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The Short North Has Enough Momentum

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Started 4 years ago by daniel
Latest reply from VictorianGate

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daniel
Old Town East
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I love the short north.
With all the press and talk about it lately it might even be easy to say that 90% of Columbus's cool is concentrated in that district.
I, for one, and willing to push for some cool stuff all around the city.
There has been a lot of talk about the crescendo of gentrification of the short north in other threads; has it squeezed out the artists and innovators? Has it priced out the brave kids right out of school with no startup cap to go for their dreams and try to make something cool for the city?
There's a hell of a lot of real estate in this city and New York is is more than midtown.
There's that new wishfulness of Franklinton, there's the old wishfulness of old town. Theres the stability of Grandview and Clintonville. And of course the cool gay uncle of the Short North, German village.
so what factors in?
retail availability / price
current vibe
density
walkability / proximity to other stuff.
anchors
safety

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I'd like to see more growth off of High Street in general. Of course, I know it's a Catch-22 because that's where there's a lot of existing traffic, so who's going to tbe the brave pioneer to make the jump?
There's loads of room all over downtown for retail development.
And I'd like to see some new "corridor" type developments in areas where you might not normally expect it.
For example, Grant Avenue could be a great neighborhood connector from the schools (CSCC, CCAD, Franklin) down through the Discovery District, past multiple condo and apartment developments, and down into German Village. It gives you a new route instead of the traditional High Street neighborhoods.
Or how about turning 5th Avenue into a well-connected corridor? It could run from Marble Cliff, through Grandview, Victorian Village, Italian Village/Weinland Park, Milo-Grogan, and maybe even out to Ohio Dominican (where 3000 students get overlooked in favor of larger schools).
Anyway, I guess what I'm talking about is bigger than what one or two shops would be able to accomplish, and is probably going to be tied to some sort of transit-oriented development project, but I think it's going to probably take something big like that to get new retail corridors and new non-traditional neighborhood links established.

Posted 4 years ago #
artbomb112
The Heights
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I think it is coming. It just takes time.
I see the whole city as getting ready to start walking. Short north is great because it created the language for the city to speak. Now each smaller project has something to base its new feel on. I look a the Arena District that way. It has a different feel. But it built itself from momentum of SN popularity.
The spiderweb will grow. I just hope someone sees it and finds ways to make those connections. And I hope enough developers and individuals get together to make things happen in lumps rather than the shotgun effect. "More damage can be done with a few bullets rather than a bunch of shot. "
That being said.. .I know that I feel like I am playing the waiting game. I want to see where my efforts and the things I want to do will have the best chance of helping something take flight. I'm not afraid of risking it... only going it alone. I think more happens when you work as a team.
I can't say Franklinton doesn't sound interesting. But I can't see directly what it is offering. Neighborhoods like Clintonville, OTE, and GV seem to let things happen.. but not exactly welcome it. I feel like I am interested in Grandview because I am here... but I don't feel like I will be able to afford it when I am ready.
One day... it would be nice to get a bunch of people who ARE wanting to do things, get them together... and ask them to all work together on one thing. If enough people did... I would buy in.

Posted 4 years ago #
MikeReed

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What factors in, ultimately, is economic feasibility.
I'm an idealist, so I try to have a vision for what is possible unconstrained by the sometimes brutal reality.
What it really comes down to is big business and public/private partnerships pouring dollars into an area. All other factors like retail availability / price, current vibe, density, walkability / proximity to other stuff, anchors, safety take a back seat to realism. These will be cultivated and/or promoted or throttled as it serves the all mighty dollar- sometimes to the benefit of the citizenry, sometimes to the detriment.

Posted 4 years ago #
Tigertree
771 N. High St.
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I, for one, can vouch that until the city takes more to walking it will be hard to persuade others to move off High St. I can also vouch that the city has done nothing to make the move easy on us. I have complained enough on here about the issues of being on a side street in Columbus, so I don't need to go into it in full detail. Every time we try and get the city involved to help us out our answer is, more or less, "well, you moved onto a side street, what did you expect?"
It does, however, force you to be innovative. Which I think most people moving a business that traditionally requires foot traffic to survive will spawn off some unique spots if other people take to the idea.

Posted 4 years ago #
MikeReed

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You should go out every morning and and chalk tiger paw tracks from high street back to your spot. Incorporate that into your marketing.

Posted 4 years ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
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skreened wrote I love the short north.
With all the press and talk about it lately it might even be easy to say that 90% of Columbus's cool is concentrated in that district.
I, for one, and willing to push for some cool stuff all around the cityÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦Ã¢â‚¬Â¦..
There's that new wishfulness of Franklinton, there's the old wishfulness of old town. Theres the stability of Grandview and Clintonville. And of course the cool gay uncle of the Short North, German village.
Amen Brother Skreened!
I currently live in Italian Village and really appreciate being able to walk and get just about everything I need, but it seems that the city should use some resources on other area's, I mean, I feel SN and GV are developed and private money is going to be able to keep the momentum moving. A major problem is Columbus has found it is going to have a shortage of workforce in the 35-45 years of age range in aproximately10 years, so it is doing everything it can to attract and retain the 20 somethings. In surveys, 20 somethings say they want to live somplace Ã¢â‚¬Å“coolÃ¢â‚¬Â with a happening downtown, so what you will see Columbus spend money on is anything that will improve it's all ready "cool" areas and downtown!

