the two apartment developments mentioned in this article are actually located within the City of Columbus. Which is why it's posted in this thread and not the Worthington thread: More apartments coming to Worthington area under Vision Development plans By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Business First - June 26, 2013, 3:08pm EDT Vision Development Inc. has two more Columbus apartment projects lined up for construction this fall on opposite sides of Worthington. Columbus City Council this week gave final approval to Vision CEO Brent Wrightsel’s plans for 326 townhouse-style and garden flats on 21 acres along Route 161, a quarter-mile west of Linworth Road. The Upper Arlington-based developer also is preparing a final development plan for 256 apartments off Route 23, north of Lazelle Road. The Route 161 spot “is an infill site that’s one of the last residential tracts in the Worthington school district,” Wrightsel said. “(Nearby apartments are) a little older, so we’ll be able to serve some pent-up demand for new, high-end apartments.” MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/06/more-apartments-coming-to-worthington.html
October 17, 201311 yr Another big box renovation might be coming to the Morse Road corridor. The former Kohl's store at 1700 Morse Road might become the new headquarters for the Franklin County Board of Elections. According to the ThisWeekNews article linked below, County officials would like to consolidate their operations at the Morse Road location. Office space would be moved from a downtown location shared with other county departments - and stored voting machines would be moved from rented warehouse space. This location is east of the international grocery going into a renovated Toys R Us store and directly across the street from Northland Village, the redeveloped former Northland Mall site. The location also has a history with County Board of Elections. The former Kohl's store at 1700 Morse Road served as the county's 2012 early voting center in the weeks leading up to Nov. 6. ThisWeekNews: Move to Morse Road depends on commissioners It looks like Franklin County is moving forward with using the former Kohl's store at 1700 Morse Road as a new County Board of Elections center. More from ThisWeekNews below: Elections board move - Northland leaders happy with pending relocation By KEVIN PARKS, ThisWeek Community News Sunday, October 13, 2013 - 12:51 PM Northland community leaders pronounced themselves pleased last week at the announcement that the Franklin County Board of Elections likely will relocate to a former Kohl's store at 1700 Morse Road. The store, which was closed in February 2011, served as the county's early voting center for the 2012 general election. Now, it's poised to be all things election, with the likely consolidation of two locations and operations into one. The deal should be done shortly, according to Dana Walch, deputy director of the board of elections. (. . .) One impetus is that board currently operates two facilities, the main office in Memorial Hall and a warehouse on Alum Creek Drive where voting machines and tabulation equipment are stored. "For quite a while, the board has sought out a location where we could house both operations together," Walch said. "The Morse Road location allows us to do just that. Operationally, it will help us a tremendous amount just having our staff together under one roof." ... "the success we had there with the early voting center in 2012 led us to believe it was a good location for us." The timing of the relocation is delicate, according to Walch. In order not to disrupt the primary election next May, but to be up and running well in advance of November's general elections, the move is scheduled to take place in June 2014. Prior to that, the building will be renovated, which will dramatically change its appearance from an abandoned Kohl's, he added. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/northland/news/2013/10/07/elections-board-move-northland-leaders-happy-with-pending-relocation.html
October 23, 201311 yr Report from Business First about a bank branch moving into the ground floor of a six-story circa-1917 building located 1/2 block north of the Statehouse. Below the article except are two photos of the 33 N. Third Street building and a link to the property owner's website for the building. WesBanco taking ‘huge new step’ with 1st downtown branch By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Business First - Oct. 16, 2013, 3:34pm EDT WesBanco Bank expects to move into a historic property just off Capitol Square next month as the Wheeling, W.Va.-based bank begins to build up its branch network. “This is our first move into the downtown, so we’re excited.” WesBanco Regional President Lisa Robinson told me. The bank expects to open the branch at the former Central Union Telephone building at 33 N. Third St. on Oct. 28. Robinson said the downtown project and a Clintonville branch set to open along Henderson Road in December mark the first time WesBanco is building new branches rather than expanding through acquisition – “a huge new step for WesBanco in this area,” Robinson said. (They) first started working on the project within the E.V. Bishoff Co.-owned property in May. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/10/wesbanco-taking-huge-new-step-with.html E.V. Bishoff Co: Central Telephone Building - 33 N. Third Street
November 8, 201311 yr Statehouse site chosen for Holocaust memorial By Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, August 16, 2012 - 9:21 AM A Holocaust memorial will be built just where Gov. John Kasich wanted — at the southwestern corner of the Statehouse grounds. The only holdout in Tuesday’s 13-1 vote by a special panel of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board was former state Sen. Richard H. Finan, who opposed the idea of a Holocaust memorial from the beginning. The selected site is an open area of the Statehouse grounds across State Street from the Ohio Theatre and above the underground parking garage. ... The $2 million project, to be paid for by private donations, will be the first Holocaust memorial at any Statehouse in the nation. ... Ground breaking for the project is expected to be next spring, with completion slated for 2014. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/08/16/statehouse-site-chosen-for-holocaust-memorial.html An update on the Statehouse Holocaust Memorial project. The ceremonial groundbreaking occurred yesterday. In the below report from the Dispatch, they are saying the memorial is now scheduled to be open in April 2014. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/06/Holocaust-memorial-groundbreaking.html
