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YouTube----is going to work. Tower City in Cleveland has retail (not as much but hey its still there) I dont understand 4 years ago there was retail and lazerus closed but kaufmans and marshell field was still at City Center. If any trolley/subway/commuter rail is going in you need to sell retailers on moving back downtown at the same time. Ohio State students and faculity need Walmart and Trader Joes and Boarders and a Home Depot and a Victoria Secret. It is ironic that Lazerus is going to be the states new Unemployment Office....(job and Family Services). We can subsidize soccar and basketball teams but not bring in a major downtown retailer like Sax or Nordstum? Come On!!
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
The City Center Mall downtown needs retail if any rail------
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raytylicki
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Posted 3 years ago # -
Big_Ben
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This has been talkeda bout a ton on the forums and bringing retail into downtown is concern but retail can't afford to come downtown until there are people there to shop, people don't come to shop until there is retail. Its a Catch21.
Walmart, Home Depot, and Borders are big box stores. They are built for the suburbs. They will never come downtown and they never should be in a downtown setting. Trader Joes and some other stores are a little bit better suited to be in a downtown setting.
As for OSU students shopping there, as much as everyone wants to see it happen, I doubt it will. Especially riding public transit to get there. The bus to the Lennox is barely used, I doubt there has ever been more than 10 people on it at once. Several people ride the bus to the WalMart at Sawmill or Tuttle Mall but not a ton. Most students just don't use mass transit (other than the High St bus or CABS).
Posted 3 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Hopefully with Gee's move to put students back in campus residence, we'll see better use by OSU student's of transit options.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Hi raytylicki, welcome to CU.
The City Center needs to be more than just retail if we want it to be a long term success. It is a bummer that it is currently near-empty, but to try to just refill it with retail isn't going to work.
I'd say that the project could be considered somewhat "subsidized" by the fact that the city bought the property (for cheap) and will probably hand it off to a new developer for next to nothing.
I agree with Big Ben that Big Box stores are not the answer in an urban environment without MAJOR alterations to their format. The reason City Center didn't work is because it is a suburban mall structure in the middle of an urban area. I also am not sure why you think OSU students need a Home Depot?
Also, the Lazarus building is more than just the home of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. The Chamber of Commerce just moved there. The Department of Insurance is there. OSU has a great new Urban Arts Space there. And once the skywalk comes down on High Street there are plans to develop small retail slots along the outside of the building.
Here's a couple of the more recent threads worth reading on City Center:
http://columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15751
http://columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15367
http://columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15270
http://columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9856
Also, my own personal wishlist for the revamp of the City Center to illustrate how much work really needs to be done there:
Posted 3 years ago #
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