September 16, 200618 yr Both from the 9/16/06 Mansfield News Journal: RENDERING: This architect's rendering, looking north, shows the Richland County Courthouse on the left and the new county-city jail on the right. Illustration courtesy MKC Assoc. Inc. PHOTO: Commissioner Ed Olson gives up his hard hat and shovel so former Richland County Sheriff James Stierhoff can participate in the groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning. Dave Polcyn/News Journal Photo Galleries: * New Jail Ground Breaking Jail project gets underway By Jim Konkoly News Journal MANSFIELD -- Commissioner Tim Wert, the county's project manager on the new Richland County Jail, said the $21.4 million facility will do more than save taxpayers money. It also will prevent the city and county from being sued in federal court for housing prisoners in outdated and overcrowded jails, Wert said at the groundbreaking Friday. File downloads: * PDF: First floor plan for the new Richland County Jail * PDF: Artist's rendering of the south elevation of the new Richland County Jail * PDF: Artist's rendering of the north elevation of the new Richland County Jail * PDF: Sight plan for the new Richland County Jail * VIDEO: Ground breaking ceremony for the new Richland County Jail Read more at http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060916/NEWS01/609160314/1002/rss01 Grant could defray $21.4 million taxpayer burden for jail project By Jim Konkoly News Journal The bill for constructing the new county-city jail, paid by Mansfield and county taxpayers, could be cut by nearly half. That will happen if the legislature approves the city-county request for a $10 million state grant for the estimated $21.4 million project. Read more at http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060916/NEWS01/609160313/1002/rss01
September 21, 200618 yr From the 9/18/06 Dispatch: CONSTRUCTION ZONE Hotel chain converting AmeriSuites to new Hyatt Place concept Monday, September 18, 2006 Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Hyatt Corp. is rolling out a hotel concept at two central Ohio properties, a strategy that’s aimed at a younger crowd. Hyatt acquired 161 AmeriSuites hotels early this year and is converting nearly all of them to Hyatt Place hotels. Construction will begin in October on the AmeriSuites at 6161 Park Center Circle N. in Columbus, near the Mall at Tuttle Crossing. The other AmeriSuites in central Ohio, at 7490 Vantage Dr. in Worthington, will be converted in 2007. Hyatt Place is a limited-service concept that is designed to compete with Hilton Garden Inn and Courtyard by Marriott, said Richard Morgan, managing director of Hyatt subsidiary Select Hotels. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/18/20060918-F4-01.html
September 24, 200618 yr From OSU Extension, 9/19/06: Construction of New 4-H Building Begins Published on 09/19/2006 By Martha Filipic, OSU Extension COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The construction of a new youth development center for Ohio State University Extension's 4-H program has begun. The new Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center is being constructed near the northwest corner of Lane Avenue and Fred Taylor Drive, just west of the Schottenstein Center. Construction began the first week of September, said Bill McCleery, Ohio State University's development officer for Ohio 4-H. The projected completion date is December 2007. Turner Construction Company is managing the project and overseeing the 11 companies chosen to do the work. "We are excited to finally be under way and look forward to being operational in early 2008," said Jeff King, State 4-H Leader and assistant director for OSU Extension. The center will be the first "green" building on the Ohio State campus, with its design focused on energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. Marilyn Johnson-Masters, whose late husband, famed agricultural broadcaster Ed Johnson, served as the first chairman of the campaign, said, "It’s a great day for the youth of Ohio. Ed’s dream is becoming a reality. He would be so pleased." McCleery said fundraising for the project is ongoing. The goal is $15.5 million, which includes funds for both the construction and an endowment for the new center. Read more at http://www.ofbf.org/page/REVN-6TSHPC/?OpenDocument