November 11, 201311 yr Occassionally a big project comes along that flies under the radar. The Boulevard luxury apartment project is one of those. I first learned about it when it was listed at the top of a Current Commercial Projects list in a recent Business First publication. Now Business First has a follow-up report about this project with an 8-rendering image slideshow at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/11/06/first-look-54m-boulevard-luxury.html The Boulevard is a $54 million, 528-unit luxury apartment project located just west of New Albany within Columbus. Although it is within the Columbus city limits, the location is as "New Albany" as one can get without actually being in the New Albany. So its a very suburban location. But its price tag and one of the architects involved in the project is noteworthy. Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design is designing a "modern half" of the project. JBAD is known locally for a number of very fine neo-modernist projects in and around downtown. Columbus Underground did a recent profile about the firm at http://www.columbusunderground.com/design-digest-jonathan-barnes-architecture-and-design-bw1
November 21, 201311 yr Business First produces some outstanding lists throughout the year - at least one per issue. Subscribers get access to the full lists, while non-subscribers can access a smaller version of these lists on-line. One of the recent list was the top 25 commercial construction projects based on estimated project cost in the Central Ohio region. Below are the top five projects on that list and a link to the on-line slideshow that has additional information: No. 1: Boulevard luxury apartments Cost: $53.9 million S/F: 544,584 Address: 5474 Thompson Road, Columbus Site owner: Preferred Living General contractor/construction manager: Preferred Living No. 2: Fairfield Medial Center Project Bright inpatient expansion Cost: $37.8 million S/F: 124,200 Address: 401 N. Ewing St., Lancaster Site owner: Fairfield Medical Center General contractor/construction manager: Elford Inc No. 3: Columbus Museum of Art expansion and renovation Cost: $34 million S/F: 88,000 Address: 480 E. Broad St., Columbus Site owner: Columbus Museum of Art General contractor/construction manager: Corna Kokosing No. 4: Scioto Greenways park project Cost: $30.7 million S/F: NA Address: Downtown Columbus Site owner: Columbus Downtown Development Corp. General contractor/construction manager: Messer Construction Co. No. 5: Kipp Journey Academy Cost: $30 million S/F: 144,000 Address: Agler Road, Columbus Site owner: Kipp Academy General contractor/construction manager: Daimler Group MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/11/06/top-of-the-list-commercial.html
November 25, 201311 yr The Columbus Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Columbus) recently held their annual awards for projects designed by local firms. This year five projects received an award. Four of the projects were built in Columbus (one of which was an interior-only award) and one was built in Bethlehem, PA. The Bethlehem project was a new broadcast center designed by URS Corp. for WLVT PBS 39 within the former Bethlehem Steel manufacturing complex outside Pittsburgh. More about that project at the below links: Columbus Underground: AIA Columbus Names 2013 Design Award Winners Business First: AIA Columbus design winners – slideshow The awarded projects located in Columbus (and which are also included in the above links) were the following: Ohio State University South High Rise Addition – Designed by Schooley Caldwell Associates - More about this project posted here and here in OSU/University District thread in this section: The Jack – Designed by WSA Studio - More about this project posted here in the Brewery District thread in this section: Livingston Park Pavilion – Designed by Meyers + Associates. This project was part of the exterior work done during the recent expansion of the nearby Children's Hospital. - More about this project was posted here and here in the Children's Hospital Projects thread in this section: And the interior project was an upscale restaurant - Edamame Sushi + Grill - located in Easton Town Center – Designed by Bass Studio Architects
December 3, 201311 yr Another Business First list of the random variety. Top 10 tallest buildings in Columbus. Brief article with slideshow of the list at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/11/columbus-tallest-buildings---countdown.html 1. Rhodes State Office Tower (50 E. Broad Street) Floors: 41 Height: 629 feet Year built: 1973 2. LeVeque Tower (N. Front & W. Broad) Floors: 47 Height: 556 feet Year built: 1927 3. William Green Building (N. High & Spring) Floors: 33 Height: 530 feet Year built: 1990 4. Huntington Center (41 S. High Street) Floors: 37 Height: 512 feet Year built: 1984 5. Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts (State Office Tower - S. High & State) Floors: 32 Height: 504 feet Year built: 1988 6. One Nationwide Plaza (Nationwide Insurance HQ - Nationwide & N. High) Floors: 40 Height: 485 feet Year built: 1978 7. Franklin County Courthouse Tower (373 S. High Street) Floors: 27 Height: 464 feet Year built: 1991 8. AEP Building (American Electric Power HQ - Marconi & Long) Floors: 31 Height: 456 feet Year built: 1983 9. Continental Plaza (previous Borden Building - 180 E. Broad Street) Floors: 34 Height: 438 feet Year built: 1974 10. Three Nationwide Plaza (N. High & Chestnut) Floors: 27 Height: 408 feet Year built: 1988 Slideshow of the list at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/11/columbus-tallest-buildings---countdown.html
