The Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation has purchased the vacant lot at the northeast corner of N. High Street and Fifth Avenue (1230 N. High Street).  This site is just north of the official Fifth Avenue northern border of the Short North and is located within the Weinland Park neighborhood boundaries.  Because it is so close to the Short North (the Short North arches continue past this intersection), the site might logically be referred to as being in the Short North.  But officially, it is a Weinland Park location under the jurisdication of the University District Area Commission.  Much like the new multi-story Kroger that opened one block north of this site is referred to as "The Short North Kroger".

 

The approximately 0.64 acre lot at the northeast corner of High & Fifth was purchased by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation for $1.6 million.  The property previously contained a Shell gas station which was demolished some years ago (with the underground gas tanks presumably removed as well).  Along with the purchase of the property, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced plans to construct the following at the northeast corner of High & Fifth:

 

- An AHF operated Healthcare Center

- An AHF operated Pharmacy and HIV testing site

- AHF regional offices

- An AHF operated 'Out of the Closet' retail thrift store

 

AHF bills itself as the largest global AIDS organization.  It has 22 other locations in California and Florida.  The Columbus location would be the second 'Out of the Closet' retail location built from the ground-up, following the format of their location in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Below are links to articles from Columbus Underground, the Columbus Dispatch and a press release from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation at their website.  No plans or renderings of the proposed AHF development are available yet.  The 'Out of the Closet' store exterior shown in the AHF press release and at Columbus Underground is a photo of their retail location at Ft. Lauderdale. 

 

Columbus Underground: New Short North Development to House AIDS Healthcare Foundation Offices, Thrift Store & Medical Center

 

Columbus Dispatch: AIDS group plans to build pharmacy, thrift store on N. High

 

AIDS Healthcare Foundation: Ohio, Here We Come! AHF to Open Out of the Closet Thrift Store, Pharmacy & HIV Testing Site in Columbus

More about the building plans for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Offices, Thrift Store & Medical Center proposed at the northeast corner of Fifth and High.  An excellent Weinland Park blog posted the submitted site plan and building elevations for the "Out Of The Closet Thrift Store and Pharmacy at 1230 N. High Street" at "The southwest corner proposal".

 

In the past few weeks, we've seen a plethora of outstanding projects proposed for High Street.  Such as the two 6-story retail/apartment buildings at Columbus Commons in downtown.  And the 6-story Pizzuti office building and 11-story Joseph Hotel in the Short North.  And a 5-story addition to the Fireproof Building a little further north.  Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be adding this Out Of The Closet proposal to the outstanding category.

 

The Out Of The Closet Thrift Store and Pharmacy proposal is a single-story structure.  Their architects have tried to camouflage this by making the High Street and Fifth Street building elevations look like two-stories and by adding a rather penile looking three-story corner entry tower.  It does locate the building along the High Street and Fifth Street property lines in an urban configuration.  However, half of the Fifth Street frontage is open to the rear parking lot.  The High Street frontage has maybe 25% open, as well as a curb cut.  Plus, more than half of the overall site is devoted to surface parking.

 

Basically, it's more or less an urban Walgreens configuration.  Very disappointing for the corner of Fifth and High.  The proposed design is generally not being well received - see the Columbus Underground thread "Old Shell Station at 5th & High - What's going on?". 

 

Now sometimes the original proposal can get improved dramatically (see the 5-story addition to the Fireproof Building which began as a 1-story proposal).  However, the Fireproof Building was under the jurisdiction of the Italian Village Commission - one of the Short North's two historic review commissions.  The Out Of The Closet proposal is located in Weinland Park and it's under the jurisdiction of the University Area Commission (UAC).  Both groups have design review powers.  Unfortunately, the UAC is far less strict than the Short North commissions.  So it will likely be more difficult to dramatically improve this project like the Fireproof project was in the Short North.  But we'll have to see what news comes from this initial proposal.

Above is the history and recap of the Out Of The Closet proposal to construct a new building at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and N. High Street.  An article earlier this week from the Columbus Dispatch is showing that the efforts to build there might be getting as ugly as many contend the proposed structure is.  Below is the link to the Dispatch article:

 

Dispatch: Leader: City resists ‘gay-friendly’ store

^So that's the history and context for the Fifth & High site and the AHF-Out of the Closet proposal.  Here is where I understand the proposal currently stands in the city approval process.  The one-story building proposal does met minimum zoning standards for the site.  However, it still must go through a design review process and be approved by the University Area Commission (UAC).  If the UAC does not approve it, then City Council would need to issue a council variance.  (If this is in error, I would welcome any corrections.)

 

Now the head of the out-of-state developer, Michael Weinstein, is accusing the City of delaying approval of their one-story building at Fifth and High because it would house a "gay-friendly business".  I think these responses to AHF's accusation at the Columbus Underground thread Out of the Closet - Planned Development at 5th & High are quite telling:

 

Oh Pleeease:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/16/leader-city-resists-gay-friendly-store.html

 

I see no bias against the business, but rightfully a bias against the planned building itself.

Uh... I predict that article's is going to be a massive PR fail. 

They are trying to build a gay friendly store on the gayest street, in the gayest neighborhood, in one of the gayest American cities, on a site where the Mayor hugged a drag queen on stage under rainbow colored arches. To characterize city leadership as anti-gay is offending.

 

We just don't want your stupid one story pink building on one of the most important intersections of the city. 

Build a decent building and everyone will be happy.

The article is offensive in so many ways I'm not sure where to start. Makes me remember how surprised I was that when AHF presented to the WP civic association, they didn't mention anything at all about lower-income and/or non-gay people being at risk for HIV and (thus) how their services would potentially be of use to a large number of neighborhood residents. It seemed a really narrow and outdated view both of HIV and of the gay community ("gay" = pink buildings! fashion! flamboyance!)

 

However - what the article doesn't go into at all is that the University Area Review Board is in discussion with AHF regarding changes to the color, height, fenestration of the building, as well as AHF's proposal to retain the High St curb cut - and those discussions have to be resolved before any building permits will be issued. It's extremely unlikely that the building will go up as originally proposed.