September 24, 200618 yr From the 9/20/06 Bellfontaine Examiner: PHOTO: Local and state officials talked Tuesday about plans to rehabilitate Court Avenue. From left, are: Downtown Bellefontaine Partnership Executive Director Susan Froebe, architect Karen Beasley, Susan Gasbarro of the Ohio Department of Transportation, Nancy Campbell of the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Monica Kuhn of the Ohio Department of Transportation, DBP member Joanne Ritter, Logan County Historical Society Director Todd McCormick and City Engineer Tim Notestine. EXAMINER PHOTO | JOEL E. MAST Planners want Court Avenue to keep historical designation By Joel E. Mast Bellefontaine Examiner Staff Writer 09/20/06 State transportation officials have promised grant money to help rework Court Avenue. Now, local preservationists want to make sure the plans won’t jeopardize the street’s designation on the National Registry of Historic Places. Tuesday, representatives of the Downtown Bellefontaine Partnership Inc., Todd McCormick of the Logan County Historical Society and City Engineer Tim Notestine met with three state officials for tips on what will keep Court Avenue’s historical significance as the oldest concrete street in the nation. “It is truly one of the highlights of Ohio history,” said Nancy Campbell, who reviews transportation projects for the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. The DBP headed up the grant application with the intention of replacing the concrete street with new concrete. Slabs of the original concrete would be placed in an area that would be off limits to motor vehicle traffic. Past efforts in 1962 and the 1990s to patch damaged areas are failing faster than the original concrete, Mr. Notestine said. MORE: http://www.examiner.org/news9.20.php
September 25, 200618 yr From Northwest-Columbus News, 9/20/06: Survey: Residents, patrons bullish on Columbus Square 60 percent of respondents say they shop at the center once a week. By JENNIFER WRAY George Hadler The Columbus Square Shopping Center has an approval rating President George W. Bush "would kill for," said its owner, George Hadler. That said, the Hadler Cos. would like to see the shopping center surpass the 73 percent approval rating it received from the 529 patrons, tenants and area residents questioned. Despite the "pleasant surprise" of such a strong rating, the company is "really not satisfied, ourselves, with the center," said Hadler, former president of the Northland Area Business Association, which he contracted with to perform the survey. The shopping center, which has about an 82 percent occupancy rate, has Columbus Square Bowling Palace and Kroger as its anchors. Read more at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS9-20/9-20_nnwehadler.html
September 25, 200618 yr It’s a natural Downtown projects taking steps to be more environmentally friendly Monday, September 25, 2006 Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A rooftop garden will insulate the former Lazarus department store Downtown and collect rainwater to flush the building’s toilets when it is reborn as government offices in January. Such environmentally friendly building principles were little more than wishful thinking when the Columbus Green Building Forum organized its first seminar in 2004. Now, they’re the order of the day for some of the highest-profile projects in development. The Columbus Audubon Center at the Whittier Peninsula is the latest notable building project in central Ohio to go green. Other major projects that are to follow green building principles: • The new Franklin County courthouse, to be built on four blocks Downtown off S. High Street. • Huntington Park, the new home of the Columbus Clippers, to be built off Neil Avenue in the Arena District. • A North Side subdivision off Woodland Avenue called Green View Estates, being developed by MiraCit and area homebuilders on land donated by the city of Columbus. It could include energy-saving windows; low-flow faucets, shower heads and toilets; and decks and flooring made from recycled plastic. • A Honda research building in Marysville that uses an energy-saving air-conditioning system and recently earned the building council's LEED certification. More at http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/25/20060925-A1-00.html
September 25, 200618 yr Everyone wants to be like Chicago. Certainly good to see, but from what I've read/watched, these really don't make much of a dent in the big picture.
September 26, 200618 yr Every good movement starts with small steps. I look at it this way: at least they doing something and not just throwing up more buildings that gulp energy like a kid with a Slurpee at 7-Eleven.
September 26, 200618 yr Yep...practices like these don't just become mainstream overnight. I'm also proud of the local government for pushing green building.
