You'd think professors would be better educated and understand the implications of going along with living a car-dependent lifestyle that is based on a very limited energy source. So easy to talk about how to live smart, but doing it is a whole other matter. I bet I'm "greener" than the vast majority of "intellectuals" teaching at OSU.

Naw, they don't know that stuff. Most environmentalists don't really know much about energy, transportation or the quality of life issues associated with poor urban design.

Oh well, I'm sure it will go forward and it'll be a huge improvement for Lane Ave.

Well, I wasn't aiming at OSU Professors in my post about the appeal.  I was aiming at lawyers. :wink:  But what I was really trying to get at when I said the Lane Avenue hotel & apartment development's appeal "shouldn't come as a huge surprise" was that this development proposal is a big break from Upper Arlington's historic development pattern.

 

For those not familiar with Upper Arlington, a brief history.  Upper Arlington's was incorporated in 1918.  The original southern part of UA was developed according to the pre-WWII Garden City principles.  Beautiful mostly residential development with a small commercial/civic district featuring UA's first municipal offices, UA's first public schools, a fire station and some commercial shops.  After WWII, UA grew northward until finally reaching the neighboring municipalities of Columbus to the north and east, Hilliard to the west, and Marble Cliff/Grandview Heights to the south.  OSU-owned farmland also prevented UA from expanding eastward.

 

The post-WWII UA development kept many of the Garden City principles, but was laid out in a more conventional grid pattern.  Some commercial development was included in this predominately residential growth.  Mostly along a few major streets, such as Lane Avenue - but also in a few major commercially zoned areas, such as the Kingsdale Shopping Center.  Notably, UA has a high percentage of recreational spaces that range from smaller city parks among residential areas, to larger parks along the Scioto River, as well as two major golf courses - the Scioto Country Club and the OSU Golf Course.

 

Given when UA's development occurred - some post-WWI and much more post-WWII - it's not surprising that it's highly auto dependent.  This auto dependency and the early Garden City principles that guided the development also led to a lower-density type of development.  People attracted to this type of development moved to UA.  And this worked out very well for UA residents and city officials for many years.  Property values rose along with tax revenue for the city.

 

It is only in recent years that the previous UA model for governing their city began to be strained.  UA is now landlocked and virtually 100% developed - meaning there are very few vacant land parcels left.  Since UA cannot grow into higher overall tax revenue for the city, that leaves two ways to gain the future revenue to maintain the existing quality of life UA residents expect.  One is to keep raising local taxes on residents.  But you can only keep raising so far before the residents say "no more".  The second way to gain revenue without raising local taxes is for UA's commercial areas to get more dense.  And that is what you are seeing with this Lane Avenue proposal.

 

So UA is "densifying" its commercial areas - mostly by necessity.  The alternative is to stay at a lower density and keep raising taxes on its current residents - running the risk of having those residents move elsewhere.  But although this "densifying the commercial" might help keep residential taxes lower, this doesn't mean that all residents will go along with it.  Although necessary, this greater density goes against UA's development history.  The very history that attracted many current residents. 

 

So, that's why it's not surprising that this Lane Avenue development would be appealled.  Because change never comes easily.

Bonus info: Marble Cliff used to be called Arlington, hence the name Upper Arlington for development north of it.

I'd have no issue if all new commercial buildings looked something like those at Waltham & Arlington: a quaint. small-town feel which UA is already familiar with and it would make the neighborhood a lot more interesting aesthetically and as a bit of a destination next to Grandview and 5th by NW

Upper Arlington council OKs its first hotel on Lane Avenue

By Dean Narciso, The Columbus Dispatch

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - 8:40 AM

 

As Upper Arlington’s economic spine, Lane Avenue is vital to the suburb.  But a boom there is fraying the nerves of some of its cross-street residents. 

 

First, it was a debate over spillover traffic and parking from the Wine Bistro near Brandon and Chester roads.  Then came the establishment of a Commercial Entertainment District, to create new liquor licenses that would attract restaurants.