 

And let's clarify - the building was never proposed to be pink. White brick, yes; "accent-colored stucco", yes; but not pink.

Not a good fit for the neighborhood. And I don't mean the actual business going in there, just the building.

Weinstein's manipulation of the design issue in the Dispatch as "anti-gay" gives a real sense of who we are dealing with here. An open letter to him would do well to reinforce just how vested we are in this High Street corridor and might encourage him to have a better dialogue with his customer base.

I think the term you're looking for is manufactured outrage.

 

First, the zoning needed to be approved because "people are dying here", as if Columbus does not already have a number of Aids related organizations, the majority of which never even heard of Michael's organization before they helicoptered in. Now, it should be approved because to strongly critique the building design in any way is obviously some sort of anti-gay agenda.

 

Someone should let Michael know that it's quite possible that the SN cares about being gay-friendly every day, cares about people (many it's neighbors) with Aids every day, and cares about the quality of the building built within its confines every day, having done these things for years. These aren't mutually exclusive concerns, and to treat them as such communicates an impressive level of tone-deafness. To act as if the SN, or Columbus in general, is somehow the Darfur of the Aids epidemic is exceedingly insulting to the people who have been on the ground for years working with the Aids-related organizations already in Columbus, many of whom are gay-focused and have long had the support of their neighbors.

 

Maybe they need to be reminded that it isn't the 80s anymore and Reagan isn't President.

More about the AHF-Out of the Closet single-story building proposal for Fifth & High. 

 

The official meeting summary for the March 22, 2012 University Area Review Board that heard the AHF-Out of the Closet proposal.  The notes on the ATF-Out of the Closet application start on page 3 of the pdf link.  Below is the applicant and review information from the pdf.  And below that is the summary of what the UARB wanted the developer to change from their submitted proposal:

 

1230 North High Street - Out of the Closet

applicant: Aaron Vinson, Bo Hollingsworth (Hollingsworth Architects)

to be reviewed: building and site design

 

- Remove High Street curbcut and side parking

- All parking at the rear, access from Courtland; area for possible events.

- Consider a multi-story building, up to 60’; work with local developers if necessary.

- Entry element should be wider with careful material selection (no Dryvit)

- Windows over storefront should be set higher and have some relationship with adjacent buildings.

- Contemporary look okay, but not white brick

- Signs/Graphics should address the pedestrian environment

 

---

Weinland Park resident "labi" posted an update at Columbus Underground about the following month's UARB meeting held on April 26, 2012:

 

AHF presented again at the April meeting.  The proposed white brick had changed to beige, and there had been other modifications to the original proposal (although the teal and pink accent colors remain.)  A summary of what I observed:

 

The most immediate issue is the High Street curb cut, which is clearly disallowed by the Urban Commercial Overlay, University District Guidelines, and Plan for High Street.  However, the AHF architect & representative said they’d met with city Traffic & Mobility and Zoning staff who’d specifically told them they preferred the High St curb cut (and requested that they close one of the Courtland Ave curb cuts.)  The UARB concluded that their staff (Dan Ferdelman) should speak directly with the relevant traffic & zoning staff to attempt to clarify/settle the issue, and that AHF should follow up on the results of that conversation and bring written documentation of the result to their next appearance before the board.  Board members were openly mystified as to why AHF would continue to resist on this issue when it would be so relatively simple to reconfigure their building to use Courtland Avenue access only.  AHF responded that they needed to move quickly so they could “get back to saving people from AIDS” and had thought that the other city dept’s response was sufficient.  So – that will have to be settled.

 

There are also objections to numerous other aspects of the building’s design (specifically related to massing and fenestration and how they relate to the context of the location) (fenestration = how the windows are sized/shaped/placed on the façade), but there seemed to be general agreement that it was premature to discuss those issues prior to resolution of the curb cut question.  The board requested that for their next appearance, AHF should bring more specific design drawings that included the across-the-corner contexts for each elevation.  They also pointed out that the one neighboring building included on the current elevations was not scaled accurately and asked that that issue be addressed.

 

Overall, the UARB seemed to expect to need at least two more meetings to settle things enough that they might be able to vote in favor of a certificate of approval. (One meeting for them to share their feedback on massing & fenestration after curb cut is settled, and another meeting for AHF to present changes made in response to the massing/fenestration requests.)

More about the AHF-Out of the Closet single-story building proposal for Fifth & High.  Weinland Park resident "labi" posted another update at Columbus Underground about last night's University Area Review Board meeting.

 

From "Out of the Closet - Planned Development at 5th & High" at Columbus Underground:

At tonight's University Area Review Board meeting, new site plan and elevations showed:

 

--High St curb cut retained because city zoning staff said that an existing cut could be retained

--parking on the north side of the building (adjacent to the High St curb cut) eliminated

--scale drawings comparing the building to immediately surrounding buildings show that the proposed building is a little taller than the building to its north, and just shorter than the building across 5th St to the south

--apparently window proportions were revised and some of them were grouped in pairs, but the drawings couldn't be seen from the audience, so I can't say more than that

 

Several Weinland Park residents and several University District residents spoke against the proposal's design, site plan, and lack of density.  There was considerable, detailed board discussion, but overall, board members said they were disappointed by the design, by the lack of substantive change from last month, and by the poor quality of the drawings and elevations.  One said "This looks like a weak 2nd-meeting proposal, not a 3rd-meeting proposal."  AHF decided to table the proposal and come back again in June (next meeting is June 28, 6:30, at the North Side Library).

 

After the decision was made to table, John Angelo of the Short North Foundation said that within the next 2 weeks, the board (and other city officials) would be receiving a group of letters from the Italian Village and Victorian Village Commissions and a number of other neighborhood groups in support of the UARB in its efforts to steer the proposal in a more appropriate direction.

