(article about the High Street reconstruction and streetscape improvements project going on in Clintonville deleted by the original poster)

Clintonville - North High Street Corridor Market Study and Action Plan from 1999

 

http://knowlton.osu.edu/library/files/ClintonvilleMarketStudy.pdf

Awesome

I'm not overly impressed by the project. They did repair the sidewalks and gutters, but that appears to be it. No new lighting, no burried telephone wires, no new trees. Maybe those are coming last, but every time I drive up that section of High St., I can't help but think the completed areas don't look much different than they did before.

From ThisWeek Newspapers, 7/21/05:

 

 

High Street construction project continues its move south

Thursday, July 21, 2005

By GARY SEMAN JR.

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

In the next few days, the orange barrels and yellow tape are moving south down High Street.  But that's not soon enough for Melissa Goodrich, the owner of Colonial Candy Shoppe who's seen a 5 percent dip in sales since the construction zone was planted in front of her store six weeks ago.

 

"It really has been a challenge," Goodrich said. The physical barriers have taken away valuable parking in front of the store, as well as created a visual shield for motorists and pedestrians, she said.

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=Clintonville&story=thisweeknews/072105/Clintonville/News/072105-News-620771.html

 

Mrs. Genter is the wife of one of my coworkers. They're both very active in the Clintonville community and both plant and harvest organic vegetables and flowers for many of the shops and restaurants down High St. It's good to the farmers market is doing well through the construction phase.

The end is near.  From Suburban News Publications, September 7-14, 2005:

 

 

Streetscape schedule accelerated

By RICHARD ADES

 

The end of Streetscape is near, the project manager told local business owners and residents last Wednesday. In fact, it's nearer than previously expected, Mark Richard said during an update meeting at Clinton Heights Lutheran Church. That's because the city has designed a speeded-up schedule for the street repaving that will begin after work is completed on the sidewalks along High Street in southern Clintonville. That part of the project is slated to be finished by Sept. 16.

 

"On Sept. 19, we're going to begin paving," Richard said. "As of now, the milling operation will be done at night, and the paving operation will be done during the day."

 

http://www.snponline.com/NEWS9-7/9-7_bostreetscape.htm

 

From Suburban News Publications (Booster), 10/19/05:

 

 

PHOTO: Michael Jacques (left) and Terry Mitchell paint turn arrows on North High Street near the intersection of North Broadway on Friday. All lanes of High Street are now fully operational again after months of closures due to infrastructure, sidewalk and repaving work. The men are employees of Griffin Pavement Striping Inc.  Booster photo by Dan Trittschuh

 

High Street nearly back to normal

By LINDSLY RICE

 

The repaving phase of the Streetscape project finished up Thursday on High Street in southern Clintonville.  According to Mary Carran Webster, assistant public service director for the city of Columbus, the next phase of the project will include striping the pavement and adding five "bump-out" pedestrian nodes.  The nodes will jut out into the parking lane and will include trees and benches.

 

Webster said this next phase will begin soon, though she couldn't give an exact date. There will be periodic lane restrictions while the construction goes on, she said.  The entire project is slated for completion by Dec. 2, and officials hope to finish the restriping as soon as possible, Webster said.

 

http://www.snponline.com/NEWS10-19/10-19_rebopave.htm

 

ok, seriously, what did they even do? put new streetlights in and repaved the streets? added those silly little 'shower mats' at each sidewalk intersection? i've been walking through there a lot recently and have noticed very little.

 

if they want to impress me, then they need to expand the urban commercial overlay (which is awesome for the areas it is being used) http://www.columbusinfobase.org/Topic/UCO/uco.htm

What kind of streetlights were put up?

They put new streetlights?

 

I haven't walked that area of High St. in a while, but the last time I drove it a few days ago, the streetscape improvements I was able to notice were that they have tree-lined the street, added funky brick designs to the sidewalks and rought-iron park benches infront of several storefronts, put up new traffic light poles for several intersections, and, of course, repaved High St.

 

For the amount of money spent though, the streetscape improvements aren't really that astounding. The most noticable eyesore, the strands of powerlines that glide along the east side of High St. are still there and were not burried, which is a shame.

added those silly little 'shower mats' at each sidewalk intersection

 

I see these everywhere now.  What is the purpose?  Are they just supposed to look nice, or does it warn blind people that they are at an intersection?

^I though it has something to do with people sliding on the inclines in the ice, but the humps would get iced over too. I kind of like when they use the red bricks set in concrete, it gives some flavor to areas that just have long stretches of concrete.

