Old Beechwold designation can wait, association says

Thursday,  May 27, 2010 - 2:53 AM

By Mark Ferenchik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A group representing the Old Beechwold neighborhood will not pursue a Columbus historic designation for the area.  In a recent survey, 57 percent of the residents said they wanted to restore the historic boundary.  But if the boundaries were restored, 86 percent also wanted changes in the way the city's Historic Resources Commission reviews and decides whether home improvements meet standards.  Many wanted a more lenient and transparent process that, for example, would allow for energy-efficient windows.

 

Jason Janoski, president of the Old Beechwold Association, downplayed suggestions that his group is trying to rock the system the city set up for 18 historic Columbus neighborhoods.  "We are not bucking the system. In fact, the system bucked us," Janoski said.  He said the city's development department and Historic Resources Commission have been unwilling to consider changes to the process.  Columbus' historic-preservation officer, Randy Black said the city can't change things for one district.  The Historic Resources Commission oversees 14 of the 18 historic neighborhoods.

 

OLD BEECHWOLD MAP

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/27/old-beechwold-designation-can-wait-association-says.html?sid=101

Deadline set for fixing code violations at vacant property

Wednesday,  May 26, 2010 - 11:56 AM

By KEVIN PARKS

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

The owner of the Clintonville Electric building on North High Street has until July 31 to correct code violations at the deteriorating property.  In addition, according to a settlement agreement on file with the Franklin County Municipal Court Environmental Division, Phillip W. Karshner of the Northwest Side is to maintain the property in compliance with all applicable city codes thereafter.  He also is required to pay court costs.

 

Karshner, 75, the stepson of the founder of what was once a thriving appliance business in the heart of Clintonville, did not respond to a request for comment.  The increasingly dilapidated structure, which stretches from 3367 to 3383 N. High Street and includes a former dance studio and the old Clintonville Theatre, has been a growing sore point for many in the community.

 

PHOTO OF THE FORMER CLINTONVILLE ELECTRIC BUILDING AT 3367 N. HIGH ST.

 

Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/05/26/deadline-set-for-fixing-code-violations-at-vacant-property.html?sid=104

In one of life's ironic twists of fate, over the Memorial Day weekend a car crashed into the vacant Clintonville Electric building mentioned in the previous article.  Quite of bit of damage to the ground floor of the building. 

 

Driver Crashes Into Several Buildings

Monday,  May 31, 2010 - 8:21 AM

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A driver was taken into custody after he lost control of his car and crashed into three buildings, trees and benches.  The incident occurred at about 4:30 a.m. along North High Street, just south of North Broadway, 10TV's Patrick Bell reported.  Police said that the driver was speeding while driving south along North High Street when he lost control of his vehicle.

 

Full article: http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/05/31/story-columbus-crash-car-into-buildings.html?sid=102

 

---

 

Photos from Clintonville Electric @ North Broadway and High.  Compare with the photo at the previous code violation article.

 

^ Strange that the article about the "old" Clintonville Appliances store doesn't mention the failed development plan, for the SW corner of High St. and WN Broadway which led to Clintonville Appliances and the Dance studio to abandon that location back in 2004/05.

While I can't speak to the finances of the folks that owned Clintonville Appliances, I'm certain that building would be in better shape today (or at least before the car accident this weekend) if Clintonville Appliances would of stayed.

 

 

After last weekend's car crash into the former Clintonville Electric building, some area residents are taking a positive outlook on the future of the buildling...

 

Neighbors of Clintonville eyesores hope crash will be the last straw

 

A car plowing into two vacant Clintonville buildings might seem like a disaster to some.  But not to Denise McGahey.  "We thought it was divine intervention," said McGahey, a salesperson at the Curiousity Shop, which is next door to the former Clintonville Electric building and a closed wine shop.  She said she hopes the crash, which occurred early Monday morning, will lead to swift action to either repair or demolish the buildings in the heart of Clintonville.

 

The city ordered Karshner to hire an engineer to determine the structural integrity of the buildings within 30 days, said Linda LaCloche, assistant director for the city's Department of Building and Zoning Services.  Karshner also must keep the buildings secure, she said.  City inspectors will continue to monitor them.

 

---

...while others see a more cloudy future.

 

Building owner considering demolition

 

Phillip W. Karshner, reached at his home Friday, said that he is weighing his options, trying to decide between restoration and bringing the structures up to city code or tearing them down.  "That judgment has not been made yet, but probably will in the immediate future," the Northwest Side resident said.  Karshner, 75, and the stepson of the founder of Clintonville Electric, is under a court order to correct building code violations at the deteriorating structures by July 31.

