Posted June 9, 200520 yr New hope for Weinland OSU, Columbus collaborate on project for kids By Jeff Bell, Business First Ohio State University and Columbus Public Schools are nearing construction of a $15.8 million project to help the impoverished Weinland Park neighborhood near the university. The goal of the venture, administrators from the two educational institutions said, is to integrate OSU's new early childhood development center with a rebuilt Weinland Park Elementary School in a town-gown collaboration. "It will be a unique model to address the needs of Weinland Park families more holistically," said David Andrews, dean of Ohio State's College of Human Ecology. About 70 percent of the children at the OSU center would come from Weinland Park, he said. The mostly low-income area, where the average household income was $15,252 in 2002, is plagued by crime and high turnover rates in its housing and schools. The project, which is also supported by the city of Columbus, is scheduled to be completed in fall 2006, Andrews said. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2005/06/09/story2.html
June 12, 200519 yr well, good to hear it could get some help, but i am cautious as to the way osu would do it. will it be the 'clean up the neighborhood by getting rid of the peoplpe there thing? i'd rather have the city do this neighborhood without osu overstepping their grounds
October 28, 200519 yr Read the Weinland Park neighborhood plan here: http://www.columbusinfobase.org/Weinland%20Park/Weinland%20Park%20Plan10605.pdf From the 10/27/05 OSU Lantern: Weinland Park plan sparks heated debate By Stephanie Brum Published: Thursday, October 27, 2005 The University Area Commission met Oct. 19 in the Northwood High building to discuss whether to go forward with and recommend the Weinland Park Neighborhood Plan. The borders of the Weinland Park neighborhood span from Chittenden Avenue to the north, High Street to the west, Fifth Avenue to the south, and the Conrail railroad tracks to the east. Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/paper333/news/2005/10/27/Campus/Weinland.Park.Plan.Sparks.Heated.Debate-1036185.shtml
February 28, 200619 yr From Business First of Columbus, 2/27/06: 2nd shot to aid Weinland Campus Partners again dealing for Coated Fabrics Brian R. Ball Business First Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. may get a second chance to prepare the former Columbus Coated Fabrics site on East Fifth Avenue for redevelopment. The bankruptcy estate of Decorative Surfaces International Inc. has granted the affiliate of Ohio State University a six-month option to acquire the property for $385,000, according to a Feb. 17 order signed by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Peter J. Walsh in the state of Delaware. City planners have identified the 17.6-acre industrial site as one of six "opportunity areas" for Weinland Park, a neighborhood that abuts the OSU campus. An early redevelopment plan for the area envisions mixed-income housing on the site, which stretches from Fifth Avenue along both sides of North Grant Street. Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/02/27/story4.html?from_rss=1
April 8, 200619 yr Any updates on what's going on there? What do you guys think should happen to turn the area around? I think a good number of people are going to have to be moved out. I think there needs to be housing spread out in other neighborhoods that these people could afford to live in. I just don't think having a neighborhood with such a high level of poor people will ever be able to change on its own.
June 29, 200618 yr From the 6/29/06 (OSU) Lantern: Weinland Park area receives a makeover Jen Daddario Issue date: 6/29/06 Section: Campus The Weinland Park Neighborhood Plan that has sparked debates at University Area Commission meetings in the past has now earned the endorsement of the commission, taking it one step closer to being implemented. The plan focuses on the Weinland Park area during the next 10-to-20 years and makes a number of recommendations to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood and to encourage its evolution, said Steve Sterrett, spokesman for Campus Partners, which is a partner in the plan. Read more at http://www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/06/29/Campus/Weinland.Park.Area.Receives.A.Makeover-2119573.shtml?norewrite200606291945&sourcedomain=www.thelantern.com
July 13, 200618 yr Plant may be headed for cleanup Old Columbus Coated Fabrics site could be redeveloped, aiding nearby Weinland Park Thursday, July 13, 2006 Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The city of Columbus and Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment have agreed to a $500,000 gamble on the former Columbus Coated Fabrics plant site that city officials say poses a serious health hazard. Together, they took the first step this week toward reclaiming it. They want to see the abandoned factory replaced with 500 homes, along with shops and parks. A change like that could be enough to turn the tide for a neighborhood now known for its poverty and high crime rate, city planners Vince Papsidero and Todd Singer say. A transformed Columbus Coated Fabrics is part of the Weinland Park Neighborhood Plan introduced to Columbus City Council on Monday. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/13/20060713-G1-02.html
July 14, 200618 yr They want to see the abandoned factory replaced with 500 homes, along with shops and parks. 500 homes is a lot. If this plan does come to fruition (which I hope it does), I hope they make an attempt to match the newly constructed homes with the ones in the surrounding area. Some of the new home construction in derelict neighborhoods like Linden and King-Lincoln, have been less than ideal and have the M/I Homes prefabricated look. The city recently completed some a subsidized project on 4th Street by Italian Village, and while they made an attempt to construct the buildings to match the older ones surrounding it, they did a pretty bad job. I would like to see homes similar to the ones being built in Harrison Park, but not so large and extravegant; just something that can blend in with the homes in Italian Village and Weinland Park to creat a seamless urban neighborhood.