AIDS clinic’s design revised to fit in Short North

By Mark Ferenchik and Lucas Sullivan, Columbus Dispatch

Monday, June 25, 2012 - 4:30 AM

 

A national advocacy group for people with AIDS is modifying plans for its clinic and thrift store in the University District, hoping to convince community leaders that the building’s new look fits the neighborhood.

 

The Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation will present its new plans before the University Area Review Board on Thursday.

 

The board objected to the original design of Out of the Closet, to be built at the northeast corner of N. High Street and E. 5th Avenue, which is considered a gateway to the Short North, Italian Village, Victorian Village and Weinland Park.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/06/25/clinics-design-revised-to-fit-in.html

^The above posted news that AHF is revising the building design for their Out of the Closet Thrift Store and Pharmacy proposal at Fifth & High is certainly good news.  But it might not be the slam dunk that the Dispatch headline makes it out to be.  Consider the following:

 

To date, the only official plans for the project that have been shown was the original site plan and building elevation published by a Weinland Park blog in April (quoted below):

More about the building plans for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Offices, Thrift Store & Medical Center proposed at the northeast corner of Fifth and High.  An excellent Weinland Park blog posted the submitted site plan and building elevations for the "Out Of The Closet Thrift Store and Pharmacy at 1230 N. High Street" at "The southwest corner proposal".

Yesterday's Dispatch article talks about various design changes to the proposed building.  But it does not include any plans, elevations or renderings of those changes.  In the article, the original design was described as "a one-story building with light-colored bricks and a cylindrical glass element atop a corner".  The new design is described as "most of the building would be oyster-gray brick, with magenta stucco insets and some teal stucco on a corner".  And although it is said that "the height of the building would range from 30 to 45 feet", it appears that the building would still be a single-story - even though the other three corners have three-story buildings.

 

So tomorrow's UAC meeting should be interesting.  Because it appears that AHF still has a ways to go before it produces a truly urban design at this important urban corner.

I think this development will certainly test how seriously the urban design overlay will be taken by future developers depending on what gets the final stamp of approval/what the AHF is able to get away with. Right now it's just a palette swap. For Mortal Kombat fans, see Rain and Smoke.

the sad thing is...it meets all of the urban design overlays. thats why this is such a problem...its completely ok to build a bad building. we wrote our codes that way.

The Urban Commercial Overlay was approved with the voiced intent to encourage mixed-use, multi-story, density, etc. But those things are not in the code. Very few UCO projects have been mixed-use or multi-story; most are one-story, single-use buildings. What Columbus desperately needs is transit-oriented development, or what I sometimes call Mixed-Use Overlay. We need minimum-density requirements.

The neighborhood groups and the area commission are trying to get the developer to do the right thing at this corner.  But it seems like they're hamstrung with the official development regulations here.  But I've always wondered how much this hamstrings them based on recent new construction approved by the UAC.  There's the 3-story Smith & High project that's within the same block as this project, the 2-story project at Euclid & High, and of course the urban Kroger design.

 

I wonder if this is simply an aggressive developer (AHF) that's trying to exploit a loophole?

 

EDIT: Corrected a misplaced word in original post.

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

Really great update on an older neighborhood news item.  In 2009, a developer proposed demolishing a bunch of historic two-story rowhouses on E. 11th Avenue.  Now it looks like Wagenbrenner is stepping in to renovate those row houses instead of demolition.  The state Department of Development announced an Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Award for this renovation project.  Below is the notice from ODOD:

 

From the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Awards press release:

 

Grant Commons (Columbus, Franklin County)

· Total Project Cost: $12,609,992

· Total Tax Credit: $2,966,686

· Address: 305-397 East 11th Avenue and 1499-1502 North 5th Street, 43201

Located in the New Indianola Historic District on the border of Weinland Park and the University District, Grant Commons includes the rehabilitation of 23 duplex and rowhouse properties.  The buildings were constructed in the 1920's and acquired by Community Properties of Ohio as part of a larger portfolio of affordable housing properties.  Originally planned for demolition, the blighted buildings will instead be rehabilitated into market-rate apartments through a partnership with Wagenbrenner Development which is currently leading a larger revitalization effort in the Weinland Park neighborhood.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation Offices/Out Of The Closet Thrift Store/AHF Medical Clinic proposed for the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and High Street has been approved by the city's University Area Commission.  Below is an article from today's Dispatch.  Below that link is the rendering of the revised design presented by AHF at the UAC meeting:

 

Dispatch: Redesigned plans get OK for HIV/AIDS clinic in University District

 

 

You can also see AHF's original March design at Weinland Park blog.

 

However, it appears that the rendering shown above is not the final design that was approved by the University Area Commission.  According to a Weinland Park resident who attended the UAC meeting from Columbus Underground: "It's true that the building design was approved, but there were significant conditions attached to that approval.  The landscape plan was one of those conditions, but the others include moving the accent colors to the pedestrian level of the facade, changing how the area around the curb cut (which will remain) is handled, changing how the signage is handled on the tower, and using a combination of smooth and rock-faced brick on the facade."

 

So it appears as if the final approved design will look even better than the above rendering of revised design - which is a vast improvement over the original AHF design from March.  The upper story will not have the accent colors - making it look like a more normal two-story urban building.  The accent colors will be in the recessed ground floor storefront areas - a much more appropriate location for these colors.  The "Out Of The Closet" signage on the corner will get revised further (I'd suggest a projecting sign ala "The Garden", "Fireproof" or "Hubbard" variety). 

 

And most importantly, it appears that the High Street Gap in the previous design has gone away.  Given the characters that these AHF developers appears to be, I'd say that the University Area Commisstion has done an outstanding job of transforming the original suburban proposal into a more normal two-story urban design.  Good for them.

Is this a two-story building, or a one-story building designed to look like two stories (like the Kroger a block to the north). What will the upper level (if there is one) be used for? The story mentioned a structure "as high as 45 feet." Does that mean there may be additional floors? The Dispatch story raises more questions than it answers.

It looks like...a CVS.

