January 29, 200817 yr Here are some random shots of Downtown (what´s left of it anyway :cry:) Enjoy! We traded a lot of this; for a lot of this. Pearl Alley Farmers' Market Yep, we love our peds. A couple of shots of the Red Brick District And now for Jefferson Park, more boulevard than park, it is all that is left of the Downtown neighborhood that once contained mansions and more homes like these. But hey, we need parking.
January 29, 200817 yr The Pearl Alley Farmers Market is an underrated gem Columbus has. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 30, 200817 yr I like the building in pic 2. Classic architecture with a subtle modern flare. Done very tastefully. MyTwoSense is right that graffiti is amazing.
January 30, 200817 yr It's sad that a lot of good stuff has been lost, but what's done is done and trends are changing. In recent years people have come to recognize what they've lost in quality of life, and there's renewed interest in bringing back downtowns. Columbus has some really good things near downtown, and there will be more in its future. The will and the opportunity exist.
January 30, 200817 yr :applause: Thank you for some 'different' shots of downtown C.O. and CDM is right, the Pearl Alley is one of my favorite hangout spots during lunchtime :grin:
January 30, 200817 yr The wall graffiti/Blue Ribbon pic is fab! http://orangebarrelmedia.com/, ladies and gentlemen.
February 2, 200817 yr Pataskala distribution center latest to sprout Raleigh Bicycles site to employ 45 Friday, February 1, 2008 - 3:08 AM By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Raleigh Bicycles has set up a distribution center employing 45 in Pataskala, solidifying the area's growing reputation as a distribution hub. Raleigh and Diamondback bikes will be routed to dealers in much of the United States from a warehouse at ProLogis Park 70 Etna, a part of Southgate Corp.'s Etna Corporate Park. The warehouse will employ up to 70 in peak seasons, said Paul Mooney, director of account management in Ohio for Menlo Worldwide Logistics, which will operate the facility. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/01/PATASKALA.ART_ART_02-01-08_C9_AG83OF5.html?sid=101
February 5, 200817 yr Hayden Run still hot, despite poor economy Monday, February 4, 2008 - 3:11 AM By Debbie Gebolys and Martin Rozenman, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Hayden Run area is still growing, if a bit more slowly, despite tough economic times. The finger of Columbus abutting Washington and Brown townships, Hilliard and Dublin was dubbed the region's hottest growth area in 2001. The Hayden Run area became the catalyst for unprecedented government cooperation when Franklin County officials and city and township leaders realized the enormousness of what lay ahead. MORPC said $283 million would be needed for 49 road projects, not counting an upgrade to nearby I-270. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/04/LITTLE_HILLIARD.ART_ART_02-04-08_B1_R698195.html?sid=101
February 5, 200817 yr Columbus aims to create brownfields clean-up fund to spark building Business First of Columbus by Jeff Bell, Business First Friday, January 25, 2008 Columbus officials are turning to the Statehouse to help generate more money for redeveloping contaminated sites in the city. A bill introduced in the Ohio Senate on Jan. 22 would pave the way for the city to create the Clean Columbus Fund, which would use proceeds from city bonds to clean so-called brownfield sites so they can be developed. The initiative would be modeled after the state's Clean Ohio Fund program, which has pumped $15 million into brownfield revitalization projects in Columbus since 2002. Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/01/28/story1.html
February 18, 200817 yr Living history Columbus Alive February 14, 2008 Story & Photos By Bryan Bullock A haven from the hustle and bustle of Downtown Columbus, the Hartman Hotel was known as the city's most lavish place to stay — in 1902. As Downtown waned in the decades to come, so did the hotel. Now, urban revival has brought residents back to the building on Main Street. "I wanted to move Downtown, and [to] this building in particular. I liked how unique it was," said Megan Loren, a Hartman Lofts resident. Those passing through the Hartman's marble foyer or ultra-modern glass stairwell are mostly condo owners now. Twenty-four new units are currently up for grabs in the historic building, ranging in price from $150,000 to $390,000. This second, and final, phase consists of one- and two-bedroom spaces on the top two floors. The Hartman's initial phase sold out quickly, and Loren was one of those lucky enough to snag a unit. Although the layouts on each floor vary, Loren's loft boasts most of the building's selling points: exposed brick walls, hardwood floors and huge windows overlooking the city. "I can walk to work, and since I am always [in the Arena District] on weekends, I thought I'd save money on cabs," she said. Project Website: www.hartmanlofts.com Read more at http://columbusalive.com/?sec=upfront&story=alive/2008/0214/u-house.html
