| News from Campus Partners |
As the result of a competitive 10-month selection process, Campus Partners has chosen a development team headed by The Druker Company, Ltd., of Boston, as the preferred master developer for the University Gateway Center. The Gateway Center, which will be among the largest, mixed-use, urban redevelopment projects ever developed in Central Ohio, will be built in the area of 11th Avenue and North High Street. The Druker Company was one of three developer teams competing for the right to build the Gateway Center.
The Campus Partners Board of Trustees on May 20 voted to accept the recommendation of Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners, that The Druker Company be designated the preferred master developer. The designation is tentative, subject to the satisfactory negotiation of a development agreement for the Gateway Center over the next few weeks.
"The overall quality of all submissions by the three competing teams was excellent," explained Foegler in a prepared statement at a news conference on May 21. "It was a very competitive process. The difficult task among such high-quality submissions is having to make a choice. In the end, after careful consideration of all criteria and input from those involved in the evaluation process, The Druker Company clearly distinguished itself as the most qualified team to undertake this critically important project."
"We are honored and delighted to have been chosen by Campus Partners," said Ronald M. Druker, president of The Druker Company, Ltd. "The University Gateway Center represents an important opportunity for revitalization of the Ohio State campus and the Weinland Park area. We are excited about becoming part of the Columbus community."
The Druker Company has chosen Elkus/Manfredi Architects Ltd., of Boston, as the lead architect on the project and Moody/Nolan Ltd., Inc., of Columbus will be the associated architect. Other Druker team members include Carol R. Johnson Associates as the landscape architect; ms consultants, inc., of Columbus, as transportation and parking engineers; Benjamin D. Rickey & Co., of Columbus, on historic preservation; Smith & Hale, of Columbus, as local legal counsel; Blackwell Associates, Inc., of Columbus, as market research consultant; and The Diner Man as diner restoration and design consultant.
As authorized by the Campus Partners Board, Campus Partners has completed the acquisition of:
The Columbus Division of Police utilized the former Big Bear Bakery surface parking lot as a staging and command center during last weekend's African American Heritage Arts Festival. We anticipate the Columbus Police utilizing the site for future events.
The university's Department of Physical Facilities expressed a desire to lease the former First National Bank Building on a short term basis to house the new student legal assistance program. Physical improvements to the building needed for the change of use were completed in late April and the lease agreement between the university and Campus Partners was executed in early May. Occupancy of the building should take place in the very near future.
Northside Development Corporation on Saturday, May 1, held the sixth workshop for Ohio State employees who are interested in the homeownership incentive program. Beverly Phillips, executive director of Northside, reported that more than 20 persons attended the workshop. The university's Office of Human Resources reports that, as of mid-May, 26 Ohio State employees have used the homeownership incentive program to buy homes in the University District and six additional employees have applied for the program but haven't closed on their homes yet.
Meanwhile, the Greater Columbus Habitat for Humanity celebrated the completion of its first house in Weinland Park with an open house and dedication ceremony on May 16. The two-story home at 206 E. Seventh Ave. is Habitat's 100th house in Columbus.
The University District Code Enforcement Task Force met May 11. At the previous meeting of the committee, neighborhood representatives expressed a growing concern with the on-going conversion of traditional single-family housing to quasi rooming houses. Representatives from the City Attorney's office provided a presentation on the difficulties with enforcing zoning laws which attempt to control land-use and density through a definition of family or family status. Basically, the city representatives stated that the city would not consider, nor would the Supreme Court uphold, any control regulations which attempted to define family. Using family size or the relationships of persons living in a house could not be used to deter the conversion of single family homes into rooming houses. The Code Enforcement Task Force agreed the issue was well beyond the mission of the task force and recommended direct communications between the City Attorney's office and those desiring to continue the discussion.
The next Code Enforcement Task Force meeting will focus on establishing an inspection schedule and progression strategy to complete the systematic code enforcement effort in a timely and organized manner. The next meeting of the Code Enforcement task Force will be June 8 at 3 p.m. in the Campus Partners office.