The Dispatch stories on this have been somewhat vague, but from what I can tell, it's still a one-story with just more height and some kind of lighthouse feature.  I read on another forum that one of the suggestions for the project was to build with construction that could allow additional floors to be added at some point in the future, but I have no idea if that's true or part of the plans.  Given the organization's general disregard for the neighborhood and city, it's highly unlikely.  Needless to say, still a disappointment, but at least it's not all hot pink.

I'm more bothered by the one-story single-use than by the hot pink. I don't think I'd have a problem with a five-story pink building. If it's good enough for South Beach, it's good enough for Short North.

More photos of the single-family homes being built in the Weinland Park neighborhood by Wagenbrenner in the Construction Roundup - March 2012 from Columbus Underground.

 

 

Updated photos of the single-family infill homes built in Weinland Park from Columbus Underground - Construction Roundup - July 2012.  These homes have a new website too - http://www.WeinlandParkHomes.com

 

 

Another home construction project in Weinland Park.  In late August, a groundbreaking was held for six single-family homes at the corner of North Fourth and East Eighth.  Campus Partners acquired two vacant apartment buildings on this land, which were razed in 2010.  The new single-family homes are being built by the Wagenbrenner Development Company, Nickolas Savko & Sons, and Rockford Homes.

 

Below is a view of the vacant lot at North Fourth and East Eighth from the Columbus Underground article: New Homes Breaking Ground in Weinland Park

 

 

And this is a rendering of the new homes from the groundbreaking flyer for N4E8 - as it is being called at the Weinland Park Blog: Good things have arrived

 

A really great update on yet another Weinland Park neighborhood development project from the Weinland Park Blog.  This one is about the restoration of the New Indianola Historic District on 11th Avenue. 

 

As reported here, earlier in this thread, this project includes the rehabilitation of 23 duplex and rowhouse structures constructed in the 1920's.  The project also received Historic Tax Credits from the State of Ohio in June 2012. 

 

Now the project is really beginning to take shape with the release of renderings from Wagenbrenner, the project developer.  Weinland Park Blog posted five project renderings that go from a location overview - to an illustrative site plan - to before and after renovation renderings for individual structures. 

 

 

 

For larger versions of the above two renderings and additional project renderings: http://weinlandpark.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/11th-avenue-update/

 

 

I thought that was all the Borden plant when I was a kid.

The President of Wagenbrenner Development sat down with Columbus Underground recently to talk about the many urban infill redevelopment projects the company is proceeding with in Columbus.  One of those projects is their development role in the Weinland Park Collaborative, a partnership designed to improve the quality of life in the Weinland Park neighborhood.  Here is the link to the full article: Wagenbrenner Continues Urban Infill Development in 2013

 

Here is the excerpt of the article dealing with projects in Weinland Park:

 

"Wagenbrenner Development is the private development company involved in the Weinland Park Collaborative, a partnership designed to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood.  Wagenbrenner has already constructed and rehabilitated 14 neighborhood stabilization program (NSP) homes that have sold, and are planning the completion of six more homes at the intersection of Fourth Street and Eighth Avenue in February."

 

"Additionally, Wagenbrenner hopes to advance plans for the former Columbus Coated Fabrics this year, and is planning to begin a historic renovation to buildings on Eleventh Avenue on the northern end of the neighborhood starting in April."

 

BRU opened up on New Year's Eve weekend in the former Janton Building at 1288 N. High Street.  This is the former metal sided building located between the newly constructed urban-style Kroger and the York on High condos in the renovated York Masonic Temple.  Previously posted in this thread here.  Columbus Underground did a profile on the new brewing company business that restored the building at the link below:

 

Columbus Underground: BRU Opens Bar and Brewery to Beer Enthusiasts

 

Before

 

After

^Krogentrification.

^Krogentrification.

 

That's a good one!

The AHF Out Of The Closet Building broke ground in late January for their new building at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and High Street.

 

Here are some photos of the groundbreaking from the Wilder's City Pharmacy facebook page.  Wilder's City Pharmacy has existing Downtown and Short North locations.  It will be relocating its Short North location into the AHF Out Of The Closet Building at Fifth & High. 

 

And if you're wondering if you are seeing the images correctly.  Yes, that is a pink backhoe.  And yes, that is pink dirt!  More photos at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wilders-City-Pharmacy/162273817118137?sk=photos_stream:

 

 

 

 

From Columbus Underground, three rental properties totaling 59 units to be renovated by Homeport.  Homeport is the rebranded name for the non-profit Columbus Housing Partnership.  Below is a project description from the website under the project title "Victorian Heritage":

 

"Homeport proposes the complete rehabilitation of 59 Section-8 rental units located in three clusters of historically-significant apartment buildings in North-Central Columbus.  Homeport’s acquisition of the properties will preserve affordability for current and prospective tenants.  Homeport plans an extensive renovation that will significantly improve quality of life for residents, while maintaining high management standards and the provision of additional resident services.  Renovations will maintain the historic character of the older buildings in this portfolio, while enhancing the interior spaces, updating mechanicals, and providing other significant upgrades as needed."

 

Victorian Heritage includes 59 apartments in three locations:

- 34 one-bedroom units for seniors at 1379 High Street (near King Avenue)

-  8 two-bedroom townhouses for families at Clark and Dennison Avenue

- 17 two-bedroom townhouses for families at 5th Avenue and Hamlet

 

 

 

BRU opened up on New Year's Eve weekend in the former Janton Building at 1288 N. High Street.  This is the former metal sided building located between the newly constructed urban-style Kroger and the York on High condos in the renovated York Masonic Temple.  Previously posted in this thread here.  Columbus Underground did a profile on the new brewing company business that restored the building at the link below:

 

Columbus Underground: BRU Opens Bar and Brewery to Beer Enthusiasts

 

Before

 

After

A couple of updates about the building at 1288 N. High Street beautifully restored by BRU.  First, the brewery business is no longer called BRU.  It's now called the North High Brewing Company.  Second, there will be food to go with the beer.  An offshoot of the Commonwealth Sandwich Bar located up the street is opening in the building.  More about that from Columbus Underground:

 

---

Commonwealth Kitchen Installed at North High Brewing Company

By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground

Published on February 8, 2013 - 6:00 am

 

Some changes are afoot at 1288 North High Street.  The venue formerly known as BRU has officially switched their name to North High Brewing Company to avoid some conflicts and confusion with other similarly named brewers and bistros located in other states.

