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Weinland Park 'food campus'

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Started 1 year ago by beersie1
Latest reply from Evelyn Van Til

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beersie1
Weinland Park
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Interesting news in Dispatch:

Blighted neighborhood may sprout 'food campus'
Thursday, October 21, 2010
BY MARK FERENCHIK
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A year-round farmers market, dozens of community gardens and a restaurant selling locally produced food might be coming to an impoverished neighborhood near the Ohio State University campus.

Weinland Park, already the focus of a number of efforts to transform its crime-ridden, blighted image to one of stability, also could get a food-processing center and business incubator.

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/21/blighted-neighborhood-may-sprout-food-campus.html?sid=101

Posted 1 year ago #
coolbuckeye
South Clintonville
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Just hope some of the 20 jobs that are created go to current residents. I think its a great use for that building.

Posted 1 year ago #
goldenidea

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coolbuckeye wrote >>
Just hope some of the 20 jobs that are created go to current residents. I think its a great use for that building.

Have development details for the farmers market and restaurant complex been revealed? From previous news and discussions, I didn't think they were planning to use any of the existing buildings on the lot. I was under the impression this project would be like Coated Fabrics, i.e. a complete demolition, site clearance and enviro-restoration, then construction of a new structure(s).

I think some of the existing building have some architectual and historic value, but I suspect it would be too costly to try to utilize any of that, as was the case with Coated Fabrics.

Another thing: I'm curious why this Dispatch news release on the 3M site wasn't featured as a headline in CU or at least archived in the Weinland Park file on CU. This is a pretty significant, $1M-plus project located just blocks from High Street and campus, and is also located in the Short North. There was also a smaller Dispatch article that came out a few weeks ago discussing the demolition of two vacant but relatively large apartment buildings at N4th St and E 8th Ave that also did not get posted to CU. That too is a rather significant event in Weinland Park's path towards revitialization. It would be nice to see both of these articles cited and archived on CU. Perhaps it is and I'm missing it?

Walker, are you reading this? It would be nice to see this news picked up. TIA!

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Done!

http://www.columbusunderground.com/development-updates-in-weinland-park

Posted 1 year ago #
labi
Weinland Park
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@goldenidea - this grant is just for planning, so my understanding is that there are no concrete development details yet because decisions will be made as a result of research etc. done over the coming year.

I think I've heard, too, though, that at this point they are not foreseeing keeping any of the current building(s) on the 3M site. Which is too bad, because I have an irrational affection for massive, decrepit old buildings.

I would be happy, though, to see some good, more-modern-looking architecture come into the neighborhood. Just because it's a historic neighborhood doesn't mean there's no place for good contemporary design.

Posted 1 year ago #
anillo
Marzipan City
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Wait Weinland Park goes west of High (the Dispatch map shows that). If so, then I live in Weinland Park too.

Posted 1 year ago #
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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Last word heard from the developer was that the building would be demolished early next spring.

Also, Local Matters did an amazing map of food resources in the WP area. Just wanted to point out that the map above is future gardens & doesn't show those already existing.

Posted 1 year ago #
labi
Weinland Park
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@anillo - we'd be glad to have you as a neighbor, but unfortunately WP does not include anything west of High St. (Although there has been some discussion about including Yau's as an honorary neighbor.)

@tarak - you're right, the map does not show existing gardens, but it doesn't really show "future gardens" either. I'd say it shows "potential gardens." From what I can tell they just mapped every vacant lot. Some of them are a lot less "potential" than others.

Posted 1 year ago #
goldenidea

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Thank you Walker. It's impressive how much territory you cover so quickly!

Labi, you are quite right, it is just a plan and that occured to me just after I posted. But given the situation, it IS a fairly significant plan and I think a very significant location. What happens at that site can readily impact all surrounding neighborhoods, especially areas directly north and the east of it.

I'm with you, I like the old buildings, but wouldn't object to a more modern-looking replacment. Design aspects aside, what do you think of the bigger idea? Building a large farmer's market and a restaurant; stocked in part by locally grown produce and hopefully staffed by locals? Will that be economically viable and will it be adopted by the larger Short North community? To me, that's an issue meriting some discussion here, even in the early planning stage.

Posted 1 year ago #
goldenidea

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Labi, the map of "potential gardens" DOES look like it's just a map of existing vacant lots, doesn't it. It even lacks the largest existing community garden, the one just east of Goodman Guild on Sixth Street. And recently there's been a big garden developed on the south end of the Goodman lot, that's also not on the map.

At first, I had doubts about this idea, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. First, I do think a farmers' market is something that is needed, and so is a restaurant. While the North Market and existing area grocery stores serve that need, there's nothing like that on the east side of the Short North, and that area will soon have even more residences after Wagonbrenners develop the Coated Fabrics lot. Also, knowing some of the people in Weinland, I think there may be some great gardeners in that area, and also some well experienced food service people.

This kind of enterprise could help to pull many people together in the area in a really benefical way. It could give them a more positive identity and an opportunity they can rally around. It's the kind of business that people can more easily get involved in than something requiring more education or detailed specialized training. Food has universal interest and appeal.

