Drexel Theatre closing for renovations

 

 

The Drexel Theatre will close for 12 weeks this spring as its marquee, entryway and lobby are renovated amid a wider multimillion-dollar refresh.

 

The historic Bexley theater will close March 14 and reopen sometime in early June, owner Friends of the Drexel Inc. and operator CAPA said in a joint press release.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/03/02/drexel-theatre-closing-for-renovations.html

Developers get go-ahead for Gramercy condos in Bexley

 

 

Developers are moving ahead with plans for a four-story condominium and retail complex on the site of Bexley’s Cup o’ Joe.

 

Bexley City Council voted 6-1 in support of the project at 2412-2418 E. Main St. despite concerns from residents after the initial approval from the city’s planning commission. The measure was approved after midnight last Wednesday following 10 hours of deliberations in the days prior.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/07/01/developers-get-go-ahead-for-gramercy-condos-in.html

 

January photo: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,3970.msg789442.html#msg789442

 

February photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-east-side

 

April photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-east-side

From http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-east-side

 

Bexley Giant Eagle Market District site - February:

 

Bexley Giant Eagle Market District site - April:

It’s showtime again at the Drexel after $2.5M in renovations

 

 

It’s showtime again at the Drexel Theatre starting this Friday, and the Bexley cinema itself will be the main attraction.

 

The historic theater will reopen to moviegoers following a $2.5 million restoration and improvement, the final stages of which closed it for four months starting in March. Finishing touches are being made to the landmark marquee hanging over Main Street, and to renovations inside the 1930s Art Deco venue.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/07/11/photos-it-s-showtime-again-at-the-drexel-after-2.html

^ Great to see the Drexel reopening last weekend after these final renovations.  More about the Drexel Theatre renovations from the Dispatch and CU, with more photos at the links below:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/first-look-the-drexel-theatre-prepares-for-reopening

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2016/07/10/1-drexel-about-to-reopen-with-updates-reflecting-its-heyday.html

The Gramercy condo building with ground-floor retail going up at the corner of E. Main Street and S. Cassady Avenue.  Mid-July photo from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-edition:

 

Bexley's Giant Eagle Market District supermarket building under construction at 2250 E. Main Street - which is next to the Drexel Theatre at 2254 E. Main Street.  Two mid-July photos from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-edition:

 

 

The two-story Giant Eagle Market District supermarket is scheduled to open in the first week of September:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/07/29/two-story-giant-eagle-to-open-in-bexley-in-fall.html

Bexley's Market District Express could provide key growth engine for Giant Eagle

 

 

The new Giant Eagle Market District Express in Bexley may be one of the grocer’s smallest stores, but it could be a key to opening big opportunities.

 

The Pittsburgh-based supermarket chain will open its latest variation on its Market District model at 2242 E. Main St. in Bexley this Thursday, Aug. 18.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/08/15/bexleys-market-district-express-could-provide-key.html

That Starbucks logo/sign looks a little small.

 

 

The Giant Eagle Market District Express opened today - couple of weeks earlier than originally announced.  CU has an article about the opening and a sneak-peek video of the inside:  http://www.columbusunderground.com/giant-eagle-opening-market-district-express-in-bexley

 

I'm pleased by this.

A little more about the Giant Eagle Market District Express that opened in Bexley last week:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2016/08/22/giant-eagle-store-opens-with-fanfare-brisk-business.html

This Market District Express is a new smaller store concept that Giant Eagle is testing in Bexley.  More about the ideas behind that concept at the links below:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2016/08/08/giant-eagle-city-becomes-test-market-for-special-store-concept.html

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/08/25/giant-eagles-ceo-sees-more-small-format-express-stores-in-chains-future.html

Plans for Bexley House, Gramercy are approved

BY CHRIS BOURNEA, THIS WEEK NEWSPAPERS

Tuesday, August 2, 2016 - 10:47 AM

 

A familiar landmark on East Broad Street is slated to receive an exterior update -- as long as the building's new sign doesn't conflict with the city of Bexley's gateway marker.  Bexley Planning Commission members voted 6-0 July 25 to send Bexley City Council a set of recommendations related to a development plan for Bexley House, an apartment building at 2877 E. Broad Street.  The plan includes a new replacement canopy over the front entrance, new landscaping and two new monument signs.