The "shower mats" (good analogy BTW) are both an anti-slip device and a way to alert the blind of a street crossing.  They are also an attempt to aid wheel-chair bound people a little added traction.  This isn't just part of the Clintonville streetscape project.  It's actually a city wide effort that was brought about through a major lawsuit against the city.  The downside of it, however, is that many of these ramp improvements have been so badly engineered and constructed that many have had to be re-built ... and rebuilta third time... to get them right.  It has been a huge waste of money that would otherwise have been well-spent had they done it right the first time.  I live in C-ville and have seen at least a dozen ramps that had to be redone more than once.

 

As for the overall streetscape on North High St: I think it looks good.  The street was in bad need of resurfacing as it was heavily cracked and rutted. But it's not over yet.  There is still an center divider (esplanade, I think is the proper term) that is to be added, which will include safety zones for pedestrians and tree plantings.  Some, though not all of the overhead wires are coming down with the new stoplight arms, but it would have been nice to just completely bury the utilities when they had the chance during the dirt digging stage.

 

The city of Hamilton is using those shower mats, but I haven't seen them redone more than once, and I don't think they have great enginners or something. Maybe the contractors screwed something up.

 

Thats a real shame that they didn't bury the utility lines. Just a couple mast poles won't do too much, but they will make for cleaner intersections.

 

It seems funny that they would pave before installing the medians and bump outs. Ususally they have all the curbs in place before they pave, or are they not going to be curbed?

 

Can we see some pics please?

I take dance classes at the Rawlin Studio just north of North Broadway and I noticed that some of the overhead lines through there (on the east side of the street) hang directly over some of those newly installed benches. I'm sure that once the summer rolls back around they'll probably get covered in bird crap pretty quickly. :(

Here's at least one photo of the "bumpouts" along North High Street in Clintonville.  None are finished yet as of 10/30/05.

Maybe thats not the final coat of pavement, it looks like there is a rough seam under that vehicle. That is a unique bench there, but I can't see the bumpout being that appealing, yet just holding a tree would be nice. Next task - get rid of the billboard. Where are the streetlights? Will they be in the bumpouts?

From ThisWeek Clintonville, 11/24/05:

 

 

PHOTO: One of the banners.

 

ARCADIA TO WHETSTONE PARK

Banners to cap off High Street improvements

Thursday, November 24, 2005

By GARY SEMAN JR.

ThisWeek Staff Writer  

 

The High Street beautification project has yet another dimension.  Clintonville Incorporated has kicked off a program that will plant 60 colorful banners atop light poles on the west side of High from Arcadia Avenue to Whetstone Park.

 

The banners will give High "a colorful look and to make it more exciting," said Clare Balombin, a former member of CI and current Clintonville Area Commission member.  The idea for the undertaking dates back to 1999, when a marketing study of High Street was completed. One of its recommendations was to spruce up the commercial corridor's look with banners, Balombin said.

 

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=Clintonville&story=thisweeknews/112405/Clintonville/News/112405-News-51892.html

 

A party to celebrate a streetscape project?  Okay!  From The Booster, 11/30/05:

 

 

Ribbon cutting will kick off 'open house'

A day's worth of activities will celebrate the end of the Streetscape project.

By LIN RICE

 

A variety of activities are planned Saturday as part of a Holiday Open House being held to celebrate the completion of the Streetscape project in southern Clintonville.  The project replaced sidewalks and curbs along High Street, among other improvements.  An official ribbon cutting attended by Mayor Michael Coleman and members of Columbus City Council will kick off the festivities at 10 a.m. at the 3200 block of High Street.

 

 

http://www.snponline.com/NEWS11-30/11-30_bocelebrate.htm

 

You can chalk this one up as completed... not sure if it made a big impact on the area visually, but the street is so nice now that it is freshly paved.  :-D

From what I understand, there is supposed to be a second phase to this project.... a landscaped median with turn lanes to create more of a boulevard look.  It was in the original plan, but the $$$ were apparently not there at the time.

 

Still, it is a vast improvement over what was there.  Now, if only some of the property owners would get off their behinds and put some money into fixing up their buildings.

Wow, that second phase sounds nice. I sorely wish the recently completed project would have included burying the gaudy powerlines that line High St. on the East side. The new light poles and traffic signal post look nice, but taking away those powerlines would definitely improve the streetscape far more.

Oh, also, does anyone know if the plan to put a median through Broad St. downtown is still in the works. Last I saw, it was supposed to be a done deal, assuming the money could be allocated for the project, of course.

