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    In Limbo: As 2018 Draws to Close, Future Uncertain for Some Projects

    This is where we list the projects that didn’t fit into any of the other categories for our annual Year in Review; completed, under construction, or announced. In 2018, some of the biggest development proposals happened to fit better into the “In Limbo” category than any of the others, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t generate plenty of news.

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    Read on for a list of those projects, and our best guess for what might happen with them in 2019.

    We got a major update on plans for the Scioto Peninsula, but no shovels in the ground yet.

    The Downtown Commission approved a new design for the Millennial Tower but work has not started on the project.

    There has not been much news this year on the plan to build a tall tower next to the North Market, although our sources say the proposal is not dead and that we should see an updated plan in early 2019.

    More likely to be dead is the plan from Kaufman Development for the former IBEW site in Victorian Village. With the commission split on approval, the developer put the project on hold and later put the land up for sale.

    A couple of new ideas for the long-stalled renovation of the Madison Building were presented to the Downtown Commission this fall, although the project has not been back to the board since then.

    The Madison — Photo by Brent Warren.

    Although we learned in the spring that Easton developer Yaromir Steiner was now involved in the project, there haven’t been any updates on plans for the former United Methodist Children’s Home site in Worthington since.

    The redevelopment of 20 acres of Battelle land in Harrison West is likely to get started early in 2019. The project now has a new name – Founders Park – and a revised site plan.

    We could likewise see movement on the Trolley Barn project near Franklin Park in 2019. The adaptive reuse project was awarded two rounds of state historic preservation tax credits this year.

    Two projects from Borror Properties also appear poised to move forward soon – one on the border of Clintonville and the University District and the other in the King Lincoln District

    Changes to the Arlington Gateway project were approved. Also updated were plans for a parcel farther west on Lane Avenue.

    A revised plan for 50 acres of land near the corner of Grandview Avenue and Dublin Road was announced in late 2017, but there’s been no movement on the project this year.

    The rear portion of the former Hudson Theater building was demolished, but no plans have been announced for what remains of the historic building.

    Lucas Lofts — Rendering via Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design.

    A spring start is possible for Lucas Lofts in Franklinton, according to our contact there, but financing for the project has still not been completely worked out. The project was originally unveiled in 2015.

    The developer behind a proposed redevelopment of the Broadwin Building told CU that work has yet to start on the project.

    Some initial rehab work was done in 2017 on the Bellows School and the Macon Hotel, but work appears to have stalled on both historic buildings.

    Also appearing to have stalled out is the Cargominiums project on Old Leonard Avenue and a four-story apartment building on Michigan Avenue.

    Although we didn’t hear much about the expansion of the OSU Wexner Medical Center in 2018, planning for that huge project is ongoing.

    The sale of the former Indianola Middle School to OSU officially went through in September, but no detailed plans have been announced for the property.

    The Edna — Rendering courtesy of Tim Lai ArchitecT.

    Finally, here are some other projects that were proposed in previous years but were quiet in 2018 – a six-story building on Broad Street downtown, the renovation of the Edna Building, a plan to develop a ten-acre site just south of Grandview Yard, and new apartments proposed for High Street in the University District.

    READ MORE: 42 Urban Development Projects Completed in 2018

    READ MORE: 57 Urban Development Projects Under Construction in 2018

    READ MORE: 52 Urban Development Projects Announced in 2018

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    Brent Warren
    Brent Warrenhttps://columbusunderground.com/author/brent-warren
    Brent Warren is a staff reporter for Columbus Underground covering urban development, transportation, city planning, neighborhoods, and other related topics. He grew up in Grandview Heights, lives in the University District and studied City and Regional Planning at OSU.
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