 

Additionally, North High will be debuting their new food offerings as early as next week as the Commonwealth Kitchen (brought to you by the same people at the Commonwealth Sandwich Bar) officially begins testing out some new menu items.

 

READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/commonwealth-kitchen-installed-at-north-high-brewing-company

The next door neighbor of the North High Brewing Company (formerly BRU) got a recent profile at Columbus Underground.  The York on High Condominiums was formerly the home of the York Masonic Temple.  It was recently renovated into 25 upscale condo units. 

 

Columbus Underground talked with one of the condo owners - originally from Texas who moved to Columbus to take a job at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University a half-mile up High Street - about what it is like to live in a former Masonic Temple.  How about having a giant stained glass window in your kitchen?  More from CU below:

 

Columbus Underground: At Home: Living in a former masonic temple

 

MODERATOR NOTE:  More posting of news wiped out by the server crash.

 

Library looking to build bigger branch on High Street

By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter

Business First - March 22, 2013, 6:00am EDT

 

Planning for redevelopment of the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Northside branch will focus on putting it into a multi-story, mixed-use building.  Pizzuti Cos., the Columbus development firm, will lead a group exploring the library’s options for its property at 1423 N. High Street as the system eyes an early 2015 reopening of a revamped branch.

 

“As an urban site, it lends itself to more of a vertical expression of the building,” said Pizzuti Executive Vice President and COO Jim Russell. “It’s an opportunity to take advantage of a site situated between the South Campus Gateway and the Short North, and consider how do you become that midpoint anchor to attract activity and development.”

 

The 7,600-square-foot branch dates back 22 years, and its circulation of books and materials has soared 68 percent to 330,750 items checked out in 2012 from the 196,579 items in 1993.  The branch “has outlived its usefulness” amid residential growth in the Short North, said Gregg Dodd, the library’s marketing director.  A rebuilt library could be as large as 27,000 square feet.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2013/03/22/library-to-branch-up-at-high-street-site.html

Another home construction project in Weinland Park.  In late August, a groundbreaking was held for six single-family homes at the corner of North Fourth and East Eighth.  Campus Partners acquired two vacant apartment buildings on this land, which were razed in 2010.  The new single-family homes are being built by the Wagenbrenner Development Company, Nickolas Savko & Sons, and Rockford Homes.

 

Below is a view of the vacant lot at North Fourth and East Eighth from the Columbus Underground article: New Homes Breaking Ground in Weinland Park

 

 

And this is a rendering of the new homes from the groundbreaking flyer for N4E8 - as it is being called at the Weinland Park Blog: Good things have arrived

 

An April construction update on the infill homes being built at N. 4th and E. 8th from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-april-2013-part-2

 

BRU opened up on New Year's Eve weekend in the former Janton Building at 1288 N. High Street.  This is the former metal sided building located between the newly constructed urban-style Kroger and the York on High condos in the renovated York Masonic Temple.  Previously posted in this thread here.  Columbus Underground did a profile on the new brewing company business that restored the building at the link below:

 

Columbus Underground: BRU Opens Bar and Brewery to Beer Enthusiasts

 

Before

 

After

A couple of updates about the building at 1288 N. High Street beautifully restored by BRU.  First, the brewery business is no longer called BRU.  It's now called the North High Brewing Company.  Second, there will be food to go with the beer.  An offshoot of the Commonwealth Sandwich Bar located up the street is opening in the building.  More about that from Columbus Underground:

 

---

Commonwealth Kitchen Installed at North High Brewing Company

By: Walker Evans, Columbus Underground

Published on February 8, 2013 - 6:00 am

 

Some changes are afoot at 1288 North High Street.  The venue formerly known as BRU has officially switched their name to North High Brewing Company to avoid some conflicts and confusion with other similarly named brewers and bistros located in other states.

 

Additionally, North High will be debuting their new food offerings as early as next week as the Commonwealth Kitchen (brought to you by the same people at the Commonwealth Sandwich Bar) officially begins testing out some new menu items.

 

READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/commonwealth-kitchen-installed-at-north-high-brewing-company

 

Although I was very happy to see the North High Brewing Company rehab (krogentrification), I have to admit that I was disappointed that they left the brick hoodmolds untouched. Installation of the metal facade had severely damaged the brick hoodmolds and the building looked a little rough even after it was painted. Fortunately, the brick was replaced a couple weeks back, and the building now looks great.

 

Before:

 

After:

Redevelopment effort for Weinland Park pegged to ‘food district’

 

 

Weinland Park is being targeted for a jolt of economic development centered around the creation of a food district, under plans unveiled by community groups.

 

Using an $864,000 federal grant, the Community Economic Development Corp. of Ohio, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and others envision turning vacant, rundown land in the Columbus neighborhood into facilities and areas that could provide residents with access to fresh foods and culinary education.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/08/redevelopment-effort-for-weinland-park.html

I'm very involved in this project, and am excited about it. The Dispatch (http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/08/29/local-foods-hub-would-grow-jobs-in-weinland-park.html) and Columbus Underground (http://www.columbusunderground.com/food-district-to-bring-jobs-resources-and-fresh-food-to-weinland-park) had stories better than the one in business First. For another take, check out this video: http://vimeo.com/73379009

Project: Out of the Closet

Location: Northeast corner of Fifth Avenue & High Street

Type of Construction: New

Building Type: Commercial

Status: Under Construction

 

Technically, this is located within the Weinland Park neighborhood boundaries because it is north of Fifth Avenue.  Information on the $3.1 million clinic, pharmacy and thrift store building has been posted here, here and here in the Weinland Park neighborhood development thread. 