Northside Development Corporation is beginning to take applications for the city's "envelope program" to assist low- and fixed-income homeowners in the University District to make needed repairs to their houses as ordered by code enforcement. Under the "envelope program," the city will provide a grant for home improvements of up to $10,000 to a homeowner who meets the income criteria. Meanwhile, the team of young professionals from the Leadership Columbus program has developed a notebook with information and procedures to guide a volunteer program which Campus Partners will oversee to match volunteers and donated materials with homeowners who need assistance in addressing code violations. The purpose of the program is to make simple repairs that may not require the use of the city grant money and to help people who may not meet the income criteria of the city's program but who still need help.
At its monthly meeting May 12, the Campus Partners Safety Coordinating Committee heard the public safety and traffic plans for the annual African American Heritage Arts Festival, which concluded with major events May 14 and 15 that went very well with few public safety problems. Bill Hall, who chairs the Safety Coordinating Committee, also has been chairing a university-city committee that planned the public safety aspects of the heritage festival. That committee reviewed the events of the weekend at a follow-up session on May 17. The committee recommended fine-tuning the traffic plan for next year's event, although given the large number of people attending there is no way to avoid extremely slow traffic movement. Neighborhood representatives also will be invited to serve on the committee next year.
Columbus Police Officer Mike Chapman, who often works undercover in the University District, reported on information he received about preventing graffiti at a recent workshop in Cincinnati. He noted that Columbus Police and the Municipal Court take the graffiti charges seriously. The major deterrent to graffiti is its immediate removal or painting over. He noted that Cincinnati raised private funds to buy graffiti removal equipment. The city staffs the equipment, and graffiti is removed without charge to the property owner. Officer Chapman and Lt. Rick Mann offered to meet with neighborhood residents and property owners to talk further about graffiti reduction. A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 25, at 2 p.m. in the Campus Partners office, 1824 N. High St.
Columbus Police Commander Jay Evans reported last week to Campus Partners that Police Chief James Jackson has informed senior officers that the police division's Fourth Precinct Substation on Arcadia Avenue near Indianola will not be moved. The police had considered combining this substation with the Fifth Precinct in a new facility at Cleveland Avenue and East 11th Avenue. The University Area Commission, the Safety Coordinating Committee, the Campus Partners Board, and others all opposed moving the substation out of the Fourth Precinct.
Under the leadership of Mike Moeddel of the Evans Scholars, a group of students met in the Campus Partners office on April 29 to discuss the possibilities of a student-led safety initiative in the neighborhoods around Ohio State. Columbus Police and the Community Crime Patrol also were represented at the meeting. The meeting was primarily a brainstorming session to generate ideas that could involve students in crime prevention. The group may gather again before the end of spring quarter. In any case, Evans Scholars appears willing to play a leadership role on this issue next fall.
The city is working on the details of a special street sweeping in the south campus area during the week of June 13, which is after spring quarter commencement. The city would post temporary signs about the sweeping and ask that drivers move their cars, but parked vehicles would not be towed. The area affected is bounded by 11th Avenue on the north, King Avenue on the south, High Street on the east and Neil Avenue on the west. In addition, the city will consider including the Dennison Place neighborhood in that sweeping. (Dennison Place is bounded by King, Fifth, Neil and High Street.) The regular monthly street sweeping in the University District will be suspended in June due to spring quarter commencement at Ohio State.
The next meeting of the Public Service Committee on street sweeping will be Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m. in the Campus Partners office, 1824 N. High St.
The Public Service Committee will hold its next meeting on refuse collection on Wednesday, July 14, at 4 p.m. in the Campus Partners office. Meanwhile, the city's Refuse Collection Division is making plans for a special collection of bulk refuse in late August and early September as students move out of their apartments. The special collection will be conducted in the same fashion as last year.
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Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment, Inc.
1824 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 294-7300; fax (614) 294-7333