September 28, 200618 yr RECCHIE DESIGN AWARD 2 familiar names land on urban finalist list Structures in Italian Village, Downtown vying for top prize Thursday, September 28, 2006 Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/28/20060928-C6-01.html Two projects Downtown and two in Italian Village will compete for the city’s highest urban-design award. Each of the four finalists for Columbus Landmarks Foundation’s James B. Recchie Design Award already has been recognized for excellence either locally or nationally. Recchie award finalists announced yesterday at a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum are: • The Loann Crane Center for Design and quadrangle, 112 Cleveland Ave., at the Columbus College of Art & Design. Winner of a 2005 honor award from Columbus chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the 51,000-square-foot building houses classrooms and student studios, a student lounge, cafe and fitness center. The green space and walkways replace a parking lot. • Berry Brothers Bolt Works, 350 E. 1 st Ave., next to Jeffrey Place in Italian Village. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.
September 28, 200618 yr Better not be North Bank Park. Like I said before, there are no sizeable trees (all very young and won't provied shade for years) and the trails are concrete. It's more lawn than park.
September 28, 200618 yr ^But if you're in the mood to splash around in a fountain, North Bank Park cannot be beat.
September 28, 200618 yr Better not be North Bank Park. Like I said before, there are no sizeable trees (all very young and won't provied shade for years) and the trails are concrete. It's more lawn than park. Usually, 99% of new landscaped parks/plazas start off with smaller trees. They are banking for a 20-30 year future. That park should be fine later on. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 28, 200618 yr When the decision is between a cool fountain or older trees, planners are going to take the cool fountain anyday. Trees will get bigger, but the odds that someday there will be $$$ in the budget to install that fountain are slim to none.
September 28, 200618 yr From Business First of Columbus, 9/22/06: DeVere considers putting condos in building on developing N. Third Business First of Columbus - September 22, 2006 by Brian R. Ball, Business First The North Third Street entry to downtown Columbus could land another condominium construction project next year. Developer Don DeVere in September bought a 25,000-square-foot commercial building at 232 N. Third St. with tentative plans to develop about 15 residences in the building. The project would follow an 11-condo project at 225 N. Fourth St., where DeVere LCC delivered its first residence a few weeks ago. The building also has ground-floor retail space for sale. "I like that location," the developer said of North Fourth and North Third streets corridor. "There's a lot happening in that area of downtown." The building, formerly anchored by the Eagle tavern, has three floors at its front and four stories at the rear. Similar to the North Fourth property, the Third Street project would use exposed interior brick, maple floors and timber joists to attract buyers interested in loft living, he said. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/09/25/story8.html
September 29, 200618 yr It is truly one of the highlights of Ohio history I wouldn't go that far, but I'm always a fan of preservation.
October 2, 200618 yr From ThisWeek Worthington, 9/28/06: Development commission says yes to Chambrey with stipulations Dominion wants to negotiate 'pay as we grow' price tag Thursday, September 28, 2006 By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Staff Writer The Columbus Development Commission has given conditional approval to Chambrey, a 317-acre residential development on Cosgray Road on the Northwest side. The CDC on Sept. 14 voted 5-0 on a change in zoning from rural residential to planned unit development, or PUD, and limited institutional districts. Developer Dominion Homes, however, must meet several conditions before the staff submits the rezoning to Columbus City Council, which will have the final say on the project. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=worthington&story=sites/thisweeknews/092806/Worthington/News/092806-News-232883.html
October 7, 200618 yr From Northwest-Columbus News, 10/4/06: NWCA seeks info about Village plans By LYNDSEY TETER Rumblings of an old proposition are bubbling to the surface again in Northwest Columbus. Rosemarie Lisko, zoning trustee for the Northwest Civic Association, submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the city of Columbus regarding a development proposal turned down by NWCA and the Columbus Development Commission more than two years ago. Lisko said she had heard from a source in city hall that a proposal for Linworth Village Center was back before the development department. In 2004, neighbors banned together to oppose a 20-acre development along state Route 161 by developer Arshot Investment Co. The potential Traditional Neighborhood Development, or TND, would have included small-scale commercial properties, a village green and up to 400 residences. Read more at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS10-4/10-4_nwnwca.html
