April Condo Hop - Short North
I'M CALLING IT, "THE AFFORDABLE TOUR"
Everyone always wants to know what a regular
Joe can buy in the way of a midtown condo in a good location. Well, come out Saturday April 8th for the Affordable Tour and see 10 Short North condos all under $200,000.
A first for the tour will be --- provided transportation. Yes, we'll be schlepping around in style for April's condo hop as we've chartered the Bexley Beat to drop us from condo to condo.
Unlike some recent hops, there will be no big new developments to stop at and get the informative spiel from the Realtors or developers who are selling them. This will be mostly resale condos -all of which will be listed by other Realtors and their respective brokers- from the Convention Center to practically campus and they will all be under $200,000.
For $2 you can park in the lot at the north-west corner of Gay and High. Meet at
Cafe Brioso around 9:45 AM and we'll be leaving promptly at 10AM.
Any questions,
email or call 324-4357.
18-24 new Townhomes and Condos coming to Bronzeville
I have to report this since I do live down the street from this impending project and have, through the neighborhood association
KLBNA, been heavily involved with bringing new residents and businesses to our community.
This is from an advanced copy of our forthcoming newsletter:
The City of Columbus has named the developer for the vacant lot at Monroe & Long Streets. Glavan Blackwell Resources was chosen as the developer, in part, because they
included both commercial and residential development in their proposal.
Dana Moessner, Chair of Development for KLBNA, agrees with the city’s choice because,
"Glavan followed the King-Lincoln District Plan and the Near East Area Plan, which means we’ll have a complex that is architecturally appropriate for the area, and will bring positive economic impact to the community."
Eighteen townhomes will be built on Monroe and Talmadge Streets, and a 3-story building will go up on Long Street to accommodate retail on the first floor and condos on the top two floors.
Mark Barbash, director of development for the City of Columbus, was interviewed by Business First about the Monroe Cluster announcement.
Here’s an excerpt from the March 3rd article by Scott Rawdon:"Barbash said the Monroe Cluster is vital to the development of the Long Street District and is an integral part
of the King Lincoln District Redevelopment Plan. Investment in the Monroe Cluster will likely jump start the local economy and convince other developers of the long-term Street Community. The goal, Barbash said, is to keep new housing prices and retail space rental affordable at market rates."
Keena Smith, assistant director of development for the City of Columbus, was quoted in the same Business First article as saying, "The community involvement is the key.
This is a neighborhood that’s been blighted for a long time. We want to make sure that the people who are living there can stay there."
Groundbreaking is expected in the second half of 2006.~
Downtown Career Center at 4th and Fulton gets OK
This is fantastic news for the southern edge of Downtown. The building that sits there now truly is an eyesore and the artists rendering of the new CPS Career Center looks like a newly built office complex which would be a big improvement.
Better yet, the center will offer a beauty salon and restaurant for those living and working downtown to be run by the students. That part of town could use a lunch spot, especially with outdoor seating. Just ask anyone living at the Renaissance.
Maybe the best news, though, is that the district wants to make sure the space is flexible should they want to someday turn it into an alternative school. How many times have I said that we need a Public downtown elementary, middle and high school with a sterling academic reputation. It's nice to see the district, at the very least, has an eye open for such in the future.
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Plans OK'd for first high school in Downtown business district
Friday, March 24, 2006
Debbie Gebolys
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Columbus Public Schools received the OK yesterday to build a $24 million high school the first in city history in the Downtown business district.
Yet to be named, the career center and adult-education center will be built on Mound Street, between 4 th and 5 th streets, in time for the 2008-2009 school year.
"I think it's going to be huge for Downtown," said Carole Olshavsky, senior executive of capital improvements for the school district. "It represents a change in the philosophy of investing in kids."
The Downtown Commission approved the district's request to demolish an 86-year-old former sheriff's office building that stands vacant on the site.
School administrators expect to begin site work this summer and construction on the school before the end of the year.