 

Last night, the Upper Arlington City Council voted unanimously to uphold a decision by the planning and zoning board to permit plans for the city’s first hotel, along with upscale housing and more retail, on Lane Avenue.  The potential benefit that the Cambria Suites would bring to the city’s finances requires an aggressive posture, officials said.

(. . .)

The city stands to gain about $135,000 a year in bed taxes alone from the hotel, based on an average 60 percent occupancy.  It’s planned for the site of the Lane Avenue Baptist Church at Lane Avenue and Wellesley.  “With the bulk of the site currently occupied by a church, the increase in property tax generation would be sizable,” City Manager Ted Staton told residents on the city’s website.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/11/29/ua-council-oks-its-first-hotel-on-lane.html

EPA clears Kingsdale site for redevelopment

Business First by Rick Rouan, Web coordinator

Date: Thursday, December 29, 2011, 11:28am EST

 

The Ohio EPA has agreed not to stand in the way of redevelopment of a site next to the Kingsdale shopping center in Upper Arlington.  The agency issued a covenant not to sue for the 6.5-acre property, 1760-1800 Zollinger Road and 1798 Kingsdale Center Property, the former home of a medical office building, city building and Giant Eagle supermarket.

(. . .)

A former medical office and city building already have been demolished along with a portion of the former Giant Eagle.  Commercial retail and office buildings could be planted on the space in the future, according to a press release.  Giant Eagle replaced the store with its much larger Market District brand nearby.

 

The property is part of a larger, 22-acre redevelopment plan for Kingsdale Center.  Echo/Continental has a $13.5 million redevelopment plan for the site, including 104,000 square feet of multistory office space and 15,000 square feet of retail space, according to the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund website.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/12/29/epa-clears-kingsdale-site-for.html

Developers begin tenant search for Lane Avenue church site

By Brian R. Ball, Business First staff reporter

Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012, 2:51pm EST

 

Marketers for the mixed-use complex replacing the Lane Avenue Baptist Church have started searching for retail and office tenants to fill the bottom two floors of the project set for 1600 Lane Avenue.

(. . .)

The project has attracted some interest among restaurant operators and other retailers for portions of the 13,000 square feet of ground-floor space.  The project also will offer 13,000 square feet of office space on the second floor and more than 100 apartments split among the top three floors.  The project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2013.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/01/developers-begin-search-for-tenants.html

Upper Arlington to use bed tax for bills, not marketing

By Dean Narciso, The Columbus Dispatch

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 - 5:37 AM

 

With construction to begin this year on Upper Arlington’s first hotel, the city must decide how to spend the proceeds of its new lodging tax.  Some communities, including Westerville and Dublin, pump that money back into marketing, aiming to attract even more business.

 

In Upper Arlington, city leaders say encouraging development around the hotel is important, but the proceeds from the city’s 6 percent tax are needed to help offset expected state cuts of $600,000 this year in local-government aid.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2012/02/01/ua-to-use-bed-tax-for-bills-not-marketing.html

Master Plan revisions call for new look at housing

City leaders want to provide more residential options as they also enhance revenue streams for Upper Arlington

By MARK DUBOVEC, COLUMBUS LOCAL NEWS

Published: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - 3:55 PM EST

 

Upper Arlington needs to pave the way for alternative housing options, according to committee recommendations approved by City Council.  In December, council adopted recommended changes to the Master Plan, the city's guiding document on which officials base policy.

 

The revisions, from a housing and community subcommittee, call for the city to enhance housing options for seniors and special needs populations, locate alternative senior housing, encourage affordable options for new new residents and rezone Kingsdale shopping center and adjacent areas to incorporate higher density housing options.

 

MORE: http://www.columbuslocalnews.com/articles/2012/01/24/upper_arlington_news/news/uamasterpl_20120116_1251pm_9.txt

Walls about to go up at expanded Whole Foods

By Lin Rice, ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - 4:07 PM

 

Residents driving along Lane Avenue should soon notice progress on the expansion of one of the Shops on Lane Avenue’s anchor businesses.