( . . . )

In other business, the planning commission voted 6-0 to approve awnings and fencing for the Gramercy mixed-use development that is under construction at 2412-2418 E. Main Street.  When completed, the Gramercy project will consist of a cafe and retail stores at street level and three floors of high-end condominiums, according to plans submitted with the city.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2016/08/01/bexley-planning-commission-plans-for-bexley-house-gramercy-are-approved.html

Bexley gets grant to help in repair site of gas station

BY CHRIS BOURNEA, THIS WEEK NEWSPAPERS

Tuesday, August 9, 2016 - 12:42 PM

 

A $434,000 state grant will enable the city of Bexley to clean up environmental contamination at the former site of a gas station.

( . . . )

Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said the city will work with the owner of the former North Cassady Gas Station to complete the cleanup at the site, 396 N. Cassady Avenue, and any surrounding properties that have been affected.  "The grant will fund both the excavation of the site, the return of clean soil and any improvements to the site.  The cleanup will be completed as soon as possible so the site can be redeveloped, Kessler added.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2016/08/08/bexley-gets-grant-to-help-in-repair-site-of-gas-station.html

^ Great to see the Drexel reopening last weekend after these final renovations.  More about the Drexel Theatre renovations from the Dispatch and CU, with more photos at the links below:

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/first-look-the-drexel-theatre-prepares-for-reopening

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2016/07/10/1-drexel-about-to-reopen-with-updates-reflecting-its-heyday.html

 

Came across one more article about the Drexel Threatre renovation with before & after photos:

 

http://614now.com/2016/entertain/arts-culture/a-look-inside-drexel-theatres-renovation

The Gramercy condo building opened up at the corner of E. Main Street and S. Cassady Avenue.  The ground floor retail in the building includes a locally-owned bookstore and coffee shop:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2016/12/15/arts-advocate-author-opens-bookstore-in-bexley-tied-to-coffee-shop.html

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/12/13/bakery-and-bookstore-coming-to-gramercy-building.html

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/gramercy-books-is-the-first-new-local-book-store-in-12-years-ls1

Here are a couple of streetviews of the nearly completed Gramercy building at the corner of E. Main Street and S. Cassady Avenue from September 2016:

 

 

 

 

And here are some views of the bookstore and coffee shop that moved into the building's ground floor retail in December 2016:

 

 

 

Now THAT'S how a suburb should do it!

Bexley apartment proposal at Main and Parkview gets $500,000 cleanup grant

 

 

A proposed residential and retail complex in Bexley is getting help moving forward in the form of a half-million dollar cleanup grant.

 

The four-story development at 2106 E. Main St., just east of a Kroger and west of a Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, would add 26 apartments, an underground parking structure with 45 spaces and 1,500 square feet of retail space.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/01/20/bexley-apartment-proposal-at-main-and-parkview.html

^ That's pretty nice project.  Another nice thing is that this former gas station site is located across the street from the Bexley Gateway infill project.  Bexley Gateway was the very first project posted in this thread in 2005.  More photos at

 

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/01/20/bexley-apartment-proposal-at-main-and-parkview.html also contained this rendering showing the new 4-story Main and Parkview apartment project across the street from the Bexley Gateway 3.5-story condo building with ground floor retail:

 

Council weighs in on matters of city's code

By CHRIS BOURNEA, ThisWeek Community News

Updated: October 18, 2016 - 2:54 PM

 

The public hearing on the city's zoning code modernization ordinance was moved to Bexley City Council's Oct. 25 session from the previous date of Oct. 18 because of the time required to issue public notices about the meeting, Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said.

 

The zoning code modernization ordinance is the result of nearly three years of discussions among city officials, members of city boards and commissions and residents.  If approved by council, the ordinance would codify certain design standards that were previously just guidelines or suggestions, such as the maximum height for buildings on East Main Street.