 

Since it is north of Fifth Avenue, this project followed a different approval process then all the other Short North projects listed.  This project was approved by the University Area Commission instead of either the Victorian Village Commission or the Italian Village Commission, which have stricter design standards.  Because of this, it is the least urban of the 16 projects listed in the Dispatch article.  Although, the one-story, 9,000 sq. ft. structure was made to appear as if it is a multi-story building.  It's groundbreaking in February 2013 is posted here in the Weinland Park thread.

 

The above update was part of a list of 16 on-going projects that was updated in the Short North development thread.  The Out of the Closet retail building was included in that list even though, as I noted above, it is technically within the Weinland Park boundaries.  And since this project has been updated previously in this thread, here is the latest construction update for the Out of the Closet building at the northwest corner of Fifth & High:

 

Corner view from late August 2013 - http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-august-2013

 

Corner view from late September 2013 - http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-september-2013-part-2

 

High Street view from late September 2013 - http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-september-2013-part-2

And some excellent updates for two Wagenbrenner redevelopment projects in Weinland Park from Columbus Underground.  The first is about the renovation of 24 row houses along 11th Avenue.  The second is about the next phase of new infill single-family houses being built thoughout the Weinland Park neighborhood:

 

Renovation of 11th Avenue Row Houses to Start in Weinland Park

 

Wagenbrenner Breaking Ground on 38 More New Homes in Weinland Park

From Columbus Underground, three rental properties totaling 59 units to be renovated by Homeport.  Homeport is the rebranded name for the non-profit Columbus Housing Partnership.  Below is a project description from the website under the project title "Victorian Heritage":

 

"Homeport proposes the complete rehabilitation of 59 Section-8 rental units located in three clusters of historically-significant apartment buildings in North-Central Columbus.  Homeport’s acquisition of the properties will preserve affordability for current and prospective tenants.  Homeport plans an extensive renovation that will significantly improve quality of life for residents, while maintaining high management standards and the provision of additional resident services.  Renovations will maintain the historic character of the older buildings in this portfolio, while enhancing the interior spaces, updating mechanicals, and providing other significant upgrades as needed."

 

Victorian Heritage includes 59 apartments in three locations:

- 34 one-bedroom units for seniors at 1379 High Street (near King Avenue)

-  8 two-bedroom townhouses for families at Clark and Dennison Avenue

- 17 two-bedroom townhouses for families at 5th Avenue and Hamlet

 

The above quoted multi-site renovation project in the Weinland Park neighborhood received state historic preservation tax credits.  This was one of six projects in Central Ohio awarded state historic preservation tax credits on Friday.  The full news release from the Ohio Development Services Agency is at http://development.ohio.gov/files/media/pressrelease/12.20.13%20-%20Release%20-%20Ten%20Ohio%20Communities%20will%20benefit%20from%20the%20Restoration%20of%20Historic%20Buildings.pdf --- Below is the tax credit award notice for the above project in the news release:

 

Clark, Dennison, and the Hamlet (Columbus, Franklin County)

- Total Project Cost: $3,878,233

- Total Tax Credit: $249,999

- Address: 66-72 Clark Place, 1338-1346 Dennison Avenue, 138-166 East 5th Avenue, 1193-1195 Hamlet Street; 43201

 

A component of the larger Victorian Heritage housing rehabilitation in urban Columbus, this project includes two four-unit townhome buildings at Clark and Dennison; a 16-unit row house on 5th Avenue; and an adjacent duplex on Hamlet Street.  The 25 family apartment units that comprise the properties will be fully-rehabilitated by Homeport to provide quality, affordable housing.

Below is a tax credit award notice for another renovation project in the Weinland Park neighborhood.  This one is for an existing duplex at 313-15 Chittenden Avenue to be renovated into 6 units of student housing.  This is the second state tax credit project award in Weinland Park during this round from the state.  The other one (previously posted above) was for a 25-unit portion of a larger 59-unit multi-site affordable housing rehabilitation project called Victorian Heritage.  The full news release from the Ohio Development Services Agency is at http://development.ohio.gov/files/media/pressrelease/12.20.13%20-%20Release%20-%20Ten%20Ohio%20Communities%20will%20benefit%20from%20the%20Restoration%20of%20Historic%20Buildings.pdf

 

313-15 Chittenden Avenue (Columbus, Franklin County)

- Total Project Cost: $397,167

- Total Tax Credit: $74,142

 

Located in the New Indianola Historic District, 313-15 Chittenden was one of the more than 90 properties constructed in the 1910's and 20's in developer Charles Johnson's New Indianola housing development.  Today, the building sits vacant after a failed rehabilitation attempt.  New owners have acquired the property and plan to rehabilitate the building's six apartment units for student housing.

313-15 Chittenden Avenue (Columbus, Franklin County)

- Total Project Cost: $397,167

- Total Tax Credit: $74,142

 

Located in the New Indianola Historic District, 313-15 Chittenden was one of the more than 90 properties constructed in the 1910's and 20's in developer Charles Johnson's New Indianola housing development.  Today, the building sits vacant after a failed rehabilitation attempt.  New owners have acquired the property and plan to rehabilitate the building's six apartment units for student housing.

 

Google streetview of 313-15 Chittenden Avenue from June 2012.  The building is located east of N. 4th Street and north of E. 11th Avenue:

From Columbus Underground, three rental properties totaling 59 units to be renovated by Homeport.  Homeport is the rebranded name for the non-profit Columbus Housing Partnership.  Below is a project description from the website under the project title "Victorian Heritage":

 

"Homeport proposes the complete rehabilitation of 59 Section-8 rental units located in three clusters of historically-significant apartment buildings in North-Central Columbus.  Homeport’s acquisition of the properties will preserve affordability for current and prospective tenants.  Homeport plans an extensive renovation that will significantly improve quality of life for residents, while maintaining high management standards and the provision of additional resident services.  Renovations will maintain the historic character of the older buildings in this portfolio, while enhancing the interior spaces, updating mechanicals, and providing other significant upgrades as needed."

