Category Archives: Columbus Neighborhoods

2013 Residential Projects and the Year Ahead

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2013 residential projects

2013 was a pretty significant year for Columbus, if only because it saw its busiest residential developmentyear in and around the urban core in many years. Here are the highlights of some of the biggest 2013 residential projects.

1. The South Campus High Rise and Addition Project
# of New Units: 360
Project Cost: $171.6 Million
Project Height: 7-8 Stories in Multiple Buildings
Some might suggest that this isn’t strictly a residential project because it was student housing. However, I disagree with that. The projects added significant additions to already existing Park, Stradley, Steeb and Smith Halls by connecting the pairs together with what essentially amounted to a brand new building stuck in-between. It also involved significant renovations to other residential buildings in South Campus. This was the first part of a major renovation and expansion project for housing on OSU’s campus.

Some links to this project complete with site maps and construction photos:
http://fod.osu.edu/projects/s_res/2010_7-26.htm
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/south-campus-high-rise-additionrenovation

2. HighPoint at Columbus Commons
# of New Units: 302
Project Cost: $50 Million
Project Height: 6 Stories in 2 Buildings
HighPoint was a rather unexpected surprise for Downtown. When Columbus Commons was being constructed, the plan called for residential buildings running along High Street on the west side of the park. Unfortunately, that plan was not supposed to happen for perhaps a decade or more, depending on development interests. Within a year of the completion of the park, however, HighPoint was being proposed. While not exactly the most inspired design or preferred height for such a prominent location Downtown, the projects potential 450+ residents will greatly help the neighborhood’s goal of increased vitality and 24-hour activity. In fact, it may not be too much to assume that this project has encouraged others, such as the 12-story 250 High Project and LC’s double 8-story tower project, both of which will begin construction soon just across the street from HighPoint and the park. Collectively, they will add, at minimum, over 650 new residents.

Links for the project:
http://www.highpointcolumbus.com/columbus/highpoint-on-columbus-commons/photos/

3. Liberty Place, Phase II
Address: 250 Liberty Street
# of New Units: 207
Project Cost: $25-$30 Million
Project Height: 4 Stories
Liberty Place, in the Brewery District, was completed in 2006, the last of a slew of development projects in the Brewery District beginning in the 1990s and came in the middle of a relative quiet period that began when the Arena District stole some of the neighborhoods momentum. That momentum has returned in recent years as urban living has gained significant traction in public opinion. Phase II of Liberty Place was supposed to have been built years ago, but the recession and the uncertainty regarding the exact layout of the rebuilt I-70/I-71 split which runs past the site put the project on hold. All told, Liberty Place now has 342 units.

Links for the project:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/phase-2-of-liberty-place-apartments
http://thelibertyplaceapartments.com/

4. Tribeca
Address: 700 West Third Avenue
# of New Units: 205
Project Cost: Unknown
Project Height: 4 Stories
Tribeca, from Edwards Communities, was built along Third Avenue in the 5thxNW neighborhood. While adding significant density to the area, the project is mostly known for its strange layout. Dubbed the “Fortress” or the “prison”, the project has a long, blank wall along Third Avenue with tower-like structures along it, resembling the fortifications of a prison. The ugly design and lack of interaction with Third because of this layout caused the project to receive a lot of criticism.

A link to the project, the criticism and photos:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/gowdy-field-development

5. Lennox Flats
Address: Kinnear Road, Lennox Town Center
# of New Units: 194
Project Cost: Unknown
Project Height: 3 Stories
Lennox Flats was built over two phases, the first with 92 units and the second with 102. Built in a mostly vacant lot just to the west of Lennox Town Center (across the railroad tracks), these were built in modern-styles and were targeted at students from OSU.

Link with photos:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/phase-two-of-lennox-flats-wrapping-up-this-summer-bw1

6. 600 Goodale
Address: 600 West Goodale Street
# of New Units: 174
Project Cost: Unknown
Project Height: 5 Stories
600 Goodale is likely the most strangely located new project of 2013. It was built on a small strip of land located north of Goodale Street across from White Castle’s HQ building. The location is strange because the land is bordered by the Olentangy River on the west and a highway exit ramp to the north and east sides. In fact, the site sits on a section of land between 315, 670 and major ramps for both to the north. The land is not directly connected to any major neighborhood. Despite the strange location, the modern building was, at last count, 96% leased.

Photos of the project:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-to-wrap-soon-on-600-goodale-bw1

So those were the top 6 largest projects from 2013. More than 2,200 total units were completed in the urban areas of Columbus.