 

The legislation also recommends consolidating the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Planning Commission into one body, while maintaining a separate Architectural Review Board.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2016/10/17/council-weighs-in-on-matters-of-citys-code.html

Two-story, 34,430-square-foot Convergent Media Center opened for the Fall 2017 semester on the Capital University campus in Bexley.  Some in-progress stories about the media center linked below and an excerpt of an article about the CMC after it opened:

 

http://www.capital.edu/News-and-Events/News/All-News/2015/CMC-updates/

 

http://cuchimes.com/09/2016/new-convergent-media-center-nears-completion-fall-semester-begins/

 

 

Capital University Sees Opportunity for Real-World Experience For Students with New Convergent Media Center

By Susan Post - The Metropreneur

November 22, 2016

 

The Convergent Media Center (CMC) on Capital University’s campus houses some of the most sophisticated technology available in Central Ohio for students pursuing a variety of media- and art-related disciplines.  Officially opened on Saturday, November 12, the CMC is the first academic building for the University in more than 30 years.

 

MORE: http://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/capital-university-sees-opportunity-for-real-world-experience-for-students-with-new-convergent-media-center/

A look at 2017 plans for the City of Bexley:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2016/12/30/city-leaders-hope-plans-come-together.html

City of Bexley is drafting a master plan to determine the best uses for Commonwealth Park in north Bexley:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2017/01/09/commonwealth-park-city-to-choose-consultants.html

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170306/park-planning-group-finalized

Additional lighting in alleys and the installation of solar panels at Bexley City Hall and the city’s Service Department garage are on the list of 2017 infrastructure projects:  http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/bexley/news/2017/01/09/two-city-projects-lights-solar-panels-soon-to-appear.html

 

Photos of the Bexley City Hall:  http://www.grad.cc/#/bexley-city-hall/

The City of Bexley is asking residents to contribute ideas to a plan that will shape the future of the community for the next four years:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170313/strategic-plan-starts-taking-shape

 

Work is scheduled to begin in the fall on an expansion of Jeffrey Mansion, 165 N. Parkview Avenue, to create more space for community programs offered through the Bexley Recreation and Parks Department:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170403/mansion-expansion-next-on-councils-to-do-list

An upcoming workshop will give residents an opportunity to give feedback on the Southwest Bexley Master Plan update before the final draft goes to Bexley City Council for approval:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170508/southwest-bexley-master-plan-draft-of-updates-gets-one-more-view

The East Broad Street reconstruction project in Bexley that has taken place over the past years is scheduled to be completed by mid-June.  The East Broad Street work is a $7 million project that consisted of two phases.  The first involved water line replacement along East Broad Street from Nelson Road on the west and Gould Road to the east in 2015 and 2016.

 

The second phase included repaving and widening last year and this spring.  The East Broad project also included the installation of medians, which are designed to enhance the look of the streetscape and slow traffic to prevent accidents:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170612/barrels-set-to-depart-from-broad-street

The East Broad Street reconstruction project in Bexley that has taken place over the past years is scheduled to be completed by mid-June.  The East Broad Street work is a $7 million project that consisted of two phases.  The first involved water line replacement along East Broad Street from Nelson Road on the west and Gould Road to the east in 2015 and 2016.

 

The second phase included repaving and widening last year and this spring.  The East Broad project also included the installation of medians, which are designed to enhance the look of the streetscape and slow traffic to prevent accidents:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170612/barrels-set-to-depart-from-broad-street

 

Is it just me, or does it seem counterintuitive to want to slow traffic by adding medians while simultaneously widening the street?  Widening tends to cause faster traffic speeds, so will that simply cancel out any effects from the medians?

The East Broad Street reconstruction project in Bexley that has taken place over the past years is scheduled to be completed by mid-June.  The East Broad Street work is a $7 million project that consisted of two phases.  The first involved water line replacement along East Broad Street from Nelson Road on the west and Gould Road to the east in 2015 and 2016.

 

The second phase included repaving and widening last year and this spring.  The East Broad project also included the installation of medians, which are designed to enhance the look of the streetscape and slow traffic to prevent accidents:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170612/barrels-set-to-depart-from-broad-street

 

Is it just me, or does it seem counterintuitive to want to slow traffic by adding medians while simultaneously widening the street?  Widening tends to cause faster traffic speeds, so will that simply cancel out any effects from the medians?

 

That issue is addressed in the linked article.

Coolest offices: The dramatic transformation of the Bexley Monk into a city hall

 

The old Bexley Monk was one of the hottest restaurants in Central Ohio for two-plus decades before it closed in 2010. Now, the E. Main Street address is home to one of the coolest office spaces in the tony suburb.

