| Cinema will be entertainment anchor for Gateway
Campus Partners announced Feb. 6 that
an agreement had been reached with the Drexel Theatres Group to manage an eight-screen
cinema as the entertainment anchor for South Campus Gateway. The announcement noted
that the cinema will feature seven auditoriums with stadium seating, an innovative
“black box” theater to be used for cinema, multimedia and live performances, and
a high-energy bistro and bar. All auditoriums will feature wall-to-wall giant
screens and the latest in projection and digital sound technology. Film programming
will include a rich variety of major independent, art and foreign films, as well as
screenings of first-run commercial films. The theater also will devote space to
programs featuring student and local media works.
In a news release, Campus Partners President Terry Foegler described the cinema as “a
critical entertainment anchor that enlivens Gateway’s blend of restaurants and clubs
and provides day and night vitality to the project.” He said it is this mix of
uses on High Street and adjacent to the Ohio State campus that will make Gateway
exceptional and appealing. “Working with Jeff and Kathy Frank of the Drexel
Theatres gives us access to a distinctive brand of theater experience,” Foegler said.
“The Franks have extensive experience with independent, art and foreign films,
they understand the Columbus market well and they have broad knowledge of the film
industry. Their expertise will help us create the unique environment that we believe
will make this theater and South Campus Gateway a destination for students, the
neighborhood and the entire Columbus area.”
Jeff Frank, principal with the Drexel Theatres Group, said his company is committed to
raising the level of film presentation in Columbus and “managing the Gateway cinema
gives us the perfect opportunity to expand our mix of films and innovative
programming.” He hopes to develop unique partnerships with university departments and
facilities, including the Wexner Center for the Arts, and with other institutions and arts
organizations in Columbus.
Elkus/Manfredi Architects of Boston, lead architectural firm with overall design
responsibility for Gateway, has retained Mesbur+Smith Architects of Toronto to help design
the dramatic and lively cinema space. As one of the world’s leading designers
of entertainment facilities, Mesbur+Smith has designed more than 300 multiplex cinemas in
12 countries with projects currently under construction in Mexico, Egypt, Russia and
India. The firm also has extensive experience in the restoration, renovation and
adaptive re-use of historic buildings, including the Carnegie Hall Cinema in New York
City, Shaker Square Cinemas in Cleveland and the Pantages Theatre in Toronto.
Gateway remains on schedule to open in the fall 2005. The project will include
250,000 square feet of retail involving 35 to 40 entertainment, restaurant, shopping and
service venues; 90,000 square feet of office space; and about 190 apartments.
Parking will be provided in a 1,200-space parking garage.
The winter 2004 issue of Economic Development America carries a four-page article,
“Gateway to a New Neighborhood at Ohio State University,” that provides an
extensive report on Campus Partners and development of South Campus Gateway. The
article includes three full-color architectural renderings and the site plan for Gateway.
The magazine is published by the International Economic Development Council on
behalf of the Economic Development Information Coalition.
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Congress appropriates funds for improvements to Section 8
housing
As a result of the efforts of
Congresswoman Deborah Pryce, Congress has appropriated $1 million to Ohio State for its
neighborhood revitalization initiative as part of the omnibus appropriations bill for
fiscal year 2004, signed by President Bush last month. The appropriation is targeted
to the Community Properties housing. This is the third year that Congresswoman Pryce
has supported a special appropriation for this housing initiative. She and Senator
Mike DeWine obtained an appropriation of $750,000 for fiscal year 2002 and $450,000 for
fiscal year 2003. Specific uses of the $1 million allocation haven’t been
determined, although a large share of the funds is likely to be used as “gap
financing” for the extensive renovation of the Section 8 properties. Ohio
Capital Corporation for Housing plans to begin the first phase of rehabilitation in March
or April. Among the first units to be renovated will be in buildings along North
Fourth Street in the University District.