But what’s coming for 2014? Here are the top 5.

1. Jeffrey Park Phase 1
Address: E. 1st Avenue and N. 4th Street, Italian Village
# of New Units: 334
Project Cost: $180 Million+ For all phases.
Project Height: 4 Stories
The Jeffrey Manufacturing site has long been planned for redevelopment. It is, by far, the largest undeveloped site in Italian Village or anywhere in the Short North. Previous plans from the early-mid 2000s fell through, but were revived by a new developer in recent years. The first phase calls for the completion of a mix of townhomes and apartments in a mix of styles. A community center is also planned with a gym and pool. Although this project was supposed to start in the fall of 2013, calls are now for it to begin before winter is over. This may delay the finish for this project into 2015, but for now, it’s still the biggest project for 2014. The entire Jeffrey site will eventually have more than 1,300 new units.

Photos and project information:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/jeffrey-park-will-add-over-1300-new-residences-to-italian-village

2. Taylor House
Address: 5005 Olentangy River Road
# of New Units: 329
Project Cost: Unknown
Project Height: 4 Stories
This project along Bethel Road will go into the site of a former K-Mart. Construction began over the fall and should wrap up toward the end of the year.

Renderings and more information:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/09/24/former-kmart-site-at-olentangy-and.html

3. View on 5th
Address: 965 West 5th Avenue
# of New Units: 285
Project Cost: $50 Million
Project Height: 6 Stories
The View on 5th, in 5thxNW, is a 2-building complex along 5th and Holly Avenues. The 6-story building along 5th will contain 153 apartments with ground-floor retail, while the Holly Avenue building would be 3-stories and contain 132 units. The project is scheduled for completion this coming summer.

Link with info and renderings:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2013/06/28/top-end-housing-for-w-5th.html

4. Berkeley House
Address: Bethel Road and Riverside Drive
# of New Units: 256
Project Cost: Unknown
Project Height: 4-5 Stories
Berkeley House is being built by the same company as Taylor House, only on opposite ends of Bethel Road. This will be a mixed-use complex featuring apartments and offices. There was some controversy surrounding this project as it sought to demolish a small stone house from around 1808. Unfortunately, no one seemed to realize the historical significance or age of the structure until the project was set to begin construction. The lack of time made it impossible to raise the money to move the house, so it was demolished. The Upper Arlington Historical Society saved the stone from the house and plans to build some type of marker with it.

Unfortunately, I have not seen any renderings for this project yet, but it has begun construction.

5. Neighborhood Launch
Address: East Long Street, Downtown
# of New Units: 130
Project Cost: Unknown
Project Height: 5 Stories
Neighborhood Launch is an ongoing project Downtown. About 200 units have already been completed along and near the Gay Street Corridor. The project is continuing with the first of 2 buildings, each containing 130 units, along Long Street. The first of these 2 should be complete later this year, with the 2nd beginning construction over the summer.

Renderings can be found here:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/neighborhood-launch-to-build-260-new-downtown-apartment-units

So there you have it. 2013′s and 2014′s largest projects. These, of course, represent just a small sample of what’s being built.



How I Would Complete the Arena District

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In the 2nd in this series of posts, I made maps for how I imagine the Arena District could be finished and made whole.

Here’s the link to the map. There are 2 pages, so be sure to check them both.
http://goo.gl/maps/t0Xw1

What I envision for this area is as follows:

-5 new parking garages, all at least 5 stories and 500 spaces. They would also be mixed-use with ground floor retail/restaurant space and potential residential above. 1 additional garage already built would be expanded.
-7 groups of historic buildings would be preserved. These could be converted to mixed-use spaces.
-10 existing buildings would be torn down and replaced with mixed-use development.
-11 new parks/green spaces would be created. The largest would be go in the large wooded lot south of Vine Street and north of the railroad tracks.
-A transit hub for light rail would be built at the railroad tracks just north of Nationwide Boulevard west of the Buggyworks complex. The location could serve trains going in any direction.
-New pedestrian/bike trails would be built from the Scioto River connecting to the new transit hub, as well as to a new parking garage behind the LC Pavilion and to the large central park south of Vine Street. The trail would then run parallel to the park, cross under 670 and connect with the Olentangy Trail.
-The old casino site would become the new home of a new/relocated stadium for the Columbus Crew.
-Broadbelt Lane would be extended past the new stadium site and then connect to W. Nationwide Boulevard. This would allow several new mixed-use buildings to go up around the stadium.
-A large public plaza would go in north of the stadium. It would potentially include a playground, skate park, public art pieces, barbeque areas and perhaps an outdoor skating rink.
-At least 22 surface lots would be replaced with mixed-use development, all at least 5 stories in height. Those closest to the Scioto would be minimum of 10 stories.
-Bike lanes would go on all major streets, and new sidewalks would be constructed where they either don’t exist or where they need to be connected.