Disappointing news about the fate of the Clintonville Electric building and Clinton Theater building near the corner of Broadway and High Street at 3367 N. High Street.  Maybe not too surprising but still disappointing.

 

DEMOLITION DECISION

Clintonville Electric will come down

Friday, June 25, 2010 - 3:00 PM

By Kevin Parks, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

It's curtains for the Clinton Theater.  And it's lights out for the Clintonville Electric building on North High Street that includes the historic but long-abandoned movie house.  Although the Clinton Theater once again is the focus of some community interest in preservation, two members of the Clintonville Area Commission, chairwoman D Searcy and District 2 representative Sarah Snyder, said late this week that documents had been received relating to a demolition permit for the series of structures.

 

The area commission cannot prevent the demolition from taking place, but merely delay it for 60 days if Searcy does not sign the documents, she and Snyder said.  The demolition permit covers not only the abandoned appliance store but also a former wine shop and the 1,500-seat movie theater, which opened in 1927. 

 

Owner Phillip W. Karshner, the stepson of the founder of Clintonville Electric, faces a court-imposed July 31 deadline for correcting code violations at the properties.  In early June, Karshner said that he was mulling whether to try to restore the structures or tear them down.  He did not return a call seeking comment

 

Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/06/23/Clintonville-Electric-will-come-down.html?sid=104

A shame. It's not like we don't have the money; we just don't want to spend it on rehabbing our urban corridors.

From Clintonville This Week Newspaper:

 

Alan Woods has lived in Clintonville since 1972, and has been interested in preserving historic buildings since he co-authored a book about saving the Ohio Theatre in 1979.  A faculty member in Ohio State University's Department of Theatre, he attended the final screenings at the Clinton in 1973, and protested the planned demolition of the building in 2003.  He wrote this in response to the announcement late last month that the owner of the Clintonville Electric building planned to tear it down.

 

Clinton Theater debuted in boom times for neighborhood

Wednesday, July 7, 2010  - 12:54 PM

By Alan Woods, Special to ThisWeek

 

In 1927, Clintonville was booming.  The trolley lines had extended first to Arcadia Avenue and High Street, then to North Broadway and High, early in the decade.  Housing quickly followed, as it became easy to commute downtown.

 

William M. James, who owned a string of movie theatres in central Ohio, recognized a potential audience base, and opened the Clinton Theater on New Year's Day, 1927.  The Clinton was a neighborhood theater, showing films after their initial bookings in the grand downtown movie houses.

 

Photographs of the theater's interior, taken several years ago before the extensive water damage, may be viewed online at http://clintontheater.blogspot.com.

 

Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/07/07/clinton-theater-debuted-in-boom-times-for-neighborhood.html?sid=104

Clintonville Electric building

CAC puts demolition request consideration off until August

Tuesday, July 13, 2010  - 4:31 PM

By KEVIN PARKS, ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Although there's little they can do to stop it, Clintonville Area Commission members decided last week to put off consideration of a demolition permit for the Clintonville Electric building, which includes the historic Clinton Theater, until their August meeting. 

 

D Searcy, chairwoman at the time, said that she received the demolition permission request on June 23, the day after building owner Phillip W. Karshner filed it.  She recommended referring the matter to the zoning and variance committee.  The matter would then come before the commission on Aug. 5.  Sandy Simbro of the committee said the demolition could start immediately if the commissioners approve the request at that time.  Searcy has said the commission can only delay the buildings from being torn down for a period of 60 days by declining to sign off on the request.

 

Clintonville Historical Society representative Mary Rodgers commented that would provide some additional time for residents in the area who are working a "potential reuse strategy" for the former movie house, which is inside one of the three separate buildings slated for the wrecking ball.

 

Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/07/07/hp2.html?sid=104

Clintonville strip OK'd by historic register

North Broadway district features varied home styles

Tuesday, July 20, 2010  - 1:35 AM

By Alan Johnson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A slice of American history as seen through the architecture of a 1-mile section of E. North Broadway in Clintonville has been approved for the National Register of Historic Places.  The East North Broadway Historic District, including dozens of stately homes built from 1920 to 1945, was added yesterday to the National Register by the National Park Service.  The district is bounded on the west by Broadway Place and on the east by North Broadway Lane.