February 18, 200817 yr Enterprise Makes New Markets Tax Credits Investment to Create up to 700 Affordable Homes in Columbus, Ohio Posted by Paul Bonneville on February 14, 2008 COLUMBUS, Ohio – February 7, 2008 – Enterprise Community Investment, Inc., (Enterprise) announced today a strategic investment of $9.5 million using New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) to assist Columbus Housing Partnership in financing the construction or rehabilitation of up to 700 affordable homes in Columbus, Ohio, over seven years. Investing with Enterprise in the project are national corporate partners Nationwide, Huntington Bank and World Financial Network National Bank, a subsidiary of Alliance Data, along with the City of Columbus and the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County. Established in 1987, CHP is a private, nonprofit organization that provides quality, affordable housing and related services to low- and moderate- income households in Columbus and the surrounding area. Founded on the belief that a decent and affordable home is the cornerstone of family life and a healthy community, CHP has developed 4,000 single- and multifamily affordable homes to serve 23,000 people. CHP also offers homeownership and foreclosure counseling, community health clinics and operates a large community safety program with more than 30 AmeriCorps volunteers. For more information, visit www.chpcolumbus.org. Enterprise is a leading provider of the development capital and expertise it takes to create decent, affordable homes and rebuild communities. For 25 years, Enterprise has pioneered neighborhood solutions through public-private partnerships with financial institutions, governments, community organizations and others that share our vision. Enterprise has raised and invested $8 billion in equity, grants and loans to help build or preserve 225,000 affordable rental and for-sale homes to create vital communities. Enterprise is currently investing in communities at a rate of $1 billion a year. Visit www.enterprisecommunity.org and www.enterprisecommunity.com to learn more about Enterprise's efforts to build communities and opportunity. Read more at http://columbusretrometro.typepad.com/columbus_retrometro/2008/02/enterprise-make.html
February 19, 200817 yr Wonderful! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 22, 200817 yr Plan keeps schools for deaf, blind separate Alumni opposed unification idea Thursday, February 21, 2008 By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH State officials have decided to keep the schools for the deaf and blind separated in Clintonville. Now, they have to decide exactly where the new classrooms and dormitories will go, and what they'll look like. The $42.9 million plan calls for reducing the combined size of the schools from the 400,000 square feet they now occupy to roughly 300,000 square feet, which will cut energy costs and get rid of obsolete space, said Eric Algoe, the chief operating officer for both schools. The building design process will continue through spring, when officials will have a better handle on where the new buildings will go, he said. While gymnasiums at both schools will remain, as will the School for the Blind's natatorium, other buildings will be demolished, including five girls' dormitories at the School for the Deaf and three at the blind school. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/21/DEAFSCHOOL.ART_ART_02-21-08_B1_169DR49.html?sid=101
February 23, 200817 yr Something I think about from time to time is how High Street functions as such a main artery of Columbus, and aside from a few other small portions of other streets (a few blocks of Front, Gay, Main), we really don't have anything that ranks as a close second place to it. One area that I think could become a really nice secondary north-south "corridor" through Downtown would be Grant Avenue. It runs from The Columbus State Community College down to German Village and crosses the paths of the Columbus College of Art & Design, The Columbus Metropolitan Library, Grant Hospital, Franklin University, Sure, you will see some people milling around the hospital a bit, and you'll see some students going from classrooms to cars at their respective schools, but really you don't see as much life on this street as you should considering the institutions that call Grant Avenue home. What I propose is a push for connecting the neighborhood visually with streetscaping (more sidewalk greenspace, bike racks, "you are here" kiosks, installation art, etc) and push for new commercial and residential development along the strip. There's a few condo projects that can be found around the library and quite a few apartments as well, but surprisingly none of this is really considered as student housing. An attempt should be made to bring these three schools together to erect several residential towers aimed affordably at their student population somewhere on the north end of Grant. This demographic would serve as the fuel to ignite the need for commercial services along the corridor including restaurants, bars, coffee shops, art galleries and more. A high-rise hotel or two should be considered for the area as well. This area has been branded as "The Discovery District" but not too many people know much about this brand, and the ones who do think it's a joke since there's not much of a focus for what this area is supposed to me. I say we give the students housing and let it grow organically into a nice new downtown neighborhood. There was a <a href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7424">recent study</a> that determined that Columbus State alone pumps over $700 million into the local economy. Wouldn't it be nice if more of that money was focused downtown by keeping some of the student population around longer before and after classes?