So, what do you think of this plan?

Housing Market Update November 2013

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housing market update November 2013 Columbus, Ohio

November home sales were down in Central Ohio for the 2nd straight month according to the Housing Market Update November 2013 data from Columbus Realtors. One main reason seems to be the culprit: There just aren’t enough houses to go around. Hot urban markets simply have a limited stock of homes with very few going up for sale at any one time, and builders still have not been building very much since the recession. Combined, the total number of homes for sale has declined to levels not seen since the early 2000s. This explains why most markets are still seeing gains in home prices while overall sales have fallen from the year before.

The bottom line is that demand is outpacing supply, and that situation doesn’t look to change anytime soon, especially in the urban core.

Here are the stats for the 21 major areas of Franklin County that I look at housing stats for.

Top 10 November 2013 Sales Totals
1. Columbus: 701
2. Dublin: 52
3. Clintonville: 49
4. Gahanna: 38
5. Upper Arlington: 38
6. Hilliard: 36
7. Reynoldsburg: 36
8. Grove City: 35
9. Westerville: 31
10. Canal Winchester: 20

Top 10 November 2013 Sales Increases over November 2012
1. Downtown: +50.0%
2. Grandview Heights: +14.3%
3. Clintonville: +6.5%
4. Hilliard: +5.9%
5. Minerva Park: +0.0%
6. New Albany: +0.0%
7. Obetz: +0.0%
8. Gahanna: -2.6%
9. Reynoldsburg: -5.3%
10. Grove City: -5.4%

Top 10 Year-to-Date Sales Through November 2013
1. Columbus: 9,561
2. Dublin: 747
3. Upper Arlington: 678
4. Clintonville: 656
5. Westerville: 580
6. Grove City: 568
7. Hilliard: 533
8. Gahanna: 494
9. Reynoldsburg: 466
10. Pickerington: 291

Top 10 Year-to-Date Increases Through November 2013 Over 2012
1. Minerva Park: +46.2%
2. Pataskala: +31.3%
3. Gahanna: +30.3%
4. Reynoldsburg: +28.0%
5. Whitehall: +27.3%
6. Hilliard: +27.2%
7. Clintonville: +24.2%
8. Grove City: +23.7%
9. Westerville: +23.4%
10. Bexley: +22.5%
10. Downtown: +22.5%

Average Sales November 2013
Urban: 79
Suburban: 28.7
Urban without Columbus: 16.8

Average % Change November 2013 vs. November 2012
Urban: -7.1%
Suburban: -11.6%
Urban without Columbus: -6.5%

Average YTD Sales Through November 2013
Urban: 1,097.7
Suburban: 435.9
Urban without Columbus: 251.4

Average YTD % Change YTD Through November 2013
Urban: +14.9%
Suburban: +19.9%
Urban without Columbus: +14.4%

Top 10 Average Sales Price November 2013
1. New Albany: $614,687
2. Bexley: $456,365
3. Dublin: $344,341
4. Upper Arlington: $326,913
5. Downtown: $302,464
6. Worthington: $296,328
7. German Village: $271,656
8. Grandview Heights: $257,001
9. Pataskala: $196,158
10. Hilliard: $193,756

Top 10 Average Sales Price % Change November 2013 Over November 2012
1. Worthington: +59.6%
2. Pataskala: +38.0%
3. Downtown: +36.7%
4. Bexley: +32.5%
5. Obetz: +30.8%
6. New Albany: +28.6%
7. Dublin: +21.6%
8. Whitehall: +10.1%
9. Minerva Park: +10.0%
10. Pickerington: +10.0%

Top 10 Average Sales Prices YTD Through November 2013
1. New Albany: $541,931
2. Upper Arlington: $364,369
3. Bexley: $351,282
4. Dublin: $335,164
5. German Village: $297,832
6. Downtown: $286,470
7. Worthington: $249,979
8. Grandview Heights: $226,458
9. Hilliard: $215,966
10. Gahanna: $198,612