 

Victorian Heritage includes 59 apartments in three locations:

- 34 one-bedroom units for seniors at 1379 High Street (near King Avenue)

-  8 two-bedroom townhouses for families at Clark and Dennison Avenue

- 17 two-bedroom townhouses for families at 5th Avenue and Hamlet

 

The above quoted multi-site renovation project in the Weinland Park neighborhood received state historic preservation tax credits.  This was one of six projects in Central Ohio awarded state historic preservation tax credits on Friday.  The full news release from the Ohio Development Services Agency is at http://development.ohio.gov/files/media/pressrelease/12.20.13%20-%20Release%20-%20Ten%20Ohio%20Communities%20will%20benefit%20from%20the%20Restoration%20of%20Historic%20Buildings.pdf --- Below is the tax credit award notice for the above project in the news release:

 

Clark, Dennison, and the Hamlet (Columbus, Franklin County)

- Total Project Cost: $3,878,233

- Total Tax Credit: $249,999

- Address: 66-72 Clark Place, 1338-1346 Dennison Avenue, 138-166 East 5th Avenue, 1193-1195 Hamlet Street; 43201

 

A component of the larger Victorian Heritage housing rehabilitation in urban Columbus, this project includes two four-unit townhome buildings at Clark and Dennison; a 16-unit row house on 5th Avenue; and an adjacent duplex on Hamlet Street.  The 25 family apartment units that comprise the properties will be fully-rehabilitated by Homeport to provide quality, affordable housing.

 

More about the above posted multi-site Victorian Heritage Project by Homeport in Weinland Park (mostly).  Two of the three locations received state historic preservation tax credits:

Google streetview from June 2011 of the two four-unit townhouses at Dennison Avenue and Clark Place.  This location received historic preservation tax credits.  Technically, this is located within Dennison Place - a subset of the Victorian Village neighborhood on the west side of High Street.  But since this is part of the larger Weinland Park Homeport project, it is included here.

 

Closer view of the townhouses at Dennison Avenue and Clark Place.  Most of the exterior looks original, with the notable exception of the front porches.  Hopefully this renovation will recreate the original style of those porches.

Google streetview from June 2011 of the 16-unit row house at E. 5th Avenue and Hamlet Street.  This location received historic preservation tax credits and is located north of 5th Avenue in the Weinland Park neighborhood.

Google streetview from June 2011 of the 34-unit senior housing apartment building at 1379 N. High Street.  This location did not receive historic preservation tax credits as part of Homeport's Victorian Heritage project.  This location is on the west side of High Street directly across from the Weinland Park neighborhood.  The apartment building is immediately north of 2 1/2 story victorian home at the corner of King Avenue and High Street that has a nicely landscaped front yard.  It is also located at the corner opposite of the new urban-style Kroger store that was built in 2011 - previously reported here in this thread.

 

It is also located one block south of the existing CML Northside Library branch - the library tower is visible in the image.  This library is scheduled to be replaced by a larger library branch to be located within a multi-story, mixed-use building on the same site - previously posted here in this thread.

Redevelopment effort for Weinland Park pegged to ‘food district’

 

Weinland Park is being targeted for a jolt of economic development centered around the creation of a food district, under plans unveiled by community groups.

 

Using an $864,000 federal grant, the Community Economic Development Corp. of Ohio, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and others envision turning vacant, rundown land in the Columbus neighborhood into facilities and areas that could provide residents with access to fresh foods and culinary education.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/08/redevelopment-effort-for-weinland-park.html

 

More about the Food District project planned for Weinland Park:

 

 

Food district planned for Weinland Park

By GARY SEMAN JR., ThisWeek Community News

Wednesday, January 15, 2014 - 12:50 PM

 

Weinland Park is the site of a proposed three-story food district, complete with a food-processing center, designed to supply central Ohio with local produce and create dozens of jobs.  The development plan calls for a 45,000-square-foot facility, estimated to cost $20 million, to be located on a site bounded by North Fourth Street, East Sixth Avenue, North Fifth Street and East Fifth Avenue.

 

The Godman Guild recently purchased the vacant Woody & Jo's House of Ribs, 222 E. Fifth Ave., making a 3.5-acre site whole in the Near North Side neighborhood.  The remainder of the land is owned by Wagenbrenner Development, which has been a partner since planning began two years ago.  The Community Economic Development Corp. of Ohio, an affiliate of the Godman Guild, is leading the project.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/2014/01/16/food-district-planned-for-weinland-park.html

- OSU's Campus Partners made some news yesterday by taking a step closer toward developing 7 acres they assembled south of the South Campus Gateway along High Street - posted here in the South Campus Gateway thread. 

 

- Campus Partners also made more development news yesterday deeper into the Weinland Park neighborhood by purchasing two problem carryouts along Fourth Street.

 

 

http://goo.gl/maps/NkXWi - GOOGLE AERIAL VIEW OF KELLY'S CARRYOUT - 1521 N. 4TH STREET - SOUTHWEST CORNER OF 11TH AVE & 4TH ST

 

http://goo.gl/maps/GCJhQ - GOOGLE STREET VIEW OF D&J CARRYOUT - 1395 N. 4TH STREET - NORTHEAST CORNER OF 8TH AVE & 4TH ST

 

- According to a report in the Dispatch, Campus Partners plans to sell the two-story D&J Carryout Building within about a month to the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing for $25,000.  That group said it will host public meetings to gather ideas for redevelopment.  But since its a fairly decent two-story brick building on a mostly intact residential corner, renovation into apartments (with the possibility of retaining the ground-floor retail) seems likely.