^Or at least relocated them to the rear of the block.

Those wires! Yeah.  Why in the heck did they not take advantage of the street and sidewalks being torn up and not bury all of those wires underground?  Duh!

Judge tells dumper to clean up mess

Man fined for concrete pile in Clintonville brook

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch

 

Donald Rader said he was just following orders in September when he washed out the chute of a concrete mixer into Adena Brook, a shallow, winding waterway that snakes through Clintonville on its way to the Olentangy River.  He returned under court order yesterday to clean it up. 

 

Rader, 57, of Chillicothe, helped hoist a 4-foot slab and other chunks of concrete up a steep bank as part of a punishment imposed by Franklin County Environmental Judge Harland H. Hale.  He pleaded guilty in January to one count of water pollution.  He’ll also pay a $1,000 fine to the Adena Brook Community, a neighborhood association that will use the money to plant vegetation along the bank.  An additional $500 fine will go to a county fund that pays for environmental cleanups.

 

It’s the second very public punishment Hale has imposed in recent months against central Ohio polluters caught in the act.  "People see, ‘If I do turn them in, something happens,’ " said John Remy, spokesman for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio. "It has a cause and effect."  Rader was turned in by an Overbrook Drive resident who took photos and called SWACO’s Nail-A-Dumper Hotline.  Rader was part of a crew pouring concrete for a new deck in the neighborhood.

 

MORE: http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/14/20060214-B1-02.html

Does this mean I have precedence for going after the City for dumping concrete onto a private lot on Mulberry after redoing the sidewalks?

Absolutely.  Why should a city crew be any different than a private contractor dumping concrete?  It's one thing if they are just dumping it temporarily for later pickup when a project is finished.  But if they just dumped it there and let it sit, I'd say report them.  I mean, how can a city be allowed to violate its own law?

Studio 35 in Clintonville up for sale

Business First of Columbus - March 10, 2006

by Doug Buchanan, Business First

 

Anyone thinking about a career in the movie business now has their chance, if owning a theater is close enough to being in the biz.  Studio 35 owner Damon Dalrymple has his theater at 3055 Indianola Avenue on the market for $645,000 - movie house, concessions stand and all.

 

Franklin County records show he acquired the building in August 2003 for $149,000 through his Matt Damon Entertainment LLC. (The movie-theme moniker comes from the first names of the two original partners in the company - Damon and Matt Chess - and not the actor.)  Dalrymple said he put more than $200,000 into the property and business, which he said was "very profitable."  "Everyone in town knows the place," Dalrymple said.  "It's a landmark in Clintonville."

 

Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/03/13/tidbits1.html 

BTW: This is a cool little movie house in my neighborhood that not only shows movies, but you can buy beer or wine and have a pizza ordered in from a pizza place next door.  During the fall, they have also shown "live" broadcasts of OSU football games using a wide-screen projector.

I went once.  I enjoyed it.

Weiland's expansion project under way

ThisWeek Clintonville, 4/6/06

 

In an effort to streamline customer service and expand its product line, Weiland's Gourmet Market will grow by 4,000 square feet.  The specialty super market -- known for its wide array of fresh seafood, quality meats and extensive wine selection -- will take over the space directly east of the store, which formerly housed a SunLight dry cleaning operation.

 

Weiland's, in the Indianola Plaza just south of Cooke Road, expects to have the new space open within six months, said Tim Teegardin, who owns the store with David Friend and John Williams.

 

The new space will be home to expanded wine and produce sections, the latter of which will include more organic options.  Plus, it will have an area dedicated to upscale prepared entrees, as well as a salad bar and olive bar.  Pending final licensing from the state, spirituous liquor soon will be sold at the store, located at 3600 Indianola Ave.

 

From The Booster, 8/9/06:

 

 

PHOTO: New stores are opening throughout Graceland Shopping Center. A recent example is Fiesta Salons, located on the north side.  Booster photo by Dan Trittschuh

 

PHOTO: Graceland developers (from left) Don M. Casto Jr., Don M. Casto Sr. and W.B. Gibson are seen in 1955 in front of what would become Graceland's J.C. Penney store. The shopping center was built to take advantage of a connector that was expected to be constructed across the Olentangy River.

 

Shopping center's growth spurt continues unabated

Plans to connect the east and west banks of the Olentangy led to the shopping center's birth -- then delayed its rebirth.

