Still, there is a downside.

 

Leave it to Columbusite to always point out the "downside". :P

 

Seriously though, what would you propose as a solution? NRI doesn't own land in the center of Downtown. It's not as if they're making the decision between building these apartments at Neil & Vine or High & Gay. This doesn't work like Sim City where one magical person can just plop buildings down wherever they want, so to try to point out these types of theoretical "what if" scenarios is a pretty pointless exercise.

 

Anyway, I disagree that this development is as bad as you're trying to claim it is for the rest of Downtown. I don't think too many people (if any) are going to move out of existing residences Downtown to fill in these new ones the same way that new AD office space has pulled office tenants out of the core of Downtown.

 

At the end of the day, more people living in the urban core of the city is more people living in the urban core of the city.

 

Whether they're renting an apartment in the Arena District or a buying home in German Village or leasing a condo in Riversouth... all of these areas need more residents and the effects will be felt regionally throughout multiple Downtown neighborhoods. If you really want to see a greater retail presence throughout Downtown (and I know you do!), then those population numbers are going to have to keep rising across the board in every neighborhood for retail to make sense.

 

So that being said... bring it on, NRI.

Nationwide’s Flats at Vine apartment complex gets city approval

Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball

Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 2:58pm

 

The city’s Downtown Commission has approved plans for a 232-unit apartment complex off Vine Street and Neil Avenue.  The downtown planning panel voted 7-0 to approve the project from developer Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd. without conditions for further review.  The approval clears the way for starting construction on the $22 million Flats at Vine project in October.  The first units are projected to open in late 2010 with final delivery of units in 2011.

 

Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/09/28/daily13.html#

(This a daily story that is accessible to non-subscribers thru the link.)

 

1) Rendering of Flats on Vine project

 

2) Map of project location in the Arena District

Walker posted a series of renderings that give a better look at the newly approved 232-unit Flats On Vine apartment project at Vine Street and Neil Avenue.

 

From http://www.columbusunderground.com/arena-district-grows-with-flats-on-vine-apartments

Arena District Grows with Flats on Vine Apartments

 

The new project is called the “Flats on Vine” and will contain 232 apartment units housed in two 3-story buildings at the southeast corner of Neil Avenue and Vine Street.  Amenities include a swimming pool and fitness center for tenants.  The apartments will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with rents ranging between $700 and $1,500 per month and sizes ranging between 500 sqft and 1200 sqft.  Construction is scheduled to begin in October, with a late-2010-early-2011 completion date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.columbusunderground.com/arena-district-grows-with-flats-on-vine-apartments

Those would look nice... near Polaris.

How suburban. What a great way to make dead-at-streetlevel buildings and stifle the neighborhood's pedestrianism!

What exactly is "suburban" about this development? This isn't a row of mcmansions with 4 car garages and individual backyard- spaces.

And to be fair to the project, there are multiple front-lawn grass Tudor apartment buildings in Cleveland (and Cincinnati...and Columbus...and Dayton).  Could the project have been better with up to the street frontage?  Sure.  But that doesn't mean it is a "suburban" project just because it's all fancy'd up in clean renderings.

A bit of grass is no big deal. It's not like there's a retail component here nor is it necessary. NRI needs to fill in some retail spaces that have been sitting empty since the inception of the AD anyway.

It doesn't look suburban to me, but is certainly not appealing.  The Flats on Vine sign would be the first thing to go...unless it is for idiots who can't find their way home after a night of hard drinking.  Reminds me of something thrown up in the late 70s.  Guess that is retro enough! With all the other quality structures put up in the last few years, why settle for something so mediocre?

Big, homogeneous complex set back behind little raised grass hill with no street level entrance and big turnaround drive=suburban to me.  That doesn't necessarily mean bad, but when placed into the best new construction, large scale urban neighborhood in Ohio it does mean "out of place". 

 

And how wide is that street?  Those cars are swimming in those lanes like pleasure boats on the Mississippi.  :wink:

Agree with `x`.

 

Does this look like the type of development that would encourage pedestrians?  I'm sure some people will walk around that live there, but since they catered so much to cars, we're just continuing to feed into the `drive everywhere` mentality in ohio.  It's not urban.  Urban is walking downstairs to shops underneath your apartment and hopping on a bus, walking, or taking a train to get to where you need to go.  This is not that. 