July 14, 200618 yr I'm tellin ya, if you have extra money, buy a cheapo house here! Seriously. My bleeding heart aches for the residents there--50% below poverty line is nothing new to me, but 10% owner occupied housing?!! But when you look at this project and the money surrounding the area, it's only a matter of time before the dams break...the money dams, that is.
September 2, 200618 yr From the 8/31/06 Dispatch: PHOTO: Fire PHOTO: As shown below, signs outside Columbus Coated Fabrics identify it has a hazard, but fires there continue to plague firefighters. MAP GRAPHIC: Longtime problem NEIGHBORHOOD BLIGHT What to do with a mess like this? Dangers many, solutions few at Columbus Coated Fabrics site Thursday, August 31, 2006 Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Columbus Coated Fabrics burned yesterday. Again. Firefighters have been to the vacant, sprawling factory complex 37 times since it closed in 2001, 22 times for fires. Three firefighters have been injured on those runs. Now, they just let it burn. Fire Battalion Chief Mark Devine wants to see the 100 buildings there torn down. Firefighters baby-sat a smaller fire yesterday, Devine said, hours after they arrived to contain two larger fires that started on Tuesday and sent up plumes of smoke that could be seen across the city. Neighbors complained about the smoke, which filled the neighborhood with a pungent scent. Like Devine and just about everyone else who has to deal with Columbus Coated Fabrics, they would like to see it removed. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/31/20060831-A1-01.html
October 17, 200618 yr City, Campus Partners to develop Columbus Coated Fabrics site By Mark Ferenchik The Columbus Dispatch Tuesday, October 17, 2006 12:14 AM Buying, demolishing and cleaning up the Columbus Coated Fabrics plant could cost $5 million, and the city of Columbus has now joined Campus Partners in a plan to redevelop the site with homes. The city is buying the 17-acre property along Grant Avenue for $390,000. After crews demolish the buildings, Campus Partners plans to buy the property from the city to build homes and parks. Businesses or industries could be sought for land near E. 5th Avenue. Read more at http://dispatch.com/business/business.php?story=219974
October 17, 200618 yr Now, let's get the overwhelming number of rental properties in the area back into the hands of resident homeowners.
October 17, 200618 yr ^Do any cities have laws saying only X% of residential can be rentals in Y neighborhood?
October 17, 200618 yr ^ Not that I've seen; not from a city government enforcement level. Such a thing stumbles into highly litigious prior-use territory. I guess this is where a person could come in and argue the value of HOA covenants. I don't have any hard data in hand, but from what I've seen, there's a tipping point where, once the percentage of resident homeowners dips below, say 40%, the whole neighborhood goes to heck. About all a city can do, again, from what I've seen, is to put the screws to landlords in terms of inspections, upkeep, complaints. But even there, you can slap liens all over the place, but if the funds aren't there to enforce the costly procedure of seizing property, nothing can really change. This is dicey legalistic territory no matter how much money a city has in the bank. The best solution is for an area to get "hot" and for property values to shift upward to a point where the return on selling a property outright eclipses the profit from renting it out. Weinland Park is a million years away from that at this point. But if Columbus proves anything, there's nothing a handful of monied, motivated urban pioneers can't do when they put their hearts, minds and wallets to it.
