April 30, 20241 yr Got a few more from 4th & 5th yesterday while I had some free time. Brickwork continues along 4th
June 18, 2024Jun 18 Columbus City Council to consider Weinland Park mixed-use project A mixed-use project in Weinland Park could move forward next week. Columbus City Council will consider variances for the former Mid-America Beer Barn site on East 5th Avenue. If all the needed approvals happen, Panzica plans to break ground on the project this summer. The project was reviewed by the local area commission ahead of the June 24 council meeting. The project was not approved by the University Area Commission on April 17. The rejection, which was submitted with the variance, cites residents' concerns about the height of the proposed project and increased traffic in the neighborhood. Edited June 18, 2024Jun 18 by VintageLife
June 18, 2024Jun 18 37 minutes ago, VintageLife said: .....residents' concerns about the height of the proposed project and increased traffic in the neighborhood. Per Zone-In, 5 story is allowed on this site, 7 story if there's an affordable component. If the developer would wait until August when this zoning change is enacted (I believe it will be passed by Council) they wouldn't need to go to the commission. Per the article, this project does have an affordable component so 7 stories would be OK. Wonder why they just don't wait until this fall to avoid all the rigmarole.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 Good question. The article says they want to start this summer if it’s passed. Must be some reason they want to get things rolling.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 31 minutes ago, Pablo said: Per Zone-In, 5 story is allowed on this site, 7 story if there's an affordable component. If the developer would wait until August when this zoning change is enacted (I believe it will be passed by Council) they wouldn't need to go to the commission. Per the article, this project does have an affordable component so 7 stories would be OK. Wonder why they just don't wait until this fall to avoid all the rigmarole. If city council gives it the okay, then it’s good to go though correct? Don’t they have final say on it over the area commission?
June 18, 2024Jun 18 29 minutes ago, VintageLife said: If city council gives it the okay, then it’s good to go though correct? Don’t they have final say on it over the area commission? Yes council has final say. They have voted against recommendations of area commissions in the past.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 14 minutes ago, Pablo said: Yes council has final say. They have voted against recommendations of area commissions in the past. I would guess since this follows the new zoning, they will approve it. It’s a lot of units, so I can’t see them turning it down. The developer held meetings with people in the neighborhood and they voiced what they wanted, makes me more confident they will push it through.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 4 hours ago, VintageLife said: Columbus City Council to consider Weinland Park mixed-use project A mixed-use project in Weinland Park could move forward next week. Columbus City Council will consider variances for the former Mid-America Beer Barn site on East 5th Avenue. If all the needed approvals happen, Panzica plans to break ground on the project this summer. The project was reviewed by the local area commission ahead of the June 24 council meeting. The project was not approved by the University Area Commission on April 17. The rejection, which was submitted with the variance, cites residents' concerns about the height of the proposed project and increased traffic in the neighborhood. "The project was not approved by the University Area Commission on April 17. The rejection, which was submitted with the variance, cites residents' concerns about the height of the proposed project and increased traffic in the neighborhood." Need the zone-in to pass to allow for the height. Any development is going to increase more traffic, why is the University Area Commission rejecting this proposal? At this rate, they should reject everything built as it will bring more people to their area. This is a perfect reason as to expand public transportation. There's no reason we do not have a fully protect bike lane running the entire length of Summit St from 11th to downtown. Add more buses with more frequent service and we wouldn't need to have 1 car for 1 person in this area.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 Who in the University Aera gives a crap about "too much height" except those 5 people? The old zoning is literally minority rule.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 The developer also had more than one meeting for the community and they changed a bunch of stuff based off what the community wanted. This is probably just 5-6 people who don’t want it. I'm curious if anyone on the university area commission owns rental property that they think will be affected by all this new development.