December 5, 201311 yr Articles below are why I use Columbus Underground as my go-to source for Columbus urban development news. All of the 12 mixed-use/residential developments have been noted individually in their appropriate project threads here in this Urban Ohio section. But Walker's regular compilations of these projects really bring together the impact of this wave of urban development. And the convenient format that has project information, to go along with renderings, to go along with links to additional information is a real plus. The List: 12 More New Apartment Developments Around Columbus By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground Published on November 23, 2013 - 10:45 am If you read Columbus Underground with any amount of regularity, then you’re likely already aware that Columbus has had an explosion of new apartment development over the past two years. It seems there’s a new project or a development update every week that we’re covering, which is exciting news for the future of the city as the added residential density adds more people, more amenities and more vibrancy to the urban core of Columbus (where the majority of the development is happening). But who will live in all of these new apartments? Over the past few decades, the Columbus MSA has continued to grow at a rate of around 1% per year, which means nearly 20,000 new residents are added every year. The region is expected to eclipse a population of 2 million sometime in 2015, so the continued additions to the housing market are necessary to keep up with growing demand. Every few months we’ve been recapping these developments, just to put in perspective how much is actually happening, and where it’s all happening. We listed 12 new developments in Nov 2011, followed by 11 more new projects in April 2012, followed by another 10 announcements in May 2013. Below you’ll find 12 more of the latest announcements (this list mostly includes larger-scale development, but there’s quite a bit more being done on a smaller scale) for new mixed-use, residential buildings coming soon to Central Ohio. Full list at http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-list-12-more-new-apartment-developments-around-columbus
December 5, 201311 yr Here is one of those smaller residential projects that didn't make the above listing of "12 More New Apartment Developments Around Columbus". It's a small project, but it's pretty nice. And it will be replacing a surface parking lot that's on the edge of a nicely preserved older residential enclave in downtown. It's actually part of an Olde Towne East neighborhood that was split up by I-71 many years ago. This residential enclave is on the downtown side of that larger neighborhood and visually holds together quite well. This Rich Street project should only strengthen this area. Hawthorn Grove Apartments on Rich Street Moving Forward By: Brent Warren, Columbus Underground Published on November 26, 2013 - 8:00 am The Community Housing Network (CHN) is moving forward with plans to build a 40-unit apartment building on an empty lot at 546-558 East Rich Street Downtown. The $6 million project, called Hawthorn Grove, was given the go-ahead last week by the Historic Resources Commission. CHN Development Manager Ryan Cassell said that they plan to take it to the December Downtown Commission meeting for final approval. The next step, he said, is to finalize financing, then hopefully start construction in the spring with the goal of completion by spring of 2015. CHN will also manage the property once it is completed. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/hawthorn-grove-apartments-on-rich-street-moving-forward-bw1
December 23, 201311 yr Just getting around to posting this. The downtown tax abatement legislation described in the below report got passed by Columbus City Council. This is an expansion of previous tax incentive programs for downtown development that were less generous and were only for certain target areas: City hopes to encourage downtown projects with more generous tax incentives By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Business First - Nov 18, 2013, 4:27pm EST Developers of residential and commercial projects downtown will get full tax abatement benefits under the city’s community reinvestment area under legislation Columbus City Council will consider Monday night. The legislation extends a full 15-year, 100 percent tax abatement on all real property improvements downtown and any requirement for payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) contributions. It also seeks to eliminate “target areas” that, as in the case of residential projects during the last 10 years, had limited property tax abatements to 10 years or 75 percent depending on where downtown the project or adaptive re-use projects took place. “This simplifies it across the downtown community reinvestment area,” Steve Schoeny, Columbus Department of Development director said. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/11/18/city-hopes-to-encourage-downtown.html
December 23, 201311 yr Six projects in Central Ohio were awarded state historic preservation tax credits on Friday. The full news release from the Ohio Development Services Agency is at http://development.ohio.gov/files/media/pressrelease/12.20.13%20-%20Release%20-%20Ten%20Ohio%20Communities%20will%20benefit%20from%20the%20Restoration%20of%20Historic%20Buildings.pdf --- Below is the tax credit award notice for the renovation of a five-story apartment building in downtown Columbus. Stoddart Block (Columbus, Franklin County) - Total Project Cost: $3,050,172 - Total Tax Credit: $249,275 - Address: 260 South Fourth Street, 43215 Originally constructed as a furniture store, the five-story Stoddart Block now operates as a 52 unit apartment building with first floor commercial and restaurant space. The rehabilitation will retain the current unit configuration, but improve all finishes and fixtures to create small but comfortable micro apartments.