 

More people is good, but it could be so much better and it seems we're locking ourselves into this for a long time because I doubt they will be willing to tear it down after building it (anytime soon at least).

 

And yes, walker, you're right... a grade of 92-100 = A, and 91-0 = F.  Whether or not you like that, this is supposed to be the premiere neighborhood/district in Ohio, and you're cool just settling for some crappy 3 story, car centric, set aside apartments.  They look more like what you would find up neil avenue behind the old Big Bear (you know those horrible apartments I'm talking about) than the brand new, super dense, pedestrian friendly arena district.

Not a fan of the Flats on Vine - where are the doors?  I'd rather see the ground floor units have front porches with stairs to the street-level, instead of those closed-off balconies.  Apparently you're only supposed to enter via the underground garage or the vehicle courtyard...

Like others, I'm a little underwhelmed by the initial Flats On Vine renderings.  But I don't think this is a disaster of the project.  At worse, it will add 232 apartment units in a downtown area that can really benefit from the additional residences.  But I think the Flats On Vine will be much better than its being portrayed.  In fact, I think this should contribute to the Arena District.  Here's why:

 

1) Although renderings are all we have the judge the project right now, sometimes renderings don't adequately capture how it ultimately will be.  I've seen other Arena District projects that looked mediocre in renderings but turned out wonderful in person. 

 

2) We have seen similar criticism of similar downtown residential developments.  The Neighborhood Launch development (Gay Street Condos) and the RiverSouth condos and apartments were labeled "suburban" by some.  They were also called "not dense enough" and "not compatible with the surroundings".  And both of these projects, once built, have now been embraced as very successful urban developments.

 

3) Consider who is doing the Flats On Vine.  Nationwide Realty Investors (NRI) is of course the developer of the Arena District.  The big-budget projects like Nationwide Arena and Huntington Park are rightly praised.  But NRI's portfolio of 10+ additional urban buildings in the Arena District is also quite impressive.  They show a thorough understanding of urban design and a commitment to quality construction.  Sullivan Bruck Architects are the designers of the Flats On Vine.  Sullivan Bruck also has an impressive urban residential portfolio that includes The Renaissance Condos at Third & Mound, The Treetops Condos in German Village and the Rich Street Walk Condos on East Rich Street in the Downtown. 

 

Given the previous positive experience that NRI and Sullivan Bruck bring to this project, I find it hard to believe they would produce something that is an embarrassment to the Arena District.

Some equipment is now on site over there. Certainly was fast, eh?

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/nri1.jpg">

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/nri2.jpg">

^ NRI does not mess around do they?  Here's an article about another land purchase NRI made on W. Nationwide Boulevard.  It's across the street from the Buggyworks building and includes a building that is used by Standard Parking Corp., which operates the Arena District parking garages and lots.  

 

Nationwide Realty goes west, banks additional land for Arena District

Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball

Friday, October 16, 2009

 

The anchor developer of the Arena District in Columbus is continuing its push west of Neil Avenue, purchasing 2.2 acres for $4 million this month.  NWD Investments LLC, a joint venture of Nationwide Realty Investors LLC and Capitol Square Ltd., on Oct. 7 bought a property at 401-403 W. Nationwide Blvd. as well as contiguous vacant parcels on Hanover Street and at 406 W. Spring St. from two Weasner family trusts.  The site is across Nationwide Boulevard from the Buggyworks residential and commercial condominiums and catty-corner from the right field entrance to Huntington Park.

 

Nationwide Realty spokeswoman Tina Guegold said the real estate development arm of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. had leased the site about three years ago for use by Standard Parking Corp., which operates the developer’s parking garages and lots.  The lease gave the developer a purchase option.  “We have no plans to develop the property at this point,” Guegold said.

 

MAP OF AREA SHOWING THE PURCHASED PROPERTY

 

Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/10/19/newscolumn1.html

That new chunk of land could be attractive for future development... as long as a Casino doesn't pop up across the street. ;)

Sin-tax idea likely being put on shelf

Lawmakers seek other ways to help the Blue Jackets

Tuesday,  June 2, 2009 - 3:06 AM

By Jim Siegel and Doug Caruso

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Local opposition and a less-than-stellar lobbying effort helped doom a plan to aid the Blue Jackets through increased sin taxes, but state lawmakers continue to search for ways to help the financially challenged hockey franchise.  Democratic lawmakers from Franklin County are expected to meet today with Blue Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell to discuss the team's situation.  They likely will be searching for plan B, as the team's tax proposal appears all but dead.  "I don't know that it has any supporters," said Rep. Tracy Heard, D-Columbus.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/02/arena_news.ART_ART_06-02-09_A1_F0E24PQ.html?sid=101

 

In addition to the Arena District's casino issue, it looks the Blue Jackets / Nationwide Arena lease issue hasn't gone away.  Above is the most recent article from June 2009.  Below is an article from today's Dispatch.