 

The 6,300-square-foot building has been converted into a home for Bexley City Hall in the old Bexley Square Shopping Center. It features a modern, bright industrial style with wood from recycled Bexley trees used throughout.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/07/17/coolest-offices-the-dramatic-transformation-of-the.html

The planned expansion of Bexley's Jeffrey Mansion - http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170403/mansion-expansion-next-on-councils-to-do-list - that was expected to start late 2017 is now planned for 2018:

 

 

Jeffrey Mansion expansion: Projected cost will set timetable

 

The City of Bexley’s planned expansion of Jeffrey Mansion, 165 N. Parkview Ave., that was originally scheduled to begin this fall might have to wait until early 2018.  The timing will depend on cost estimates, said Michael Price, director of the Recreation and Parks Department.

 

Price said he has received feedback from construction industry representatives that indicates this fall might not be the time to put new projects out to bid because of current cost projections.  The project may get a better price if the Recreation and Parks Department waits until early next year, he said.

 

The expansion, which the department announced last spring, is intended to create more space for community recreation programs.  The project will involve converting the mansion’s maintenance garage and closing in the adjacent carport to create a 3,100-square-foot space on the north side of the building.  The maintenance garage is the first phase of the Jeffrey Mansion project.  The second phase will involve reconfiguring parking.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20170911/jeffrey-mansion-expansion-projected-cost-will-set-timetable

The Bexley Community Foundation has committed to raising $1 million toward the $1.5-to-$2.0 million estimated cost of the Jeffrey Mansion expansion planned by the City of Bexley:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20171002/foundation-commits-to-mansion-upgrade

 

http://bexleycommunityfoundation.org/jeffrey-mansion-project/

But it looks like the Jeffrey Mansion expansion will be delayed until city officials complete an update to the facility’s 2008 master plan.  Officials estimate that this master plan update would take about three to six months to complete and would add $37,000 to the $130,000 design phase cost:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20180122/jeffrey-mansion-updates-officials-add-master-plan-to-expansion

Capital University, whose main campus is located within the City of Bexley, is updating their master plan.  Among the current proposals to be examined in this update is the construction of a new parking garage, additional student housing and new science building at the main campus, which is located at the intersection of East Main Street and College Avenue in Bexley.  Another proposal being discussed is adding space for a business school at the existing Capital University Law School site at 303 E. Broad Street in Downtown Columbus:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20171204/capital-sets-out-to-plan-next-decade

Capital University, whose main campus is located within the City of Bexley, is updating their master plan.  Among the current proposals to be examined in this update is the construction of a new parking garage, additional student housing and new science building at the main campus, which is located at the intersection of East Main Street and College Avenue in Bexley.  Another proposal being discussed is adding space for a business school at the existing Capital University Law School site at 303 E. Broad Street in Downtown Columbus:

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20171204/capital-sets-out-to-plan-next-decade

 

I love the idea of a business school downtown.

https://www.10tv.com/article/bexley-passes-ban-single-use-plastic-grocery-bags-2019-may

 

Quote

Bexley passes ban on single-use plastic grocery bags

 

5 minutes ago, DarkandStormy said:

https://www.10tv.com/article/bexley-passes-ban-single-use-plastic-grocery-bags-2019-may

 

 

 

But that's what I use to pick up my dog's turds. 

CU's latest construction update has this photo of the northwest corner of East Main Street and South Parkview Avenue in Bexley:  https://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-october-2019-2-we1

 

The photo caption only mentioned a "long-dormant plot of land on Main Street in Bexley has seen new construction recently begin".  But after a little digging, I found this 2018 article about the development:  https://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20180709/proposed-development-would-house-bank-branch

 

The ThisWeekNews article describes a preliminary plan for a new two-story building with an Ohio State Bank branch on the first floor and office space on the second floor at the northeast corner of Main Street and Parkview Avenue.  At the June 28, 2018 Bexley Board of Zoning and Planning meeting, city officials suggested architects modify the project in order to blend in with existing buildings in the area - specifically the three-story Bexley Gateway development that can be seen to the right in the above CU photo.