Posted 1 year ago #
labi
Weinland Park
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The thing I like best about the concept is that it's done right, it would be a reason for people (other than social workers) from the rest of Columbus to come here - something cool that the neighborhood could be proud of that had nothing to do with any of our many pathologies. It would be an amenity to the city, not just WP. When I first saw the grant proposal I thought it was so out there it would never get funded. Now I guess I better go back and read it more carefully.

Any WP residents or "stakeholders" interested in being involved in the development of the idea can pm me - I'll pass your interest along through the civic association to whatever body ends up working on this with MORPC (and everyone else).

Posted 1 year ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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I'm curious to learn what kind of funds are going to be available to ameliorate the contaminated dirt. A neighbor on my street had to remove and replace all the dirt before they could grown anything that would be eaten due to the high levels of contamination (likely from Columbus Coated, 3M, etc)

Posted 1 year ago #
lazyfish

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berdawn wrote >>
I'm curious to learn what kind of funds are going to be available to ameliorate the contaminated dirt. A neighbor on my street had to remove and replace all the dirt before they could grown anything that would be eaten due to the high levels of contamination (likely from Columbus Coated, 3M, etc)

+1000, I hope they build all raised beds, had issues with the community gardens in the past that were planted in native soils, in addition, the "fruits" were meant for the food pantries, which seems pretty unethical.

Posted 1 year ago #
cbus11

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That is a very good point since possible contamination could be a problematic issue. I really like the idea of the farmers market, but a lot of the 'potential' community gardens would probably make nice lots for newer homes ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
labi
Weinland Park
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Re: the contaminated dirt: My recollection is that Wagenbrenner has applied for and is in a very good position to get state grant funds to remediate the 3M site. If I recall correctly, someone from the city development dept said that the total $ amt of the requests for the grants this year were less than the total funding available, so it looked very good.

I remember Mark Wagenbrenner saying once that they were surprised by how toxic the 3M site is, worse than the Cols Coated Fabrics site by far. But brownfields remediation is something that Wagenbrenners are pretty experienced at by this point.

For individual lots, it probably wouldn't be too expensive - just dig all the dirt out down to the depth of most vegetable roots and replace it. I did this by hand once in my own garden - with some actual equipment, it shouldn't be that big a deal. If they're talking multi-million budget for an implementation grant (which they are), the cost shouldn't be a problem.

Posted 1 year ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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labi wrote >>
Re: the contaminated dirt: My recollection is that Wagenbrenner has applied for and is in a very good position to get state grant funds to remediate the 3M site. If I recall correctly, someone from the city development dept said that the total $ amt of the requests for the grants this year were less than the total funding available, so it looked very good.
I remember Mark Wagenbrenner saying once that they were surprised by how toxic the 3M site is, worse than the Cols Coated Fabrics site by far. But brownfields remediation is something that Wagenbrenners are pretty experienced at by this point.
For individual lots, it probably wouldn't be too expensive - just dig all the dirt out down to the depth of most vegetable roots and replace it. I did this by hand once in my own garden - with some actual equipment, it shouldn't be that big a deal. If they're talking multi-million budget for an implementation grant (which they are), the cost shouldn't be a problem.

EXCELLENT! Thanks for the info. I know it was pricier than the neighbors had expected (not that they had expected to have ANY level of contamination)

Posted 1 year ago #
ehill27
Short North
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Get the Video Player

Posted 1 year ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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I'd love to see something like this pop up in these times, or is there something like that here now? (I sort of half remember hearing about one)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/nyregion/15kitchen.html?_r=1

Posted 1 year ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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Local Mattes inspires me, so I'm not trying to be cynical or conspiratorial, but some people I've spoken with say this sort of outreach is a part of a process in which Weinland Park will be gentrified.

The people who say this also say that Local Matters is NOT trying to gentrify the area, but that their efforts may unintentionally lead to that.

When people say this to me, I've asked "So, what should people do ? Should we all stick to our enclaves and not engage with each other across race and class?"

I admit to being puzzled about this. On the one hand, is the critique that white middle class progressives talk a lot about social justice but do very little when it comes to engaging with people across socioeconomic barriers.

At the same time, some people caution that reaching out and forming ties of that sort will set into motion a process of gentrification.

My own opinion is that such concerns are valid, but we shouldn't let ourselves slip into cynicism and we shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

To use a food analogy regarding this ongoing interest in Weinland Park, there are many fingers in this pie, indicating a variety of motives.

Perhaps useful questions would be : Why Weinland Park ? What about the East Side ?

Posted 1 year ago #
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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Weinland Park has the densest population of poor people in Central Ohio and is very close to the densest, poorest areas of Cleveland. It also has the highest concentration of subsidized housing in the state. The people who think WP will be "gentrified" are trying to get you to pay more than reasonable for a house or trying to get a grant for their non-profit. WP as a site for this makes sense as there is currently a shit ton of money available to ameliorate the brown field.

Posted 1 year ago #