RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
An anonymous source via email wrote
Ok, here’s the skinny on what’s going on with the Garden Theater site.
Kevin (one of the developers – I think there are two) and his partner have put in a request to buy up the public parking lot to the south. This lot includes the curb cut/right of way and the lot as it wraps behind Skully’s.
Kevin and his partner’s intentions:
1. Build a 2-3 story parking garage to connect to the garage being built at the garden site starting below grade and ending above. His stated intention is to replace the currently 60 public parking spaces in the garage, but no additional public parking spaces would be added. There may be a few spaces added as designated spaces (quasi-public) for the two commercial spaces, but they would not be open to the general public at all hours like the other 60.
2. Build two commercial retail spaces facing high and adjacent to Magnolias.
3. Build 15-20 condos/apartments above the garage ranging from 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms.
4. City would still technically own the public parking and likely would have to hire Parking Solutions, or another company to staff the garage.
Benefits to Kevin and his partner:
1. Building a connecting garage allow the placement of the garage ramps between levels to be moved to the current parking lot site and allows the Garden site to gain 25 more parking spaces (Kevin was non-committal on whether these would be for his tenants, but he wouldn’t rule it out – they would not be public parking).
2. No one else gets to buy the lot and build a competing development to the south of his garden site. This could be another condo site or just something ugly that he doesn’t want his tenants to have to look at.
Benefits to Short North Area businesses (Kevin’s stated benefits):
1. No one else buys the lot and builds a development that doesn’t replace 60 spaces and instead gets variances from the city to avoid doing so (see Jackson as reference case, they are only adding enough parking for their tenants alone – even though the plan is to add a fine dining restaurant at street level).
2. Increased density from the 15-20 condo/apartment additions.
Drawbacks to Kevin and his partner:
1. They are going to lose money on developing the parking lot site from building public parking (his stated cost is 20-30k per parking space). His cost is somewhere around 1.8m for replacing the public parking. Whether this causes the whole project to go negative, I’m not sure, but when someone asked if he would consider adding 80 public parking spaces, he said no.
Drawbacks to Short North Area Businesses:
1. Parking lot would be out of commision for at least 4 months. This is the only public parking lot north of the White Castle lot to the South though the available commercial space (52 spaces not counting the Garden site, or Kevin’s new proposal) is almost the densest of any area on High if you start at Liquid and go up to Stained Skin.
2. There’s no benefit in regaining the same 60 spaces, and two new commercial spaces would be less than a 4% increase in available commercial spaces on High alone in the area described above.
3. Density gain is minimal.
4. Skully’s likely lose all rear access, meaning deliveries have to be made in the front (i.e. trucks parking on High St. as in on campus).
5. No plan for alternate parking exists while the lot would be shutdown.
Some other random notes:
That lot represents 60-80% of the available parking on High St. without going off onto side streets, any shutdown for any length of time has the potential to drastically reduce business during high traffic times. Kevin’s not offering much in the way of carrots, the density growth is minimal, even for the Garden site (59 units), and the commercial units available in the area will be at an all time high once the Jackson and Garden sites are finished. The neighborhood just added 5 more retail spaces at that redevelopment just south of the Masonic Temple (and there’s no parking there that I can tell). If all this redevelopment goes through (not counting the parking lot) and the current empty commercial space gets filled (which accounts for about 30-40% of the space), then parking is going to be at a massive premium for these couple of blocks.
My opinion is that the upside is too limited, and the potential downsides too great, to support this proposal. Despite Kevin’s implied threats (or cautions, he wasn’t over-dramatic), I don’t see substantial risk in letting the parking lot sit because his commercial spaces in the Garden building are going to rely on the lot (whether they have designated spaces in his Garden garage) as soon as they come online.