 

Saving the Jackets

Unless relief can be provided from a problematic lease and other financial burdens, Columbus eventually could lose its NHL team, consultant's report says

Thursday,  November 5, 2009 - 6:00 AM

By Bill Bush and Barbara Carmen

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The Columbus Blue Jackets could leave central Ohio if the team can't fix an economic model that is causing losses of $12 million a year, according to a report issued today by the Columbus Chamber.  But a deal to keep the hockey team here and the Arena District alive -- the team and the district generated $30 million in taxes last year -- probably will include asking for public dollars, and soon.  "We believe there is a sense of urgency here," said Ty D. Marsh, chamber president and CEO.  "We're looking for a solution or progress by the end of the year."

 

Marsh said the goal would be a financial package that would relieve the Blue Jackets of significant costs, potentially including $5 million a year in arena rent and $4 million in operational losses.  "The current ownership group is not in a position to continue to deal with the arena's structural (financial) problem," said Mike Priest, president of the Blue Jackets.  Priest declined to answer whether the team could leave Columbus absent bankruptcy, given its long-term lease with Nationwide Arena.  A discussion of whether a move to another city is possible "to us, is not fruitful," he said.  "We're just trying to educate that (public support) is what a sustainable model looks like."

 

Full story at http://dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/11/05/jackets_study.ART_ART_11-05-09_A1_B1FJ0I3.html?sid=101

Officials: Help the Jackets? Sure, but...

Sales, income taxes ruled out, but other options still in play

Friday,  November 6, 2009 - 3:10 AM

By Barbara Carmen and Robert Vitale

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Columbus and Franklin County officials say they won't spend sales- or income-tax dollars to bail out the Blue Jackets or buy Nationwide Arena.  But they concurred yesterday with a report commissioned by the Columbus Chamber: Government must help keep the National Hockey League franchise in town and the Arena District thriving.

 

Franklin County commissioners called the district an engine of economic development, but pledged that "Franklin County tax dollars will not be used."  Mayor Michael B. Coleman and City Council members, who spent the summer persuading voters to approve higher income taxes, said they won't spend general-fund money to save professional hockey in Columbus.  That still leaves plenty of possibilities, outlined in the report that ties the Columbus Blue Jackets' financial troubles to having to lease and manage the arena.

 

Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/06/CBJ_reax.ART_ART_11-06-09_A1_D3FJDFB.html?sid=101

Point person named on Blue Jackets' financial situation

Friday, December 4, 2009

By Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch

 

The former head of a downtown development group will lead efforts to shore up the shaky finances of the Columbus Blue Jackets by seeking new terms for its lease on Nationwide Arena.  Mayor Michael B. Coleman's office announced that John Rosenberger, the retired executive director of Capitol South Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., will seek a solution among team owners and officials, arena owners, and city and county leaders.

 

Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/12/04/Point-person-named-on-Blue-Jackets-financial-troubles.html

Johio, I don't know if this was the TV news story you were talking about, but I found this on the NBC4 website.

 

NBC4 LINK w/ VIDEO:  Arena District Businesses Worry About Jacket’s Future

The Blue Jackets poor performance on the ice and their financial mess are getting some to wonder, for better or for worse, what life in the Arena District might be like without them. One of the news stations had a bumper about this topic for the 11 o'clock news last night. I don't regularly watch TV news so I didn't see it but I just wanted to get some thoughts.

 

Here's my two cents on what losing the Blue Jackets would mean for Columbus and the Arena District.  And by the way, I'm currently 99.9% sure that the Jackets stay.  Columbus has the population, the economy and the desire to host professional sports.  The biggest impediment to a professional team locating in Columbus is because Columbus is late to the game.  Cleveland and Cincinnati already have MLB and NFL teams - so cross baseball and football off the list.  Cleveland has a NBA team - so cross basketball off the list.  Only professional hockey and soccer was not already spoken for in Ohio.  So that's why Columbus has the Blue Jackets and the Crew.  And between MLS and the NHL, hockey has a higher nationwide profile than soccer (although its still recovering from its 2004-2005 lockout).  So losing the Blue Jackets would a huge blow to Columbus' pride - as well as an economic hit.

