Proposal
from LaSalle, Casto, Arshot
Design
Presentation
| Urban Design Statement | Conceptual Site Plans |
| History | Conceptual Floor Plans |
| Utility Analysis | Design Renderings |
A magnificent transformation that builds a sense of community and reinforces the diverse character of the University area. This is High Street 2000.
Urban
Design Statement
Simply stated, the development team's urban design strategies revolve
around three key principles:
- High Street at South Campus should be a great, public place within the context of a larger, established urban "district."
- The area should have a diverse mix of uses appealing to the wide variety of potential users.
- The design character of the area should reflect the diversity and individuality of its occupants.
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Making
High Street a Great Place This endeavor will reclaim this portion of High Street's tradition as a great shopping/entertainment street within the University neighborhood district and further catalyze the wave of redevelopment between the University and downtown Columbus that is already strongly in motion in the City's Short North area. |
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The Creation
of Special Urban Spaces
Within the larger framework of this "district," there exist today a number
of unique, urban design features that provide opportunities to create
smaller, interesting public places. Particularly interesting opportunities
exist where 9th, 10th and 11th Avenues each dead end into the middle of
the blocks across High Street. Our plan has taken advantage of these mid-block
locations as focal points for unique urban spaces serving a variety of
important planning functions.
For example, the dead end intersection of 11th Avenue and High Street at the corner of the Law Building provides an excellent opportunity to accomplish what we identified as two critical needs in this location: the creation of a special space that heralds an important civic change along High Street, i.e., the arrival at The Ohio State University campus through a subtle modification of the traffic flow and the introduction of a significant public work of art a sculpture or fountain - that becomes a memorable icon; and a graceful transition for pedestrians between the campus proper and the new and existing shopping, entertainment and living destinations to the south along High Street. To this end, our plan also suggests a new plaza and green space in the forecourt of the Law School culminating at the corner, where new ornamental gates will formally, and, perhaps literally, demarcate the "gateway" to the University.
Directly across 11th Avenue we envision a fabulous new University bookstore
which will not only create a significant destination within this area
but also act as conduit for what we believe will be a heavy and constant
flow of foot traffic between campus and the exciting new destinations
we are creating to the south and across High Street.
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Further to the south along High Street, we have created three additional urban places at similar mid-block intersections. These highlights in the streetscape will provide catalysts for pedestrian activity and create special places that people will come to identify with within this special district. The first of these is located on the west side of High Street where 11th Avenue dead ends into it from the east. We envision this as a news/cafe plaza adjacent to the new bookstore where students, faculty, office workers, residents and visitors can gather or lounge. The use of this area would be somewhat like Boston's Harvard Square, where one can find newspapers and magazines from around the world, sit and drink coffee, meet friends or simply take in the street life. We believe it will be important to create such spaces since the sidewalks along High Street are generally too narrow to comfortably and safely accommodate such activities. |
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Across High Street to the east and at its intersection with 10th Avenue from the west, we have included a significant plaza associated with the entrance to the proposed cinema. Flanking this area, we envision bars and restaurants on two levels, creating a festive, almost beer-garden-like public space where people can congregate before or after a movie or dinner. The news/cafe plaza would be more active through the earlier part of the day while the cinema plaza would likely be most active in the afternoons and evenings. Our final plaza occurs where 9th Avenue dead ends into High Street. Here we envision a more steady flow of activity stimulated perhaps by a 24-hour diner, pharmacy or similar destination venue. |
| An Attractive
New Streetscape A new streetscape program will be critical to linking each of these plazas with one another as well as the surrounding streets and to reinforcing High Street as a continuous, pleasant and safe pedestrian experience. In order to facilitate this we propose to widen the sidewalk to 15 to 18 feet in width, thus pulling the new buildings over five feet further back from the street. This will provide the following benefits: it will create space along the sidewalk edge for great street trees that provide shade and a canopy in the summer and give the area a more mature, intimate and established appearance from the outset; it provides adequate space for amenities such as bike racks, benches and trash receptacles without "cluttering" the sidewalk; and it provides a safer and more comfortable buffer from traffic along the street. The latter will also be enhanced by our proposed reintroduction of curbside parking in this area. New and improved lighting along the sidewalks will also enhance the perception of safety and help establish the evening character of the area. |
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Improving
the Neighborhood |
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Accommodating
a Diversity of Uses and Users
The second major principle is that this area should appeal to a wide variety
of people. These include, but are not limited to, students (undergraduates
and graduates, married and single), University faculty and staff, long-standing
and permanent residents, young urban professionals desirous of a lively,
mixed-use environment in which to work, play and live, and visitors to
Ohio State and the city.
Accomplishing this goal will require a diverse mix of uses that will generate the critical mass of activity to economically support this area. Thus, within these blocks we have programmed a wide variety of retail offerings ranging from key anchor tenants such as the bookstore, grocer and cinema to unique restaurants, specialty shops and additional service-oriented retailers, e.g. drug store, dry cleaners, etc., which will enhance the quality and convenience of living in this area. Additional captive demand is also created by the office tenancy and consideration of a full service inn-like hotel, an amenity currently lacking in this area. The diversity of planned housing and resident base it will attract will also support this goal.
This variety of uses and users and diverse appeal will reinforce High Street's inherently urban character and ensure its long term success.
Promoting
Architectural Diversity
The architectural character of High Street should reflect its uses in
terms of scale and individuality. It also needs to provide flexibility
to accommodate the individual expressions of tenants and residents. We
do believe there should not be a single architectural vernacular that
could mistakenly identify this redevelopment as a "project." Rather, it
should appear to have evolved over time as a collection of individual
buildings and urban spaces that, taken together, constitute a piece of
urban fabric that appears timeless and seamless with its surrounding environment.
The architecture should provide an enduring framework or backdrop for
the individual expression of the tenants and residents, which, over time,
and as they change, will provide this area its vitality and sense of newness.
Utility
Analysis
LaSalle/Casto/Arshot consulted with EMH&T on utilities. Their initial
assessment was positive, that adequate utility capacity exists. However,
there is a need to split storm and sanitary sewer lines and we are prepared
to do this. We plan to seek public funding for necessary infrastructure
improvements.
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