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Committee discusses football Saturdays and other safety issues
At its meeting Jan. 14, the University
Area Safety Committee discussed public safety tactics employed on Lane Avenue on football
Saturdays last fall to curb open-container and other violations. Video shot on games
days in the fall of 2002 was compared with video shot this past season, showing a dramatic
reduction in litter and improved behavior in the fall of 2003. The committee also
discussed public safety as it relates to raised porches and decks on houses and apartment
buildings in the University District. The committee considered how to help prevent
the collapse of a porch, particularly from overcrowding. Such a collapse resulted in
several deaths in Chicago last summer. The Office of Off-Campus Student Services
will raise this issue at a meeting Feb. 19 with property owners who may wish to educate
their residents about avoiding overcrowding on such structures.
At the committee meeting on Feb. 11, Law
Professor john a. powell, director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and
Ethnicity, gave a PowerPoint presentation on crime in the University District.
Powell, who is an authority on urban revitalization and urban sprawl, had been asked by
President Holbrook to review crime and public safety issues in the University
District. His findings are very similar to the studies by Campus Partners and others
over the years. Urban college neighborhoods experience higher crime rates, and
concentrated poverty, such as in the Weinland Park neighborhood, is associated with higher
crime rates.
The University Area Safety Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March
10, at 3:30 p.m. in 33 W. 11th Ave.
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Refuse collection, recycling, and street sweeping
Staff members of the city’s Refuse Collection Division have acknowledged that the
tight city budget has reduced the level of garbage service in the University District.
“Skip” Parks, operations manager for the division, told the Campus
Partners Public Service Committee on Feb. 4 that the division hasn’t been able to
replace employees lost to attrition. At times, the division has had to bring
less-experienced garbage truck drivers into the University District who may have
difficulty navigating the narrow alleys and collecting from dumpsters in tight spaces.
In some cases, the regular Tuesday pick-up has slipped into Wednesday and rarely
into Thursday. A second sweep through the area on Fridays was routine, but now is
only sporadic. Property owners expressed disappointment with the situation.
Refuse Collection staff promised to continue to work with the neighborhood on any service
issues. Committee members are encouraged to write the mayor and city council urging
that the Refuse Collection Division be given adequate resources, so the gains made against
garbage in the University District aren’t lost.
Mike Long, executive director of the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO),
attended the refuse meeting to talk about recycling. Also in attendance were student
leaders who have expressed an interest in recycling in the predominantly student
neighborhood. SWACO staff will investigate several possible sites in the
neighborhood for the location of recycling dumpsters. These dumpsters could be
installed as early as March. In addition, Mr. Long said he would like to work with
city staff, property owners, students and neighborhood civic leaders to consider other
recycling programs in the future.
The committee will meet next on refuse collection and recycling on Wednesday, March 10, at
2 p.m. in the Northwood-High Building, 2231 N. High St.
The committee also held a session Feb. 4 on street sweeping. The city’s street
sweeping program for the University District will begin again in April. Since the
university’s spring quarter commencement has been moved to Sunday afternoon, the city
will sweep the streets as posted in June. The committee’s next street sweeping
meeting will be Wednesday, April 14, at 1:30 p.m. in the Northwood-High Building.
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City to draft code limiting stuffed furniture on porches
Andy Baumann, the city’s code
enforcement supervisor for the University District, informed the University District Code
Enforcement Task Force on Feb. 10 that the city administration has asked that new code be
drafted in the next month or two to prohibit upholstered furniture placed outside and on
open porches. Task force members were very pleased with this development because
such legislation has been a topic of discussion for years. Task force members asked
to be notified of any public hearings on such legislation, so they can testify in favor.
At the meeting, Mr. Baumann also
distributed draft letters to University District property owners and managers that remind
them of the dangers of overcrowded porches and decks and of the inappropriate use of
building roofs for parties and barbecue grills. Since these activities most often
occur late at night and on weekends, code officers usually aren’t available to write
citations. The letters, however, could be effective in encouraging property owners
to educate their residents about the dangers of such activities.
The next meeting of the University Area
Code Enforcement Task Force will be Tuesday, March 9, at 2 p.m. in the Northwood-High
Building.
COTA to discuss light rail project with students
The Campus Partners Student Advisory
Board on Feb. 19 will hear a presentation from COTA officials on their plan for light rail
service that would pass through the University District. COTA asked for the meeting
to obtain student comments on the light rail plan, alternative routes, and related issues.
The meeting will be in the Campus Partners office at 7 p.m. |