By RICHARD ADES

 

When Gold's Gym recently announced its interest in opening an outlet at Graceland Shopping Center, it only underlined what was already apparent.

 

 

http://www.snponline.com/NEWS8-9/8-9_bocastoqanda.htm

 

I know the couple who are building this house: nice folks and not at all as pretentious as the house would seem.  I've been watching the progress on the project when I bicycle past on the local bike trail. They're got a huge immediate and extended family, as the artile indicates, so the size of the house isn't that upsetting.  But you could fit about nine of my house inside this one!

 

Living extra-large

Clintonville couple building house of dreams

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Lee Stratton

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Gary Davis knows some people will think his 11,000-square-foot house is ostentatious.  The two-story home, spanning two lots, will be almost five times as large as the average 2,230-square-foot home on the Clintonville street.  It also will stand out as a Bexley-style mansion among 1960s-era ranches.

 

http://dispatch.com/homegarden/homegarden.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/27/20060827-I1-01.html

 

 

Construction started in May. Davis said he is eager to have enough of the exterior finished so that neighbors and others will see that the finished home has uniform design..."I didn’t want people to look at this later and say, ‘They took two houses and stuck them together.’ "

 

"Yes, I want the neighbors to say 'Look: one great big shitty-looking house.'"

 

Yes, it's easy to bag on development of this type. On the one hand we can argue that it is good because it's in an older, established, inside-I-270 neighborhood as opposed to where these things normally live.

 

On the negative, there are scale issues at play; mansions exist on estates, not city lots. But my major issue is with how freaking ugly these houses are: the cataclysm of gables and dormers with every architectural device in action except for an easily-identifiable front door. The owner/architects always go for a traditional look (because heaven forfend you go non-traditional), but it never, ever works. In order to accomodate the modern checklist, that "tradititional" look gets stretched over the 5 bedroom suites with jacuzzi spas; the great room; the home office; the home theater; the kids' home office; the workout room; the attached 3+ car garage; etc. When it's all said and built, the effect is like a fat guy in a three-sizes-too-small babyshit brown tuxedo. Only not so charming.

 

Having said that, welcome to the neighborhood, folks! We'll be by with a fruit basket. As soon as we find the front door.

I think Frankenmansion would be a better term.  God awful.

On the negative, there are scale issues at play; mansions exist on estates, not city lots. But my major issue is with how freaking ugly these houses are: the cataclysm of gables and dormers with every architectural device in action except for an easily-identifiable front door. The owner/architects always go for a traditional look (because heaven forfend you go non-traditional), but it never, ever works. In order to accomodate the modern checklist, that "tradititional" look gets stretched over the 5 bedroom suites with jacuzzi spas; the great room; the home office; the home theater; the kids' home office; the workout room; the attached 3+ car garage; etc. When it's all said and built, the effect is like a fat guy in a three-sizes-too-small babyshit brown tuxedo. Only not so charming.

 

I despise great rooms. They mean that you are in the kitchen most of the time. Great rooms even contribute to the U.S.'s massive obesity problem because you always have the fridge right there in your face.

Mansions are also not made of cheap materials like plywood.

On the negative, there are scale issues at play; mansions exist on estates, not city lots. But my major issue is with how freaking ugly these houses are: the cataclysm of gables and dormers with every architectural device in action except for an easily-identifiable front door. The owner/architects always go for a traditional look (because heaven forfend you go non-traditional), but it never, ever works. In order to accomodate the modern checklist, that "tradititional" look gets stretched over the 5 bedroom suites with jacuzzi spas; the great room; the home office; the home theater; the kids' home office; the workout room; the attached 3+ car garage; etc. When it's all said and built, the effect is like a fat guy in a three-sizes-too-small babyshit brown tuxedo. Only not so charming.

 

I despise great rooms. They mean that you are in the kitchen most of the time. Great rooms even contribute to the U.S.'s massive obesity problem because you always have the fridge right there in your face.

I love open floorplans. I'm getting a house or condo where the kitchen, living room and dining room are all essentially the same big open room :)

^Personally, I'm an enclosed kitchen guy. I look at a kitchen as a workspace and the diningroom as a presentation space. Keeping the two rooms separate adds to the "ta da!" effect when dinner's ready. Also, flowing the kitchen into the other rooms of the house upsets the natural order of parties that dictates that, at somepoint in the evening, everybody ends up in the kitchen.

 

That said, I understand the broader space-perception-maximizing appeal of open floorplans. Great rooms, through:  they exist as nothing more than a conspiracy of the heating and cooling energy cartel.