 

Because of this, I think too many people need the Jackets to stay - as much for civic reasons as for economic interests.  Also, it appears the primary reason for the Jackets financial troubles is a bad arena lease between it and Nationwide.  And leases can be changed.  However, to do this will require alot of powerful egos (i.e. Nationwide, Blue Jackets, City, County) to come together and agree to any changes.  So though it will take time, I do think the steps to stabilize the Jackets' finances will be taken.  And it looks like that process is underway.

 

But for the sake of discussion, if the Jackets left...

 

The Jackets did leave during the NHL lockout of 2004-2005.  And it was pretty brutal for the many restaurants and bars in the Arena District.  Most stayed in business.  But only because the Arena District landlord, Nationwide, cut rents by at least 50% during the lockout.  And only because the lockout eventually ended.  However, the Arena District has diversified since 2005.  Huntington Park opened last year.  More office buildings have opened since 2005.  And more condominiums have opened since 2005.  So the economic impact of losing the Jackets probably would be less in 2010 than it was in 2005.  But if you have ever seen the bars and restaurants just before and just after a Blue Jackets game, taking away that amount of customers would not be good for the district's health.

 

However, losing the Blue Jackets wouldn't kill the Arena District.  But it might be like breaking the Arena District's legs.  It wouldn't be dead, but it wouldn't feel good. 

 

The biggest impediment to a professional team locating in Columbus is because Columbus is late to the game.  Cleveland and Cincinnati already have MLB and NFL teams - so cross baseball and football off the list.  Cleveland has a NBA team - so cross basketball off the list.

 

I don't necessarily agree. Either Columbus, Cincinnati or Pittsburgh could use an NBA team. Unlike in baseball and football, this part of the country is underserved by the NBA. Trouble is, these cities' arenas are a bit small by NBA standards, though I'm not totally familiar with Pittsburgh's facilities.

 

The biggest impediment to a professional team locating in Columbus is because Columbus is late to the game. Cleveland and Cincinnati already have MLB and NFL teams - so cross baseball and football off the list. Cleveland has a NBA team - so cross basketball off the list.

 

I don't necessarily agree. Either Columbus, Cincinnati or Pittsburgh could use an NBA team. Unlike in baseball and football, this part of the country is underserved by the NBA. Trouble is, these cities' arenas are a bit small by NBA standards, though I'm not totally familiar with Pittsburgh's facilities.

 

Nationwide Arena is not a small arena by NBA standards. It's most definitely big enough for the NBA. The real question is if Columbus is big enough to support another major league professional sport.

I am not the savviest one out there when it comes to sports. I was under the impression that NBA arenas held like 30,000 people.

Check out this link GCrites80s - http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance

 

Most arenas seat 18,000 to 20,000 for basketball.

Arena Grand Theater to open new 3-D screen

 

The Arena Grand movie theater today will unveil its first 3-D-equipped auditorium, showing the sci-fi blockbuster Avatar.  The technology was originally set to arrive with the March 5 opening of Alice in Wonderland, but the blue-skinned aliens of Pandora wouldn’t be denied.

 

The Downtown venue converted its third-largest auditorium — with a 274-seat capacity — using technology from the 3-D system provider RealD.

 

From: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2010/02/19/1A_OSCAR_SHORTS.ART_ART_02-19-10_D1_SRGKEL9.html?sid=101

One of the co-founders of the pro-Blue Jackets staying in Columbus group, Forward Together Columbus, that was mentioned earlier in this thread, has a letter to the editor in today's Dispatch: 

 

Letter To The Editor: Blue Jackets bring more than hockey to Columbus

 

Website: http://www.forwardtogethercolumbus.org/

The foundation work for the "Flats on Vine" looks to be mostly complete:

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/construction9.jpg">

 

Excerpt from Columbus Business First regarding the ongoing Blue Jackets' financial situation.  Much of their financial difficulties involve the Blue Jackets' existing lease with the Nationwide Arena.  This article explores a possible public buyout of the privately owned Nationwide Arena.  This could be part of a reworking of their lease with Nationwide Arena - which could stabilize the finances of the Blue Jackets.