Top 10 Average YTD Sales Price % Change Through November 2013 vs. 2012
1. Whitehall: +17.2%
2. Minerva Park: +17.1%
3. Downtown: +15.5%
4. Upper Arlington: +13.0%
5. Obetz: +12.3%
6. Gahanna: +11.6%
7. Reynoldsburg: +8.5%
8. New Albany: +8.3%
9. Worthington: +8.1%
10. Bexley: +4.9%

Average Sales Price November 2013
Urban: $227,811
Suburban: $229,942
Urban without Columbus: $238,166

Average Sales Price Change November 2012 vs. November 2012
Urban: +12.5%
Suburban: +6.0%
Urban without Columbus: +13.7%

Average Sales Price YTD
Urban: $217,072
Suburban: $223,394
Urban without Columbus: $226,041

Average Sales Price % Change YTD
Urban: +6.3%
Suburban: +4.9%
Urban without Columbus: +6.6%

Top 10 Fastest Selling Markets November 2013 (Based on Average # of Days for Listings to Sell)
1. Grandview Heights: 15
2. Westerville: 38
3. Clintonville: 40
4. Upper Arlington: 44
5. Hilliard: 47
6. Bexley: 49
7. Worthington: 57
8. Whitehall: 61
9. Dublin: 62
10. Minerva Park: 65
10. Obetz: 65

Top 10 Fastest Selling Markets YTD
1. Worthington: 40
2. Grandview Heights: 44
3. Upper Arlington: 45
4. Clintonville: 50
5. Westerville: 52
6. Hilliard: 54
7. Bexley: 58
8. Gahanna: 59
9. Dublin: 62
10. Grove City: 64

Average # of Days Before Sale, November 2013
Urban: 57.4
Suburban: 89.4
Urban without Columbus: 56.3

Average # of Days Before Sale YTD
Urban: 60.6
Suburban: 62.7
Urban without Columbus: 60.2

Top 10 Lowest Market Housing Supplies (Based on # of Months to Sell all Listings)
1. Worthington: 1.6
2. Upper Arlington: 2.1
3. Hilliard: 2.2
4. Minerva Park: 2.2
5. Bexley: 2.3
6. Clintonville: 2.4
7. Westerville: 2.4
8. Gahanna: 2.6
9. German Village: 2.6
10. Grandview Heights: 2.6

A healthy housing supply is considered to be around 5 months. Anything less than 3 months is considered very low. All of the 21 areas I looked at were below 5 months, indicating a county-wide shortage.

Average # of Months to Sell All Listings, November 2013
Urban: 2.8
Suburban: 3.6
Urban without Columbus: 2.7

Average % Change of Single-Family Home Sales November 2013 vs. November 2012
Urban: -1.7%
Suburban: -12.6%
Urban without Columbus: -0.5%

Average % Change of Single-Family Home Sales YTD vs. YTD 2012
Urban: +9.3%
Suburban: +19.4%
Urban without Columbus: +8.2%

Average % Change of Condo Sales November 2013 vs. November 2012
Urban: +23.3%
Suburban: +52.8%
Urban without Columbus: +26.6%

Average % Change of Condo Sales YTD vs. YTD 2012
Urban: +27.6%
Suburban: +26.4%
Urban without Columbus: +28.3%



The Changing Columbus Transit Scene

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There’s been some discussion over the last few years about how driving habits are changing nationally. I’ve seen at least a few reports suggesting that overall driving is actually on the decline and has been for some time. This even while the population of the US continues to rise. A http://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/US_Transp_trans_scrn.pdf”>new report has come out detailing the changing habits of cities, including the changing Columbus transit scene.

Percent Change in Per-Capita Vehicle Miles Traveled from 2006-2011
Columbus: -5.7%
Dayton: -0.2%
Akron: +1.2%
Cleveland: +5.1%
Youngstown: +5.4%
Cincinnati: N/A
Toledo: N/A

Columbus saw the largest drop in vehicle miles traveled, indicating that people there are driving less. Northeast Ohio all saw increases, which goes against the national trend. Toledo and Cincinnati did not have comparable numbers.

Percent Change in Per-Capita Passenger Miles Traveled on Mass Transit 2005-2010
Columbus: +1.6%
Dayton: -0.6%
Akron: -2.8%
Youngstown: -8.3%
Toledo: -28.8%
Cleveland: -34.2%
Cincinnati: -34.8%

Columbus was the only city to see an increase in its mass transit miles. Cleveland, Cincinnati saw drops of more than 1/3rd.

