RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTubeAny new info on this? When will deconstruction of city center start? Isn't there supposed to be a park there by this summer?!
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Development
Columbus Commons - News & Updates
[423 posts] [114 contributors]
Topic Rating:
(Total Ratings: )
Rate this topic:
Rate this topic:
-
downtownguy81
Login to Send PM
Posted 2 years ago # -
Matthew
Hilltop
Login to Send PM
alison wrote >>
Demolition is supposed to *start* in April -- I don't think there's any way they can move quickly enough to have the parkm in place by this summer.That would be impossible to do by summer, unless they were to implode it and haul 24 hours a day. But that wouldn't preserve the underground garage, so don't get excited.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
Login to Send PM
From here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-city-center-scheduled-for-demolition
"development of the park, which city officials expect to start this summer and complete within 18 months. The remainder of the project will take shape over the next five to 10 years, as the market dictates."
So barring delays we're looking at the park opening roughly Winter 2010.
Lots of additional info here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/guy-worley-answers-your-city-center-questions
Posted 2 years ago # -
Columbusite
Minneapolis
Login to Send PM
Not the best timing. I don't think a park + winter = lots of people there. A Christmas event could prove to be an exception.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Core_Models
Columbus
Login to Send PM
skating rink FTW.
Posted 2 years ago # -
heresthecasey
OSU
Login to Send PM
Heres an update from the Dispatch tonight with some new info:
Demolition of the mall is expected to begin in September, with the underground City Center parking garage and nearby streets remaining open. Plans call for the park to open in December 2010.
The design, he said, now calls for three buildings with six or seven stories of apartments over retail space fronting High Street. Capitol South is in discussions with several interested developers, Worley said, although those buildings won't open for several years.
Town Street will be reopened, but only as a pedestrian path.
The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, which operates the Ohio and Palace theaters Downtown, will schedule events in the park, with concerts and possibly outdoor movies beginning in spring 2011
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/08/19/citycenter.html
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
Login to Send PM
Read today's article and I am liking what I am seeing:
Apartments, not condos. Hopefully at a price point that helps to bring a wider range of individuals into the area.
Town St. will be pedestrian only through the park. It would be nice to see the Pearl Alley Market expand into the new space next year as an extension of their current space.
Now that the park is 6 acres, I'm wondering if this could be a potential site for future Octoberfests? May not be ideal when the apartments get built up but in the short term it could help provide a draw to the space.
Posted 2 years ago # -
seanguy
Login to Send PM
Ok I wanted to first introduce myself. I was a member of the forum when it was a more a forum for nightlife and Columbus area events back in 2004.
Over the years I always check in but had to resign up due to a change in email address.
Anyway, this post made me have such an influx of words that I had to resign up and express my thoughts.
When the project was announced I was a huge fan of the concept. I am finishing my education in Political Science and Economics. From an economics stand point it made perfect sense to me. Demolish the building, clear the land, and turn it over in parcels (already diminishing the cost of clearing the land) to developers.
It made sense, and to the people who were going "why do we want a huge park taking up such prime real estate?" I would respond back, that this project combines elements such as parks that attracts development, but only the central part of the development will be a park in the long run. The rest of the land will be used for office/retail/or residential as the market sees fit during its development.
Now the project is going to have retail along high st. only This is my worst nightmare. This is prime real estate in the middle of the city and downtown. A park is perfect but only as a center piece not taking up 80 percent of the land.
IF you read the fine print of the article is says buildings can only be along High St. because the underground parking garage will not allow for above ground construction so the majority of the project has just been changed from a 70 percent mixed used 30 percent park to majority park land.
This really brings my excitement level to almost zero. We need more updated modern retail/office/residential space along the central/southern portion of downtown. This project would bolster downtown in the LR but because of an underground parking garage structural issue it will not, it may add a few jobs or residents but it will not have the large scale economic impact as planned.
We were getting a project as large (or potentially larger) as the arena district in its job market impact and now we're getting a few arena district like buildings and one very large park. The alternative would be to rebuild the underground garage or try to stabilize it in the future for above ground building. In the mean time, I am very excited about the park and new buildings on High St. I just hope they still keep their options open for diminishing the park's size in the future to allow for more downtown economic expansion on some of property with the most potential for dense development in the entire metro.