June 18, 2024Jun 18 Commission is 4 old ladies and some rich 52yo slick-looking guy I remember one landlord in Portsmouth would buy rental houses around the university just to tear them down so the students had to stay in his private dorms.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 56 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: Snatched a few of Zora's House on my way through I just don’t understand the reason why they add the metal to the top. The brick looks so nice and it just cheapens it.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 51 minutes ago, VintageLife said: I just don’t understand the reason why they add the metal to the top. The brick looks so nice and it just cheapens it. Exactly that. It’s cheaper. Columbus loves building urban renewal style crappy buildings.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 10 hours ago, columbus17 said: Exactly that. It’s cheaper. Columbus loves building urban renewal style crappy buildings. This is not unique to Columbus. Every city in the country is building crap that looks exactly the same.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 43 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: This is not unique to Columbus. Every city in the country is building crap that looks exactly the same. True, but we’ve been really good at tearing our good stuff down in massive quantities. Also we have enough economic boom and brilliant minds that the city should be requiring good architecture. Contrary to popular belief, it does not hinder development, just forces a change in style more compatible with existing neighborhoods and more supportive of good urban development.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 36 minutes ago, columbus17 said: True, but we’ve been really good at tearing our good stuff down in massive quantities. Also we have enough economic boom and brilliant minds that the city should be requiring good architecture. Contrary to popular belief, it does not hinder development, just forces a change in style more compatible with existing neighborhoods and more supportive of good urban development. We were really good at tearing our good stuff down in massive quantities back in the 60s and 70s. We've actually become quite good at salvaging our good stuff over the last few decades. From my experience traveling around the country to metro areas that are experiencing a bigger boom than us, the bigger the boom, the more crappy architecture you get. I would definitely love to see us encourage more beautiful architecture though. You can build these 5 over 1s and make them look halfway decent, but nobody is incentivized to so they just take the cheapest way out.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 58 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: We were really good at tearing our good stuff down in massive quantities back in the 60s and 70s. We've actually become quite good at salvaging our good stuff over the last few decades. From my experience traveling around the country to metro areas that are experiencing a bigger boom than us, the bigger the boom, the more crappy architecture you get. I would definitely love to see us encourage more beautiful architecture though. You can build these 5 over 1s and make them look halfway decent, but nobody is incentivized to so they just take the cheapest way out. I’m fine with 5 over 1s that look good - the problem is everyone’s using cheap glass, cement board, and metal panels. It just looks crappy. Some of the best buildings ever built are midrises - but they have genuine character. That’s what’s lacking.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 48 minutes ago, columbus17 said: I’m fine with 5 over 1s that look good - the problem is everyone’s using cheap glass, cement board, and metal panels. It just looks crappy. Some of the best buildings ever built are midrises - but they have genuine character. That’s what’s lacking. Yea that's what I'm saying. I don't mind the height, it's the lazy design that bothers me. And it's in issue all over the country, not just here in Columbus.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 It's not necessarily lazy design - it's all cost driven. If you have any unlimited budget you can use superior materials. It's a balancing act between the cost of construction and rents the market can withstand.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 2 minutes ago, Pablo said: It's not necessarily lazy design - it's all cost driven. If you have any unlimited budget you can use superior materials. It's a balancing act between the cost of construction and rents the market can withstand. No, it’s viewing buildings as commodities instead of assets and poorly educated design professionals. There are numerous examples of new, classically designed buildings being constructed at a similar if not the same cost as their modern counterparts.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 1 hour ago, columbus17 said: No, it’s viewing buildings as commodities instead of assets and poorly educated design professionals. There are numerous examples of new, classically designed buildings being constructed at a similar if not the same cost as their modern counterparts. That's nice and all if you can get away with charging $4000/month in rent in Columbus. Design professionals need to design to the budget at hand - do you think architects set their own budgets?
July 3, 2024Jul 3 57 minutes ago, Pablo said: That's nice and all if you can get away with charging $4000/month in rent in Columbus. Design professionals need to design to the budget at hand - do you think architects set their own budgets? Did you read what I had said? The cost is not always substantially more. Also I’d fully support giving rents a slight bump for higher quality construction - better than knocking down garbage buildings every 30-50 years which is wasteful and harms the urban community. People need to stop thinking short term about this kind of stuff - being reactionary is never a good thing.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 Actually, cost is a huge factor. Everything adds up in building construction. I'd also venture to say that renters care more about the rent than if their building has an Indiana limestone dentil cornice. I do think 5 over 1s should have a nicer design but I think the biggest issue is the length of these buildings, taking up an entire city block. That is mostly driven by parking garage layout that is either underground or beneath the first level. You need a certain efficiency in laying out parking to make it cost effective. I hope the new Zone-In encourages developers to smaller, with less parking, freeing up a little more money for better architecture. I think incremental intensification will do more for the quality of our built environment than adding architectural flourishes to buildings.
