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    2013 Year in Review: Month by Month

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    We’re in the final hours of 2013, so there’s no better time to look back over the course of an entire year and reflect upon the biggest stories, news, features and trends of the past 365 days. It was an interesting political year for Columbus with the Columbus City School Levy overshadowing City Council races and other smaller issues. Local businesses thrived in 2013 with many expansions and openings announced. And development was certainly at the forefront of the news, with dozens of apartment and mixed-use projects announced and beginning construction throughout the year.

    Below you’ll find some of the most well read and most interesting stories from throughout 2013. More topic-specific stories can be found in our other Year in Reviews: Eating, Food Trends, The Year in Photos, Urban Development, Transportation and our Best of Columbus List.

    January:

    Grand expansion plans were announced for both the Columbus Museum of Art and the Columbus Metropolitan Library. We debuted the new School Issues series by Miriam Bowers Abbott in a year when Columbus City Schools was a hotly discussed topic. The Corner Stone Carryout popped up in OTE, making OTE an even cooler neighborhood to live in. The Finding Time 2012 public art installation series wrapped up with this final piece on Broad Street. We spoke at length with Cameron Mitchell about The Pearl and his 20 years in the restaurant business. Robert Mason announced plans to pop-up a retail shop Downtown. Speaking of retail, we investigated the feasibility of new outlet mall developments with industry expert Chris Boring. We also interviewed developer Mark Wagenbrenner on apartment building trends that would set the stage for many news announcements throughout the rest of the year.

    February:

    One of the biggest announcements of the year from Columbus Underground was about our move into an upgraded office on Gay Street. A huge change was announced for the former campus Wendy’s location. Columbus cyclists proved that our city is one that is bikable year-round. New regulations were discussed to make urban backyards a little more friendly to small farm animals. The Center for Architecture and Design unveiled their new home in the Lazarus Building. Mayor Coleman held his 14th annual state of the city address, which heavily focused on Franklinton. Junctionview Studios announced that they would be closing up shop. Brezel announced business expansion plans to compliment their expanded North Market stall. And we took our first look at The Pearl.

    March:

    In March we went coffee crazy with Actual’s new roasting operations, a tour of Crimson Cup’s facility, and explored the role of coffee shops in neighborhood revitalization. Both the Downtown Hills Market and Lane Avenue Whole Foods (which helped us discover a delicious new hash dish) opened in March. At Home went sky high in Summit Chase. PACT announced a $165 million renovation plan for the Near East Side. Nina West opened her first Columbus-centric drag show. 83 Gallery moved to the Brewery District while Wonderland began exploring a move to Franklinton. Easton announced big expansion plans. And we learned what it takes to train for a hardcore bike race in Brooklyn.

    April:

    As always, we kicked off April with day jammed with April Fools Day joke stories. After that, we got serious with Tom Katzenmeyer on the state of arts funding at GCAC. Haiku celebrated 15 years. Junctionview Studios came to an end with the final Agora event on the same day as the very first Moonlight Market. We focused on gardening through interviews with Bill Dawson and Chris Cerveny. CU got a first look at The Pint House and The Crest in April. Big news hit with announcements about Two Caterers and 16-Bit Bar+Arcade. And last but not least, we learned how to become our own butchers.

    May:

    We started off the month with a quick trip to Washington DC via Amtrak. The North Market hired Rick Harrison Wolfe as its new Executive Director. Bexley announced big plans to add a new two-story Giant Eagle store. Columbus Furniture Revival opened a Downtown retail store. The City of Columbus announced Steven Schoeny as its new Development Director. Dan the Baker announced plans to open a Grandview Heights retail Store. Car2Go announced their plans to enter the Columbus market with their car sharing service. The Arena Grand closed and announced that theater chain Studio Movie Grill would take their place following renovations. And we spoke at length with New Experience Columbus CEO Brian Ross about the future of the tourism industry.