October 10, 200618 yr From the 10/7/06 Dispatch: PHOTO: Three houses are waiting to be pulled down S. 4 th Street, but only two likely will make the move to E. Morrill Avenue, where lots are waiting for them. A deal on a lot for the third house fell through. KYLE ROBERTSON DISPATCH MAP Two houses ready to roll to new South Side lots Saturday, October 07, 2006 Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH They stand like sentries along S. 4 th Street on the South Side: three houses — two on wheels; the other, a duplex, on girders and wooden beams. The duplex likely will be demolished. But on Oct. 20, large trucks are scheduled to pull the wheeled houses slightly more than two blocks down 4 th to new lots on E. Morrill Avenue. Community Housing Development Inc. plans to sell the two homes after they are moved and rehabilitated, said Gary Davisson, the nonprofit group’s executive vice president. And that is what neighborhood leaders want to see. They fought to preserve the homes and hope they will help revitalize a troubled corner of their neighborhood. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/07/20061007-B1-04.html
October 17, 200618 yr Author Hey Columbus, go do something with your short east and west sides. we're waiting for cincy to finish the banks project first :D
October 20, 200618 yr From the Booster, 10/11/06: RENDERING: The renovated and enlarged Whetstone Recreation Center will include new wrap-around windows. Artist's rendition courtesy of Rogers Krajnak Architects RENDERING: The Whetstone Recreation Center's new receptionist's desk will offer a view of the entire first floor. Artist's rendition courtesy of Rogers Krajnak Architects Renovated rec center will be harder to miss The Sharon School site may host activities while the rec center is closed for renovations. By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF It's just too easy to drive by the Whetstone Recreation Center without noticing it. That's one of the problems Columbus Recreation and Parks officials hope to fix when the center is renovated and enlarged next year. Architect Peter Krajnak and Recreation and Parks Planning Administrator Alan McKnight presented plans for the center's renovation, as well as the new master plan for Whetstone Park, during the Clintonville Area Commission's monthly meeting Thursday. Read more at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS10-11/10-11_borenovation.html
October 23, 200618 yr From the 10/16/06 Dispatch: CONSTRUCTION ZONE Hayden Run corridor to be site of 104-unit Epcon condo project Monday, October 16, 2006 Mike Pramik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Epcon Communities has joined the action in the rapidly developing Hayden Run corridor. The Columbus condo builder has begun work at the Woods at Hayden Run, its first Hilliard project in 10 years. The 104-unit community is southwest of the intersection of Hayden Run and Leppert roads. Epcon is nearing completion on a community center and has framed up several of the condominiums. It’s been two years since city officials introduced the development plan in the Hayden Run corridor, and Epcon’s is among the first to get under way. "It’s a nice location because it’s in a part of town that can capitalize on the draw of Dublin, Hilliard and the city of Columbus," Epcon attorney Joel Rhoades said. Columbus is using the corridor as a test area for its "pay-as-we-grow" plan, which shifts some fiscal responsibility for infrastructure to developers. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/16/20061016-G6-01.html
October 23, 200618 yr From the 10/14/06 Mansfield News Journal: New home a boost to Chamber District By Linda Martz News Journal MANSFIELD -- The first four-bedroom home to be built in the neighborhood just west of downtown will be constructed in pieces during the next few weeks -- by Mansfield Correctional Institution inmates within prison walls. The prefabricated home will be trucked to 116 Bowman Street and assembled in a matter of days. It's not known yet who the purchaser will be. But Lexington native Kimberly Ramey says she's among those who would be happy to move into a newly built home in the Chamber District. http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061014/NEWS01/610140318/1002/rss01
October 26, 200618 yr From Business First of Columbus, 10/20/06: Columbus State's bookstore building last piece in real estate overhaul Business First of Columbus - October 20, 2006 by Jeff Bell Business First The final piece of a construction puzzle has fallen into place at Columbus State Community College's downtown campus. Anchored by the college's bookstore, the new Discovery Exchange building is a dramatic improvement to the corner of Cleveland and Mount Vernon avenues, said Columbus State Chief Financial Officer Terri Gehr. "This speaks to how we have changed the face of the Cleveland Avenue area," she said. The $8 million building, which will open Oct. 26, adjoins Columbus State's new $27 million Center for Workforce Development and Childhood Development Center. They replaced a group of rundown buildings that had provided makeshift space for some of the college's programs. The three buildings are part of a construction spree at Columbus State during the past 10 years that also added a parking garage off Washington Avenue, its signature red pedestrian bridge over Spring Street, and Davidson Hall off Spring Street and the Center for Technology and Learning along Mount Vernon Avenue. They were built in a period when Columbus State's enrollment rose from 16,340 in 1997 to 22,495 this fall. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/10/23/story9.html
October 30, 200618 yr Dispute over materials stalls Hunters Ridge work Rocky Fork Enterprise, 2/23/06 Renovations to the Hunters Ridge shopping center on Hamilton Road have hit a snag, delaying the process several months.