Posted 4 years ago #
daniel
Old Town East
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So. . . what are our other favorite 'cool' places that aren't in the SN?
People doing authentic or innovative stuff. If you could get a great retail strip somewhere in the city and pillage all the communities for the best places, who would you invite?
Lucky 13
shi sha
aki hanna
black creek bistro
chop chop
drexel
spagio wine cellar
i'm not doing so well with this. . .

Posted 4 years ago #
MikeReed

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Junctionview Studios comes to mind. :D

Posted 4 years ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
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skreened wrote So. . . what are our other favorite 'cool' places that aren't in the SN?
People doing authentic or innovative stuff. If you could get a great retail strip somewhere in the city and pillage all the communities for the best places, who would you invite?
Lucky 13
shi sha
aki hanna
black creek bistro
chop chop
drexel
spagio wine cellar
i'm not doing so well with this. . .
Just need to get Mayor Coleman to frequent these establishments and see all the 20 somethings and the money will come rolling. Nevertheless, yeah, I agree. He does live in Berwick, so you would think he would give the East Side some loving but he is only concerned that his name is on the plaque at the Lincoln Theater.

Posted 4 years ago #
daniel
Old Town East
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well yeah. skreened comes to mind too, but not many people know about that yet.

Posted 4 years ago #
artbomb112
The Heights
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Daniel, would a better question be "where could people do things".
I think alot of people are looking to start something and need a place to do it. Not to detract from the people who are trying in other spots... but again... if the idea is to build... maybe focus on the area might be good.
Places like the Red Brick District, S.Parsons, Franklinton, N.Parsons, Goodale corridor in Grandview, Third Ave by Cafe Corner, 5th ave. just east of high toward the summit and forth area, the Jeffery area, the area surronding CCAD and CSCC, down by the Warehouse Cafe on 5th st., The Milo area, not to mention a bunch of places north of Hudson off high...
All of these places have the ability to blossom really quickly if given the proper support from the city, the soon to be business owners, the investors, and the respective area residents.
Cool happens where you take it in my opinion. Mike's point about JV being cool is (yes, unabashed self promotion) is point proven. A dirty, junky warehouse can bring a bunch of people down there on a regular basis with people leaving saying that it provided them with a "cool" experience.
I think we should all just meet... choose an area... and make something "cool" happen there.

Posted 4 years ago #
daniel
Old Town East
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what kind of city support do people need?

Posted 4 years ago #
artbomb112
The Heights
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Help arranging effective loans, help promoting to investors, partial funding if possible, tax abatements, willingness to fix sidewalks, create bikepaths, arrange mass transit routes (or create them), getting code officials to work with the properties, getting zoning officials to adjust the zoning at times.
Some ideas.

Posted 4 years ago #
mightymighty
North Side
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It would help to get the word out that the odds of you being mugged raped or killed are not as high as the people in the suburbs think.
Whenever I mention going downtown to anyone up by where I live I get a look like I'm a zebra... 'omg! like aren't you skared? are you going alone? what about parking? do you have mace with you?'
If people on the outskirts had any idea how much stuff there is downtown to see and do they wouldn't complain so much about how there isn't anything to see and do in this city.

Posted 4 years ago #
daniel
Old Town East
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ahh the cloaked racism that reinforces suburban 'safety' and white flight.
when was the last time you spoke with someone who's voice got hushed when they referenced the *SHH*blacks* in the city.
:x

Posted 4 years ago #
artbomb112
The Heights
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A few days ago... I talked to someone that was telling me about the large Ethiopian population in Columbus... when I suggested that perhaps they were meaning the Somali population... they lowered their voice and said "they're all blacks".
Not only was it stereotypical... it was stupid.

Posted 4 years ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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When Tuttle Mall opened up, I used to annoy the hell out of suburbanites who loved it by referring to it as 'City Center w/o having to see black people.'
(btw - I can't stay in Tuttle Mall for any length of time. Does anyone notice how it vibrates?)
I was in Wild Oats a bit ago and some lady was asking about a specialty product they didn't have. I volunteered that it was available at the North Market. She got a look of abject horror and said, " I don't go downtown."
A.

Posted 4 years ago #
artbomb112
The Heights
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Andrew Hall wrote I was in Wild Oats a bit ago and some lady was asking about a specialty product they didn't have. I volunteered that it was available at the North Market. She got a look of abject horror and said, " I don't go downtown."
Ha.
We don't want her.

Posted 4 years ago #
enzo

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I bet it was this wicked woman who goes there for soup all the time. She is a mean mean meany.

Posted 4 years ago #