February 28, 200817 yr Bar of Modern Art (aka. BoMA) Columbus Nominated for Best Club of 2007 in Club World Awards by Club Systems International, which in THE industry's most coveted award for the nightclub industry... It takes a lot for a club located off the beaten path to overpower offerings in the U.S.'s leading nightlife nexuses. But Columbus, Ohio's Bar Of Modern Art makes ambitious enough use of its 23,000 square feet to to impressively debut in this year's competition. Situated in a former Baptist Church, the Bar, or "BoMA," as the locals refer to it, gives patrons the option to revel in no less than three massive rooms: the "Underground" basement area, the Great Room and the Sanctuary. It's certainly the answer to many a frustrated Midwestern clubber's prayers. -JH Read more at http://www.clubsystemsinternational.com/year_archive.html/2007/10/places2.htm
March 14, 200817 yr STATE OF THE CITY Mayor of 'hip' city seeks streetcars, child curfew Friday, March 14, 2008 3:31 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Mayor Michael B. Coleman declared the end of Cowtown last night. But his prescription for a "hip and cool" Columbus renaissance, laid out in his ninth State of the City address, had a decidedly retro feel. Streetcars running from the Franklin County Courthouse to Ohio State University. People strolling Downtown, along a High Street lined with shops and through a Scioto River park with chess and domino tables. "America's 21st Century City," as the mayor is fond of calling Columbus, "must maintain its Midwestern values of family, honesty and hard work." Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/14/stateofcity.ART_ART_03-14-08_A1_EK9L17S.html?sid=101
March 14, 200817 yr Key proposals Mayor Michael B. Coleman looked forward with several policies and proposals in his state of the city speech last night. Safety: • Police will enforce the city's midnight curfew against those 17 or younger. • Video cameras will help police catch criminals in neighborhoods and at major events. Transportation: • He'll lay out how to pay for a streetcar line on March 27. • The city will spend $20 million to build 86.3 miles of bike routes and trails by 2012. Downtown: • The High Street side of City Center will be replaced with a retail "Town Square." • The city will offer incentives to redevelop High Street through Downtown with shops, offices and housing. • The City Center walkway over High Street will be demolished. Jobs: • Columbus, Whitehall, Gahanna and the airport authority will work together to develop the area around Port Columbus. • "Green jobs" will be a priority, backed by city incentives. Full text of the State of the City address: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/13/fulltext.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 14, 200817 yr The City Center walkway over High Street will be demolished. YAY! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 16, 200817 yr All in all a great address this year. Lots of projects in the works and in the pipeline. Hooray Columbus! :D
March 28, 200817 yr Posted at www.columbusunderground.com Wed., Mar 26, 2008 - 9:40 pm Exploring Columbus History: Great Southern Hotel A short documentary on the historic Great Southern Hotel in Downtown Columbus, Ohio by Tom Betti, Hillary Hempstead and Brandon Presz for the Columbus Landmarks Foundation (2008). www.columbuslandmarks.org Link: http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13104
April 1, 200817 yr Wonderful! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
April 3, 200817 yr Legislators get local wish list for capital projects Jeff Bell, Business First of Columbus Monday, March 31, 2008 - 5:39 PM EDT Columbus and Franklin County officials are hoping for more than $23 million from a state capital appropriations bill to be cobbled together in coming weeks in the Ohio General Assembly, Columbus Business First has learned. Topping the wish list is $5 million for improvements in a new development district at Port Columbus International Airport. The other two big projects on the capital bill wish list are $3.5 million each for development of the Scioto Mile park project along the downtown riverfront and the Route 315 research and technology corridor near Ohio State University. Other area projects on the capital bill list are: - $3 million to demolish the bridge over High Street that connects the Columbus City Center mall with the former Lazarus department store building. - $3 million in support for design and construction of a research facility at Nationwide Children's Hospital. - $2 million toward an expansion and building improvements at the Columbus Museum of Art. - $1 million for building upgrades at COSI Columbus. - $1 million for a conceptual plan for redevelopment of city-owned land between Main and Rich streets on the west side of the Scioto River. - $750,000 for Franklin Park Conservatory's building program. - $750,000 for building improvements at the Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Complex on Columbus' near east side. - $250,000 for Columbus College of Art & Design's efforts to convert the former Byers auto showroom on East Broad Street into a fashion and industrial design center. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/03/31/daily8.html