 

Carole Tomko, president of the North Broadway Street Association and owner of a 1929 home, said the historic designation is an honor for the city and recognition for property owners "for the time and attention they paid in caring for their homes."  The 166 buildings in the district include well-preserved examples of many architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Colonial revival, Georgian revival, English/Tudor and bungalow.

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/07/20/clintonville-neighborhood-okd-by-historic-register.html?sid=101

Clintonville Electric demolition permit gets CAC blessing

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 

By KEVIN PARKS

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Clintonville Area Commission members voted unanimously last week to approve a demolition permit for a series of structures along North High Street that once housed a thriving appliance business, a dance studio and an historic theater.  In voting to allow owner Phillip W. Karshner to tear down the Clintonville Electric building, commission members noted that the demolition request would go into effect on Aug. 23 regardless of their actions and that it would remain valid for six months or more.  They said that would give preservationists time to try to come up with a plan for saving the Clinton Theater portion of the structure.

 

Karshner, who attended the commission's monthly meeting, said he was willing to enter into "meaningful negotiations" with those interested in preserving the movie house.  But, he added, "I'm working on a very short time frame."  Karshner, stepson of the man who founded Clintonville Electric in 1939, was under a court-imposed deadline of July 31 to correct numerous code violations at the series of conjoined structures on the west side of High Street just south of North Broadway.  The demolition permit covers 3377-3383 N. High Street, 3367 N. High Street and 3369 N. High Street.

 

Full article: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/08/11/demolition-permit-gets-cac-blessing.html?sid=104

Curtain closes on attempts to preserve historic Clintonville theater

Owner of High Street buildings ready to tear them down

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 

By Mark Ferenchik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

After years of debate about its future and aborted attempts to save it, the Clinton Theater is coming down.  Phillip Karshner, who owns the 83-year-old building at 3379 N. High Street and the adjacent former Clintonville Electric buildings, said yesterday that he plans to demolish them soon.  The city had given Karshner until yesterday to decide whether to tear them down or let the Columbus Landmarks Foundation and others save the theater.  "I told the Landmarks people I would be willing to hear what they'd say. I have heard nothing from them," he said.

 

A group of residents met Monday night and discussed pursuing a feasibility study to see whether the area could support a farmers market at the theater, said Mary Rodgers of the Clintonville Historical Society.  But even Rodgers acknowledged that renovating the building would be difficult and costly. 

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/08/25/curtain-closes-on-historic-theater.html?sid=101

<b>What’s Next: New Visions for the Clinton Theater</b>

By Eliza Ho | August 30, 2010 3:40pm

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/clinton-theatre.jpg">

 

An architecture exhibition titled What’s Next: New Visions for Clinton Theater features the drawings and plans of three concepts that envision the future of the historic Clinton Theater and its adjacent properties, all of which are now facing impending demolition. Conceived and created by Columbus-based architect, Tim Lai, the three proposed concepts seek to transform the theater’s site into a community-focused space and (re)create a landmark in the Clintonville neighborhood.

 

READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/whats-next-new-visions-for-the-clinton-theater

Good news in Clintonville:

 

Clintonville Historical Society board creates museum fund

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 - 01:38 PM

Updated: Thursday, September 23, 2010 - 11:06 AM

By KEVIN PARKS

ThisWeek Community Newspapers

 

The Clintonville Historical Society has established a fund to create a museum, and board members want it to involve preservation of a historic building in the neighborhood.  At least one of them, Alan Woods, was holding out hope that the building might be the old Clinton Theater on North High Street, just south of North Broadway.  However, with the wrecking ball practically on the backswing to begin tearing down the historic theater and conjoined Clintonville Electric building, hope is fading.

 

---

And bad news too:

 

Clintonville Electric building demolition to begin Sept. 27

 

The date is set.  Demolition notices were posted this week in the windows of the Clintonville Electric building and adjoining historic Clinton Theater.

 

The demolition permits, which were approved by the Clintonville Area Commission in August, include 3377-3383 N. High St., 3367 N. High St. and 3369 N. High St.  The documents posted in the windows of the deteriorating structures indicate the demolition work is to begin Monday, Sept. 27.

 

Both items from Clintonville ThisWeek Newspaper: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/09/22/historical-society-creates-museum-fund.html?sid=104

Demolition a done deal for old theater

BY KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS

Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 12:25 PM EDT

 

The yellow demolition signs are up, and the preliminary work -- including asbestos mitigation and sewer line capping by contractors -- on the former sites of Clintonville Electric and the Clinton Theater, is now nearly complete.  Demolition of the buildings, originally scheduled for Monday, now is scheduled to take place Sept. 29, a representative from Loewendick and Sons said Monday, Sept. 27.  The three buildings will be coming down, property owner Phillip Karshner said Monday.