February 21, 200718 yr From the 1/4/07 (OSU) Lantern: PHOTO: The Columbus Coated Fabric Company has become a rundown haven for broken glass, rusted metal and hazardous chemicals. Media Credit: Matthew Hashiguchi Demolition of old factory to bring housing, retail Karen McClintock Issue date: 1/4/07 Section: Campus Faded turquoise paint and graffiti art covers the building that once held Columbus Coated Fabrics, a manufacturing facility that produced vinyl coated cloth products. Now Campus Partners, a developer affiliated with Ohio State, wants to demolish the building south east of OSU's campus and use the 17 acres for housing, retail and civic space. Its Weinland Park Neighborhood Plan would put 495 housing units, 5,000 square feet of retail and a 5,000-foot neighborhood center on the site. The clean up project would cost around $2.8 million. The most contaminated two acres of the lot would likely become parking lots under the plan, said Steve Sterrett, director of community relations for Campus Partners. Read more at www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/01/04/Campus/Demolition.Of.Old.Factory.To.Bring.Housing.Retail-2600506.shtml]http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/01/04/Campus/Demolition.Of.Old.Factory.To.Bring.Housing.Retail-2600506.shtml
February 21, 200718 yr Developer chosen for Columbus Coated Fabrics site Business First of Columbus - January 26, 2007 by Brian R. Ball, Business First A Columbus real estate developer has vaulted into the lead to redevelop the former Columbus Coated Fabrics site on East Fifth Avenue. Campus Partners for Community Urban Development Corp., the agency in charge of preparing the site for redevelopment, has tentatively chosen Wagenbrenner Development Co. to develop the 21.6-acre parcel. Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/01/29/story3.html
April 25, 200718 yr Weinland Park neighbors celebrate plant's demolition But mayor skips party because union crews won't be leveling Columbus Coated Fabrics Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:32 AM By Mark Ferenchik, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The long-awaited demolition work to clear the fire-plagued plant at E. 5th and Grant avenues was about to begin yesterday, to the delight of its neighbors. More than 500 condominiums and apartments are planned there to reinvigorate the Weinland Park neighborhood. So neighbors were invited to a party. Packages of buns and chips lined tabletops inside an old loading dock. But the official celebration with the city was scrapped. Mayor Michael B. Coleman said he wouldn't take part because local union workers weren't hired to demolish the factory. The demolition company is bringing most of its workers from out of state, and unions complained to Coleman's office. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/04/25/COATED.ART_ART_04-25-07_B4_IF6G2N7.html
May 5, 200718 yr Two sites, one last chance for funding Cleanups in limbo Projects at two former Columbus factories depend on Clean Ohio money, developers say Saturday, May 5, 2007 3:35 AM By Debbie Gebolys, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/05/CLEAN.ART_ART_05-05-07_C10_JF6JLFR.html Two inner-city Columbus revitalization projects hang in the balance, developers say, as state officials prepare to make what might be the last grants from a cleanup fund. Developers in two of the city's neediest areas are asking $3 million each to demolish and clean up former factories. A grant on the South Side could ultimately bring jobs to a neighborhood that's lost thousands. A grant in Weinland Park near Ohio State University could help convert a hazard into a neighborhood.
July 26, 200717 yr Grants to help rehab land Former Coated Fabrics, Techneglas factories to each get $3 million BY MARK FERENCHIK | COLUMBUS DISPATCH July 26, 2007 COLUMBUS - The state gave two projects in struggling Columbus neighborhoods the news their boosters wanted to hear: They'll each be getting $3 million to clean up old industrial sites and clear the way for redevelopment. That means Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment and Wagenbrenner Development will continue with plans to build 500 apartments and condominiums at the old Columbus Coated Fabrics site at E. 5th and Grant avenues in the Weinland Park neighborhood. And the old Techneglas plant on the South Side will be converted into a 46-acre business park that could employ up to 1,680 people.
March 18, 200817 yr Condos, apartments near Downtown Housing planned on industrial site Tuesday, March 18, 2008 2:56 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Coming soon to a slumping housing market near you: 500 more condos and apartments that developers say can buck the trends. Columbus City Council members gave their approval last night for an agreement with Wagenbrenner Development to clean and revive 17 acres in Weinland Park that once was home to the Columbus Coated Fabrics plant. Read more at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/18/COUN18.ART_ART_03-18-08_B2_329M6E5.html?sid=101
March 21, 200817 yr Personal comment: In defense of the project, it is at a prime location that is close to downtown. The property is severely deteriorated and isn't really worth exploring, in my opinion, and it's tear-down and cleanup is long overdue.