December 28, 201311 yr Stoddart Block (Columbus, Franklin County) - Total Project Cost: $3,050,172 - Total Tax Credit: $249,275 - Address: 260 South Fourth Street, 43215 Originally constructed as a furniture store, the five-story Stoddart Block now operates as a 52 unit apartment building with first floor commercial and restaurant space. The rehabilitation will retain the current unit configuration, but improve all finishes and fixtures to create small but comfortable micro apartments. More about the Stoddart Block at 260 S. Fourth Street in downtown. This building has been operated as affordable apartments by the non-profit Columbus Housing Partnership (now called Homeport) since they purchased the building for only $280,000 in 1993. They market these affordable units at http://www.wallickcommunities.com/apartments/apartment.asp?pid=78 Below is a December 2013 photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-december-2013 - Additional exterior photos without the surrounding construction in the below photo are available at the Wallick Communities website linked above: The Stoddart Block is located in an interesting and emerging part of downtown Columbus. It is across Fourth Street from the historic Hartman Hotel at the northwest corner of Fourth & Main. The 6-story Hartman Hotel was renovated in the mid-2000's into luxury condo units on the upper five floors and retail space on the ground floor. One block south at the southwest corner of Fourth & Main is a series of renovated three to five-story buildings. These buildings contain ground floor retail, office space and residential units. This block is anchored by the Hawk Gallery at the corner which moved from its Short North location about 10 years ago. The Stoddart Block is also adjacent to a more recently emerging urban block on S. Fourth Street. This block was recently profiled by Columbus Underground in one of their 2013 Best of Lists. This block just north of the Stoddart Block has emerged as a hipster bar/restaurant destination. Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace opened first a few years ago - followed by a revamped Little Palace restaurant and El Camino Inn. The 16-Bit Bar+Arcade opened this year and completed the ground floor occupancy of this block. Below is a photo of this block from the CU Best of List - http://www.columbusunderground.com/best-place-for-a-cheap-date-in-2013-bo2013
December 30, 201311 yr More about the Gemini Synergy Center - previously updated here in this thread - which broke ground this month. The Gemini Synergy Center is green energy and recycling industrial park with a long-term goal of diverting all waste currently going to the Franklin County landfill. The center will be located on 340-acres leased from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) next to the landfill: Business First: Team Gemini’s waste-to-energy project near SWACO grows to $420M ThisWeekNews: Gemini Synergy Center - Facility aims to reclaim a quarter of waste stream
December 30, 201311 yr The Stoddart Block should be an interesting project. I am not sure if Downtown Columbus has other micro-apartments, but they are a growing trend and allow some young professionals priced out of urban cores to still have a chance to live downtown.
December 31, 201311 yr An excellent look back from Columbus Underground at urban development projects and construction in Columbus and central Ohio that took place in 2013. The projects were broken down into four categories: Development Projects Completed in 2013, Development Under Construction in 2013, Development Projects Announced in 2013 and Urban Planning for 2015 and Beyond. The full list with additional project information at the CU link below: CU: 2013 Year in Review: Urban Development Development Projects Completed in 2013: Lots of apartment projects finished up this year, like Phase Two of Lennox Flats, Flats II in the Arena District, the 570 Lofts conversion in the Brewery District, Tribeca on Third Avenue, Harrison Park Apartments in Harrison West, Whitney Townhomes on the Near East Side, conversion of a former bakery into Wonder Bread Lofts in Italian Village, the Wood Companies Building built above Northstar Cafe in the Short North, and the Yankee Trader Building across from the Convention Center in downtown. Some apartment projects that mostly finished up this year were The Hub project in the Short North that saw its public parking garage open, followed by some residential units and retail spaces. The apartments that are part of The Lane mixed-use project in Upper Arlington started opening to residents. And some of the first residents of the Highpoint Apartments on the Columbus Commons moved this year. Development Under Construction in 2013: Some big commercial projects started or continued construction this year, like the new Columbia Gas headquarters next to the arena in the Arena District. Pizzuti's much-anticipated Short North hotel, office and retail project - The Joseph - finally broke ground. Another big Short North mixed-use project at the Fireproof Building and adjacent lot began work. And the first phases of the rebooted Jeffrey Park project in Italian Village has started preliminary work. The View on High mixed-use building is beginning to replace the campus Wendy's and a similarly designed View on Fifth project broke ground in the 5xNW area. Ohio State is finishing up their