 

The block of buildings was previously home to the appliance store, which first opened in 1939 at the corner of North Broadway and North High Street.  Early on Memorial Day morning, a motorist driving an estimated 140 mph, crashed into the building.  The accident was the straw that broke the buildings' proverbial back, as years of vacancies and neglect had created a situation in which it was obvious their best days had come and gone.  Water damage, graffiti and more took their toll on the structure.

 

Full article: http://www.columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2010/09/30/multiple_papers/news/allbodemol_20100930_0933am_3.txt

From the 10/1/10 Business First article:  Old area theaters still showing movies a rare gem

 

Though they don’t own the building, husband and wife architectural team Tim Lai and Eliza Ho think they have three good ideas for the reuse of the old Clinton Theater on North High Street:

 

Clintonville Place – Clintonville Place would be a multi-building mixed-use development.  The front portion of the theater would be maintained, with the back demolished for more parking.  As many as four buildings could fit on the site with first- floor retail and upstairs offices or residences.

 

 

Clintonville Park – The second idea is Clintonville Park, which would create the most drastic changes to the site, keeping only the theater façade.  It would become a gateway to a community park that would have a playground with trees, water features and stylized playground equipment.  It potentially could have a tunnel connecting Clintonville Elementary across the street to the park, enabling school functions on the site.

 

 

Clinton Market – The third idea is Clinton Market, which would relocate the Clintonville Community Market to the theater site from its home on Crestview Road.

 

More information and renderings at the architect's website: http://www.laiarchitect.com

 

Exhibit: What's Next? (New Visions for the Clinton Theater)

 

Project: Clinton Theater Re-use

I'll have to go back and snap some more pics just in case. I don't think many residents want to accept the reason why the theatre is facing demolition: not enough people cared about it. This isn't a lower-income, underpopulated neighborhood like King-Lincoln (three historic structures on Long have been torn down within the past year) where people don't have the money or clout to get funding.

High Street in Clintonville is a corridor that is archtiecturally distinctive only in its utter lack of any architectural distinction. The Clinton Theater is the only exception.

I think what hurts it is the lack of cohesion: many of the commercial blocks have to stand by themselves and alone they don't get to play off of each other. They just can't hold their own aesthetically. There are only a couple of instances where you have two urban commercial blocks on both sides of the street facing each other. Then you have the nice Olentangy Village storefronts at Kelso, but where there should be outdoor seating/ little plazas/pocket parks to enhance the ambiance you instead have asphalt for parking only a few cars at most (and from my experience it can be very awkward when another car is parked there). There are some bland parts of the Short North, but the density and high number of various well done storefronts draw your attention away from otherwise ho-hum structures.

 

I certainly don't have high hopes (or any at all for that matter) for the Clinton theater knowing this is Columbus we're talking about. It was the best looking block in Clintonville, even though it had a major structure sitting empty.

I agree with all you say about this. But I'll go a haf step further. even in the rare case where there is a bit of cohesion with buildings across from each other, the buildings themselves are not at all distinctive.

From today's Columbus Dispatch:

 

Clintonville Electric, theater buildings razed today

 

And some photos from today's Columbus Underground:

 

 

Oh, Clintonville. It's no surprise the neighborhood has been stagnant with leadership like this.

 

"John DeFourny, a local real-estate agent and leader of the Clintonville Area Commission, said that whatever ends up there must have adequate parking."

 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/11/Clintonville_buildings_coming_down.html?sid=101

I had hopes of a last-minute cavalry rescue for the theater building, but it appears that a gaping hole in the streetscape will be a monument to the lack of vision and spirit in Clintonville.

 

First day of demolition, last week

 

Closeup through the window of one of the former Clintonville Electric buildings

 

Holding my camera above the plywood, I got a shot of the former theater lobby

 

Behind the theater and store, first day of demolition

 

Block in context, Day 1

 

A few days later -- the electric showroom gone ...

 

... but the theater is intact

 

Today. The balustrade at the top has been a week or more, and now the facade is disappearing

 

 

 

While Clintonville residents do bear most of the blame, there's the rest of the city residents who watched and felt it wasn't worth bothering with either. We have the Short North, who needs more?