 

 

Public hand is gaining ground as fix for Jackets’ financial woes

Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell

Friday, March 19, 2010

 

The city and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority in December hired attorney John Rosenberger to pull together a plan to address the team’s problems.  Rosenberger told Columbus Business First that talks on the plan continue, but he declined to provide specifics or say when he will make recommendations.  Sources familiar with the discussions have said a possible solution involves the Convention Facilities Authority issuing bonds to buy the arena and then arranging new lease terms with the Blue Jackets. 

 

The convention authority, which operates the Greater Columbus Convention Center, would pay down the bond debt with revenue from sources such as a tax on alcohol sales or an increase in the city’s hotel bed or car rental taxes.  An alcohol sales tax could be limited to establishments in the Arena District and adjacent areas that benefit from arena events, said the sources who did not want to be identified.

 

Such an approach would be an alternative to the idea for a countywide “sin tax” on alcohol and cigarettes.  That plan incurred public wrath last year after lobbyists for beer and tobacco interests blew the whistle on behind-the-scenes talks in which the state would have given Franklin County the authority to impose such a tax to fund a county purchase of Nationwide Arena.

 

MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/03/22/story7.html

Jackets notebook: Finances hold up All-Star bid

NHL wants Jackets to solve lease problem first

Saturday,  March 20, 2010 - 2:53 AM

By Tom Reed, The Columbus Dispatch

 

The NHL will not allow the Blue Jackets to play host to an NHL All-Star Game until the franchise resolves its arena lease issues, The Dispatch has learned.  The Blue Jackets, who have bid on the 2013 game, were told by commissioner Gary Bettman that the organization must first stabilize its financial situation, an NHL source said.  The Blue Jackets' $5 million annual rent for Nationwide Arena and $4 million annual losses to run it are the biggest financial obstacles facing the franchise.

 

Critics might suggest that the league and club are using the All-Star Weekend and the millions it would generate for central Ohio as political leverage to broker a deal.  The 2008 All-Star Game, for example, had a $20 million economic impact for Atlanta, the Atlanta Sports Council says. 

 

Officials involved in talks to find a solution to the team's financial troubles recently hinted that a plan taking shape includes public ownership of the arena.  The Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority has been considered a potential partner.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.bluejacketsxtra.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/03/20/finances-hold-up-all-star-bid.html?sid=101

Another interesting interview over at Columbus Underground.  Walker Evans interviews one of people behind Forward Together Columbus, a local citizen-led effort that supports fixing the funding issues between Nationwide Arena and the Blue Jackets.

 

Forward Together Columbus Seeks Fix for Jackets

By Walker | April 18, 2010 - 9:00am

 

For the past year, there have been ongoing discussions about the future of Nationwide Arena and the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The team is losing money, and discussion between The Jackets, Nationwide Realty Investors, The City of Columbus and Franklin County have not yet provided a plan for addressing the issue of retaining the team.

 

Several months ago, the Forward Together Columbus committee was launched as a citizen-led effort seeking to rally community support for fixing the funding issues and keeping the Blue Jackets in Columbus.  We recently sat down with John Bentine, Co-Chair of Forward Together Columbus, to find out more about this initiative.

 

FULL INTERVIEW: http://www.columbusunderground.com/forward-together-columbus-seeks-fix-for-jackets

From the Q & A in the above interview were links to an excellent four-part series of articles about the Blue Jackets/Nationwide Arena leasing issues at The Hockey Writers website.  Lots and lots of information.  Very comprehensive and insightful.

 

The Arena Chronicles or What’s Going on in Columbus?

Columbus Blue Jackets and Their Ugly Arena Lease

 

• Part I - Where We Are Today 

 

• Part II - How We Got Here  

 

• Part III - Where We Go From Here  

 

• Part IV - Arena Requires Public Participation  

From: OSU may take over management of Nationwide Arena

and

Lease talks: Is there good news for Nationwide Arena?

 

Ohio State University and the Columbus Blue Jackets are close to a deal that would put OSU's Schottenstein Center and the privately owned Nationwide Arena under joint management.  The agreement would be one piece of a larger plan to eliminate the hockey team's yearly deficit and ensure its future in Columbus.

 

Under an agreement that OSU and Blue Jackets officials said could be finalized within two weeks, the university would manage both arenas and handle bookings for concerts and other events.  That would save at least $1 million annually for each side because of lower administrative costs and better leverage in booking.  Ohio State manages the Schottenstein Center with its own staff.