Change in the Proportion of Workers who Commuted by Car, 2000-2011
Dayton: -1.5%
Columbus: -1.2%
Toledo: -1.0%
Youngstown: -1.0%
Akron: -0.8%
Cleveland: -0.4%
Cincinnati: -0.2%

All 7 saw declines.

Change in the Proportion of Workers who Biked to Work, 2000-2011
Columbus: +0.3%
Akron: +0.1%
Cleveland: +0.1%
Dayton: +0.1%
Toledo: +0.1%
Cincinnati: +0%
Youngstown: +0%

Columbus saw the largest increase of all 7, although the actual changes are all small. No city measured in the US saw a change of more than +1.7%. The majority of cities were less than 0.3%.

Change in the Proportion of Workers Who Worked From Home, 2000-2011
Columbus: +1.4%
Cincinnati: +0.9%
Dayton: +0.8%
Cleveland: +0.6%
Toledo: +0.6%
Youngstown: +0.6%
Akron: +0.5%

Columbus again leads, though all cities saw increases.

Total Per-Capita Vehicle Miles Traveled in 2006
Cleveland: 8,285
Youngstown: 8,806
Akron: 9,379
Columbus: 9,956
Dayton: 10,084
Cincinnati: N/A
Toledo: N/A

Total Per-Capita Vehicle Miles Traveled in 2011
Cleveland: 8,705
Youngstown: 9,284
Columbus: 9,385
Akron: 9,490
Dayton: 10,068
Cincinnati: N/A
Toledo: N/A

Total Per-Capita Mass-Transit Miles Traveled in 2005
Cleveland: 172.0
Cincinnati: 110.0
Dayton: 64.7
Columbus: 52.6
Toledo: 51.6
Akron: 42.9
Youngstown: 17.3

Total Per-Capita Mass-Transit Miles Traveled in 2010
Cleveland: 113.0
Cincinnati: 71.8
Dayton: 64.1
Columbus: 53.4
Akron: 41.7
Toledo: 36.7
Youngstown: 15.9

% of Workers who Traveled by Car, 2011
Cleveland: 89.2%
Columbus: 89.8%
Cincinnati: 90.6%
Dayton: 91.4%
Akron: 92.5%
Toledo: 93.1%
Youngstown: 94.4%

National Rank (of 100 cities) in the % Change for those who Biked to Work, 2000-2011
Columbus: 15th
Dayton: 37th
Cleveland: 38th
Akron: 39th
Toledo: 49th
Cincinnati: 74th
Youngstown: 81st

% Change of Households with No Vehicle, 2006-2011
Akron: +2.2%
Dayton: +1.0%
Cleveland: +0.9%
Columbus: +0.9%
Cincinnati: -0.3%
Toledo: -0.4%
Youngstown: N/A

% Change of Households with 2+ Vehicles, 2006-2011
Toledo: -4.2%
Akron: -3.6%
Dayton: -2.8%
Cleveland: -2.6%
Columbus: -1.4%
Cincinnati: -1.1%
Youngstown: N/A

So what does all this data tell us? Well, for the most part, all Ohio cities are seeing car use decline in some way or another. Columbus performs strongly in car use declines and increases in at-home workers and increases in bike commuting. Mass-transit was where it performed the weakest, where it’s middle of the pack. Yet even there, it saw increases in its use.



Franklin County Home Values and Gentrification

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Home values are, in part, tied to how well a neighborhood is performing. In the case of urban neighborhoods, how home values change over time may be a good indication of how that neighborhood is revitalizing. I looked at median home values by census tract for the years 2000 and 2010. Here is the map of how values changed during that period.
Franklin County home values
What the different colors indicate are different levels of performance, obviously. Yellow and oranges indicate decline, which few areas experienced. Light green, which makes up quite a bit of the suburban areas in and outside 270, indicates mostly stability or slow growth (but below average) in home values. Dark green is average to a bit above average growth. Blues and purple are high growth areas.

What the map shows it that the strongest growth in median home values occurred in the urban core neighborhoods, especially along the High Street corridor. Pockets of strong growth also occurred around Easton and sporadically in some suburban areas. What this says, particularly for the urban core, is that quite a few neighborhoods are on the rise. Grandview, Upper Arlington, the Short North, Campus, Clintonville, German and Merion Villages, the western half of Weinland Park, Downtown, and the Near East Side around Franklin Park were some of the best performing areas. This would seem to indicate that strong gentrification is taking place.