Historic or not? Dispute continues over Old Beechwold

City Council set to decide issue in two weeks

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 

By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch

 

The fight in Old Beechwold over whether the neighborhood should regain its historic status has become so bitterly divisive that longtime neighbors are shunning one another.  "I've seen people I've lived with for 32 years who won't speak to me," Charles Kistler told Columbus City Council members during a public hearing yesterday evening.

 

Almost 50 residents went to City Hall on a blustery night to try to sway council members, who are scheduled to vote on the issue on Nov. 8.  Of those who spoke, 12 supported the designation and 11 were against it.

 

The city's historic-preservation officer said the vote could have implications for the city's 17 other historic neighborhoods.  This debate highlights arguments going on elsewhere in the city: historic preservation versus property rights.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/27/copy/historic-or-not-dispute-continues.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

 

I found the quote about people aspiring to move into Beechwold quite amusing. I myself aspire to avoid any neighborhood where you can always hear a pin drop. I do hope the designation passes so that no more monstrosities such as this will ever be possible again.

 

 

CAC takes surprise vote to reject turn lane on Broadway

Commissioners take back recommendation to add lane at intersection

By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS

Monday, November 8, 2010 - 10:42 AM EST

 

Clintonville Area Commission members took an unexpected vote last week.  Whether that vote means anything remains to be seen.

 

CAC members attended a meeting Oct. 26 that was publicized as a special informational session.  Columbus city officials were scheduled to present updates on the Complete Street Plan for East North Broadway, as well as the status of adding a lefthand turn lane on East North Broadway, allowing for southbound turns onto North High Street.  Therefore, those in attendance, as well as some commissioners, were taken by surprise when District 5 Representative Nick Cipiti proposed a motion to reject the city's recommendations for the intersection.

 

His proposal was seconded by Jennifer Kangas.  She, along with Jim Blazer, were not on the CAC in August 2009 when that commission voted 5-4 to recommend that the city move forward with the turn lane.  Cipiti, Kangas, Blazer, District 7 Representative Dave Southan and CAC Chairman John DeFourny voted to reject, while Mike McLaughlin, Sarah Snyder, Mike Folmar and D Searcy voted no.

 

MORE: http://columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2010/11/08/multiple_papers/news/allbospeci_20101101_0415pm_6.txt

Demolition at Henderson-High paves way for new building there

By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 - 10:19 AM EST

 

There's a lot of demolition going on along Clintonville's North High Street corridor lately.  Most residents, even those just passing through, have noticed the demolition of the Clinton Theater south of the North Broadway-High intersection.  But developers also are nearing completion of the demolition of a small, two-story building at the corner of East Henderson Road and High.  "We have some additional work to complete there," Tim Rollins of Metropolitan Partners, developer of the site, said via e-mail.

 

Plans for redevelopment of the site were introduced to the community and to the Clintonville Area Commission in February 2008.  Those plans involved taking five zoning codes across the 2.6 acres, and combining them into one classification, allowing redevelopment of the 50,000 square-foot building that is home to Fifth Third Bank, 4400 N. High St., as well as to Hometown Urgent Care.  "The existing, four-story office building is just about complete," Rollins said.

 

The proposal called for the demolition of the neighboring office building and construction of two new buildings flanking the bank building.  The site would be linked by a new courtyard, with seating, to the front and parking to the back.  Construction on the new building where the old one previously was probably will get underway early in 2011, and be complete in late summer or early fall, he said.

 

MORE: http://www.columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2010/11/10/multiple_papers/news/allboconst_20101110_0947am_3.txt

CAC takes surprise vote to reject turn lane on Broadway

Commissioners take back recommendation to add lane at intersection

By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS

Monday, November 8, 2010 - 10:42 AM EST

 

MORE: http://columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2010/11/08/multiple_papers/news/allbospeci_20101101_0415pm_6.txt

More about the Clintonville Area Commission (CAC) and their recent vote to reject the Broadway to High Street left turn lane project by the City of Columbus.

 

TURN LANE PLAN REJECTED

CAC members taken to task for vote

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 - 12:52 PM

By KEVIN PARKS

ThisWeek Community Newspapers

 

The Clintonville Area Commission drew some fire at last week's monthly meeting for a split vote taken during a special session on Oct. 26 that rejected city plans to add a turn lane on East North Broadway at North High Street.  One of several speakers who addressed the panel during the public comment portion of what was an unusually brief meeting accused some commission members of believing they were the East North Broadway Association.