July 3, 2024Jul 3 10 minutes ago, Pablo said: Actually, cost is a huge factor. Everything adds up in building construction. I'd also venture to say that renters care more about the rent than if their building has an Indiana limestone dentil cornice. I do think 5 over 1s should have a nicer design but I think the biggest issue is the length of these buildings, taking up an entire city block. That is mostly driven by parking garage layout that is either underground or beneath the first level. You need a certain efficiency in laying out parking to make it cost effective. I hope the new Zone-In encourages developers to smaller, with less parking, freeing up a little more money for better architecture. I think incremental intensification will do more for the quality of our built environment than adding architectural flourishes to buildings. I agree, but those buildings shouldn’t be built with less detail and care. Especially because except for corner spots, they only have one facade they really need to focus on. Some products, like 8MM LVP, I can see the argument for. Others, like vinyl siding and cement panels, are just cheap. It’s crap. It’s not a solution. And it benefits no one. Developers and homeowners alike seem to lack pride in what they own these days (the last couple decades). They’re not maintaining things as well and build more reclusive (in opposition to front porch living/street activation community centric designs) that maintain the community fabric and create a truly neighborly environment. This has led to a major cultural shift for the worse. The lack of public mingling even at the home has not helped our current divided world. People need to realize that quality architecture is an integral part of a building and not merely a decorative or auxiliary factor. You’re on track with this - mixed building sizes and uses are very important, especially with creating community streets and breaking down social and economic barriers, but you can’t build them in a way that doens’t illicit pride in their ownership and pride in their community. Also let’s focus our efforts on increasing density in a way that promotes homeownership, not just renters. And finally, renters deserve to live in a nice building too. And they do notice and care - it’s why so many companies spend big bucks on flashy photography for their new developments and fancy staging.
August 22, 2024Aug 22 Snatched a few quick ones of the Peer on 7th as I passed by now that all the fencing is down Heading west on 7th
August 29, 2024Aug 29 Zora's House ready to open new coworking and community space in Weinland Park For LC Johnson, Sept. 6 is both a day of vindication and a long-time coming. It's the day Zora's House opens its new 10,000-square-foot coworking and community space for women of color. The Weinland Park location at 1393 N. 4th St. features a cafe, conference rooms, private offices for their accelerator program participants, a library, a nursing room, large common areas, flex space and more. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2024/08/29/zoras-house-opens-coworking.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 30, 2024Aug 30 That entrance for 4th and 5th still pisses me off. I don’t understand why they didn’t put the entrance on one of the side streets.
August 31, 2024Aug 31 7 hours ago, VintageLife said: That entrance for 4th and 5th still pisses me off. I don’t understand why they didn’t put the entrance on one of the side streets. It's such a bizarre and ugly project all around. IVC should have design review over both sides of 5th, not just the south
September 27, 2024Sep 27 Small write up on Zora's House in today's Metropreneur... Zora’s House: A Creative and Inclusive Hub for Women of Color "Zora’s House is a non-profit coworking and community space designed for women and gender-expansive people of color. Founded in 2018, Zora’s House went from Johnson’s 2,000-square-foot home on Summit Street to a new 10,000-square-foot multilevel building at 1393 N. Fourth St. The new space opened in early September. On the first floor of the new Zora’s House is a coffee shop called the Purple Door Cafe, named after the purple front door at the original Zora’s House. The coffee shop is a social enterprise of Zora’s House and is open to everyone. It does not require a day pass or membership. Johnson said the Purple Door Cafe is a way for non-women of color allies in the community to support Zora’s House."
October 29, 2024Oct 29 20 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: Rice Paddy apartments From Grant and 11th Still is such a weird development, but I like that they kept the walls. Seems like it would have worked to just incorporate them into the actual building.
October 29, 2024Oct 29 I wonder what the walls were for. A motorcycle junkyard doesn't have the money to wall their stuff off like that. Someone before had to have put them up.
October 31, 2024Oct 31 20 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: Passing by 4th & 5th Heading north on 4th That entrance is so annoying, I really don’t know why it was approved. They could have 100% put it on the back of the building, either off 6th Ave or 5th st
November 1, 2024Nov 1 3 minutes ago, Whopper Jr said: I really do wonder how these monoliths will age? I expect most of them to just be similar to the terrible 80’s apartment buildings that went up all over. They will last 30-40 years and be torn down for something different. I wish they looked better, but in the end they serve their purpose of bringing housing and some more retail.
November 1, 2024Nov 1 Yeah these wood things have a limited life. Class A institutional money is not here yet for multifamliy, so this is a notch up for now.
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