The consulting team from Goody, Clancy & Associates has completed the second draft with graphics of its report and recommendations, titled A Plan for High Street: Creating a 21^st Century Main Street. The final version of this report will be in color. The consultants also have finished a more refined draft of the High Street-University District Development and Design Guidelines. The documents have been distributed to members of the University Area Commission (UAC), the Columbus Development Commission, High Street advisory steering committee, and numerous other interested parties. Presentations regarding the plan have been made to a number of groups including the University Community Business Association, The OSU Design Review Board, The OSU Parents Advisory Council, and various city officials. Campus Partners staff will make a presentation (but not request action) on the High Street plan to the Columbus Development Commission on Sept. 24. We will also be making a presentation to The OSU Alumni Advisory Council in October and to the University Community Association in November.

We have had recent meetings with the mayor, the Development Director's staff, and several members of city council regarding the plan's recommended implementation strategy. Based upon discussions at these meetings, we are preparing initial drafts of a development agreement with the city and are targeting the second half of November 1998 for council action on the plan and an agreement to implement its core recommendations.

Click here to see the map of the design study area.

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Campus Partners staff has initiated the formal process to identify a preferred master developer for the University Gateway Center redevelopment project in the area of 11^th Avenue and High Street. Such an approach was deemed necessary to insure that additional decisions regarding project design, use mix, implementation, etc., will be made with a clear understanding and assessment of the impacts of those decisions upon the proposed development.

On Aug. 1 we began the first step of the two-step selection process and distributed a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to a number of highly qualified developer/designer teams. Qualification statements are due by Friday, Sept. 18. The interest among targeted firms has been extraordinary. It is now clear that a number of firms with substantial experience in urban, mixed-use multi-story developments will be responding to the RFQ. The tentative schedule for the developer selection process is as follows:

As of early September, 13 employees have applied for the $3,000 in down payment assistance

through The Ohio State University Faculty and Staff Neighborhood Homeownership Incentive Program, which began June 1. Five checks have been distributed for closings, and two additional checks are in process. The Columbus Dispatch published a feature story on the homeownership program on Aug. 17 and a highly complimentary editorial on Aug. 20. Northside Development Corporation held another two-hour informational workshop on Aug. 1 with 13 employees in attendance.

We are both sad and pleased to announce that Sharon Austin, the executive director of Northside, will be leaving Northside at the end of September to accept a position as training and technical assistance manager for the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing. Once a successor has been found for Ms. Austin as executive director of Northside, we will work with the university's Office of Human Resources to publicize the program further and schedule additional workshops.

Terry Foegler represented Campus Partners at a news conference Sept. 9 where Mayor Lashutka announced a new homeownership opportunity initiative for Columbus. The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, Fannie Mae and Trustcorp Mortgage Co. are jointly sponsoring this initiative. Columbus is the sixth city in the nation to have this program. Columbus municipal employees and members of unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO may use the program to reduce the required qualifying income for homebuyers and to enable a qualified homebuyer to borrow a higher amount than under conventional mortgages. (The income ceiling for participation is 115 percent of the area median income, or $58,190.) The initiative's sponsors are interested in extending the program to include Ohio State University employees and other state and public employees. The program appears to have no cost to the university and likely would dovetail with Ohio State's homeownership program. We will meet with the appropriate parties to determine the feasibility of Ohio State's participation.

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As authorized by the Campus Partners Board of Trustees on May 21, Campus Partners has completed the acquisition of two additional properties, located at 1569 N. High St. (known to some as the "Chinese laundry building") and 1599-1601 N. High St., the site of the former National City Bank. Consistent with the board's recent direction to implement a more aggressive acquisition policy, Campus Partners currently has purchase contracts on two additional properties located at 20 E. 11^th Ave. (formally known as Dirty Dungarees with 18 single bedroom units), and 47-49 E. 11^th Ave. (4 residential units). Acquisition prices are consistent with recent appraisals. The residential units will continue to be leased until demolition and will be managed by the university's Office of Housing, Food Service and Events Centers. The Campus Partners Real Estate Committee recommends purchase of these properties at this time. Pending approval of the Campus Partners board and the university's Oversight Committee, the closing for these properties should be held in the next 30 to 60 days.

The demolition of the former Big Bear Bakery was completed on Sept. 7. Final site work by the demolition firm should be completed within the next three weeks. Ohio State's Division of Parking and Transportation has now determined that it does desire to make short term use of this site for student parking. This is based upon the temporary need for parking to offset the loss of spaces attributable to the rehabilitation and expansion of Ohio Stadium. Temporary use of the property for this purpose will require approval of the University Area Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustment.

The university's Division of Physical Facilities has expressed a desire to lease the former First National Bank Building on a short term basis to house the new student legal assistance program.

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The University District Code Enforcement Task Force sponsored a community meeting on July 22 to review the program of systematic exterior code enforcement which the City of Columbus has implemented in two neighborhoods in the northern part of the University District. Invited to attend the meeting were representatives of neighborhood civic associations, human service agencies and churches. The attendance was very good. In brief, those in attendance agreed that the systematic program has noticeably improved the appearance of the area and that the program should be extended throughout the University District. The group also discussed programs and volunteer efforts which could be mobilized to assist low- and fixed-income homeowners in making repairs due to code violations.

Julie Boyland is gathering information from agencies on existing programs to assist homeowners in making repairs. This information will be made available to people cited for code violations. In addition, Bill Courson is working with city staff members on extending the city's Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Program to the University District. In other areas of the city, this program has been used to resolve code violations with grants or loans to homeowners who meet the income guidelines. Among the most expensive code violations identified thus far are sidewalk repairs. It may be possible that the city's Urban Infrastructure Recovery Program could allocate funds to replace all broken sidewalks and curbs in the University District. The University Area Commission has been asked to consider this solution.