 

The 5-4 rejection of plans for the controversial turn lane, which basically overturned a similar vote in favor of it that was taken in August 2009, appeased the vehemently opposed residents of historic North Broadway, while upsetting those living on adjacent streets who have long complained that motorists use their residential roads because they can't turn left to head downtown on High Street.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/11/10/cac-members-taken-to-task-for-vote.html

And more about the left turn lane project...

 

Attorney predicts Clintonville turn-lane issue will lead to series of legal actions

Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 03:55 PM

By KEVIN PARKS

ThisWeek Community Newspapers

 

A lawsuit filed this week in connection with the proposed widening of a short stretch of East North Broadway for a left-turn lane might be just the birth pangs of more litigation.  A decision made by the Franklin County commissioners nearly half a century ago is at the crux of the legal action, which would prevent construction of the left-turn lane at North High Street, or at least make the project exponentially, perhaps prohibitively, more expensive.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2010/11/10/Lawsuit-questions-ownership-of-turn-lane-land-in-Clintonville.html?sid=104

And more...

 

City calls 'time-out' regarding North Broadway turn lane

East North Broadway also files suit against Columbus and state

By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS

Thursday, November 11, 2010 - 5:20 PM EST

 

Columbus city officials have called a "time-out" regarding proposed intersection improvements at North Broadway and North High Street.  "As of now, a time-out has been called in light of the most recent vote of the CAC, as the city awaits further guidance from Clintonville residents," Columbus Department of Public Service Director Mark Kelsey wrote in a Nov. 9 letter to The Booster.

 

City officials made the decision shortly following a special meeting of the Clintonville Area Commission Oct. 26, Columbus Assistant Public Service Director Rick Tilton said.  After a presentation detailing the Complete Street Plan and lefthand turn lane at North Broadway and North High Street, by Patti Austin, administrator of the Division of Planning and Operations for Columbus, and Susan DeLay, Capital Improvements program manager, commissioners took residents and city officials by surprise with a 5-4 vote to reject the city's plan.

 

MORE: http://www.snponline.com/articles/2010/11/11/multiple_papers/news/allbotimeo_20101111_0345pm_2.txt

I found the quote about people aspiring to move into Beechwold quite amusing. I myself aspire to avoid any neighborhood where you can always hear a pin drop. I do hope the designation passes so that no more monstrosities such as this will ever be possible again.

 

 

 

It passed.

 

Council returns historic district designation to Old Beechwold

By GARTH BISHOP, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

 

Old Beechwold is once again officially a historic district -- much to the chagrin of some of its residents.  But Columbus city officials have vowed to work on improving some of the issues raised by residents averse to the requirements that come with the designation.

 

City Council last week gave its OK to putting the Old Beechwold Historic District back on the Columbus Register of Historic Properties.  Old Beechwold was originally so designated in 1986.  But two years ago, city staff learned of inconsistencies between district maps and the boundaries established in the nominating ordinance, and removed the district from the register as a result.

 

MORE: http://www.columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2010/11/25/the_booster/news/booldbeech_20101115_0550pm_4.txt

No more mcmansions = win.

Mcmansions will happen no matter what... That said, I'm somewhat grateful that families are choosing to build in existing neighborhoods that do not require infrastructure improvements and don't cause any additional strain on resources like the exurbs do - no harsh words from me for them!

Baer Wheels, next to Brewster's Clintonville Tavern (think of a Sullivant Avenue type of bar you'd never set foot in, except you would in this case because it's in Clintonville) is moving in the urban block north of the N Broadway Kroger. For myself I hardly ever head north that way, so this will mean I'll be just be going to B1 and Paradise Garage. I'm hoping something I'd want to visit will open up here.

 

 

New Clintonville park has new name

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

By KEVIN PARKS, ThisWeek Community Newspapers

 

The park has a name.  About 40 Sharon Heights residents gathered last week and voted, pretty unanimously, that what was once the site of a Worthington school, later a Columbus City Schools elementary and still later a vacant 10 acres with lots of invasive species should be called Sharon Meadows Park.

 

"The discussions over the last two years have been that somehow Sharon should be included," said Keith Beveridge, president of the Sharon Heights Community Association. "Sharon Meadows came out the big winner. "We probably had about 40 folks in attendance and I think we had three people voted for Stanton Meadows, which is similar."

 

The recommendation goes to a committee at the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department for final approval, but Beveridge feels that it will easily pass muster.  For one thing, he said, in keeping with a common practice at Recreation and Parks, the name reflects nearby streets.  Sharon Avenue is just east of the former school site and Meadowlark Lane is also nearby.