Open floor plans and great rooms are a trend to a more casual way of living. Formal living rooms are just a place for putting the furnature you dont sit on or use unless you got company. I would rather have a combined larger space I use, rather than one used and one seldom used.

^ I can't say I agree, but there's no mistaking it: I'm an old-fashioned guy when it come to settin' in the parlor.

Open floor plans and great rooms are a trend to a more casual way of living.

 

I'm sick of everything being so casual. People in the U.S. are getting sloppy and lazy because of it.

 

Parties always end up in the kitchen so that people can spill booze and not worry about it. Also, that's where it's usually kept.

The kitchen is the hub of any house. I don't know about you guys but the first thing I do when I come home is check the fridge, hoping something magically appeared. When my friends come over here, they do the same thing. Also, you always have way more interesting conversations with someone in a kitchen as opposed to a living room or dining room.

There's no reason why you can't have a roomy kitchen separate from the rest of the main floor. I used to live in an 1100 Sq. ft, c.1926 workers' bungalow, and the largest room in the house was the kitchen (15'x15'). Historically, the kitchen was the busiest room of the house, a proud tradition we carried into the 21st century. But still, there was a time when you wanted to get out of the kitchen, and it was nice to have even a small diningroom and livingroom to escape to. The whole kitchen bleeding into livingroom bleeding into diningroom arrangement just seems cheap to me; I associate it with the setups you see in cheesy modern apartment complexes and corporate apartments.

From ThisWeek Clintonville, 9/14/06:

 

 

CAC continues condominium dialogue

Thursday, September 14, 2006

By RANDY NAVAROLI

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The Clintonville Area Commission spent much of its Sept. 7 meeting talking about a proposal to put a condominium development at the corner of West Dominion Boulevard and North High Street.  The lengthy discussion about the proposal to tear down two stone buildings to make way for a 20-condo development did not lead to a vote of any kind.

 

"It was a continuation of a discussion we've been having for awhile about the proposal for the site," said CAC Chairman Chris Gawronski. "OSU sent out a representative and we listened to what he had to say, but we haven't reached any final decision yet on whether to endorse the proposed development or not."

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=clintonville&story=sites/thisweeknews/091406/Clintonville/News/091406-News-224103.html

 

From ThisWeek Clintonville, 10/12/06:

 

 

Hughes seeks answers from Ohio State on condo complex

Thursday, October 12, 2006

By RANDY NAVAROLI

ThisWeek Staff Writer 

 

Ohio State Rep. Jim Hughes sent a letter to Ohio State president Dr. Karen Holbrook on Sept. 22 seeking clarification on a number of points related to the plan to develop the two adjoining properties at 4475 and 4485 N. High St., near the corner of West Dominion Boulevard and North High Street.

 

The two stone buildings on the properties, one a home and the other an office, were built about 1940 by the father of longtime Clintonville-Beechwold resident and 1932 OSU graduate Mildred "Migg" Caulkins Urban.  When she died in 2003, Urban left the residence to Ohio State's Knowlton School of Architecture to be used to house visiting faculty. The second stone building was leased to an area business owner until 2018. The two stone buildings will remain intact under the proposal, although it is unclear what will become of the 25-year lease on the business property.

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=clintonville&story=sites/thisweeknews/101206/Clintonville/News/101206-News-239088.htm

 

From ThisWeek Clintonville, 10/26/06:

 

 

OSU to meet with Hughes to discuss condo plan

Thursday, October 26, 2006

By RANDY NAVAROLI

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Ohio State University officials have forwarded their preliminary response to a series of concerns Rep. Jim Hughes (R-22nd District) expressed about their plan to build as many as 20 condominiums on a site willed to the university.

 

OSU spokeswoman Shelly Hoffman said the university wrote to Hughes Oct. 9 asking him to meet with OSU assistant vice president for government relations Colleen O'Brien to further discuss Hughes' concerns with the proposed development plan.

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=clintonville&story=sites/thisweeknews/102606/Clintonville/News/102606-News-248674.html

 

From ThisWeek Clintonville, 8/10/06:

 

Two Clintonville properties may become condos

Thursday, August 10, 2006

By RANDY NAVAROLI

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Homeowners living near two properties in Clintonville-Beechwold are concerned that Ohio State University officials may be planning to sell the land to a developer who wants to build a 20-unit condominium complex on the site.

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/?edition=Clintonville&story=thisweeknews/081006/Clintonville/News/081006-News-202749.html