    June:

    We kicked off the summer with lists of our favorite casual patios and favorite romantic patios. We also launched our brand new (and very popular) Wedding Style series during Summer Romance Week. Gordon Gee announced his retirement from OSU. We sent Nancy Colvin off the side of a Downtown building. Cameron Mitchell announced yet another new concept for 2013. Columbus pedicabs pushed for new regulatory rules for the way they operate. We decided to go on a picnic in the park. And our friends at $20 Dates shared a great big list of fun ways to spend the summer without breaking the bank.

    July:

    CoGo Bike Share officially launched at the end of July. Grandview Yard continued to grow with more apartments announced. Kolache Republic opened up in the Brewery District. Governor Kasich approved $3 Billion for new Ohio roadway projects. We spoke with Dan Good, the interim superintended at Columbus City Schools. Anthropologie was announced as the latest new chain store to arrive in the Short North. Lucky’s Market was announced as coming soon to Clintonville. We launched our first ever Wine Week to focus on local vineyards. Columbus State announced major long-term redevelopment plans for their Downtown campus. Little Rock hosted their bar’s grand opening in Italian Village. Last but not least, a Chicago-Columbus high speed rail line was announced as being considered for development.

    August:

    Grand plans were unveiled for the Food District project in Weinland Park. The Food Truck Festival returned to Columbus Commons. We celebrated all things beer in our first ever Beer Week series. We learned that doughssants are better than cronuts. The 16-Bit Bar+Arcade opened their doors to a slammed opening weekend. An impressive new 12-story building was proposed for the Downtown skyline. The Near East Side Co-Op opened a grocery store for residents of Olde Towne East. Tacocat opened to replace some of the art studios lost by Junctionview. And COTA announced plans to implement a new Downtown circulator loop route.

    September:

    We focused on architecture and design in September with our first Design Week series. The Light exhibit by Bruce Munro opened at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Independents’ Day returned as a three day affair in 2013. The second Big Give event raised over $10 million dollars in 24 hours to benefit local nonprofits. Downtown gained a new art gallery when the Angela Meleca Gallery opened up this month. The Downtown Residents Association celebrated its 10th anniversary. And the Columbus Free Press was relaunched as a weekly paper to fill in the gap left by the closing of The Other Paper.

    October:

    The City of Dublin unveiled their first chunk of the Bridge Street Corridor redevelopment. Car2Go went live in October. Lucky’s Market opened in Clintonville. We spoke with Betsy Pandora, the new Short North Alliance Director. Cincinnati-based Bakersfield opened their bar and restaurant in the Short North. We discovered delicious new drinks from Rambling House Soda. New bar and restaurant concept Cray was announced for the Wonderbread Building. Renovations got underway at the North Market, which included an expansion to The Barrel & Bottle. And Highball Halloween expanded for a two-day festival in 2013.

    November:

    The City of Columbus announced intentions to host a national political convention. We published a great article written up about the most unique building in the city. Demolition work began on the Scioto this month for a major two year river restoration project. Columbus was named as a top city for equality. The Chez du Bon french market and restaurant opened its doors Downtown and the Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum opened up at OSU. It was announced that The Short North would be getting a Chipotle in 2014. We took our first look at both The Sycamore in German Village and The Table on Fifth Avenue. And we compared alternative transportation modes to find out which one fits your commute best.

    December:

    Our final At Home article of the year highlighted one of the few remaining Lustron homes. Cafe Brioso announced expansion plans for their coffee roasting operations. Strongwater announced that their kitchen would be coming soon to compliment their Franklinton bar and event space. The Harmony Project will also be adding a new performance venue to Franklinton nearby. We turned to comedian Justin Golak to update us on a two year comedy experiment that hasn’t gone as planned. Elizabeth Lessner announced plans to open a modernized version of the old Lazarus Chintz Room. Pistacia Vera opened their second location inside the North Market. Tesla opened a store at Easton Town Center. And last but not least, we created an infographic to compliment data showing that alternative forms of transit are gaining ground in Columbus.

    Hope your 2013 was as great as ours. Happy 2014!

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    Walker Evans
    Walker Evanshttps://columbusunderground.com
    Walker Evans is the co-founder of Columbus Underground, along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
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