massive Medical Center expansion tower plus many other campus projects, while beginning a transformation of their North Residential District that will continue into 2016. Next to the OSU campus, the City removed the Fifth Avenue dam. Riverbank restoration work will continue into 2014. As will a similar project in downtown will be the demoltion of the Main Street dam beginning this year. Elsewhere in Downtown, work continued on the large-scale renovations of the Leveque Tower and the Atlas Building. The Columbus Musuem of Art started building its new wing. The Neighborhood Launch Development keeps chugging along with new phases. Plus the RiverSouth area has seen two new 8-story, mixed-use/residential buildings proposed by Lifestyle Communites at two corners of the Rich & High intersection, and a 12-story office/residential buildings proposed a third corner of Rich & High, and Casto completed the first phase of their Julian Building renovation at Front and Main. Development Projects Announced in 2013: Some of Columbus' suburbs started some urban projects of their own. The most ambitious of these was Dublin’s Bridge Street Corridor project which seeks to transform a large part the suburb into a walkable mixed-use environment. Bexley announced that an urban two-story Giant Eagle grocery store will replace its existing City Hall building. Worthington is seeing two new mixed-use buildings being built in the parking lot of their mall. Plus more phases of Grandview Yard were announced. The Columbus Metropolitan Library launched a multi-year renovation of its system with construction of new branches in Driving Park and Whitehall plus announcements of a new library on Parsons Avenue and a mixed-use renovation of its Weinland Park site on N. High Street. Plus the historic Main Library in downtown is also slated for an expansion that will open the east side of the building to the adjacent Topiary Park. Urban Planning for 2015 and Beyond: The City, County and the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation announced a master plan for the Scioto Peninsula area which would remake the Vets Memorial area, bring a Columbus Zoo attraction to the area, and build a mixed-use urban neighborhood on the existing COSI parking lots. Columbus State unveiled a master plan for a more dense, walkable campus in the northeast quadrant of downtown. While on the Near East Side, PACT unveiled their plan for the neighborhood's revitalization.
December 31, 201311 yr In addition to Columbus Underground's excellent annual recap of development projects, they asked the CU readers to vote on their top urban development project for 2013. Below is the ranking, with more information about each project plus previous year's winners at the link below: The Top 10 Urban Development Projects of 2013: 1. The Hub 2. Columbus Commons Apartments 3. The Joseph 4. 250 High 5. Grandview Yard 6. Franklinton 7. 400 West Rich Street 8. 600 Goodale 9. Neighborhood Launch Apartments 10. LC Riversouth MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/best-urban-development-of-2013-the-hub-bo2013
January 8, 201411 yr The beautiful 1934 Federal Courthouse on Marconi Boulevard in downtown Columbus is undergoing an energy retrofit and maintenance restoration. Below is some historical info on the courthouse from the GSA, along with a photo of the building along Marconi and a photo of the work being done from Columbus Underground's Construction Roundup - October 2012: GSA: Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse, Columbus, OH It looks like the multi-year renovation of the Federal Courthouse at Marconi & Long is finishing up... Renovation of federal courthouse Downtown is nearly done By Kathy Lynn Gray, The Columbus Dispatch Monday, January 6, 2014 - 5:43 AM After more than three years, the towering metal cranes and most of the scaffolding outside the federal courthouse in Downtown Columbus are gone. In what might have seemed a never-ending project to many, the $26.8 million renovation of the exterior and energy-saving modernization inside are nearly complete, much to the relief of the 300 or so employees in the 79-year-old building at 85 Marconi Blvd. along the Scioto River’s east bank. “We’re delighted it’s finishing up,” said U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus. “It may not look all that different outside, but it’s as different as night and day.” Sargus said the exterior work originally planned — to repair the facade and reglaze windows — expanded when workers realized that huge limestone blocks had begun to loosen ... workers began replacing deteriorating blocks and reinforcing others with new grout. (. . .) The five-story building has been renovated several times since it was completed in 1934 for $1.4 million as one of several Columbus buildings funded through the federal Public Works Administration employment and economic-recovery program after the Depression. The construction was the final phase of a plan to build landmark structures near the Scioto, including Central High School (now COSI Columbus), City Hall, the old Central Police Station and a state office building that now houses the Ohio Supreme Court. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/01/06/courthouse-renovation-nearly-done.html
January 8, 201411 yr ^That is great news. I can see that building from my office window and felt like it was never going to end.