 

READ MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/clintonville/stories/2011/03/23/new-clintonville-park-has-new-name.html?sid=104

The Pattycake Bakery owner is going to open a vegan dining spot called City Beet next door and replace the parking lot out front against the sidewalk with a patio and bike racks for parking, so kudos to them. The city of Columbus, however, is requiring them to jump through an extra hoop since this little space isn't going to have required parking for 23 cars: they have to seek a variance on that requirement, even though I'm sure the previous business already did since there's just no where near enough room for this suburban expectation, which is somehow still here in 2011. Yet another case of the city not being as urban as the suburbs are suburban. I just hope the city pays attention sometime in the next decade, as I'm sure the vegan restaurant-bakery combo will be able to get those bike racks filled.

 

CAC backs City Beet concept next to Pattycake

* 'Sustainable' business seeks relaxation of vehicle parking requirements.By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF Published:  Tuesday, June 7, 2011 9:06 AM EDT

 

When in Clintonville, whether as a resident or business owner, it never hurts to ask the neighbors first before launching a new project.

 

Jennie Scheinbach, owner of Pattycake Vegan Bakery at 3009 N. High St., did exactly that.

 

She has designs to develop City Beet at 3003 N. High St., adjacent to the bakery and just north of West Tulane Road.

 

"I'm looking to serve good, wholesome, scratch-made food," she said. "We will not be offering dinner right away."

 

Scheinbach is seeking to reduce parking space requirements from 23 to zero, add a full patio and bike racks, and to reduce the building setback along West Tulane. She wants to develop a restaurant with 1,800 square feet inside and a 435-square-foot patio out front, along High.

 

Full article: http://www.snponline.com/articles/2011/06/13/the_booster/news/bocaccityb_20110606_0532pm_4.txt

So: White Castle has been bulldozed, a Hustler Hollywood is moving in next door (with enough room dedicated to to a coffee bar to avoid zoning approval for an adult establishment: genius!), Kroger is expanding, Hungry Howie's Pizza at Tulane closed, and Seagull Bags left for Downtown's Gay District (N 5th).

a Hustler Hollywood is moving in next door (with enough room dedicated to to a coffee bar to avoid zoning approval for an adult establishment: genius!),

You have to give Larry Flynt credit.  That was a genius zoning move!  By having 51% of the floor space devoted to a coffee shop and only 49% of the floor space devoted to adult entertainment uses, he avoided being classified as an "adult store".  Because by city definition, an "adult store" has "a majority of its shelf space or square footage devoted to the display, rental, sale, or viewing of adult material for any form of consideration."  And apparently if a majority isn't devoted to adult entertainment uses, then its not an "adult store" subject to more restrictive zoning.  Very clever Mr. Flynt!

 

More about it from The Dispatch:

 

Hustler store barely skirts city's 'adult' rule

Shop expected to open soon in Clintonville

Thursday, June 23, 2011 - 03:05 AM

By Tim Feran, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Even though community groups remain upset about a Hustler Hollywood store opening in Clintonville, the store is expected to open soon because of a zoning quirk.

 

Larry Flynt, a former Bexley resident and publisher of Hustler magazine, plans to open the Hustler Hollywood retail store soon on the site of a former Tan Pro, at 2761 N. High Street.  Columbus officials say residents have little choice but to watch and wait, because the shop has carefully skirted zoning restrictions.

 

Had the shop been classified as an "adult store," it would have to be located in a manufacturing district.  By city definition, an "adult store" has "a majority of its shelf space or square footage devoted to the display, rental, sale, or viewing of adult material for any form of consideration."

 

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/06/23/hustler-storebarely-skirts-citys-adult-rule.html?sid=101

More about the City Beet Cafe going into Clintonville from Columbus Underground:

 

 

 

From the architect, Tim Lai, via email:

 

"For your information, the main reason we are eliminating the parking in the front is that when the city’s Transportation division review our initial plan, they make it very clear that because the current parking in front of the building is backing out on High Street, which is non-conforming, so when we apply for change of use that intensify the use, we are actually NOT ALLOWED to keep any parking in front of the building.  So the patio/no off-street parking solution is out of necessity from building code standpoint, not to mention it is a much better urban design and pedestrian experience than the asphalt paved parking.  Plus, by eliminating the parking and curb cut, we can add about 4 street parkings in front of the building."