 

Rain in recent weeks has put crews a little behind schedule on the expansion of Whole Foods, according to Fred Zantello, executive vice president of Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust, but work has been progressing at a steady pace.  Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust owns the shopping center. “We lost several weeks due to the rain, but right now we’re still making excellent progress,” Zantello said. “Right now we’ve been conducting work on some footings and the foundation, but sometime in the next week or two you’ll see walls coming out of the ground.”

 

Upper Arlington’s Board of Zoning and Planning approved development plans for the site in September 2010 that called for replacement of Whole Foods’ 22,000-square-foot structure with a new, 35,000-square-foot building located in the Shops on Lane Avenue at 1555 W. Lane Avenue.  While work has been being conducted on the new building, a temporary Whole Foods has been operating out of another building on the property.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2012/02/14/walls-about-to-go-up-at-expanded-whole-foods.html

More about the Lane Avenue hotel and mixed-use development proposal in Upper Arlington.  Updated renderings of the proposed Lane Avenue Mixed Use Project from the City of Upper Arlington.  Updated project images presented at their September 19, 2011 Board of Zoning and Planning Meeting. 

 

Lane Avenue Mixed Use Project - view of 5-story apartment building and 5-story hotel building

 

Lane Avenue Mixed Use Project - 5-story apartment building close-up view

 

MORE: http://www.uaoh.net/egov/docs/1316525867225.htm

More about the mixed-use development approved by the City of Upper Arlington for Lane Avenue (renderings in the above quote box) from Columbus Underground's 'New Mixed-Use Development Begins Construction on Lane Avenue'.  Construction has officially started for the project that is now called “The Lane”. 

 

"The Lane" is a mixed-use development that will have a 109-room Homewood Suites hotel, 108 luxury apartment units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and 13,000 square feet of office space within two five-story buildings along Lane Avenue.  This new mixed-use development is directly across the street from the recently renovated Shops on Lane Avenue and a Whole Foods store that is currently being rebuilt and expanded.

 

The $35 million project is expected to take 15 months to complete.  More information on "The Lane" mixed-use development can be found at its new website - www.WelcomeToTheLane.com.

More about two major development projects currently under construction across the street from each other on Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington.

 

1) "The Lane" is a mixed-use development that will have a 109-room Homewood Suites hotel, 108 luxury apartment units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and 13,000 square feet of office space within two five-story buildings along Lane Avenue.  "The Lane" development is directly across the street from the recently renovated Shops on Lane Avenue and a Whole Foods store that is currently being rebuilt and expanded.

 

"The Lane" site on the north side of Lane Avenue has been cleared of the former Lane Avenue Baptist Church and its parking lot.  Foundation work is beginning.  Below are two photos of the current construction from Columbus Underground and the MyUrbanhood twitter feed:

 

 

 

2) Across the street from "The Lane" development is a Whole Foods store that is being rebuilt and expanded.  This sits on the south side of Lane Avenue next to the recently renovated Shops on Lane Avenue.  The Shops on Lane contains a current temporary Whole Foods store location that is being used until the new Whole Foods structure is finished.  The new Whole Foods structure reuses and expands on the previous Wild Oats Market store at this location.  Below is a photo of the current Whole Foods construction from Columbus Underground:

 

Not much left of the old shopping center/mall left at this point.

Another construction photo of "The Lane" mixed-use development from Columbus Underground's Construction Roundup - October 2012:

 

 

This development also won at the polls last night.  A Community Entertainment District covering 40 acres along Lane Avenue was passed by the Upper Arlington City Council last year (previously in this thread here).  The Community Entertainment District supported this development by providing additional liquor licenses for the hotel and restaurants planned to locate there.  The district was then challenged and went to the polls.  It passed with an 85% yes vote last night.