 

Other sources told The Dispatch yesterday that the rest of the pieces of a deal to stabilize the Blue Jackets are still months from final form.  But ideas are emerging:

 

• Nationwide Arena could become the property of the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, a public agency.  Currently, the Blue Jackets rent Nationwide Arena from the Nationwide insurance company and other owners for $5 million a year.  The new owner would not charge the Blue Jackets rent.

 

• Nationwide could cut its asking price for the arena and could pay for naming rights.

 

• Public money could come from several potential sources, including the taxes to be paid by Ohio's newly approved casinos or through another attempt to impose a rental-car tax that Columbus voters rejected in 2002.

 

The last option could face an electoral hurdle because the city charter says ordinances rejected by voters can't be reimposed without their approval.  Mayor Michael B. Coleman said ideas are bandied about regularly among those involved in the talks.  But no solution is imminent, he said yesterday.  "It's not soup yet."

Deal signed for OSU to help manage Nationwide Arena

University to book nonsports events

Wednesday,  May 12, 2010 - 2:54 AM

By Encarnacion Pyle, Kevin Joy and Aaron Portzline

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A deal that will make Ohio State University largely the manager of both Nationwide Arena and the Schottenstein Center could be a good one for fans - and part of an eventual plan to rescue the Columbus Blue Jackets from money problems.  A contract has been signed, but Ohio State officials would not release details of the pact, which runs through June 30, 2011.  They said it's still under legal review.

 

Other elements of a solution for the Blue Jackets, the main tenant at Nationwide, could be months away.  Currently, the Blue Jackets rent Nationwide Arena from the Nationwide insurance company and other owners for $5 million a year.  The team pays SMG, a Pennsylvania-based management company, to run the venue.

 

The co-management deal was on a fast track because the team's contract with SMG, which has run the arena since the facility opened in 2000, expires June 30.  Ohio State won't start co-managing Nationwide Arena until July 1, but it started scheduling and booking acts this week.  However, the university won't book sporting events for Nationwide.

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/12/osu-to-help-guide-arenas.html?sid=101

Handicappers make Penn long shot to recover cash

Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell

Friday, May 7, 2010

 

Penn National Gaming is facing long odds in recovering the $36 million it spent on the Arena District site where it once planned to build its Columbus casino.  Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment May 4 to move the casino site from downtown to Columbus’ west side.  That means Penn National can no longer develop a casino on the 24-acre site off West Nationwide Boulevard. 

 

The site may be best suited for housing, but even the best land for apartments sells for $250,000 an acre.  It’s a complex question, but ultimately Penn National will have to take a loss on the Arena District property, said Michael Copella, a vice president with Alterra Real Estate Advisors in Columbus.  “But the loss they’ll see in the Arena District,” he said, “can be spread over what they’ll gain on the west side.”

 

The property has the potential to be developed into a 1,200-residence community, said Kyle Katz, developer of the neighboring Buggyworks condominium and office complex on West Nationwide Boulevard.  “I don’t think you can find 24 assembled acres on a river and on a street like Nationwide Boulevard anyplace else in this city,” he said.  “It’s a perfect situation for high-density residential.”

 

Jeff Wittmann, whose company owns the Belmont Block building between West Nationwide Boulevard and West Spring Street, said his best guess is the property will be developed as housing, adding to the condos and apartments built by Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd., developer of the Arena District.  But it can be hard to read Nationwide’s intentions on property acquisitions, he said.  “It depends what their appetite is at any given time,” Wittmann said. “They don’t do things unless it’s on their schedule. Ultimately they would be the best buyer.”

 

MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/05/10/story3.html

Could we fit a new Crew Stadium in that area?

Personally, I'd rather see NRI buy the land and proceed with the 1000-unit residential neighborhood that Plaza Properties had originally planned for that site. ;)

NATIONWIDE | THE SCHOTT

OSU keeps arena deal a secret

Sunday, May 30, 2010 - 3:00 AM

By Encarnacion Pyle, The Columbus Dispatch

 

Ohio State University says it doesn’t matter financially where a performer lands — at Nationwide Arena or the Schottenstein Center — because the two venues will co-promote most events and share some of the profits.

 

But Columbus taxpayers can’t examine the financial details of the management deal because Ohio State won’t release that information, saying it is protected by trade-secret laws.  After Dispatch requests, Ohio State released the 14-month contract. But the university blacked out details on revenue distribution, “house package” expenses and exclusive sponsors.