February 20, 201411 yr CU coverage of Mayor Coleman's State of City address last night: http://www.columbusunderground.com/state-of-the-city-2014-focuses-on-quality-of-life-issues
March 9, 201411 yr Well, this is disappointing news. Hopefully it is only a temporary one-year delay. Columbus won’t make Marconi & Front two-way streets this year By Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch Saturday, March 8, 2014 - 5:37 AM Columbus is delaying plans to convert one-way stretches of Front Street and Marconi Boulevard near City Hall to two-way traffic as it prioritizes other projects in its capital budget. The $7 million plan, which would allow traffic in both directions on Front between Broad and Hickory streets and on Marconi between Broad and Spring streets, has been shelved for at least a year, said Rick Tilton, assistant director of the Department of Public Service. (. . .) City officials had planned to start the conversion in the spring. Adapting the street for two-way traffic will require restriping the pavement, upgrading traffic signals and installing new sidewalks, lighting and granite curbs. ... The city has been converting one-way streets to carry traffic in both directions as it tries to make Columbus more accessible for pedestrians and bicycles. Stretches of Rich and Town streets in east Franklinton were converted last year, and parts of Front, Main and Rich streets were made two-way in 2011. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/03/08/city-wont-make-marconi-front-2-way-streets-this-year.html
March 11, 201411 yr Some "green infrastructure" concepts have already been done when the city rebuilt streets in downtown's RiverSouth area. Now, according to an article today from the Dispatch reporting on the Blueprint Columbus initiative announced in the Mayor's State of the City speech, it looks we'll be seeing alot more of this city-wide. Below is a graphic of the some of the green infrastructure concepts from the Blueprint Columbus initiative and a map of targeted neighborhoods that might see these concepts from http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/03/10/ideas-grow-to-reduce-city-sewer-overflows.html:
March 14, 201411 yr ^ A closer look at some of these "green infrastructure" projects in the City's 'Blueprint Columbus' initiative from Columbus Underground. Included in this closer look at Blueprint Columbus is a general overview of the concepts involved and some the specific neighborhood projects planned. Renderings and plans of the neighborhood projects are included at the link to Columbus Underground below: CU: Green Infrastructure and Neighborhood Pocket Parks Part of Blueprint Columbus Plan
March 17, 201411 yr The 1.7 million square foot Columbus Convention Center will soon undergo renovations. Interior-only renovations (for those of you who dislike the exterior). According to the executive director of the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority in the below linked article: "The convention center soon will undergo a $25 to $30 million renovation that will improve the finishes, the ceilings, the lighting and the wall coverings" ... "the goal is for it to look similar to and blend seamlessly with the Hilton and Hyatt Regency hotels which are connected to the convention center". Also, the work would be done in phases, with the goal of finishing by the end of 2015. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2014/03/12/convention-center-soon-to-undergo-renovations.html
March 20, 201411 yr Columbus Monthly had a special advertising section about Downtown Columbus in this month's issue. It focuses on the CDDC-led projects, like the Scioto Mile riverfront work and the Columbus Commons park. But at 44 pages, it also touches upon other non-CDDC projects. Plus, there's lots of good-looking photos and renderings at the link below: http://www.columbusmonthly.com/content/topic/content/2014/2014-03-Downtown.html
April 16, 201411 yr Proposal for Front and Long Would Add Affordable Housing Downtown By Brent Warren, Columbus Underground April 11, 2014 - 12:51 pm A collection of buildings at the southeast corner of Front and Long Streets Downtown is being considered for redevelopment as workforce housing; about 40 units of affordable apartments would sit on top of street-level retail. The project, along with another potential development on the South Side, would be the first under the city’s new Housing Works program, which Mayor Michael Coleman first announced at this year’s State of the City address. The city is working with Brad DeHays of Connect Realty on the Downtown project. He said that the development is still in the most preliminary of stages, but that construction could start in the summer of 2015 if all goes according to plan. ... DeHays said that project would feature a mix of one-bedroom, studio, and “micro-apartments.” MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/proposal-for-front-and-long-would-add-affordable-housing-downtown-bw1
April 16, 201411 yr ^ More about this affordable housing proposal for the buildings at Front & Long. It didn't say this specifically in the CU article linked above, but I think this project would have to include all three existing buildings in this half-block on Long Street from Front to Wall: 1) 49-55 W. Long Street - 3-story building at the corner of Front & Long 2) 39-47 W. Long Street - 7-story building in the middle of the block 3) 31-37 W. Long Street - 4-story building next to Wall Street (a mid-block alley) The reason I think this project would have to include all three buildings is mostly because of the 4-story building next to Wall Street. This building has served as "The Rooming House", according to the faded awning over the front door. In actuality, it has been an unmonitored flop house for drug addicts and people with mental problems for decades. "The Rooming House" is across Long Street from Southeast - a mental health care and recovery clinic - and the YMCA. Having this "rooming house" here creates too many problems to even think about doing any worthwhile renovations to the other two buildings on this block. If the "rooming house" building is included, then you've got a reasonable chance to have a good project. I hope they can make this project happen. It would be a huge improvement to the area.
April 29, 201411 yr More about the construction of the Holocaust Memorial on the Statehouse Grounds from the Dispatch at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/04/01/nothing-much-to-look-at--yet.html. The Daniel Libeskind designed memorial was originally expected to be completed in April. But the completion date was moved to May and then June because of delays caused by the unusually rough winter. The Dispatch article (linked above) has a slideshow of the Holocaust Memorial construction. Previous updates about the memorial are located here and here in this thread.
May 6, 201411 yr Interesting report from Columbus Underground about the Day Companies renovating the ground floor of a three-story brick building they own at 55 E. Spring Street in the downtown. Here's the report at http://www.columbusunderground.com/day-companies-looks-to-fill-unique-downtown-storefronts-bw1 After an arts supply business closed in 2012 after decades of operation, Day Companies decided to completely gut the first floor and put in a new storefront. According to the CU report, they will also be exposing the brick walls, refinishing the original floors and restoring the original tin ceiling in the space. The second and third floors currently house artist studios and there are no plans to change this. Below is a look at the renovation of the first floor of 55 E. Spring Street in progress.