More about the Upper Arlington Entertainment District that passed last Tuesday from the Dispatch.  Apparently the point of the article was to highlight that even a measure which passes with 85% of the vote, some people will still be unhappy.  Who knew?  Plus there was a map of the new entertainment district:

 

Columbus Dispatch: Entertainment district OK’d, but not all happy

 

From ThisWeekNews - a look back at 2012 and a look forward to 2013 for the City of Upper Arlington:

 

City development took UA center stage in 2012

 

City development, streamlining top 2013 goals

Preferred Living project: Annexation could bring offices, apartments

By NATE ELLIS, ThisWeek Community News

Wednesday, January 2, 2013 - 12:09 PM

 

Upper Arlington officials are considering annexing a portion of Perry Township to bring a new apartment and office development to the city.  Last month, Upper Arlington City Council unanimously authorized City Manager Theodore Staton to enter into a pre-annexation agreement with the Westerville-based development firm Preferred Living.

 

The move was an initial step toward the possible annexation of a little more than nine acres near the southeast intersection of Riverside Drive and Bethel Road in Perry Township.  Final project plans haven't been presented, but city officials said the developer is seeking to build an approximately 260-unit apartment complex and a 25,000-square-foot office building on the site.

 

READ MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2013/01/02/preferred-living-project-annexation-could-bring-offices-apartments.html

News about the renovated and expanded Whole Foods Market in Upper Arlington.  The opening date has been set for March 6.  The below photo of the building is from Columbus Underground.

 

 

Whole Foods to open larger Lane Avenue store March 6

By Dan Eaton, Staff reporter

Business First - Jan 28, 2013, 12:44pm EST

 

The Whole Foods Market Inc. store in Upper Arlington is ready to be big again.  The natural and organic grocer plans to open its 35,000-square-foot new store in the Shops on Lane Avenue March 6.

(. . .)

The new store will be in line with the rest of the Whole Foods chain in terms of size and amenities.  The former Wild Oats Market, acquired by Whole Foods in 2007, was only 22,000 square feet. ... The new site plan has an improved intersection on the northeast side of the development, better traffic flow and reduced congestion.  It was reoriented to face east (the previous space faced north) and has parking on three sides and easier access to a parking lot behind the shopping center.

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/01/28/whole-foods-to-open-larger-lane-avenue.html

More construction photos of "The Lane" mixed-use development on Lane Avenue in UA.  "The Lane" will have a 109-room Homewood Suites hotel, 108 luxury apartment units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and 13,000 square feet of office space within two five-story buildings.  "The Lane" development is directly across the street from the recently renovated Shops on Lane Avenue and a rebuilt and expanded Whole Foods store that is set to open in March.

 

Below are two late January construction photos from Columbus Underground's Construction Roundup: January 2013:

 

 

 

MODERATOR NOTE: Reposting articles wiped out by the server crash

 

Columbus Underground: First Look: Whole Foods Upper Arlington

 

Business First: Slideshow: Whole Foods ready with new store in Upper Arlington

 

 

Upper Arlington Growing Vertical

By: Brent Warren, Columbus Underground

Published on March 20, 2013 - 8:00 am

 

With two zero-setback, five-story buildings currently under construction, Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington is suddenly taking on a decidedly urban feel.  Although some may be surprised to see the words “urban” and “Upper Arlington” in the same sentence, this type of relatively dense, mixed-use development is starting to be the norm for land-locked suburbs looking to make the most of their limited development options.

 

Rising rapidly in the space previously occupied by a church and several single family homes is a 109-room Hilton Homewood Suites (at 1576 W. Lane), and a 107-unit apartment building at 1600 W. Lane that will feature a 299-space parking garage and space for retail and restaurants on the first floor.

 

Much like Dublin, which has charted an even more ambitious course with its Bridge Street Corridor Plan, Upper Arlington has been following a blueprint established through planning efforts; a 2001 Master Plan calls for increasing density strategically and encouraging a variety of uses.  City officials insist that they like Upper Arlington the way it is, but need to plan for the future.

 

MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/upper-arlington-growing-vertical-bw1

More construction photos of "The Lane" mixed-use development on Lane Avenue in UA.  "The Lane" will have a 109-room Homewood Suites hotel, 108 luxury apartment units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and 13,000 square feet of office space within two five-story buildings.  "The Lane" development is directly across the street from the recently renovated Shops on Lane Avenue and the rebuilt and expanded Whole Foods store.