 

OSU’s Xen Riggs said the revenue-sharing agreement won’t be made public because companies that do business with the arenas could use that information to drive a wedge between Ohio State and the Columbus Blue Jackets — undermining their agreement to make the choice of arena “revenue-neutral.”

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/30/osu-keeps-arena-deal-a-secret.html?sid=101

The foundation work for the "Flats on Vine" looks to be mostly complete:

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/construction9.jpg">

An update on the Flats on Vine apartment project construction.  An earlier post said the building closest to Neil Avenue would be finished and available for occupancy in late 2010.  A second building would be finished in 2011.  These photos are about six months after Walker's previous photo.

 

The building at the corner of Neil Avenue and Vine Street, one of two buildings in the total project.

 

 

This is the same building further up Vine Street.

 

 

A view from further up Vine Street looking back toward Neil Avenue. 

The second building that would be completed in 2011 is in the foreground. 

The previous building to be completed this year is in the background.

 

Going up fast...just like the replacement building on Grandview Ave and Grandview Yard.

The Flats On Vine project has a website now.

 

FLATS ON VINE WEBSITE - HOME PAGE

I had a look at their website...the apartments look ok from the floor plans shown , but certainly are no bargain.  They could have picked better names for the models and not fallen into the California naming convention...it is certainly pretentious to call a studio apartment a "flat".  The exterior design is hideous, but again, could have been worse. The plus is that the are has some nice fairly upscale housing added, which is both convenient to downtown and the Short North.

 

Question for Columbusites: is a rental fee something normal there?  Seems to be guilding the lily.  Seems utterly ridiculous to pay a fee in addition to a deposit!  Should be illegal.  Isn't there a maximum move in charge?  If an agency is handling this, they are charging the owner a percentage as well.  Seems shady at best. 

Frog Bear replacement opens just in time for hockey season

Friday, October 8, 2010, 4:46pm EDT

Dan Eaton, Columbus Business First

 

Tim Emery, the operator of two Boston’s Gourmet Pizza restaurants in Central Ohio, including one in the Arena District, got the keys to the former Frog Bear & Wild Boar tavern this week and had been working quickly to reopen it as 343 Front, just in time for the start of the NHL season next door.

 

If you stop in over the coming weeks, don’t get too attached to the name, menu or decor.  Emery plans to rechristen the establishment the Tavern on Front and gradually change the interior and food lineup in the upcoming months.  “We obviously didn’t want to do that at the doorstep of hockey season,” he said.  “Long-term, we’ll renovate into Tavern on Front.”

 

Columbus Business First reported on the closing of the popular Frog Bear in its Friday print edition.  Nationwide Realty Investors LLC terminated the Frog Bear lease last week and turned to Emery’s Trinity Management Group Arena District LLC.  Nationwide Realty spokeswoman Tina Guegold said Frog Bear violated the terms of its lease, but she wouldn’t be specific.

 

MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2010/10/frog_bear_replacement_opens_just_in_time_for_hockey_season.html

 

I like this bar alright, but didn't like saying the name. I always pictured the characters from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride making a wrong turn into there and having misadventures.

Flats on Vine tweaks what’s working at nearby Arena Crossing complex

Business First - by Brian R. Ball

Date: Friday, December 17, 2010, 6:00am EST

 

The developer of the Arena District has begun opening sections of its second rental housing complex in hopes of capturing young downtown workers and others looking for an urban lifestyle.

 

Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd.’s Flats on Vine has 50 of 226 apartments ready for renting.  Contractors are scheduled to complete 17 to 18 units every few weeks through early April.  Residents have already moved into 40 finished units in the complex at Vine Street and Neil Avenue in Columbus.

 

Flats on Vine follows the Arena Crossing apartments, which Nationwide Realty opened about five years ago a block to the east, at Vine and North Front streets.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2010/12/17/flats-on-vine-tweaks-whats-working-at.html

 

Looks like the empty space at Neil & Nationwide is about to be filled

The use of the word "tower" really loses its punch when it refers to a 6 story building!

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/03/31/arena-district-to-fill-last-gap-with.html

Here's a rendering.

 

That lot desperately needs it!

I really like the narrow yellow brick part of the structure at the corner. Perhaps the old Columbia Gas building can be converted to additional residential for RiverSouth.

Does that also eliminate the lot to the north?