Campus Partners to Redevelop High from 17th to 14th

[Pablo]

Ohio State plans sweeping off-campus development around 15th and High

The Columbus Dispatch • Friday February 27, 2015 1:28 PM

A sweeping redevelopment plan for the neighborhood east of Ohio State University would add a public square, a hotel, a parking garage and blocks of shops and apartments.

The plan, led by Campus Partners, the real-estate arm of Ohio State, would replace or expand dozens of buildings from 14th to 17th avenues along High Street and just east of Pearl Street. That neighborhood now houses bars, restaurants, apartments, offices and the Wexner Jewish Student Center.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/02/27/development.html

[Pablo]

Looks like the homogenization of campus continues…

There are certainly buildings in this stretch that can and should be replaced but mixing old and new buildings creates a rich urban character. Hope they learned their lessons from South Gateway and try to incorporate some of the old into the overall project.

[jbcmh81]

Pablo wrote:

Looks like the homogenization of campus continues…

There are certainly buildings in this stretch that can and should be replaced but mixing old and new buildings creates a rich urban character. Hope they learned their lessons from South Gateway and try to incorporate some of the old into the overall project.

It’s pretty clear from the article that not a single building is going to be saved.

[futureman]

Business First Columbus also has an article on this as well – http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/02/27/ohio-state-planning-mixed-use-15th-and-high.html

I didn’t realize how much land is going to be redeveloped until I saw the site layout. As the articles states, 9 acres are a part of this project and to put that into perspective the South Campus Gateway is 7 acres.

[Jason Powell]

I really wish they would save some of the older buildings. That’s character being ripped down that they won’t be able to get back.

[Jason Powell]

Also, I can’t believe Bernie’s – one of my favorite football day bars – may go the way of the wrecking ball. That’s a shame. Dive bars like that can never be replaced.

[Josh Miller]

Jason Powell wrote:

I really wish they would save some of the older buildings. That’s character being ripped down that they won’t be able to get back.

Also, I can’t believe Bernie’s – one of my favorite football day bars – may go the way of the wrecking ball. That’s a shame. Dive bars like that can never be replaced.

If CU would have been around in the late 90s these were the exact sentiments echoed by fans of South Campus/Gateway area.

[heresthecasey]

jbcmh81 wrote:

It’s pretty clear from the article that not a single building is going to be saved.

I don’t think that’s clear at all, from either the article or the framework document itself.

In fact, it says “The plan, led by Campus Partners would replace or expand dozens of buildings from 14th to 17th avenues along High Street and just east of Pearl Street.”

Also, since Campus Partners will be developing this in concert with private developers and the other existing property owners, it’s almost guaranteed that it will not be as homogeneous and single-handed as SCG was. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those non CP/OSU-owned properties end up not getting redeveloped at all.

Several buildings in the district boundaries are also what I would consider historic, contributing structures I doubt the UAC/UARB would allow to be demolished wholesale without some serious debate.

Given all the above, I’m cautiously optimistic this can be done right.

[jbcmh81]

heresthecasey wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jbcmh81 wrote:</div>
It’s pretty clear from the article that not a single building is going to be saved.

I don’t think that’s clear at all, from either the article or the framework document itself.

In fact, it says “The plan, led by Campus Partners would replace or expand dozens of buildings from 14th to 17th avenues along High Street and just east of Pearl Street.”

Also, since Campus Partners will be developing this in concert with private developers and the other existing property owners, it’s almost guaranteed that it will not be as homogeneous and single-handed as SCG was. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those non CP/OSU-owned properties end up not getting redeveloped at all.

Several buildings in the district boundaries are also what I would consider historic, contributing structures I doubt the UAC/UARB would allow to be demolished wholesale without some serious debate.

Given all the above, I’m cautiously optimistic this can be done right.

I hope you’re right, but OSU has about the same history of preservation as Columbus does- not very good. Like always, it will come down to whether or not a building will be feasible with what they want, and I can’t see very many of them fitting.

[lbl]

wondering if Campus Partners might have fore-thought to include a suitable space for a future light rail hub?

[columbusmike]

Honestly, I wouldn’t say many of the affected buildings are all that significant historically except maybe the block where Bernie’s is located.

This will be a great project for OSU and Columbus. There are certainly many other nearby buildings that could house some dive bars. Now we just need light rail serving campus to downtown….