 

Late March view from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-march-2013

 

Late April view from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-april-2013-part-2

 

Two late May views from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-may-2013-part-2

The Apartment Building in the foreground and Hotel Building in background

 

Closer view of the Homewood Suites Hotel Building

 

Late June view from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-june-2013

 

And finally, two more views of the rapidly finishing Lane project.  These are two late July view from http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-2013

 

The five-story building that will contain the 109-room Homewood Suites Hotel

 

The five-story building that will contain 108 apartment units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and 13,000 square feet of office space.  This view shows the corner entrance to the ground floor retail at the plaza between the two buildings.  In the background are some of the upper story apartment units above a two-level parking garage at the rear of the property.

 

More development news for The Lane.  Local restaurateur Cameron Mitchell is in an expansion mode.  And one of his new concepts will be in the ground floor of one of the five-story buildings.  Mitchell has committed to operating a 'polished casual' upscale American grill restaurant in the ground floor of the retail/office/apartment building part of the Lane mixed-use development. 

 

The rendering below shows the restaurant's front entrance and sidewalk dining area along Lane Avenue.  It is a similar view as the second photo in the previous July construction photo post.  Below the rendering are reports from Columbus Underground and Business First:

 

 

Columbus Underground: Cameron Mitchell to Open New Restaurant at The Lane

 

Business First: Cameron Mitchell planning upscale American grill in Upper Arlington

Meanwhile, pre-leasing has begun for the 108 apartment units in The Lane.

 

Columbus Underground has more about it at http://www.columbusunderground.com/pre-leasing-starts-for-apartments-at-the-lane-bw1 and more information on The Lane is available at their website: www.welcometothelane.com.

And finally, the hotel in the other five-story building of The Lane development is close to opening.  More about this from ThisWeekNews below:

 

Homewood Suites eyes Aug. 22 as opening date

By NATE ELLIS, ThisWeek Community News

Sunday, August 4, 2013 - 12:34 PM

 

An approximately $15-million project to bring Upper Arlington its first hotel is expected to culminate this month with the opening of the Homewood Suites by Hilton on West Lane Avenue.  Representatives of Sidney, Ohio-based S&S Management, which owns and operates hotels throughout the Buckeye State, said last week they hope to open Upper Arlington's first hotel August 22.

 

The 109-room Homewood Suites by Hilton will be located within Upper Arlington's Lane Avenue Community Entertainment District on the former site of the Lane Avenue Baptist Church.

 

The five-story building is being touted as an "extended-stay" hotel, which will provide oversized rooms outfitted with refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves, among other amenities. "It's a beautiful property," said Doug Steinke, a partner at S&S Management. "It's a unique hotel that's almost more like a small apartment building.  There's not another hotel in that Ohio State University area that's an extended-stay hotel."  Steinke said the hotel will feature an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center and a 45-person meeting room.

 

MORE: http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2013/07/30/citys-first-hotel-homewood-suites-eyes-aug--22-as-opening-date.html

The 109-room Homewood Suites in The Lane development has opened.  Construction continues on the neighboring five-story building that will contain 108 apartments above 13,000 sq. ft. of street-level retail and 13,000 sq. ft. of second-floor office space plus a 300-space parking garage. 

 

According to the Business First report linked below, the developer has signed Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and Wright-Patt Credit Union as ground floor tenants.  The entire second floor is still available for office tenants and about 4,700 square feet of street-level retail space is still available.  Below is a new overhead rendering of both five-story buildings plus two current photos showing the Homewood Suites building and the mixed-use/apartment building.

 

Business first: ‘The Lane’ releases new renderings with opening of apartment leasing office – SLIDESHOW

 

 

 

Construction continues on The Lane apartments/office/retail building - possibly finishing by late October.

Quite a dramatic change. Good for Arlington.

This is what growth boundaries give you, just like in Portland. UA is landlocked, so they have to reurbainze in order to raise property tax rolls and encourage commercial development.

Agreed.  Well done UA.

^Should have waited two more seconds, and you would have posted that at 12:34:56.