April 7, 200817 yr CONSTRUCTION ZONE Retailers shunning Downtown Monday, April 7, 2008 - 6:28 AM By Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Significantly improving the Downtown shopping scene is all but a hopeless cause, say two of the city's pre-eminent retail developers. During a forum last week presented by the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute, developers Don Casto and Frank Kass painted a bleak picture of Downtown's retail fortunes. Yaromir Steiner, co-developer of Easton Town Center, said better times could be coming -- in about 40 years, if planning begins today. What has happened to the city's Downtown retail base is apparent but not easily fixed, the developers say. As the city ponders what to do with its retail crypt called Columbus City Center, those whose job is to recruit retailers say they can't bring them Downtown. "If I'm a national retailer … I'm going to choose someplace else rather than Downtown Columbus," Casto said. "In the last three or four years, we haven't had a retailer call and say, "Gee, we'd like to come to Columbus. Will you show us Downtown?' " The retail trade in the city's core has faded from its heyday after World War II. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/04/07/ZONE0407.ART_ART_04-07-08_C10_DU9QVOI.html?sid=101
April 21, 200817 yr MORPC: Changes needed to accommodate Columbus growth Business First of Columbus - by Matt Burns Business First Wednesday, April 16, 2008 The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is taking a glass-half-full perspective with the lull in Central Ohio development amid the economy's slowdown. "If anything, this gives us a good chance to take a step back and look at a new reality we're facing and think pragmatically about how we're going to grow when the next spurt comes," said Matt LaMantia, the commission's regional development coordinator. The commission is helping to paint a picture of the area that includes Franklin and 11 nearby counties with its 2008 State of the Region report, released Wednesday. The document, which the commission plans to adjust and redevelop as new data are unveiled, shows a number of shifting trends among Central Ohioans, the land and the economy that put the region at risk of being unable to sustain itself. MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/04/14/daily22.html
May 6, 200817 yr Karlsberger, DesignGroup honored for 'green' designs Business First of Columbus Brian R. Ball, Business First Friday, May 2, 2008 Karlsberger and DesignGroup have won design awards for projects promoting efficient-energy strategies and the use of environmentally friendly materials. The Columbus chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized the firms April 29 with Designing Toward Sustainability awards. DesignGroup won for the Grange Insurance Audubon Center under construction west of the Brewery District downtown. Karlsberger won for the Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, which opened last July in Austin. DesignGroup beat out six other entries of unbuilt projects with its 18,000-square-foot nature education center, part of a bird sanctuary and park being developed by Audubon Ohio, the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks and the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District. The education center, set for a mid-2009 opening, will include a geothermal heat exchange and feature a rooftop garden designed to reduce heat reflection and absorb rain water. The center also is being built using recycled materials. More: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/05/05/story13.html
May 10, 200817 yr Business may close after variance is denied Thursday, May 8, 2008 By JENNIFER NESBITT, ThisWeek Staff Writer After operating as an auto retail business for two years in an area zoned for office use only, New York Hook Up was denied a variance by Columbus City Council Monday night that would have made its operation legal. The auto accessory dealer, 4715 Cleveland Ave., sought a variance from to allow retail sales on a property zoned L-C-2, a limited commercial district. The Northland Plan calls for office use in the area, said city planner Shannon Pine. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/northland/stories/2008/05/08/0508nobizclosure_ln.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 19, 200817 yr Land-use plan limits development along 62 Wednesday, May 14, 2008 By JENNIFER NOBLIT, ThisWeek Staff Writer After more than a year of work, Plain Township trustees have approved an updated version of the land-use plan. The plan was approved May 7 as presented to them by the zoning commission earlier this year, with the exception of a commercial area along U.S. Route 62. Trustees had heard complaints from residents in the area on land suggested for commercial development along Johnstown Road (Route 62), between Central College Road and Walnut Street. Some residents had voiced concern about adding more traffic to Route 62 with more businesses, as well as issues of safety, water runoff into Blacklick Creek and spot zoning. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/newalbany/stories/2008/05/14/0515nalanduse_ln.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 7, 200817 yr Hotel planned for corner of Sunbury and Morse Wednesday, June 4, 2008 By JENNIFER NESBITT, ThisWeek Staff Writer A 127-room, six-story hotel is planned for the northwest corner of Sunbury and Morse roads. The Northland Community Council's Development Committee heard plans for the building at its May 28 meeting, during which the community supported the necessary rezoning for the hotel. Attorney Jeff Brown, representing the case before the NCC, said the developer has worked closely with the city to develop plans for the 6.8-acre parcel, located at 4843 Sunbury Road. Brown said negotiations are in the works with a national hotel chain to occupy the property, but he said the developers are not yet ready to release what hotel may appear on the property because the lease has not been finalized. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/northland/stories/2008/06/04/0605nohotel_ln.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 18, 200816 yr Developer seeking parking variance Wednesday, June 11, 2008 By GARY SEMAN JR., ThisWeek Staff Writer A First Watch restaurant and furniture store could replace the vacant Sofa Express on Sawmill Road if the developer can get a parking variance. David Skidmore of the Interra development company told the Northwest Civic Association that he needs to be allowed to reduce the number of required parking spaces on the site to accommodate the project. Skidmore, who presented his plans June 4 at the NWCA meeting, said the building now has 48 spaces. To bring the parking lot up to code with the inclusion of a restaurant, he would need 85 total spaces. He said he can't make that work. The building, 6120 Sawmill Road, is 11,950 square feet. First Watch, which hasn't signed a lease, would take over roughly 4,000 square feet, while the furniture store would be housed in the remaining space. The arrangement could work well, Skidmore said, because the restaurant would serve breakfast and lunch and close at 2:30 p.m. while the furniture store would do a bulk of its business at night. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/dublin/stories/2008/06/11/0612dufirstwatch_ln.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 2, 200816 yr Restaurant, fitness center may fill vacancy Wednesday, July 2, 2008 By JENNIFER NESBITT, ThisWeek Staff Writer Developers would like to see a restaurant and a fitness center fill a long-vacant Hollywood Video store at the northwest corner of North Hamilton and Broadview roads, just north of Morse Road. The Northland Community Council heard a request for a parking variance for the location at its June meeting that would allow property owners to move forward to secure a restaurant tenant for the site. Attorney Jack Reynolds, representing property owner Ben Hale, said the plans are to split the 6,000-square-foot space and fill one-half with a restaurant and the other with a fitness center. In order to move forward with those plans, Reynolds said a variance would be needed to reduce the required parking by 25 spaces, from 139 to the existing 114. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/northland/stories/2008/07/02/0703novacantretail_ln.html clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
July 4, 200816 yr Will Columbus ever get another skyscraper? Friday, July 4, 2008 | Modified: Thursday, July 3, 2008 Business First of Columbus - by Carrie Ghose Richard Solove isn't sure what happened to his model from more than a decade ago, the one showing Capitol Square with a 40-story Ohio Supreme Court building filling the gap between the Rhodes State Office Tower and High Street. The state opted instead to renovate the former Ohio Departments of State Building on South Front Street for the court's home. Solove eventually merged his development company with Casto, which mixed some of the site's historic buildings with new construction for its insistently flashy Broad and High project topping out at 17 stories. The building boom that created the Columbus skyline in the 1970s and '80s is long past. The city has not added a downtown office skyscraper in 10 years, though it picked up housing bookends with Miranova and the Condominiums at North Bank Park. Technically, the city is adding high-rises outside downtown, such as 12-story additions planned for OSU Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital. But for now, no buildings of 20 stories or higher - the kind that can be seen from Lithopolis - appear to be on anyone's drawing table. A few plans are tucked in drawers, perhaps, but developers say the market is far from ripe. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/07/07/focus1.html
