My letter of support for the Downtown Plan:
Dear Councilmember Ginther, Councilmember Tyson, Development Director Safford, Council President Mentel, and Mayor Coleman,
Tonight, Columbus City Council will hold a public hearing on the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend, but was able to attend each of the three planning meetings held between March and May this year. I was extremely pleased with the inclusiveness and transparency of this planning process. It allowed the public to submit their best ideas and have a voice in planning the future of our Downtown. This type of open engagement between our city leadership and our residents is what makes me proud to call Columbus home, and I'd love to see more of these types of large-scale efforts in the future for other topics and other parts of our region.
As for the plan itself, these 12 ideas represent the concepts that were the consolidation of hundreds, if not thousands of ideas submitted during the process. Personally, I think that some ideas are bolder than others, but all 12 are quite significant and will contribute greatly to continuing the renewal process to our Downtown, which will also have a positive ripple effect on the entire region.
My only two criticisms/comments/recommendations are this:
1. Please use this plan as a steering guide for *all* decisions made about the future of Downtown, no matter how large or small. The biggest problem with our Downtown, as clearly identified in this plan, is the misuse of large amounts of land for surface parking. The plan identifies that parking lots can be strategically consolidated into parking garages to free up land for denser development. Meanwhile, short term plans are working against this goal. For example, State Auto is currently razing buildings on Broad Street for additional surface parking lots to be used for their workers 40 hours per week, while those lots sit empty the other 128 hours per week. This type of development goes completely against the long term goals outlined in this plan, and if more building demolition and flat lot constructed is permitted, I don't think we'll be able to fully actualize the goals in this plan.
2. Many of these 12 "big ideas" are actually composed of many "small ideas". For example, the plan to convert High Street back into a vibrant retail corridor is a "big idea" that requires some infrastructure improvements, but the small individual shops and boutiques and restaurants are what will be the actual change taking place and the attraction for visitors and new residents Downtown. I think we (as a city) are sometimes too quick to place all of our eggs in one basket by investing in one "big idea". If the big idea fails, that effort is wasted. Instead, I'd love to see more of a focus on the smaller ideas, smaller businesses and in turn have more of a wider approach to investment. For example, instead of spending $100 million on 1 big idea, we could invest $1 million each into 100 ideas. We'd have a greater chance of success even if half of those small ideas fail and the other half take off and succeed. Downtown currently has a very unique resource in the North Market, which is a self-sufficient business incubator that attracts visitors from all over the region, provides jobs and contributes culture to our city. We could have similar small business incubators Downtown in various industries and sectors including fashion, retail, technology, design, fine arts, culinary programs, food production, and more. These could be relatively small startup investments that contribute to the overall goals of the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan. I hope that these types of incubation ideas do not get lost in the shuffle when the time comes to talk about investing hundreds of millions in roadway improvements, parking garage construction, and more abatements and incentives for the large scale developers.
That being said, I fully endorse the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan. As a Near-Downtown resident in the King Lincoln District, I understand that positive change Downtown means improved neighborhood conditions on the Near East Side. As a Downtown business owner currently in the process of launching a second Downtown business, I understand that fostering a creative, healthy environment Downtown allows businesses to grow and succeed. As an urban planning enthusiast, I understand that reconfiguring Downtown density requirements and land use optimization helps to eliminate our requirement on fossil fuels and creates a more easily walkable and bikable community in Columbus. And as a father of two small children, I understand that investing in the future of our city today makes for a better place to live for our citizens of tomorrow.
Thank you all for your strong support and leadership in making Downtown Columbus a better place.
--
thanks,
Walker Evans
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