Related Story:
whatever happened to the planned midrise (8 stories i think it was) that i had heard about earlier, or was that something totally different. it sounded like they were going to build it behind the theatre, which sounded odd. i’d like to see something a little more dense. it sounds like they would have to add more units to make up for what they’re spending on that garage.
looks like the city may need to build another garage on the north side of the short north or maybe another developer could come in a build something like ibiza with a large public garage………how about high and 5th.
The five retail spaces written of at Smith and High do have ample parking behind of the project. Way more parking than any such development I have seen in this area in years in fact…
My only concern with Smith and High is the exterior construction material. It appears to be a plastic coated fiberboard that somewhat resembles stucco
The parking would almost be a moot point if there was a streetcar.
I’m with you on that. I’ve said before in other threads, but it bears repeating… driving and parking are just TOO easy in Columbus for the general public to want to develop and patronize more mass transit options. It’s got to get harder to park if we want to see more support for projects like the Streetcar or suburban light rail lines.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think some of us are talking about two different rumors/plans/projects.
The post that Walker made through the anonymous e-mail is talking about the parking lot NEXT TO (north of) Skully’s.
The older rumor/plan/project about the 8 story building was to sit BEHIND (west of) the Garden Theater where there is currently a “one story concrete block building”.
DO NOT WANT.
I live right next to the Garden, and unfortunately, that public lot is where tenants in my building and the apartments across the street (above The Chamber, Garden, etc) have to park. It’s not just Short North businesses that will be affected by this closure, but residents as well.
It’s already a pain in the ass weekend evenings and Thursday evenings (Ladies 80s at Skully’s), and I cannot imagine what a disaster it would be were the lot to close for 4-5 months. The idea of a garage is nice, but I certainly don’t want to have to pay for it.
Looks like I may have to place a call to my property management and see if they’ve heard about this…
I also have some concern as to how safe a garage would be in that area. I know of several cars that have been broken into in that lot, and every time I’m walking through that area, I pass or am panhandled by at least one unsavory character or another. I think an enclosed lot might be a more dangerous option on the whole.
The renovation and renewal of the Garden as an actual theater again would be amazing. Certainly as a music venue. I have never been inside. What is it like? Is it apts right now?
One less surface lot with its unsavory cars. :lol:
According to Dan Dougan when he was looking for a place to relocate Stache’s: a firetrap.
One less surface lot with its unsavory cars. :lol:
By unsavory, you must mean sweet.
I think you are correct. It sounds as if it’s all a part of the same larger development, but this post is dealing with the parking garage portion instead of the residential tower portion.
Some extra details:
Garden site plans are currently approved and they are getting pricing from contractors.
15 month build schedule (not counting if they buy the parking lot in question).
40 condos, 9 apartments, ground floor commercial.
Existing High St. building fontage stays.
Existing commercial spaces stays commercial, theather is not coming back, to be replaced by more commercial.
Larger building goes up behind and on top of existing (will be set back from existing front) buildings. Total tower height to be 90ft, Jackson will be 120ft.
Parking garage to be beneath tower for residents and some space for Garden site commericial. No general public parking.
I’m with you on that. I’ve said before in other threads, but it bears repeating… driving and parking are just TOO easy in Columbus for the general public to want to develop and patronize more mass transit options. It’s got to get harder to park if we want to see more support for projects like the Streetcar or suburban light rail lines.
Yep Yep.
Parking is ridiculously difficult (and therefore expensive) here in Portland, but that’s just fine. We’ve had our car out here for 3 weeks and have used almost 3 gallons of gas. It’s silly to drive your car…taking the rails, the bus, walking, or riding your bike is so much faster, more convenient, less stressful, and cheaper.
Well at least they’re doing something. That entire debacle is one of the ugliest parts of High Street. I loathe parking garages, but I loathe rusty, empty buildings even more! At least with this it has a few retail spaces, too.
I run by this site every day and was wondering when we are going to see some action. With the Jackson and Kroger being done with in the next 18 months or so you would think this would want to get off the ground asap.
Just curious- any word on what is happening to the Garden Theater?