Apartments coming to Riverside and Bethel with Berkley House project

By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter-

Business First - Oct. 21, 2013, 2:55pm EDT

 

Multifamily developer Preferred Living has tied down land at the west end of Bethel Road for an apartment project to bookend another project where Bethel meets Olentangy River Road to the east.  Preferred Living affiliate Berkley House LLC has purchased several residential properties at the southeast intersection of Bethel and Riverside Drive, clearing the way for a four-story, 256-unit complex on land annexed into Upper Arlington five months ago.

(. . .)

The city and developer have worked on the project and annexation since mid-2012, according to city documents.  Upper Arlington City Council in May approved annexation for the apartments and planned commercial development on the two parcels at the south end of the development strip closest to the Arlington Falls office development.

 

Readers may recall Preferred Living started demolition of the former Kmart at Olentangy River Road about a month ago for its planned 325-unit Taylor House project at 5005 Olentangy River Road. (Link to this project posted in the Columbus: Random Developments thread)  Both the Taylor House and Berkley House projects are projected to be ready in mid-2014.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/10/apartments-coming-to-bethel-and.html?s

 

A bit more about The Lane.  Below is a link to a photo report from Columbus Underground, in which it is reported: "The first residents of The Lane Apartments are moving into completed units starting today (Nov. 1), marking another milestone on this mixed-use project that also includes a Homewood Suites hotel, office space, retail and restaurant space, and a multi-story parking deck." 

 

The apartment building still has some construction occurring for the new Cameron Mitchell restaurant going into the ground floor facing Lane Avenue.  Otherwise, almost everything else is finished inside and out.  Nice look at the interiors and non-Lane Avenue sides of the two buildings at the CU report:

 

CU: First Look: The Lane in Upper Arlington

 

A look ahead to 2014 in Upper Arlington from ThisWeekNews:  http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2014/01/02/moving-forward-sharing-services-adding-revenue-on-citys-2014-list.html

Upper Arlington recently completed a strategic master plan to makeover its existing Northam Park - a park that gets heavy use and is considered to be the city's "central park".  Below is a link to a report from the Dispatch about the park and the master planning process.  Below that is a graphic of what the Northam Park master plan calls for:

 

Dispatch: Upper Arlington looks at redesign of Northam Park

 

In preparation for the scheduled reconstruction of Tremont Road from Five Points south to Lane Avenue beginning in 2015, the City of Upper Arlington has been working with a the landscape architecture/urban design/planning firm MKSK, to develop concepts.  MKSK was asked to develop options that would facilitate pedestrian and bicycle accessibility, improve the aesthetics of the roadway while also slowing down the speed of traffic.  They were asked to focus on connecting the Kingsdale commercial area with the Northam Park, Library, Tremont Elementary and Tremont Center area.

 

Now these concepts and areas of focus are presented for public review.  More about these public meetings at http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2014/02/25/tremont-road-plans-to-be-topic-of-meeting.html.  More about the reconstruction of Tremont Road concepts at the Upper Arlington website at http://www.uaoh.net/egov/docs/1392325641797.htm.  The UA.net link contains a pdf of the Tremont Road study at https://www.uaoh.net/egov/docs/13945640335020.pdf.

Upper Arlington asking for development ideas for city hall site

By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter

Columbus Business First - March 17, 2014, 4:33pm EDT

 

Upper Arlington wants to get fresh ideas for developing 1.34 acres at the northern tip of its city hall property at Tremont and Kenny roads.  The city released a request for interest to developers after receiving a few informal inquiries about the site.

 

“We’re really just at the beginning stage looking at it,” Bob Lamb, the city’s community and economic development manager told me. “We don’t know if anything can get done there,” Lamb added. “(The search) is, ‘Tell us what can get done there.”