November 4, 200618 yr Regional planning commission names new director Texan aims to help MORPC broaden profile Saturday, November 04, 2006 Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A Texan has agreed to lead the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Chester R. Jourdan Jr., 47, is to join MORPC as executive director on Dec. 18, nearly 10 months after Bill Habig retired from the position. Jourdan has been executive director of the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission in Beaumont since 2000. He takes over as the regionalplanning commission seeks to broaden its influence on central Ohio. Upper Arlington City Manager and MORPC Chairwoman Virginia Barney said the board set new goals after Bill Habig left the top job in February after 35 years. She said Jourdan brings the vitality that board members wanted for MORPC’s next era. More at: http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/04/20061104-C4-00.html
November 4, 200618 yr I guess I could stand to scan my Beaumont, Tx photos I took in August. I didn't find that city that impressive. Then again, it's smaller than Baton Rouge (which itself is half the size of Columbus)
November 4, 200618 yr I guess what made my ears perk up was that he spent a fair amount of years working for the USDOT. That would certainly help in obtaining better funding for transit, rail and bikeways, since he would know his way through their system. But yeah, Magyar, I'm a little concerned about him coming from a much smaller, less urban and less sprawled community.
November 17, 200618 yr From the 11/7/06 Dispatch: Columbus may join rec-center craze Tuesday, November 07, 2006 Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Indoor pools and walking and running tracks. More weights and aerobics equipment. Larger fitness facilities. Community space. That’s what Columbus residents might see if the city acts on plans to build regional recreation centers similar to those in the suburbs. Four of the five "supercenters," as Northwest Side community leader John W. Best calls them, would be outside I-270. Those are areas where residents have long complained that Columbus hasn’t kept up with the city’s growth by building enough recreation facilities and parks. Mayor Michael B. Coleman asked officials to develop a prototype center. His administration is asking residents to weigh in during four meetings this month and next. The first is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Carriage Place Recreation Center, 4900 Sawmill Rd. As the city grew beyond I-270, recreation centers did not follow, said Alan McKnight, the planning administrator for the Recreation and Parks Department. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/07/20061107-A1-03.html
November 17, 200618 yr Rezoning sought for 73.2 acres ThisWeek Westerville, 2/23/06 Genoa Township Zoning Inspector Leslie Warthman wants the township to finish updating its 1999 comprehensive plan "ASAP."