The school will open as a career center, but Superintendent Gene Harris "is very interested in a flexible building for the future," Olshavsky said. Officials want to design the space so it can be converted to an alternative high school or another type of school if needed.
The Downtown school and one being expanded at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School will replace the Northwest, Northeast and Southeast Career centers and serve 2,000 students.
The curriculum for highschool juniors and seniors will be tailored to capitalize on surrounding Downtown workplaces, with students expected to get experience and internships at a nearby Columbus fire station, the Franklin County Courthouse and local businesses, Olshavsky said.
Among the areas of study will be accounting, logistics and information technology, emergency medical technology, firefighting and criminal justice.
Administrators also want Downtown workers and residents to patronize a restaurant and beauty salon planned for the school.
To be built along the 4 th Street side of the building, the salon and restaurant represent the school's cosmetology and culinary-arts programs and will be run by students. The restaurant will have both indoor and outdoor seating.
The four-story, 136,000-square-foot school will be the district's tallest, large enough to accommodate 800 students in each of two half-day sessions per school day.
Architects envision Mound Street as the main entrance and student dropoff area. School buses would use the Engler Street alley south of the school for bus dropoffs.
Olshavsky, however, said that unresolved plans for rebuilding the I-70/71 split could affect that.
If the Ohio Department of Transportation decides to use Mound and Fulton streets to funnel traffic to and from the highway, one of several proposals the state is considering, dropoff areas could be moved.
School officials expect final designs by May.
The district paid the state of Ohio, which rented the space to the county, $2.2 million in January for the 3-acre site and for two parking lots immediately south of Engler, intended to serve as staff parking.
It was $1.5 million less that the Franklin County auditor's office appraised the properties for last year and $600,000 less than the district had budgeted.
The parking lots surround the former Pfeifer Printing Co. at 190 E. Fulton St., which the district also wanted to buy to add an auditorium to the school.
Owners are asking $1.4 million for the property; the auditor appraised it at $550,000.
dgebolys@dispatch.com
Columbus Landmarks Hosts Renovation Forum
Renovating & adpating old spaces for new living expectations
Saturday, April 1, 10am - 4pm
St. Paul Episcopal Church,
787 E. Broad St.$50 per person, $75 per household
This daylong hands-on workshop teaches property owners how to restore and reuse old homes, from tackling do-it-yourself projects to finding a contractor. Learn about masonry repair; plaster restoration; wood restoration for windows, doors, and floors; roofing and drainage systems; and more.
Registration includes lunch, a current directory of contractors who specialize in renovation and restoration work, and 6-month memberships to both Columbus Landmarks and Heritage Ohio.
Space is limited. For more information or to register, contact Columbus Landmarks at 614.221.4508 or email
lbidwa@columbuslandmarks.org.
While you're there, drink in this beautiful church that has an unsure future since its flock recently left.
So Much New News about new Developments
Today's edition of Business First was chock full of newish condo news.
First there was a piece about Larry Ruben and his Plaza Properties company which is doing Bexley Gateway, the Yukon Building, and the Hartman Building.
The Victorian Village commission is apparently reviewing
a plan for 86 units-- a mixture of townhomes, flats, duplexes and penthouses. This may be called Starr Avenue Condos and would be built in a current parking lot formerly used by Doctor's Hospital. It'd be an estimated $30 million deal.
Even bigger though is the idea of a
1,000 home neighborhood rising from the Jaeger Commerce Park -- nestled between Spring Street (US 33) the Railroad Tracks, Scioto and 670 -- all just west of The Buggyworks Buildings and at the end of Nationwide Boulevard.
That'd really be something. And within a stones throw of the new Clippers Stadium, Huntington Park.
Secondly, the front page of Section A had an article in the Shop Talk Column regarding the
acquisition of six parcels on Long street just East of fourth by a partnership called Gay Street Condominium LLC, it's about an acre.
The same article mentioned plans for the former Kaiser Machine Works building, directly South of Waterford tower, to be turned into
six townhomes and four loft condos by the developer of Carlyles Watch, Tom Fortin and his Urban Loft Ventures. This goes before the Downtown Commission next week.