May 6, 201411 yr ^ The 55 E. Spring Street building and its renovation are interesting enough. The three-story building is only 30 feet wide but is also about 200 feet long. Here's a couple Google streetviews of 55 E. Spring prior to the current renovation. But its also interesting who is doing the renovation. The Day Companies is a local real estate company that specializes on properties in urban locations. Two of their more prominent previous renovation projects are located one block south on Gay Street. The 8-story Ruggery Building at 22 E. Gay Street was renovated into offices with ground floor retail (and is the Day Companies office location). Directly across Gay Street from the Ruggery Building is the 4-story 15 E. Gay Street that contains ground floor retail, second floor offices and apartments on the top two floors. These, and many other Day Company projects, are listed at http://www.daycompanies.net/portfolio.php What is also interesting about 55 E. Spring Street is its location downtown. The long and narrow building is only remaining vintage building of its type left on this block facing Spring Street. Across the street is 60 E. Spring Street, a large electrical supply office and warehouse that its owners renovated into a luxury condo and apartment complex in the 2000's. Behind 55 E. Spring is an older parking garage that its owners tried to demolish rather than repair to code - link to 2/13/14 article in the demolition thread - but it looks like the City's Downtown Commission is requiring the repairs to the garage rather than allowing the demo. 55 E. Spring is also located in center of the number of large residential projects that have been done in this part of downtown over the past decade. Below is a map showing the location of 55 E. Spring (IN BLUE) and the locations of several large residential projects completed over the past decade (IN GREEN) and two large residential projects proposed for two corners of Gay & High (IN RED) that were recently reported on here and here in the Gay Street Development thread. Many of the residential project shown on the above map are renovations of existing buildings. The historic 12-story Atlas Building at the corner of Long & High is currently under renovation. The nearby 12-story building at 145 N. High Street was renovated in the 2000's. 60 E. Spring Street was previous mentioned. An existing 7-story building at Third & Long was renovated and a new 8-story apartment building was built at Third & Gay in the mid-2000's. But the most dramatic residential improvement in the area is the Neighborhood Launch development being done by the Edward Companies. This is a largest green spot shown on the above map. Neighborhood Launch is located east of Fourth Street between Gay & Long Streets - you can follow its process in the Neighborhood Launch thread. NL has been building on multiple surface parking lots in this area since the late 2000's. It is unfortunate that the Day Companies or the Edward Companies don't own the surface parking lots surrounding 55 E. Spring Street. Given both companies track record, they probably could do a quality new-build on them.
May 9, 201411 yr In last Sunday's Dispatch there was a piece in the home section about the beautiful downtown mansion at 405 E. Town Street. This mansion is probably best known as the O'Shaughnessy Funeral Home which operated there until 2010. At that time the funeral home moved to another location and the mansion was sold to someone who planned to renovate it into an upscale design showroom (I even remember posting about this here in this thread back in 2010!). That 2010 plan never went anywhere. Now, a local business, Falcon Equities, has purchased this property which includes the two-story 10,374 sq. ft. front mansion house and a rear two-story carriage house that includes a garage and apartment. Falcon Equities would operate its offices in the first floor of the mansion house and the second floor would house two apartments. There's more about this at the Dispatch link below along with two views of the mansion house from Town Street: Dispatch: 1853 mansion, once a funeral home, transforming into offices, apartments The above story also talks about the history of the 405 E. Town Street property. The mansion was built in 1853 and was for decades the residence of James Faichild Baldwin, a prominent surgeon who founded Grant Hospital (located one block west). In 1947, Baldwin's widow sold the home. In 1953, the equally prominent O'Shaughnessy family purchased the property and began operating the O'Shaughnessy Funeral Home there until 2010.