[WJT]

I actually think this could be great if they do it right and learn from past mistakes. I also agree that they should take a streetcar/light rail system into account for the built form. I think it is inevitable from downtown to campus-maybe not tomorrow..or next year..or even five years..but it eventually will happen (and I am usually pessimistic about stuff like this). There is just too much going on along the High street spine and adjacent areas and if the tipping point has not been reached yet, it eventually will be.

[jbcmh81]

columbusmike wrote:

Honestly, I wouldn’t say many of the affected buildings are all that significant historically except maybe the block where Bernie’s is located.

This will be a great project for OSU and Columbus. There are certainly many other nearby buildings that could house some dive bars. Now we just need light rail serving campus to downtown….

“Not significant historically” is what gave us the Downtown parking craters. I’m curious as to what exactly being historically significant might entail? Famous associations? Original architecture? How much of German Village would be historically significant outside of age and the combined nature of the neighborhood itself? Columbus has lost generations worth of history because someone, somewhere didn’t think those buildings had value, and it has made the city far more bland than it should be.

And I think light rail is a pipe dream at this point. Columbus leadership is just not interested in moving this forward, and frankly, given the joke that will be the BRT line, I’m not sure I have any confidence that they would do it right even if it was moving forward.

[chaking]

jbcmh81 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>columbusmike wrote:</div>
Honestly, I wouldn’t say many of the affected buildings are all that significant historically except maybe the block where Bernie’s is located.

This will be a great project for OSU and Columbus. There are certainly many other nearby buildings that could house some dive bars. Now we just need light rail serving campus to downtown….

“Not significant historically” is what gave us the Downtown parking craters. I’m curious as to what exactly being historically significant might entail? Famous associations? Original architecture? How much of German Village would be historically significant outside of age and the combined nature of the neighborhood itself? Columbus has lost generations worth of history because someone, somewhere didn’t think those buildings had value, and it has made the city far more bland than it should be.

And I think light rail is a pipe dream at this point. Columbus leadership is just not interested in moving this forward, and frankly, given the joke that will be the BRT line, I’m not sure I have any confidence that they would do it right even if it was moving forward.

Well, back at you. What is significant enough to say it can’t be re-developed? There are official designations for preservation, but these wouldn’t fall into that. So if we want to preserve history on our most visible street, what are the guidelines? And how do we increase density in the areas it should be increased (e.g. High Street) without stepping on anyone’s toes? Sometimes it makes sense to incorporate the old structure, but not always.

I do wish they addressed the lower hanging fruit first though. Like doing something about the UDF building or mini strip mall on 13th.

[jbcmh81]

chaking wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jbcmh81 wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>columbusmike wrote:</div><br>
Honestly, I wouldn’t say many of the affected buildings are all that significant historically except maybe the block where Bernie’s is located.

This will be a great project for OSU and Columbus. There are certainly many other nearby buildings that could house some dive bars. Now we just need light rail serving campus to downtown….

“Not significant historically” is what gave us the Downtown parking craters. I’m curious as to what exactly being historically significant might entail? Famous associations? Original architecture? How much of German Village would be historically significant outside of age and the combined nature of the neighborhood itself? Columbus has lost generations worth of history because someone, somewhere didn’t think those buildings had value, and it has made the city far more bland than it should be.

And I think light rail is a pipe dream at this point. Columbus leadership is just not interested in moving this forward, and frankly, given the joke that will be the BRT line, I’m not sure I have any confidence that they would do it right even if it was moving forward.

Well, back at you. What is significant enough to say it can’t be re-developed? There are official designations for preservation, but these wouldn’t fall into that. So if we want to preserve history on our most visible street, what are the guidelines? And how do we increase density in the areas it should be increased (e.g. High Street) without stepping on anyone’s toes? Sometimes it makes sense to incorporate the old structure, but not always.

I do wish they addressed the lower hanging fruit first though. Like doing something about the UDF building or mini strip mall on 13th.

The problem is not that there is ambiguity with the definitions, but that almost any structure, on its own, can be sacrificed in the name of progress. Union Station was just one building. Central Market was just one building. The Chittenden Hotel was just one building. In the 1960s, there was a plan to bulldoze just about everything north of 5th Avenue, if I remember correctly. If that plan had actually been put through, what would really be the difference between doing it one by one or all at once if the end result is the same? The excuse is always progress at any cost, but I can’t imagine the city without the few historic areas that it has managed to keep. Columbus desperately needs a sense of place, a sense of history, a sense of character, and all of those things, imo, are removed a little bit every time one of those buildings comes down. You’re right that there are plenty of places where the damage has already been done. Those should be the focus areas. But those places exist today because someone at some point in time said, “Well… progress”.

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