November 20, 200618 yr From Business First of Columbus, 11/16/06: Agency OKs grant for south-side apartments Business First of Columbus - November 16, 2006 The Ohio Housing Finance Agency approved a $750,000 grant for an affordable housing initiative in south Columbus. Community Housing Network Inc., a Troy, Mich.-based economic development organization, will use the grant to build the 80-unit Southpoint Apartments on Southpoint Boulevard near Obetz. Housing developments in three other counties in Ohio will also receive a share of the $4.8 million in funding the agency released. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency is a state agency providing Ohio residents with affordable housing opportunities and financial resources for first-time home buyers and senior citizens. http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/11/13/daily27.html?from_rss=1
November 22, 200618 yr From ThisWeek Northland, 11/16/06: Albany Park Residents oppose plans for big-box retail Thursday, November 16, 2006 By RANDY NAVAROLI ThisWeek Staff Writer Albany Park residents are worried that a proposed SuperTarget near the intersection of state Route 161 and Hamilton Road could increase crime and decrease property values in their community, according to the president of their civic association. "This community won't support any type of big-box store in the area," said Albany Park Civic Association president Bob Thurman. "In fact, we're opposed to the entire development concept that is being pursued out here." Thurman said representatives of his organization, as well as the Rocky Fork Accord, New Albany County Club and the Reliable Retail Committee will meet with Casto officials to register their growing concerns. He could not yet provide a specific date for the meeting. "We have a whole host of concerns, including crime, property values, traffic, and the fact that the proposed development does not adhere to the Northland Standards," Thurman said. "This is a large plot of land we're talking about. We only have one shot to do it right. If we don't, future generations will suffer." Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=northland&story=sites/thisweeknews/111606/Northland/News/111606-News-262206.html
November 24, 200618 yr From the 11/17/06 Bucyrus Telegraph Forum: Hospital digs in for expansion Ground broken for Galion's latest growth spurt By Kimberly Gasuras Telegraph-Forum staff GALION -- Rebecca Miller, registered nurse and vice president of patient care at Galion Community Hospital, is excited about the latest expansion project being started at the hospital. "We have outgrown our space in the operating room. We cannot fit all of the new technology that we have in our rooms that were built in the 1970s. My O.R. nurses are so excited about the project," Miller said while at Thursday's groundbreaking of the expansion that will feature a new surgical suite and ambulatory surgery center. The expansion will be constructed on the west side of the current main entrance to the hospital facing Portland Way South and will feature 29,000 square feet of new and renovated space along with approximately 10,000 square feet of unassigned space for future growth of the facility. Read more at http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061117/NEWS01/611170302/1002/rss01
December 9, 200618 yr From the 12/5/06 Bucyrus Telegraph Forum: City OKs housing division Nod given to preliminary concepts By Kimberly Gasuras Telegraph-Forum staff BUCYRUS -- Project engineer Lyn Makeever presented a preliminary concept of a housing division to be built on Ohio 4 south of town near Carter Lumber on the Widman property. "The market studies show that this is the type of housing development Bucyrus needs," Makeever said as he went over plans for the proposed project with the planning commission Monday evening. Read more at http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/NEWS01/612050302/1002/rss01
December 10, 200618 yr Downtown living is on the rise as condos, townhomes go up In 1921, the House of Bobb opened as a grocery and food warehouse. Now the revamped building at 221 N. Front St. is selling something else: a vision of downtown Columbus as a place not just to work in, but to live in as well. Those who have so far bought into that vision include attorney Gordon Evans, who has shared his modern, brightly hued home with his wife, Becky, and dog, Randall, since the couple moved into the building, now known as the EcleXtion Lofts. The Evans' two-bedroom condominium includes walls painstakingly painted by Clintonville-based Mye-Lin Studios, ceiling-mounted speakers, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a balcony with a view of the city's skyline. "Each one of these units are set up so you can be creative," said Bill Shelby, president of Spectrum Properties, which developed the condominium with partner Jack Hoopes, president of Amlin Development. The price for the units ranges from $165,000 to $399,000 "before upgrades," said Shelby. But while only six units remain for sale at the EcleXtion Lofts, whose developers also are building City View at Third, more developments are springing up throughout Columbus' core, due in no small part to the Downtown Business Plan launched by Mayor Michael Coleman in 2002. The city presently has about 4,000 new condos in its Downtown, construction of which have been helped by $22 million in low-interest loans for new housing starts and renovations, as well as 10-year incentives that abate anywhere from 75 to 100 percent of the homeowners' real estate taxes. More at http://www.snponline.com/NEWS12-6/12-6_colcondos.html
December 11, 200618 yr City plans $100,000 study on making over Hamilton Road MARK FERENCHIK / COLUMBUS DISPATCH December 10, 2006 Map of Study Area COLUMBUS - The colorful dots on a map in Richard Hunt’s back office show why the general manager of Eastland Mall remains bullish about the future. The dots, about 50 of them, represent housing developments built recently or planned in southeastern Franklin County, western Licking County and Pickerington. They represent a growing market Hunt wants to tap and keep. That’s why he supports Columbus’ plan to spend $100,000 to study reinvigorating the aging commercial corridor along Hamilton Road. "All those new rooftops coming in. We just have to take care of that," said Hunt, who envisions a makeover for Hamilton similar to the one on Morse Road near the old Northland Mall site. City planning administrator Vince Papsidero said the city has an opportunity to capitalize on improvements that have been made in the area. Eastland Mall has expanded, and the new Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort is connected to a refurbished Holiday Inn. More at http://www.dispatch.com/2006/12/10/20061210-C5.html
December 12, 200618 yr When I lived near Eastland, I thought it was so silly that the area is unwalkable and has been since the area was developed in the '60s. There are muddy trails down both sides of the road where people walk in complete defiance of the system. It is most noticeable at the underpasses. No wonder the average Columbusite throws crap at pedestrians, yells at them and assumes that they are bums -- the infrastructure makes pedestrians LOOK like freaks. Morse Road is the same way.