May 9, 200817 yr WEINLAND PARK Section 8 housing to be torn down Thursday, May 8, 2008 By Mark Ferenchik and Jonathan Riskind THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The company redeveloping the Columbus Coated Fabrics site into apartments and condominiums plans to build unsubsidized housing along E. 11th Avenue to create a gateway to the old industrial site. But to do it, it will need the help of Congress and the president. Wagenbrenner Development plans to tear down 96 units of blighted, government-subsidized housing along 11th Avenue owned by the nonprofit Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, said Eric Wagenbrenner, company vice president. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/05/08/SECTION8.ART_ART_05-08-08_B2_0JA54M6.html?sid=101
May 12, 200817 yr This is the last piece of the puzzle in connecting DT to OSU with continuously nice areas. Very important. Kroger getting redeveloped is a major milestone.
November 16, 200816 yr Its improved ALOT since I lived near there! Hopefully the improvements continue!
November 16, 200816 yr Fun stuff! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 17, 200816 yr Its improved ALOT since I lived near there! Hopefully the improvements continue! Same here! Wow
November 17, 200816 yr That Barnes and Noble actually sucks! Every time I try to get a book from there, they tell me it's only available in Upper Arlington! They're more concerned with selling OSU apparel than anything.
November 17, 200816 yr Not a horrible place to buy investment property... could definately do worse...
March 3, 200916 yr City OKs upgrades near old factory $1 million will start improvements for condos, apartments Tuesday, March 3, 2009 - 3:13 AM By Robert Vitale, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH City Council members approved more than $1 million last night to begin the task of improving streets and upgrading utilities around the 17 acres that private developers plan to turn into 500 condos and apartments. The money for design work is coming from the capital-improvements budget, a separate pot of money than the general fund that pays for most of the city's day-to-day operations. It's the first big money that government will spend for the project beyond environmental testing and cleanup. Columbus bought the former factory site in 2006 for $390,000. In 2007, Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment spent $1.6 million to tear down the buildings that repeatedly had been set ablaze. Wagenbrenner Development Inc., which built town houses and apartments on another former industrial site in Harrison West, plans housing at the Columbus Coated site that will be affordable for younger buyers. Read more at http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/03/copy/SCOOTERFEE.ART1_ART_03-03-09_B1_PQD3IBI.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
March 3, 200916 yr Wagenbrenner Development Inc., which built town houses and apartments on another former industrial site in Harrison West, plans housing at the Columbus Coated site that will be affordable for younger buyers. They did a great job with Harrison West, here's hoping for similar success in Weinland Park. My hope is the proximity to OSU and High St. will attract the ever-present population of OSU students to choose to live in this area. Kroger getting redeveloped is a major milestone. Definitely. According to other sources, the plans for the Kroger redevelopment are currently going through the city permit process for construction.
March 3, 200916 yr I live near the Kroger, so I´m really looking forward to this. Also, the new housing on the east side sounds good, but the thing is that gentrification has been occurring in a west-east fashion. The immediate area is more like neighboring Milo-Grogan (it is on the eastern border of Weinland Park after all); rougher and industrial, interspersed with a few ugly commercial buildings. I would hope for more infill along E 5th to connect to this, but only 4 businesses; Bristol Bar, Spore (a community organization with a space, not really a business), 3rd Hand Bike Co-op, and Woody & Jo's Ribs are on this stretch and they're concentrated within a one block space, never mind the other blocks further east. There are still the eyesores on the corner of Summit & 5th and 4th St and 5th. Hopefully, the scale of this development will encourage westward development.