July 8, 200816 yr Downtown given tax break Council OKs 735-acre district to shift millions to city's core Tuesday, July 8, 2008 3:08 AM By Mark Ferenchik and Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Columbus City Council approved creating a 735-acre district last night that will shift new tax money to Downtown projects. For the next 30 years, property taxes from every new building Downtown will stay Downtown to pay for parking garages, roads, parks and other improvements. The Columbus City Council approved creating a 735-acre district last night that will shift new tax money -- likely millions of dollars -- to Downtown projects and away from Columbus Metropolitan Library operations, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, social-service agencies and others that rely on property taxes. Read more at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/07/08/DOWNTOWNTIF.ART_ART_07-08-08_A1_QCAMFMU.html?sid=101
July 13, 200816 yr Nice! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 15, 200816 yr Follow-up story on downtown's new TIF district from the sunday dispatch... CITY-IMPROVEMENT FUNDING Tax district spread, swallowed Downtown Sunday, July 13, 2008 By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH At first, Columbus leaders simply wanted to make sure they had enough money to pay for some Downtown parking garages. Last year, they looked at creating a small tax-increment financing district around N. 4th and Elm streets, where one garage was planned. New property taxes generated there would help pay for the garage. That idea has since blossomed into a 735-acre Downtown district to funnel property taxes to not only parking garages but potentially a host of other public improvements including caps -- platforms for parks, shops and restaurants built over freeways. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/07/13/TIFDOWNTOWN.ART_ART_07-13-08_B1_0KAO7OF.html?sid=101
August 2, 200816 yr From here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15759 <b>Boutique Hotels Coming Soon to Columbus?</b> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/victoria_residence.jpg"> Nearly a full year ago, Columbus Underground asked the question, "<A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9358">Where are all the Boutique Hotels in Columbus</a>"? The answer we've been hearing since then is that "They're coming, they're coming!" For the longest time, <A href="http://www.55lofts.com/">The Lofts</a> have pretty much held a monopoly on the boutique hotel scene downtown, with only a handful of small bed and breakfasts to offer them any sort of competition. But several ideas and concepts have emerged within the past year, including: - In January, the owners of Yankee Trader decided to announce that they're investigating the possibility of <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11598">converting their building</a> into a boutique hotel. Their location would probably serve them very well. - In February, Pizzuti Co announced that they would be <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=12262">building a 10-story 160-room hotel</a> in the Short North between High Street and Goodale Park. Just a few blocks north of Yankee Trader. - And In June, a former OSU-Basketball-player-turned-developer announced that he was interested in <A href="http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15078">building a boutique hotel concept</a> near the corner of Gay & High. It would be replacing a current parking lot, and continue to add to the constantly developing Gay Street corridor. Business First <A href="http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/08/04/story1.html?b=1217822400%5E1678163">ran an article today</a> about what it takes to develop a boutique hotel, the market factors at play, and speficially mentions a few details on these listed project. A short, yet interesting read for those who want to keep tabs on the independent hospitality industry in Columbus.
August 4, 200816 yr Ohio college sues over former WWII bomb plant Herald-Dispatch, July 25, 2008 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio college is suing the U.S. Defense Department over a former bomb factory and the contamination the school says is left behind. Officials with Otterbein College say the government promised it would clean up the former Kilgore Manufacturing Co. site in suburban Columbus when it was given to the school in 1962. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court says pieces of flares, artillery rounds and fuses for grenades were found on the land in 1996. Otterbein wants to develop the land to expand its horse-science program. The 111-acre site built bombs that were dropped over Japan during World War II. A message seeking comment was left Friday for a spokesman with the Defense Department.