December 12, 200618 yr ^Agreed. Columbus has some of the most depressing, wildly deteriorating mid-century suburban slums I've ever come across. Morse Road is a the top of my list, followed in close suit by 161--especially the parallel stretches between I-71 and Cleveland Ave. What amazes me about both of these roads is the lengths to which planners went to accomodate car volume. You look at those wierd service drives that run alongside the main road, and you realize they literally created sidewalks for cars. Yet both roads remain oddly congested. Probably because nobody is attempting to access the business frontage set ominously far back from the road. Strip malls anchored by Joann fabrics? Damn... Next most depressing area: the commercial implosion that is Westland. Malls anchored by the Hobby Lobby? Double damn... As someone alluded to in another thread, it makes you wonder what will become of Easton in 20-30 years. I think time will be more kind to Easton, mainly because its primary reference point is the America the Morse Roads and Northland Malls were attempting to reinvent. On a side note, I have patent pending on a little device designed to ease the social discomfort experienced by suburban pedestrians: handbags designed to look like gas cans.
December 13, 200618 yr Next most depressing area: the commercial implosion that is Westland. Malls anchored by the Hobby Lobby? Double damn... Or how about a strip mall anchored by a Odd Lots....that is going out of business! (Welcome to suburban Baton Rouge.....or Delaware, Ohio)
December 14, 200618 yr From the 12/11/06 Dispatch: PHOTO: Rendering of medical office buildings being developed by Drew Berlin and Colin Trueman in Hilliard MEACHAM & APEL ARCHITECT CONSTRUCTION ZONE Medical-office, retail project being developed in Mill Run area Monday, December 11, 2006 Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH While working as a contractor building Red Roof Inns, Drew Berlin got to know the hotel’s founders well. Years later, Berlin has joined with Colin Trueman, the son of Red Roof Inns founder Jim Trueman, to bring offices and retail shops to a slice of land near Mill Run in Hilliard. Berlin and Trueman are developing 22 acres near the corner of Trueman Boulevard and Hilliard Cemetery Road. Twelve acres will become medical office buildings and the remainder is being pitched to retail users. The developers are finishing two medical office buildings of 12,000 square feet each. They sold one building to a group of physicians and have three-fourths of the other building for sale. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/11/20061211-F6-00.html
December 15, 200618 yr From the 11/18/06 Dispatch: OHIO FRESH EGGS State should close farms, official says Saturday, November 18, 2006 Kelly Lecker THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohio’s largest egg producer lost a big battle in its fight to stay open when a state hearing officer said the agriculture department should revoke its permits. The ruling against Ohio Fresh Eggs, which has farms in Licking, Wyandot and Hardin counties, could mean that the company would have to sell its chickens and close the farm. It is the latest action in a long fight between the egg farm, its neighbors and state officials who had previously shut down Buckeye Egg Farm, the company’s previous owner. The state started steps to revoke the company’s permits in September 2005. It accused Ohio Fresh Eggs of failing to disclose that an egg farmer with a history of violations was involved in managing the farm. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/18/20061118-A3-03.html
