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The Dispatch wrote
As holidays approach, mayor still looks for ways to pump new life into vacancy-riddled heart of city
Sunday, November 23, 2008
By Mark Ferenchik
In his State of the City address in March, Mayor Coleman announced a “Mile on High District.” It would be an incentive-laden plan to inject life into a struggling High Street. This holiday season, it will be apparent that the plan is off to a sluggish start, mired in a battered economy.
Just two groups are taking advantage of the plan’s tax breaks: the new Barrio restaurant, which will serve Latin fare next year in the old Wendy’s building at Spring and High, and the owners of the former Arby’s building at 45 N. High, who are spending $1.2 million to redevelop it into office and commercial space.
Retail analyst Chris Boring said a survey he conducted in April of the High Street corridor between Nationwide and Mound showed that 40 percent of the space — 80,000 square feet — was vacant. The vacancy rate for the Columbus market is 12 percent.
A retail study in June found 280 stores and restaurants Downtown and estimated spending power to support 450. Downtown won’t become a regional shopping destination again, Boring said, but independent retailers can serve the more than 130,000 Downtown office workers, residents and college students. As the economy improves, he expects to see a wave of retail entrepreneurs composed of retired baby boomers and talented people who lost their jobs start businesses.
Related Stories:
- Downtown Re-Development Moving Forward
- Right-sized Approach to Downtown Retail
- Downtown Retail: Need for area shops ‘unmet’
Anyway, I did a little bit of hunting around online for information about the Mile on High plan and couldn’t really find anything detailing what sorts of benefits and incentives are being proposed for businesses. Maybe I need to hit up teh Mike Brown when he gets back from teh vacation and pester him for teh info.
Hey Walker. You, uh…. you spelled “the” wrong. I noticed it a couple times. Or a dozen. You know. Just saying. Lettin you know. Throwin that one out there.
And yes everyone I know he did it on purpose.
Anyway, I did a little bit of hunting around online for information about the Mile on High plan and couldn’t really find anything detailing what sorts of benefits and incentives are being proposed for businesses. Maybe I need to hit up teh Mike Brown when he gets back from teh vacation and pester him for teh info.
Hey Walker. You, uh…. you spelled “the” wrong. I noticed it a couple times. Or a dozen. You know. Just saying. Lettin you know. Throwin that one out there.
And yes everyone I know he did it on purpose.
:?
Being Downtown I guess would mean you are going to hear motors.
I think High St is pedestrian friendly it just needs more for people to do. It is getting better but still lacking something catching. hmmmmm
It would be nice to have some retail downtown, but I think the main issue is that people who work downtown do not usually spend much time shopping during the working hours, and once 5 pm hits, the whole area clears out. I think that ZHC had this point as well, that there needs to be some destinations to bring people downtown after working hours, otherwise people will continue to shop near where their homes are.
On the other hand, as someone who works downtown, once my day is over I prefer to get as far away as I can from the office . . .
Hmmm… since the city has 1.street trees, 2. street furniture, 3. wide sidewalks, 4. differentiation in materials (in many) crosswalks, 5. attractive lighting, 6. building entrances facing the street — all of which are element of “business-friendly streets” according to the report you cited, not exactly sure what you are arguing. By my estimation, High Street qualifies as a business-friendly street according to that report. It doesn’t have on street parking, but given that it is a transit corridor (i.e. stacked busses at certain times during the day), the two lanes become quite important. Having worked downtown for a number of years, I can attest that I think High Street downtown, aside from the lack of business, is actually a pretty pleasant walk.
I haven’t read anyone mentioning the biggest elephant in the room when you try to re-develop downtown – the Arena District. This story about the effects of the AD is from 2002, and it’s still true.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E6DB163FF93AA25755C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
How can you expect to lure business to High Street when the AD is still growing and the economy is down?
The Arena District has little (if any) retail outside of restaurants/bars.
I still think with the right amount of specialization, customers will go out of their way to patronize a business. We just need to get the ball rolling with giving those types of retail incentives to set up shop downtown.
True, but there’s Blue Jackets Merchandise in the Arena, but I think you need a ticket to get in, so not the most effective pedestrian friendly setup.:lol:
North Market might be the only retail around. There’s the ceramics shop and the cooking gear shop. Plus it is a grocery store collectively.