Meanwhile, the Code Enforcement Task Force met Sept. 15 and recommended the city extend the systematic exterior code enforcement program into a third area. The recommended area is bounded by Maynard Avenue on the north, both sides of East Northwood Avenue on the south, Indianola Avenue on the east and High Street on the west. In addition, both sides of Indianola will be done from Northwood to Duncan. (Much of the east side of Indianola may already have been done as part of the first two areas.) The task force next will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. in the Campus Partners office.

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The city's Refuse Collection Division conducted a special collection of bulk items in the University District at the end of summer quarter as thousands of students moved out of and into their apartments. The city placed roll-offs (very large dumpsters) in six locations in the predominantly student neighborhoods from Aug. 24 to Sept. 2. In addition, volunteers from three towing companies -- Action Towing, C & M Towing and Select Towing -- collected donated furniture and other items on Aug. 26 and delivered them to The Open Shelter for homeless families. This special collection, which also was done last summer, has helped to keep the alleys cleaner and the regular trash containers from overflowing. The next meeting of the Campus Partners Public Service Committee to consider refuse collection issues will be Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 3:30 p.m. in the Campus Partners office, 1824 N. High St.

At its meeting Sept. 9, the Campus Partners Safety Coordinating Committee discussed the activities planned for the university's Welcome Week early in autumn quarter. Columbus Police Sgt. Terry Perrigo reported a rise in burglaries in the Short North and University District. Music CDs are among the items frequently stolen. Perrigo said police officers are working with High Street music stores to catch persons trying to re-sell stolen CDs. He said several persons recently have been charged in connection with this practice. One problem is that CDs often don't carry identifying marks to determine ownership. Columbus Police Lt. Rick Mann reported a rise in arson in the University District, particularly fires being set in refuse containers. He noted that an Ohio State student had recently been arrested in such an incident. He said the police are taking such fires very seriously because of the threat to personal safety and property.

A burglary prevention subcommittee met Aug. 20 to plan a series of actions during autumn quarter, culminating in police efforts to stop burglaries during the holiday break in December. Columbus Police conducted a "burglary special" during spring break last March which involved plainclothes and undercover officers giving extra attention to the University District. The burglaries reported for that period declined over the previous year. This fall Campus Partners will work with police, university residence halls staff and property owners to prepare and distribute information on burglary prevention to students and other tenants. The Columbus Police are planning another burglary special for December.

The next meeting of the committee will be Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 2:30 p.m. in the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road.

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The city conducted a special one-time street sweeping of the south campus neighborhood on Sept. 2 and 3. These streets, which are not included in the regular monthly street sweeping, had not been swept for seven or eight years. The area swept included all the streets between West 11^th Avenue on the north, King Avenue on the south, High Street on the east and Neil Avenue on the west. The Community Crime Patrol and other volunteers distributed flyers in advance of the sweeping. The city also posted temporary signs about the sweeping. The final regular monthly street sweeping of the University District for 1998 will be Thursday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 9. CCP and other volunteers will distribute flyers announcing the sweeping.

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The University District Education Committee met July 28 and Aug. 21 to continue discussions of a formal structure for a partnership among Ohio State, Columbus Public Schools serving the University District, and the community. At its meeting Aug. 21, UDEC adopted a proposal to form a not-for-profit organization to foster educational excellence in the schools. The proposed purpose reads: "The partnership organization will serve as a resource for support, clearinghouse for information, an incubator for ideas, a structure for planning and assessment, and can provide models for school improvement which could be transferable to other parts of the school district and other communities." A subcommittee met Sept. 9 to consider a specific structure for the non-profit organization and will report back to the full committee at its next meeting on Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. in the Northwood-High Building, 2231 N. High St.

The Columbus Board of Education on Sept. 15 presented its Golden Ruler Award to the University Honors Center for volunteer work with the students and staff of Indianola Middle School. The award is given to individuals and community organizations for exceptional service to the children of Columbus. The Honors Center began an Adopt-a-School partnership with Indianola in the fall of 1994. Ohio State students in the university's honors program volunteer at Indianola doing tutoring, helping in art and social studies classes, offering music lessons, beginning an after-school drum club, chess club and computer club, and more. Participation by honors students has grown from 40 volunteers at the beginning to 140 last spring quarter. During the 1997-98 academic year, a total of 256 honors students each volunteered at least one hour per week for one or more quarters. The proficiency test scores for Indianola students have increased.

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The City of Columbus in 1994 applied for and was designated as an Enterprise Community (EC) by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The EC is a targeted area of about 64,000 people and includes a number of central city neighborhoods, primarily on the north and east sides of Columbus. The area south of East 15^th Avenue and east of High Street in the University District is in the EC. The designation brought $3 million in federal funds and $1 million in state funds to support a number of initiatives in the EC.

The city currently is preparing an application due in early October for designation by HUD of an Empowerment Zone (EZ), which has nearly identical boundaries with the EC. Designation as an EZ could bring $10 million in federal funds a year for 10 years. HUD plans to grant EZ designation to 15 cities. The Columbus Department of Trade and Development has coordinated a community planning process in August and September to prepare the application. Steve Sterrett from Campus Partners and several other university faculty and staff have participated in the application planning process. We have provided additional information to the grant writers regarding the university's commitment to central city neighborhoods through Campus Partners and the Community Extension Center on Mt. Vernon Avenue. The HUD application emphasizes the need for commitments and partnerships among local institutions.

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