Findings from Previous High
Street Studies
Report of the Advisory
Services Panel of the Urban Land Institute, 1995
"The University District has one of the highest residential densities within the city of Columbus, and yet it is perhaps one of the most under-served areas in community retail and services….
Retail sales leakage from this area has been estimated at 65 to 70 percent among full-time residents, 67 percent among students, and over 90 percent among faculty member families…."
"(T)here is more-than-adequate current market potential for the revitalization of the High Street area. This enhancement and redevelopment will also provide opportunities along 11th Avenue, as well as several other important east-west arterials…."
"In order for the University District to thrive and become a preferred
neighborhood, it will be necessary to provide an appropriate level of retail and community
services to balance those amenities being offered elsewhere and to encourage a greater
level of interaction between the community and the university, thus providing the unique
linkage that may be required to adequately differentiate this area from other choices
available."
University Neighborhoods Revitalization Plan: Concept Document, prepared by EDAW, Inc.,
1996
"If the factors leading to the current decline of retail along High Street can be effectively addressed, even relatively modest increases in capture rates will generate new demand for substantial increases in retail space. This will require not only physical and safety improvements, but also the development and inclusion of new retail formats into the District's retail centers. Although there is an oversupply of some types of larger format retailers in the Columbus area at large, there is still a deficit in closer-in urban areas such as the University Neighborhoods."
University Neighborhoods Retail Market Analysis, prepared by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., 1996
"There was universal belief among those surveyed and interviewed for this project that the University Neighborhoods would benefit from a much greater diversity of retail establishments (including restaurants, movie theaters, etc.)…."
"Our demand analysis, based upon expenditure potential estimates for neighborhood residents prepared by Boulevard Strategies, and expenditure potential estimates for students living on campus and faculty and staff derived from OSU-specific and national survey data, indicates that there would be demand for additional retail, and particularly more diverse retail, in the Neighborhoods."
"OSU students are a good source of retail spending power…. On average, OSU students spend $150 per month in supermarkets, $33 in fast food restaurants, $40 in full service restaurants, $22 in bars, $14 on CDs and cassettes, and $13 on movies and movie rentals."
Commercial Development
Analysis, prepared by Gibbs Planning Group, Inc., 1997
"As a result of our qualitative analysis, GPG believes that the study area has a very positive opportunity for future growth both in its present stock of commercial enterprises as well as in new development or redevelopment of existing structures. The study area already possesses a unique flavor due to its physical structures, retail mix, live entertainment venues, music, and proximity and attachment to Ohio State University and the various educational, cultural, athletic and sociological amenities it offers."
A Plan for High Street: Creating a 21st Century Main Street (draft), prepared by Goody, Clancy & Associates, 1998
"Unlike many older urban districts which remain in decline with little remaining
market demand, the University District represents Columbus's most intensive concentration
of economic vitality. More than 110,000 people live, study or work in the district's 2.8
square miles. OSU, the adjacent Medical Center, and Battelle Memorial Institute together
employ more than 20,000 people -- many in high skill, growth areas. Almost 50,000
undergraduate and graduate students study at the campus. The district's residential
population is almost 50,000. The district draws more than 3.5 million visitors annually --
more than many major cities -- to the Wexner Center for the Arts, major sports events,
other university facilities, and off-campus venues such as the Newport [concert hall]. A
1996 study projected the district's retail buying power at over $400,000,000 per year.
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