 

The request said the site could accommodate 30,000 square feet or more with the expansion of surface parking or structured parking on the broader 7.4-acre Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center property at 3600 Tremond Road.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/03/upper-arlington-asking-for-development-ideas-for.html

The new Cameron Mitchell restaurant going into the ground floor of The Lane development is close to completion.  News of the Cameron Mitchell restaurant locating at The Lane was posted here earlier in this thread.  Columbus Underground has more about the restaurant - to be called Hudson 29 - at http://www.columbusunderground.com/hudson-29-kitchen-drink-coming-to-the-lane-in-2014-aw1

 

Photos of The Lane from September 2013 are posted here from earlier in this thread.  Below is a March 2014 photo of the Hudson 29 restaurant build-out from Columbus Underground:

 

Business First has more about Hudson 29 - the new Cameron Mitchell restaurant going into the ground floor of The Lane development in Upper Arlington - which opened over the weekend.  The Business First report and 17-image slideshow is at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/03/cameron-mitchell-s-hudson-29-kitchen-drink-opens.html

 

Business First has been reporting about The City of Upper Arlington trying to rezone a portion of their 7.4-acre Municipal Services Center property at 3600 Tremont Road.  The rezoning would allow a private-sector office building to be built on 1.3 acres located north of the City's Municipal Services building (i.e. City Hall) on the site.

 

More about this development proposal at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/05/05/upper-arlington-to-vote-on-rezoning-for-offices-on.html

Business First also had a slideshow of the proposed office development that would share the Tremont and Kenny “point” site with the Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/gallery/31161

 

Below is a conceptual rendering of the two-story, 36,000 sq. ft. office building proposed to be built north of the existing Municipal Services Center (i.e. City Hall) at the Tremont and Kenny "point" site:

 

Below is a conceptual site plan showing where the two-story office building is proposed for north of the existing Municipal Services Center (i.e. City Hall) at the Tremont and Kenny "point" site:

However, the Upper Arlington Zoning and Planning Board voted against recommending the zoning change for the Municipal Services Center site.  So, the current proposal does not look like it will be going forward - at least in its current form. 

 

- Business First had more about the UA zoning board's vote at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2014/05/upper-arlington-zoning-panel-rejects-city-hall.html.

 

- ThisWeekNews also reported on this at http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2014/05/06/bzap-says-no-to-city-requested-rezoning.html.

I'm not really familiar with that intersection, but the conceptual rendering didn't seem very inspiring.

 

That corner is kind of a snoozer now. Something more substantial would be nice there. Especially since UA is landlocked.

After getting rejected by the City's Board of Zoning and Planning in May, Upper Arlington officials gave the rezoning of the city-owned "Point" property another try in June:

 

Upper Arlington alters city hall zoning plan to draw community support

By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter

Columbus Business First - June 2, 2014, 12:27pm EDT

 

The city of Upper Arlington has changed a few key provisions of its rezoning plan for the UA Municipal Services Center at 3600 Tremont Road in order to gain support for its plans for private-sector office development on part of the site.

 

The staff will go before the city’s Board of Zoning and Planning tonight after that panel unanimously rejected plans to rezone the entire 7.4-acre site in early May.  City council members voted in a special meeting right after that unexpected turn of events to table the rezoning measure pending changes.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/06/02/upper-arlington-alters-city-hall-zoning-plan-to.html

The revised zoning plan did get the support of UA's Board of Zoning and Planning this time (after rejecting the previous plan):  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/06/03/upper-arlington-panel-approves-office-zoning-for.html

 

And it did get the support of UA's City Council (on a 4-3 vote):  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/06/10/upper-arlington-approves-point-office-rezoning.html

But the revised rezoning didn't win over the UA community.  So a petition drive was started to put the rezoning issue on the Nov. 4 ballot:  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/06/18/petition-drive-launched-to-overturn-upper.html

 

1,800 certified signatures of registered voters were needed by July 9 for placement on the November ballot.  They got 3,200 signatures.  Which prompted UA's City Council to announced a special meeting to reconsider its narrow 4-3 vote approving the "Point" rezoning:  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/07/17/upper-arlington-backtracking-on-city-hall.html

 

At which meeting, City Council voted 7-0 to rescind its previous 4-3 approval of the "Point" rezoning.  The End:  http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/07/22/upper-arlington-city-hall-plan-dies-as-council.html

I have a hard time understanding how that proposal would cause so much controversy.