 

READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/sign-petition-to-help-launch-city-beet-cafe

A look back at Clintonville in 2011 from the Columbus Local Newspaper - Clintonville edition:

 

Debates defined 2011 here

^^ Wow. That's very nice. Love the fact that they're getting rid of the parking lot out front and that the city of Columbus isn't allowing parking lots to front High St, though I would have thought moving into a space that already had it wouldn't require that it be removed, but good to know and it raises the standards for High St businesses. Clintonville can always use pedestrian improvements here and there for a more cohesive business district. Still wondering what going to happen with the Clifton Theater site, the grass lot at California where NIMBYs killed a 4-story apartment building (four stories is too dense) and the former Baer Wheels space.

Clintonville fights possible move

Social-services agency not a good fit in vacant building, residents complain

By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch

Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 6:17 AM

 

Some Clintonville residents don’t want a social-services agency to move into their neighborhood.  They fear that the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center would bring too much traffic to Ceramic Drive, just west of N. High Street.  Center officials are still trying to determine whether they can afford the building at 65 Ceramic Dr., director Bill Owens said.  The asking price is $1.2 million, and the center is studying whether a capital campaign could raise that much, Owens said.

(. . .)

The center is running out of space at its building at 14 W. Lakeview Ave. in Clintonville, where it opened in 1971 as a settlement house.  It now runs a food pantry, after-school and summer-care programs, and programs for senior citizens and child-caregivers.  The Ceramic Drive building — with 18,164 square feet of space — is next to the Ohio High School Athletic Association headquarters and near the offices of the Ohio Construction Suppliers Association.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/02/12/clintonville-fights-possible-move.html

This kind of reaction from residents makes me ashamed to call Clintonville my home.

The wonderful vintage Studio 35 movie theater at 3055 Indianola Avenue is closing two months for renovations.  It closed over the weekend and will reopen on May 17th with an appearance by director Kevin Smith.  The renovations will include new soundproofing walls and new carpet in the auditorium, updates to the concessions area and the addition of digital projectors. 

 

Construction progress will be updated on the Studio 35 Facebook page.  Below are links to articles from the Dispatch and Columbus Underground about the renovation project.

 

 

Columbus Dispatch: Studio 35 closing for some updates

 

Columbus Underground: Studio 35 Closing for Two Months of Renovations

^wow, I didn't know Studio 35 was still there! I once broke a filling eating popcorn there during a Marx Brothers movie (and no, it was not a first run--ha ha). I hope they don't make it too upscale.

^ Nope. Just updating some equipment, cleaning things up, make the rest rooms more efficient, etc. I know the owner, and can't imagine he'd change the character of the place.

 

Studio 35 Re-Opening is a Revelation

By: Nicholas Herum, Columbus Underground

Published on May 4, 2012

 

After closing for nearly two months for renovations Studio 35 is re-opening just in time for the release of The Avengers.  Co-owners Eric Brembeck and Rita Volpi had been keeping fans of the 74 year old venue updated on the renovation progress through the theater’s Facebook page but pictures alone can’t convey the transformation that’s occurred within.

 

Last night after a private event, Studio 35 quietly opened their doors to let in a very enthusiastic crowd to see the midnight show of The Avengers.  Everyone there was excited to see the film but that was almost a secondary concern.  Most were more excited by the changes they saw inside.

 

READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/studio-35-re-opening-is-a-revelation

Catching up on this summer's approval of a project that will add a left-turn lane from westbound E. North Broadway to southbound N. High Street.  It's a small project (approx. 100 feet long) but caused big controversy and hard feelings in Clintonville for the past four years.  Now it's under construction and nearly finished.  Below is the report on City Council approving the left-turn project:

 

Council OKs North Broadway turn lane in Clintonville

By Lucas Sullivan, The Columbus Dispatch

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 - 6:15 AM

 

Columbus will add a left-turn lane at N. High Street and E. North Broadway beginning in August, ending four years of tense debate.  The Columbus City Council passed the $310,000 resolution at a meeting last night to build the turn lane from westbound E. North Broadway to southbound N. High Street in Clintonville, where some residents tied ribbons around trees and filed a lawsuit to try to block the project.

 

The plan calls for E. North Broadway to be widened from High Street to Broadway Place.  Widening that stretch of roughly 100 feet of street will cause some trees to be cut down. ... Those who are for the project said that not having a turn lane there means more traffic congestion and motorists continuing to cut through residential streets to avoid the intersection.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/06/17/Clintonville-turn-lane-Broadway-High-approved.html