December 15, 200618 yr From the 12/1/06 Dispatch: Ohio Egg’s permits pulled for not disclosing partner Friday, December 01, 2006 DISPATCH STATE SERVICE Assistant Agriculture Director Howard Wise revoked the permits of the state’s largest egg farm yesterday. The decision came after a state hearing officer ruled that the Agriculture Department had a right to revoke the 16 permits that allowed Ohio Fresh Eggs to operate 12 farms in Licking, Hardin and Wyandot counties. The state started the action because it said the owners of the egg farm failed to disclose on its application that a farmer with a history of environmental violations was involved in managing the farm. Ohio Fresh Eggs says Jack DeCoster, who has farms in Maine and Iowa, is merely a financial partner. The state says he is helping run the farm. If DeCoster’s name had been on the application, the state would have run a background check as required by Ohio law. Officials in Iowa gave DeCoster "habitual violator" status because he had so many violations on the farms in that state. Ohio Fresh Eggs bought the farm, formerly Buckeye Egg Farm, after the state revoked Buckeye Egg’s permits because of 10 contempt-of-court charges and a decade of environmental violations and complaints from neighbors about odor, manure runoff and fly problems. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/01/20061201-B3-05.html
December 16, 200618 yr A story I missed from ThisWeek Hilliard, 11/23/06: Columbus OKs Chambrey development Thursday, November 23, 2006 By GARY SEMAN JR. ThisWeek Staff Writer Columbus City Council has given its blessing to Chambrey, a 1,554-unit housing development in a burgeoning area of Northwest Columbus. Council approved two pieces of legislation on Monday night that allow Dominion Homes to build the single- and multi-housing development on 317 acres on Cosgray Road in the Hayden Run corridor. Council approved a rezoning that changed the parcel from rural residential to planned unit development, or PUD, and limited institutional districts. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=hilliard&story=sites/thisweeknews/112306/Hilliard/News/112306-News-265861.html
December 18, 200618 yr From ThisWeek Northland, 12/14/06: New developer changes plans for condos Thursday, December 14, 2006 By RANDY NAVAROLI ThisWeek Staff Writer Northland Community Council's development committee has given its approval to a local developer's plan to build a 101-unit condominium complex at the southeast intersection of Central College and Ulry roads, said committee chairman Jeff Murray. Planner Shannon Pine in the Columbus Department of Development said Dominion Homes had initially sought to develop the property but dropped out for unspecified reasons. Groveport-based M.H. Murphy Development Co. is now seeking permission to develop the 33-acre site where the proposed condominium development will be built. "The site is already zoned properly for the condos, but Murphy Development wants to build them in a little different configuration than Dominion was looking at," Pine said. Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=northland&story=sites/thisweeknews/121406/Northland/News/121406-News-277954.html
December 19, 200618 yr Real-estate revival afoot around Mill Run development Columbus Dispatch, 2/27/06 If real estate runs in cycles, it might be time for Mill Run to shift into another gear. After a period of dormancy, it appears the Hilliard-area development is waking up. For example: A CVS is being built, the closed Kmart is being marketed for a new tenant, and it looks like Kroger is taking steps to occupy part of the closed Big Bear in the Market at Mill Run shopping center. Are more changes in store for Mill Run, a 350-acre mixed-use development that's two-thirds in Columbus and a third in Hilliard?
December 19, 200618 yr FCC plans 3rd phase of north campus ThisWeek Grandview, 3/2/06 First Community Church is in the process of planning for the third phase of the development of its 20-acre north campus on Dublin Road, west of the Scioto River.
December 22, 200618 yr The Columbus Professional Firefighters Union bought the former Toledo & Ohio Central RR Depot on West Broad Street from the City of Columbus a couple of years ago. Work has already begun on the restoration and an addition. Just camne across the plans on the CPFF's website: You can go to the following links to what they are calling the "Station 67 " Project. http://www.local67.com/Portals/0/Documents/FIre%20Fighters%20Hall_web.pdf and for an overview: http://www.local67.com/Station67/tabid/76/Default.aspx
Create an account or sign in to comment