 

- Also according to the Dispatch, Campus Partners has no plans to sell the Kelly’s site.  But Wagenbrenner Development is working with them to clean up two underground gas tanks on the property and to brainstorm uses.  Since they'll need to remove the underground tanks anyway, they may as well remove the one-story convenience building on the property too.  Then a new infill building could be built.  Below is a drawing released by Campus Partners that shows a three-story, street-front building that might replace Kelly's Carryout at 11th & 4th:

 

^ Here's the report about these carryout purchases in today's Dispatch:

 

Campus Partners buys, closes two carryouts to improve Weinland Park neighborhood

By Collin Binkley & Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch

Friday, June 13, 2014 - 9:29 AM

 

Two carryout stores in Weinland Park closed for good yesterday after the development arm of Ohio State University bought them and changed the locks to reduce crime and attract new residents to the area.  Campus Partners, a nonprofit group, bought Kelly’s Carryout at 1521 N. 4th St. and D&J Carryout at 1395 N. 4th, for a total of $1.1 million.  Those who led the effort said both stores contributed to lingering crime problems in a major campus corridor that otherwise has made strides in recent years.  Police secured both stores yesterday afternoon as workers covered up or took down signs.  Only hours after the deal, Kelly’s had been fenced off.

 

Along with the $1.1 million, Campus Partners plans to spend $200,000 to clean up Kelly’s, which is a former gas station.  Most of the purchase cost is covered by a grant from Ohio State.  The Columbus Foundation and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing also provided money.  In total, Ohio State provided $855,000 from revenue the university makes by leasing its property, such as a Red Roof Inn on Ackerman Road.  It does not come from tuition, student fees or taxes.

 

What will replace the stores has yet to be decided; however, officials behind the deal said it will help the neighborhood catch up with nearby areas such as Italian Village and stretches of Summit Street that have added bars, coffee shops, restaurants and salons in recent years. ... In a neighborhood where improvement efforts have focused on rehabilitating vacant houses and offering social services, this stands out as a more-aggressive step.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/06/12/Campus_Partners_buys_two_carryouts_in_troubled_neighborhood.html

^Good news.

VERY good news.

More about the possible future uses on both former carryouts sites from CU:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/change-coming-to-two-prominent-corners-in-weinland-park-bw1

One more article about the Campus Partners (i.e. OSU) purchasing the two problem carryouts in Weinland Park.  This one is from the Dispatch.  It details the behind-the-scenes negotations with the two property owners, Campus Partners reasons for purchasing the carryouts and some of crime history associated with the D&J Carryout at 1395 N. 4th Street.

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/06/15/carryout-talks-done-in-secret.html

 

Now, since the Dispatch has gone to a subscriber-only format for their on-line articles, I realize not everyone can view the full article that is linked above.  Here is my paraphrase of the article as it relates to the three points raised previously:

 

1) The behind-the-scenes negotations with the two property owners - Campus Partners did not approach the two carryouts directly.  They hired local real estate broker, NAI Ohio Equities, to negotiate the purchases.  Ohio Equities, in turn, used someone else to conduct much of the face-to-face negotations with the property owners.  This person was only identified as "Joe" in the article.  "Joe" didn't want his name used, saying it would jeopardize future work for him, but did say he was formerly a contractor in Afghanistan who hired translators for the U.S.

 

As was said about this in the article: "The negotiators were intentionally vague:  They said there was a potential buyer.  But as they worked, they were forbidden from identifying Campus Partners, Ohio State or others behind the deal.  They worried that the shop owners would demand lavish payouts if they knew there were deep pockets. -- The tactic is common in the real-estate world, but it was new for Ohio State. -- “It wasn’t to be deceptive, it was simply to make sure that we got to a fair, straightforward deal,” said Keith Myers, chairman of the Campus Partners board and OSU’s associate vice president for Physical Planning and Real Estate."

 

They said the negotiations to buy Kelly's Carryout at 1521 N. 4th Street (11th Av. & 4th St.) were relatively straight forward.  Campus Partners eventually agreed to pay $750,000 to the property owner, Khaled Hamad.  The owner had paid $190,000 for the property in 1990.

 

The negotiations for D&J Carryout at 1395 N. 4th Street (8th Av. & 4th St.) were - in their words - trickier.  It took a dozen visits before they learned that the carryout business owner, Omar Anwer, was only leasing the property from Nizar Omar.  Several more visits with the property owner - including one over an extravagant Mediterranean lunch they described as "a scene right out of a movie" - eventually led to Campus Partners agreeing to pay $380,000.  The owner had paid $62,000 for the property in 2009.

 

2) Campus Partners reasons for purchasing the carryouts - Keith Myers had previously lived in Cincinnati and worked as a consulatant for the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, the non-profit group that has been redeveloping the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.  One of their redevelopment strategies was to target criminal activity occuring in front of carryouts in OTE.  3CDC purchased seven problem carryouts in OTE and closed them down.  Myers pointed to that as one of the key factors in that neighborhood's resurgence and wanted to do to same in Weinland Park.

 

3) Crime history associated with the D&J Carryout at 1395 N. 4th Street - Both carryouts had more then their fair share of criminal activity.  But the D&J Carryout was the more violent of the two.  In 1996, the "D" of the D&J Carryout, then-owner Dib Yasin, was gunned down behind the counter during a robbery.  One year after Yasin's death, two clerks were shot in another robbery.  In 2003, a 21-year-old man was killed outside the D&J in what police said was a gang shootout.  In 2005, a 22-year-old man was killed while walking out of the store.  And last year, a bullet hit a COTA bus, injuring a female rider, as it passed the D&J Carryout.

Follow-up on Campus Partners related development in Weinland Park after the two big recent events of (1) Campus Partners assembling and seeking rezoning of 7 acres near High Street immediately south the South Campus Gateway development - which was reported here in the South Campus Gateway thread; and (2) the purchase of two problem carryouts along N. 4th Street, which has been posted in this thread.

 

The Dispatch had a recent article that looked at the next phase of housing construction and rehabilitation in the Weinland Park neighborhood.  It is being done by Campus Partners and Wagenbrenner Development.  Below is a map showing the 24 scattered site properties in the neighborhood (including the two recently purchased carryouts) mentioned in that article plus the 7 acres near High Street that Campus Partners is asking to have rezoned: