Alongside the other announcements coming out about Corso’s redevelopment of the northern end of the Short North, another, albeit smaller, project could soon be underway in the area. The outdoor space at Standard, currently occupying a parking lot-turned-patio, is set for a subtle revamp, if Corso and the Italian Village Commission can come to an agreement.
“The Italian Village wants a little more finished landscaped kind of product, and we’re trying to meet them in the middle on that,” Corso said. “I think there’s just certain people on that committee that have a certain vision, and that’s kind of what they push.”
“I think their job is to uphold the standards of Italian Village,” he added, “but sometimes they have their own vision and you just have to work through it. It takes time.”
Corso envisions a bit rougher of a patio, a utilitarian space put together piece by piece naturally.
The Italian Village has codes to follow.
A beer-toting vintage truck visits the place regularly, but that will have to become a permanent fixture. In the back they’ll install bathrooms. Fencing around the area as well as flooring will be more formalized, too. These little adjustments oppose the vibe Corso imagines for the Short North, which is more laid back instead of shiny and corporate.
“We want the whole concept to be very organic, very natural,” said Corso, mentioning his use of electrical spools as patio tables. “We do not want it to be your typical patio — that’s not what we’re looking for.”
“I think a lot of people in the Short North — they just want the feel of a natural neighborhood,” he said later. “They don’t want something that’s been modernized or redone in a way that it feels brand new.”
Corso takes his patio proposal to the Italian Village Commission today, along with proposals for a Food Hall and a transformation of the lot currently home to Montecristo House of Cigar.
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