March 10, 200916 yr Weinland Park Development Plans Moving Forward Columbus Underground March 2, 2009 The plans for the new Kroger at 7th and High are moving through the University Area Commission review board and the City permitting process. Pictured (PDF) is the most recent Kroger incarnation. The building will be sited where the parking lot is currently located. The Columbus Coated Fabric site is about to have the concrete pads and foundations removed. The concrete will be ground back into aggregate for reuse. This phase will take about two months. Grant Ave will be closed again when the contractors start the grinding. There is some subsurface remediation that will take place at the same time. It remains to be seen whether the grinding will drown out the sounds of construction on the Jackson or vice versa. http://www.columbusunderground.com/weinland-park-development-plans-moving-forward
March 10, 200916 yr Finally! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 24, 200916 yr Follow-up to this news about a group of existing rowhouses on E. 11th Avenue previously posted in this thread. WEINLAND PARK Section 8 housing to be torn down Thursday, May 8, 2008 Replacing row houses near OSU hits hurdle Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 3:08 AM By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch A developer who wants to demolish a string of row houses and other buildings on E. 11th Avenue said replacing them with new buildings would create another attractive gateway to Ohio State University. The neighborhood association president is in favor of the proposal; she thinks the rental units are an eyesore. One tenant said she'd be happy to move from the apartments. But the row houses, which straddle E. 11th between Grant Avenue and 4th Street, are in the New Indianola Historic District, and Columbus' Historic Resources Commission would have to sign off on demolishing them. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/24/ROWHOUSES.ART_ART_03-24-09_B1_Q5DB7A0.html?sid=101
March 25, 200916 yr There is a very lively discussion about the fate of these rowhouses over at the Columbus Underground at this link: University District Row House Redevelopment Issues. Many pro-renovation and some pro-demolition views. I can't speak to the quality of the interiors at these rowhouses. But, based on the Dispatch photo and many photos on the Auditor's website, I think we have all seen far worse exteriors then at these rowhouses. I also think that we have all seen many examples of Columbus brick rowhouses in far worse condition that have been renovated into high-quality housing. Sometimes even luxury housing, as is the case in German Village. So, let's please try the renovation route first. Plus the fact that these rowhouses are within a locally designated City of Columbus Historic District, makes me think the developer will eventually go the renovation route. Either willingly or not.
May 5, 200916 yr Boo! Might need to change the title of this thread. City shelves plan for two-way Summit, 4th Focus put instead on light rail for Downtown routes Saturday, May 2, 2009 - 2:56 AM By Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch It was supposed to be a key part of Weinland Park's traffic plan: converting 4th and Summit streets, two busy commuter routes between Clintonville and Downtown, from one-way to two-way streets. But now Columbus officials say they aren't going to address the issue when they release the plan next month. They say that's because officials are still pushing for a 13-mile light-rail line that could travel down parts of 4th and Summit as it connects Downtown to the Polaris area. Until light-rail is decided, the city is holding off on any two-way traffic discussion. Read more at http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/02/copy/WEINLANDPLAN.ART_ART_05-02-09_B2_NMDO20K.html?adsec=politics&sid=101
May 6, 200916 yr Boo! Might need to change the title of this thread. I dunno... a focus on Light Rail sounds pretty kickass to me. ;)
June 8, 200916 yr Group to build apartments between OSU, fairgrounds Saturday, June 6, 2009 - 5:54 AM The Columbus Dispatch Dublin-based Celmark Development Group plans to begin construction next month on East Village, its second upscale apartment project in the East Campus area between Ohio State University and the state fairgrounds. East Village will have 82 two-, three- and four-bedroom units on the 2-acre property at 12th Avenue and 4th Street, the company said. The first phase is set to open in the spring. Meanwhile, Celmark is adding eight apartment units on an adjacent property at the nearby Summit Apartments. Those are expected to open in August. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/06/brapt.html?sid=101
June 9, 200916 yr Wagenbrenner adds to plans for Weinland Park Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball Friday, June 5, 2009 Weinland Park resident Joyce Hughes has fond memories of the former D.L. Auld Co. from her days growing up nearby, recalling the polished car hood ornaments that would emerge from the factory. The former industrial complex at 1206 N. Fourth St. could be transformed in a few years under a plan by Wagenbrenner Co. The local developer has expanded its interest in Weinland Park beyond the nearby Columbus Coated Fabrics Co. site, another abandoned production facility it is poised to redevelop with housing. Wagenbrenner has the 3.9-acre Auld Co. property in contract with tentative plans to build 120 multifamily residences above commercial office and retail space. “That’s a good piece of land,” Hughes said. “The residents have been wondering what was going to happen there.” Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/06/08/story2.html#
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