August 19, 200816 yr Hamilton Road residents object to gas station, restaurant Wednesday, August 6, 2008 By Jennifer Nesbitt, ThisWeek Staff Writer Despite a revised plan for a plot of land on North Hamilton Road, the Northland Community Council development committee has again tabled action on a rezoning request. Representatives of the New Albany Co. appeared before the NCC's development committee last week, seeking approval to rezone 2.5 acres of an 11-acre parcel to allow for a gas station and fast-food restaurant at 5475 N. Hamilton Road. More than 50 residents of the Blendon Park condominiums packed into Minerva Park's municipal building during the July 30 meeting to oppose the rezoning request, prompting the committee to put off its decision on the property. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/northland/stories/2008/08/06/0807nohamroad_ln.html
August 21, 200816 yr Request for Noodles restaurant gets OK from NCC Wednesday, August 6, 2008 By JENNIFER NESBITT ThisWeek Staff Writer The Northland Community Council's development committee has granted its support for a variance that would allow a Noodles & Company restaurant to move to a vacant Hamilton Road property. The restaurant would occupy 3,000 square feet of a former Hollywood Video at the northwest corner of North Hamilton and Broadview roads, just north of Morse Road. The remaining 3,000 square feet of the building likely will house a fitness center, said attorney Jack Reynolds, who represented the property's owner, Ben Hale, before the NCC. Reynolds appeared before the committee last month with a request for a variance allowing a reduction in the required number of parking spaces for the property, but he said a variance allowing even fewer parking spaces is needed because Noodles & Company requires a patio with its corporate design. Under Columbus code, the patio will be enclosed, Reynolds said, because Noodles restaurants generally serve alcohol, though they do not feature bars. Constructing a patio outside the existing building will cause the loss of three spaces. MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/northland/stories/2008/08/06/0807nonoodles_ln.html
August 26, 200816 yr Research by industrial engineer Kenneth Todd indicates that replacing several traffic light signals with all-way stop signs at intersections have been proven to save lives and "According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) all-way stop intersections [usually 4-way stop signs] have the best safety record, with half as many accidents as those controlled by two-way stops or signals [stoplights]." If there had been a four-way stop at Broad and 5th I wouldn't have to worry nearly as much about cars running red lights at speeds high enough to splatter me and my bike, which did happen and I was able to report the driver. Look at Philadelphia where pedestrian injuries were reduced by nearly <a href="http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/neighborhoods/htfd_courant_081907.asp" target="_blank">50%</a> when 800 stoplights were replaced with four-way stops. This doesn't mean ripping out our traffic signals for stop signs as you can just reprogram them to flash red and accomplish the same effect as four-way stop sign intersections. Todd also states that cars treating these as a four-way yields instead of stops is no problem since "the yield sign has a safety record as good as the stop sign". Particularly sobering was this: Replacing traffic signals with small roundabouts, all-way stops or all-way yields would avoid 300,000 injury crashes in the USA every year. Safer intersection management nationwide would prevent at least 40 percent of the 9,500 annual intersection-related fatalities. Not only are traffic signals more dangerous but, "Official reports have attributed 40 percent of the vehicle delays in urban areas to traffic signal inefficiencies." If the City of Columbus, in particular Mayor Coleman and Councilwoman O'Shaughnessey, truly want safer streets for cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists and want to turn Downtown into a neighborhood once again, then replacing traffic signals or programing them to be four-way stops is a necessary step to achieving that goal which needs to be taken and ASAP. The publication <a href="http://www.bikewalk.org/pdfs/trafficcontrol_backtobasics.pdf" target="_blank"><em>Traffic Control: An Exercise in Self-Defeat</em></a> is a mere eight pages long.
August 26, 200816 yr I would admit that four-way stops combined with passing a statewide law permitting "Idaho stops" (also mentioned in The Great Bicycle Thread) would make cycling much more pleasant. However... I do not think that stop signs would be effective for multi-lane intersections (such as Broad and 5th). The "Traffic Control" publication doesn't address, as far as I can tell, situations where multiple lanes are regulated by a stop sign. I would also argue that the reason that intersections with four-way stops are so safe is because there is typically only one lane of traffic headed in each of the cardinal directions. The four-way stops that I've encountered with heavily-trafficked multiple lanes tend to be minor exercises in anarchy. I'm having difficulty imagining that 5th and Broad would work well with stop signs controlling four lanes of Broad in each direction, unless you traffic-calmed Broad down to four total lanes.
August 27, 200816 yr The best example I can think of in Cleveland is Chester Ave from the Innerbelt to MLK. I have NEVER seen a car waiting at the cross section of E 59th, 65th, 66th, or 70th, but the traffic signals seem to spend half their time green for these crossroads. I would support making these flashing yellow/red lights all day long.
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