You used to be able to buy stuff made at the State Pen, but that’s gone.
you don’t need a ticket to get in to the store, you just need a ticket to get into the game. I’m not sure if the merch store is open outside of game times, though.
What the city needs to do is look for cheaper alternatives to generate energy downtown, not necessarily staying business but a start to a new view of downtown.
If the city was able to utilize public right of way and other under used city lots, which it has control over, to allow non-permanent activities. For instance the city can allow artists to show work along High Street, near Broad, in the “dead space” that exists adjacent to the street. Maybe the city could purchase a few heavy duty tables and chairs for people to eat lunch outside.
There is a fair amount of space along many of the city sidewalks that are hardly utilized, even for pedestrian traffic. Putting uses in these spaces, either along buildings or along the street, would break up the flow of pedestrians and provide a bit more energy downtown. Breaking the flow of pedestrians will cause attention to be drawn to these activities, obviously since you don’t want to run right into them, and maybe pique some interest in using the space.
I created a presentation expanding on this idea, incorporating street dieting, for a class, if anyone is interested message me.
The city could also work with the business association to promote cheaper, temporary rent to spaces downtown. Retail that does not need permanent structures can reside here, such as clothing, on a short term basis until the building can find a permanent business that is willing to pay the full rent.
I already went into detail about how “pedestrian-friendly” High St is Downtown. Who here walks up and down High anyway? I don’t see any reason to.
It’s great for going from point A to point B.
I do. Every day.
It’s great for going from point A to point B.
From the juvenile center to the wig shop? From the parking lot to the Nationwide block? From German Village to the Cap?
Yes, the High Street sidewalks get used for all of these reasons and more. You shouldn’t be riding your bike around with your eyes closed. Its dangerous.
I’ve walked High several times-B1 to North Market and back once. Sucks a bit in the summer since we don’t have the density of high rises and the accompanying shade. Other than that it’s not a bad walk. I like the work they have done to put up the maps around the area. I think city center is pretty much the key. As long as that sits decaying with little attention or effort, Mile on High will continue to falter.
Now if only there was some kind of tool, something to move people down the High Street corridor, that has a good record (maybe 20-25 cities as proof) of sparking economic development… if only…
O well can’t think of anything.
I also aimlessly walk up and down high street almost every day. I can get from broad and High deep into German Village and back in just under a hour :lol: or down to short north and back. But what else is there to do down town on lunch time?
One of the things that could help is building up the student population downtown. Between CCAD, CSCC, Franklin and the internship opportunities that exist, there could be a decent population to support various retailers. Just in the High St. portion of the UD you have some pretty varied retailers and businesses. Granted quite a bit caters to the the need for grease and alcohol, you still have Used Kids, Urban Outfitters, the shops at the gateway, Oatganics and a number of others.
Yes, the High Street sidewalks get used for all of these reasons and more. You shouldn’t be riding your bike around with your eyes closed. Its dangerous.
I tend to agree with Columbusite on this one.
Though there are a few bright spots, on balance, High St. through Downtown is an embarrassment. Every time I have to walk or drive its length, I find myself cringing at the sheer ugliness of much of it.
I used to be more optimistic about revitalizing High St., though I now think that Grandview Yard has all but killed any chance of developing a significant retail component. Sure, we might get a few small-scale shops here and there, but not much more than that – and nothing like what it should have been as the spine of the city. As much as I appreciate all that Nationwide Insurance has done to develop their corner of the city, I can’t help but to feel very negative about their decision to pound the last nail in the coffin of High St./Arena District retail.
I want to be wrong about this because I love Columbus, but I am definitely far less optimistic than I used to be.
I walk on High from Livingston to Broad twice a day, five days a week. I suppose a couple of stop walk lights could be timed better, but it’s very pedestrian friendly. I even walked from Livingston and High to Fifth and High about twice a month. No big deal.
And honestly – I think the reason more businesses don’t succeed on High Street downtown is due to the lack of free parking. Not that I want to see parking lots lining the way, but as much as some people on these boards hate cars, they are the primary way people get from point A to point B.