 

I didn't come across any further articles about the Ohio State Bank project, but it looks like a three-story structure is being built.  So they either added an additional level of office space, or maybe the first floor bank level will be double-height.  We'll see as construction proceeds.

 

Also, in this thread on January and February 2017 at https://forum.urbanohio.com/topic/629-bexley-developments-and-news/?do=findComment&comment=753065 - a four-story, 26-unit luxury apartment building was proposed for this location.  Apparently, that project fell though and this Ohio State Bank project has taken its place.  That's somewhat unfortunate because this area would have been nicely completed by another residential development.

 

Below is an aerial showing the previously vacant green space at Main & Parkview.  Across Parkview at the northeast corner of Main & Parkview is the Bexley Gateway development constructed in the mid-2000's.  The three-story building facing Main Street has ground-floor retail and two floors of upper-story office space.  Along Parkview is a five-story condo building called The Alexander.  Also along Parkview Avenue are the older Parkview Arms Apartments in a series of 3 and 4-story buildings.  This property is also next to Alum Creek and is down the street from Capital University, the Giant Eagle Market District store and the Drexel Theatre.

 

 

Modern Building Going up on Main Street in Bexley

 

 

Work is well underway on a three-story building at the northwest corner of Main Street and Parkview Avenue in Bexley. Ohio State Bank will occupy the first floor of the building, which is on track to be completed by next summer.

 

The prominent site – just under an acre in size, and bordering Alum Creek – has been an empty grass lot for decades.

 

The upper floors of the building will offer about 8,600 square feet of office space, which was recently listed by NAI Ohio Equities.

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/modern-building-going-up-on-main-street-in-bexley-bw1

 

^The Main and Parkview building is really coming together. I love how it looks, but viewed from this side it reminds me of a ‘70s professional building. 
 

 

Bexley in 2021: Livingston Avenue, environmental plans top agenda

 

The city of Bexley’s 2021 docket is filled with several new programs set to get underway as well expanding initiatives that began in 2020, according to Mayor Ben Kessler.  Those efforts include working with the city of Columbus to enhance safety along the East Livingston Avenue corridor, completing the Jeffrey Mansion expansion, expanding environmental programs and launching a revamped website designed to make local government more accessible to residents.

 

Implementing the Joint Livingston Avenue Plan, an effort with Columbus that was established in early 2020, is a top priority, Kessler said.  The two cities are reviewing bids from firms to conduct studies on how to improve the area. ... The Jeffrey Mansion expansion began in 2020, funded by private donations spearheaded by the Bexley Community Foundation, state grants and city funds.  Kessler said it is scheduled to be completed in early this year.

 

Kessler said he plans to work with City Council to update the city’s overall strategic plan to encompass the bicycle-safety plan that a work group completed in 2020 and the Bexley Zero Waste Plan, which contains long-term strategies to divert waste from landfills.  Other environmental initiatives include expanding recycling to multi-family residences and businesses and implementing a ban on single-use plastics that originally began in January 2020, paused mid-year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and resumed Jan. 1 of this year.

 

MORE:  https://www.thisweeknews.com/story/news/local/bexley-news/2020/12/31/bexley-city-2021-livingston-avenue-environmental-plans-top-agenda/4022301001/

Livingston is no fun to walk on for pretty much its entire length. Any improvement is welcome.

4 hours ago, GCrites80s said:

Livingston is no fun to walk on for pretty much its entire length. Any improvement is welcome.

Downright scary to walk on. You almost have to, though, because you can only access college from mound from within south bexley.

On 4/4/2020 at 1:43 PM, Pablo said:

^The Main and Parkview building is really coming together. I love how it looks, but viewed from this side it reminds me of a ‘70s professional building. 

 

 

The modernist building at the corner of Main and Parkview is finished.  The three-story building serves as a retail bank branch and office headquarters for the Ohio State Bank that was established in 2019.

 

Here are some photos of the finished building from the architect's website -- https://jbadusa.com/project/ohio-state-bank/

 

 

 

 

More interior and exterior photos available at https://jbadusa.com/project/ohio-state-bank/

^I love this building. This would be the perfect size infill building for many of Columbus’ commercial thoroughfares. It has a very human scale.

Bexley isn't so much of NIMBYs now as compared to when Jay Leno was beating them up every night for blocking the demo of the porn theater in the early '90s.