Sean
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
Login to Send PM
I look at the silver lining in this. It may seem a setback to have more green space and less mixed use development. In the end having that space available will make many of the properties through that 3rd street corridor much more attractive.
Combined with the Front Street conversion and Scioto Mile there is a lot of potential for creative things to happen.
Octoberfest could potentially locate on the space, moving it closer to GV if a solution doesn't present itself. CAPA is looking at a series of events. Summer kick ball leagues could be greatly expanded after the set back this past year or so. Pearl Market could potentially expand-how awesome would it be to grab some stuff from the main market strip and catch a pedicab (or walk) to the Commons for a lunchtime concert? Thinking outside of the box this has far greater potential for the area than an expanded mixed use development.
I remember when Easton first opened. It was big, new and shiny. I remember my family and I went up there quite a bit to walk around and grab dinner. My friends and I through the last part of high school and first year or so of college would often meet up there for coffee, a movie and a walk around. Now I can't tell you when the last time was that I was up there.
I think long term the greater amount of green space can only be a good thing by creating plenty of new and unique opportunities that can draw people in. There is no shortage of available property in the immediate area ripe for development. Improve and calm the streets (like Front) and work to expand options like Everyone Bikes and the area will blossom.
Posted 2 years ago # -
seanguy
Login to Send PM
Life on two wheels I see your point on the potential for the green space.
I think it should be cleared up that what was so great about redeveloping the site in parcels was that this wasn't a mixed use development like Easton.
The idea was to in a more organic/urban way turn the land over in pieces to differenct developers and allowing them to decide the proper use for the land. You would have a high rise next to an apartment building next to a medium rise office building. And a stipulation could be added to have retail on every ground floor.
In the end you would have an organic, dense, and urban environment that surrounds the park. Truly the land is large enough that a whole new dense neighborhood could fit in there.
Instead of pushing some low-rise nonsense into the area (such as Easton as you mentioned), they were waiting for the market to achieve more demand for the land and this would allow development of better quality and hopefully higher size to be built on the site. Not to mention by different developers.
They were dreaming big with the project. Now we may end up with some medium rise buildings and a nice big park. I wouldn't call them comparable goals (in terms of added economic growth, residential numbers, and the overall urban landscape impact.)
Posted 2 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
Login to Send PM
Just a quick aside, going back to some of my earlier comments on this project:
If the underground garage won't support the larger buildings, would it at least support a smaller scale building similar to the North Market layout?
Not saying something to compete with or replace NM, just something that could be used as an incubator for small businesses downtown. Offer a reasonable lease rate to entrepenuaers -be it retail or food service-that would allow them to test the waters, establish some type of customer base and develop their product. There is a lot of potential for creative partnerships between the city, local banks downtown, the area business schools, the chamber and other business groups to help foster the ACEs (as walker put it) in developing our downtown.
Posted 2 years ago # -
HeySquare
German Village
Login to Send PM
Seanguy, I have to say... I'm not sure I agree with you. I understand that people want dense buildings and development to provide a vibrant community; however, with all of the new residential construction people will more than ever need a downtown park.
I never really thought about the need for a downtown park until I heard Frank Elmer speak a few years ago at an event (I can't remember what event it was, just the comment he made) that Columbus really needs a downtown park. I pooh poohed the comment at the time... thinking the same thing... what downtown really needs is development... but I come to realize the wisdom of his words.
There is *plenty* of development opportunity along the High Street corridor... as mulitple people have pointed out-- there are empty storefronts lining High Street, and surface lots abound. There is ample opportunity for infill development. But the city will likely never get another opportunity to create a park downtown of this scale. And people will need some accessible open space if residential development is to continue. And it has to be within walking distance. If you look at parks like Schiller and Goodale... they are PACKED with people. Even the Topiary Park at the Deaf School pulls a pretty good crowd.
And as Mercurius has pointed out in many different threads on this board... Columbus needs its piazza... a gathering place in the heart of the city. I really think that this will become that place.
Posted 2 years ago #
You must log in to post.
Launched in August 2010, TheMetropreneur.com is a local online resource devoted to small business development and entrepreneurship. Its aim is to tell the stories of Central Ohio's business community, foster regional economic development and assist entrepreneurs with its resource-heavy focus.