That's one week, four potential projects and potentially over 1200 new housing units in and around downtown Columbus. The condo boom is for real. Downtown Columbus, by sheer force of will and market demand, is becoming
THE place to live in central Ohio. Retailers, grocers and entrepreneurs please take note!
Today's Condo Hop
Focused on the Arena District. The folks at Nationwide Realty were very good to us today as we viewed several units in Burnham Square and admired the A&P Building while getting the skinny on the North Bank Condo project.
The Buggyworks left a great impression on all the condo hoppers. Thanks to Dan from Stonehenge Realty who let us in the first re-sale unit in Buggyworks and to Terry Penrod who allowed us in the beautiful unit for Lease.
The Battleship building had two fantastic units for us to take a look at and everyone marveled at the prices for the location. Thanks to Paula and Niels for allowing us to see those units.
Steven Dial and Jim Meyer had us over to see Victorian Gate and we saw the available models there. Today's crowd really enjoyed the third floor 1300 sq ft beauty on High Street.
Thanks to all the Realtors who made it happen and to our wonderful hosts at Cafe Brioso. We had a wonderful group of people today and we all had a lot of fun. It's like a roving party and I hope that future condo hops never lose that festive feeling.
BRINGING PIZAZZ TO GAY STREET
At tonight's city council meeting, we'll learn that a makeover is in store for Gay Street as Council member O'Shaughnessy sponsors Ordinance 2102-2005 to kick off a project to give this important downtown street a new, exciting look.
In addition to converting Gay to
two-way traffic from Front Street to Cleveland Avenue, the City will install traffic calming features, including
medians and bumpouts throughout, and
streetscape features from Front Street to Fourth Street. The $1.65 million project is funded with City bond funds. This ordinance secures engineering services.
nbc4i.com - News - City Installs First Of Red-Light Cameras
nbc4i.com - News - City Installs First Of Red-Light CamerasI was surprised to see how many of the traffic light cameras were being installed downtown. Watch out for the eye in sky, the Bear in the Air . . . .
Cleveland Avenue and Spring Street4th Street and 5th
Avenue3rd Street and Fulton StreetBroad Street and 3rd
StreetSummit Street and Chittenden Avenue4th Street and
Mt. Vernon AvenueBroad Street and Grant Avenue
Gettysburg Road and Henderson Road Fairwood Avenue and
Livingston AvenueCentral Avenue and Sullivant
AvenueBroad Street and Sylvan AvenueBroad Street and 4th
StreetHamilton Road and Interstate 70 westbound ramp
Neil - Tappan Condos
These hit the market today. You know the building, you know they've been working on it and now here they are.
Brick/slate/copper on the outside and granite/wood/stainless on the inside.
2 Bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and 1700 sq ft including the loft. Each one also has a full basement with new concrete and steps.
There are nine units total and they're around $289,900.
Call me, we'll take a look at them.
Fenway Pines
In not-so-Clintonville-but-darn-close, North of Graceland Mall, there are about 10 buildings with rehabbed apartments cum condos. They all have two bedrooms and they are all at affordable price points ranging from about 123-140 thousand.
There are nine floor plans to choose from, each with two bedrooms, a private patio or screened deck, new carpeting throughout, new ceramic tile in kitchen and the bath(s). Standard items include granite counter tops, new kitchen cabinets, new bath vanities, new lighting fixtures, security systems and stainless steel appliances. You may make color selections for your carpet, granite and kitchen cabinets. You can even upgrade to hardwood with four choices in color. Most units will have in-unit laundry and a one car garage. Every unit has very generous, private out-of-unit storage in the basement. All new forced air gas furnaces, air-conditioners and hot water heaters are being installed, as well as all new insulated windows.
It's convenient to most of Columbus and just think, you could have some sort of a Melrose Place thing going on if you and your friends all buy in the same part of the complex. See them weekend afternoons or call me and we'll go take a look.