May 14, 201411 yr A small project in downtown. But kind of interesting for its use. Moss and Bark Opening Downtown on Main Street By Walker Evans, Columbus Underground April 23, 2014 - 9:33 am After sitting empty for the past eight years, the building that housed Ray Johnson’s Fish Market at 113 East Main Street will get a new lease on life with a completely different kind of focus on animals. The online-based Woof! Downtown Pet Care, operated by Matthew Goldstein and Ian Estep, is opening a brick-and-mortar business known as Moss and Bark. (. . .) The front parking lot is being converted into greenspace with a 1,100 square foot enclosed play area with portholes for looking inside, and the decor will utilize a lot of natural elements including the namesake moss and reclaimed wood (bark). ... Goldstein expects Moss and Bark to be open in August. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/moss-and-bark-opening-downtown-on-main-street
May 28, 201411 yr A couple of Far East Side development stories from Business First. The first is about a thriving stretch of E. Broad Street in Columbus near the Reynoldsburg city line. Equity adding retail at Eastglen Medical Office Park near Mount Carmel East By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Columbus Business First - May 8, 2014, 5:23pm EDT Equity Inc. has begun building a retail plaza on East Broad Street to complement its 90,000-square-foot Eastglen Medical Office Park close to Mount Carmel East Hospital on Columbus' far east side. Equity Senior Vice President John Brooks told me the Columbus developer has signed L.A. Fitness as a 45,000-square-foot anchor to its Eastglen Exchange project. It will include at least two retail centers offering a combined 15,500 square feet to tenants. (. . .) The project would continue a wave of medical office and retail development along the busy stretch of East Broad Street near the Reynoldsburg city line. The area has attracted a Menards home improvement megastore, a mid-priced hotel, and a former Lucent Technologies research building is being overhauled as a medical office building. The executive said the entire medical office campus, including a 19,000-square-foot Nationwide Children’s Hospital Close to Home office, is occupied. The developer still is working on drawing a hotel with perhaps 90 guest rooms that would take the last 3.5 acres of the development. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/05/equity-adding-retail-at-eastglen-medical-office.html
May 28, 201411 yr However, a few miles south, the Brice & Tussing area near I-70 has seen the closing of a number of big box retailers - including the venerable JCPenney Outlet Store at I-270 & 70. In recent years, the 40-acre Consumer Square East shopping center was closed and demolished after it opened there in 1985. Now, the City of Columbus Planning Division is looking at a redevelopment strategy for this area: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/05/city-wants-help-with-brice-tussing-redevelopment.html
May 31, 201411 yr Casto to build apartments overlooking Scioto River By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter Columbus Business First - May 15, 2014, 12:51pm EDT Casto Communities has joined the apartment development fray along Riverside Drive with plans to build 152 upscale apartment units next to the East Bank at Hayden Falls condominiums near Hayden Road. Columbus City Council on Monday unanimously approved rezoning 11 acres to limited apartment residential district from a combination of commercial planned development and another apartment zoning. The Scioto Ridge development site lies between Ohio Mulch at 5380 Riverside Drive and the East Bank condo complex at 5735 and 5745 Newbank Circle. East Bank has a combined 60 units, with just one condo unsold. Apartment developer Preferred Living also has 256 apartments under construction off Riverside Drive between Hayden and Henderson Road. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/05/casto-to-build-apartments-overlooking-scioto-river.html
June 3, 201411 yr Reports (links below) from the Dispatch and Columbus Underground that the YWCA will be renovating its historic 1929 Griswold Building in Downtown Columbus. The YWCA is getting federal affordable housing tax credits from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency to help fund this $20 million renovation project. The project will convert the residential units in the building from dormitories into efficiency apartments: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/05/15/ywca-renovations.html http://www.columbusunderground.com/ywca-renovating-downtown-apartment-building
June 4, 201411 yr An update on the renovation of the five-story Stoddart Block building at 260 South Fourth Street in Downtown. The building received state historic preservation tax credits in December 2013 - previously posted HERE and HERE in this thread. The building has 52 existing apartments. According to a CU article (linked below), the developer's plan would keep the current configuration but upgrade the 300-square foot units into “an affordable, micro-luxury product". Exterior improvements to the building would include new windows for the whole building, cleaning of the limestone and updates to the first-floor retail storefronts. Design approval of the renovate was granted by the City's Downtown Commission in May. Construction could start within the next few months. More about this from CU at http://www.columbusunderground.com/micro-apartments-planned-for-stoddart-block-building-downtown-bw1
June 11, 201411 yr City enters design phase on downtown fire station Another new station on Greenlawn slated to open in December By GARY SEMAN JR., THIS WEEK NEWS Sunday, May 25, 2014 - 6:05 PM The City of Columbus has gotten the ball rolling on rebuilding Fire Station 2 downtown. Columbus City Council May 5 authorized legislation to hire DLZ Architecture to begin the design phase of the station, located at the corner of East Fulton and South Fourth streets. Assistant Chief Kent Searle said the 13,986-square-foot station, built in 1962, is one of the busiest and largest in the Columbus Division of Fire, housing 26 firefighters in each of three shifts per day. Meanwhile, the Division of Fire is in the process of building Station 3, a state-of-the-art facility at 222 Greenlawn Avenue. This $8.2 million, 27,020-square-foot facility will contain a total of six bays for firefighting apparatus, administrative offices, a kitchen and 22 sleeping rooms. Construction began Sept. 23, 2013 and should be complete by December 2014. Then, the entire staff of Fire Station 2, 150 E. Fulton St., will be relocated to Greenlawn while the downtown location is razed next winter. The new Fire Station 2 will be built on the same site as the current station, but will be slightly smaller because the lot is not big enough to accommodate modern-day facilities, Searle said. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/germanvillage/news/2014/05/19/city-enters-design-phase-on-downtown-fire-station.html
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