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Karen Holbrook Completion of the link between downtown and Ohio State. Ohio State is a vital part of Central Ohio’s cultural and economic life. The Gateway development, Metro High School—the math and science school due to open this fall on west campus—and the Weinland Park Early Childhood Development Center are just a few recent examples of the ways Ohio State’s presence and influence extend beyond its boundaries. Town and gown are closely linked. With the I-670 cap completed and the Short and Long North thriving, just a few more blocks of development will bring the heart of Columbus and the vitality of Ohio State together as they never have been before. Ohio State, once “hidden in plain sight,” will become key to Columbus’s urban redevelopment and revitalization. Light rail could facilitate this connection. Redevelopment of the university district residential area. The opening of Gateway Center with its exciting new retail and housing opportunities at the south edge of campus calls attention rather dramatically to the need for revitalization of the rest of the off-campus neighborhood. Talks are moving forward on an improved streetscape along the High Street edge of campus. And Campus Partners is exploring the redevelopment of the Columbus Coated Fabrics site. With the recent popularity of urban housing for young singles and empty nesters, opportunities have never been better for creating a model campus community; however, further improvements in housing and other amenities in the area east of campus are essential to making this neighborhood a draw not only for Ohio State’s 50,000 main-campus students, but also for faculty, staff and other urban dwellers looking for a unique university atmosphere. Safety being a critical issue, paramount in this effort is a new safety center, a collaboration between the city and university, that will open in 2007 in the heart of the neighborhood. Development of the 315 Research and Technology Corridor. With the governor, the legislature and major Ohio newspaper editorial boards all agreeing that Ohio’s future lies in the knowledge economy, Columbus is perfectly positioned to be one of the state’s economic drivers. Ohio State, Battelle and other businesses and institutions are partnering with the city to define a high-tech corridor along St. Rt. 315 as an international destination for innovation and technology. It already includes several TechColumbus R&D facilities and/or institutions that form the proposed corridor’s framework. A master plan is being developed (by the consulting firm that worked on Research Triangle Park in North Carolina) to create an environment that will attract and nurture high-tech businesses that ultimately will grow the high-paying jobs and educated workforce that Central Ohio needs. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Mary Jo Hudson Capitalize
on our local assets Learn
to collaborate regionally Embrace
our incredible diversity BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Ron Hupman Columbus needs a vigorous and vibrant downtown that has not only many people living there, but is also a destination for the metro area and beyond. The push for new downtown housing must continue, City Center must be reinvented and additional shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities developed. A mass transit system must be developed that will make it easy for people to get downtown to jobs and for shopping and entertainment and also make it easy for inner-city residents to get to suburban jobs. The arts organizations in Columbus, most of which are struggling with financial and attendance problems, must be stabilized and then strengthened, possibly through a tax that would benefit the arts. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Artie Isaac On Aug. 5, 1996, when you first asked me this wonderful question, I wrote the following, and you were kind enough to include the idea in your article. I remain grateful for your amplification of this voice. And I respectfully resubmit the same comments, because I still believe this is what Columbus needs most: To fulfill our desire to be major league, or more importantly, to simply become one of the world’s most successful cities, Columbus must offer the world’s finest developmental environment for the raising of children. This developmental environment must start at birth, with expert postnatal care and nutrition leading into daycare that is educational, more than storage. To raise broadly educated and sociable children, Columbus must offer more than television and mall shopping as the window to the world around. Permanent municipal amenities, such as well-funded mass transit, a thoughtfully developed riverscape and affordable and accessible visual and performing arts, must offer mobility and civilized gathering space for young people to congregate so that every meeting is not a challenge to the authorities. And, critically, our children must benefit from the combined attention and resources of all our families, where the wealthiest and most attentive are not siphoned off to the private schools. Once Columbus is known as the world’s best place to be younger than 18, two things will happen: (1) business will stream into Columbus to offer labor the best family life, and (2) life for all of us will seem easier because we won’t fear yet another alienated generation in the street—they will be incorporated into a combined multigenerational society. Becoming the world’s leader in educating youth (by providing them with meaningful lives before they reach majority) will take time, but offers the fastest route to a secure position as a world-class city. Reflecting today, I recall Mel Schottenstein’s words: “A city can be judged by whether its young people choose it as a place to live.” I think Mr. Schottenstein would be pleased with the current trend: Young people are indeed choosing Columbus as their home. More ideas about what Columbus needs: To gain a sense of ownership and membership in the Columbus story . . . can be done through a citywide book club (let’s start with Thurber). Orientation for new arrivals (so they can be culturally competent at cocktail parties and backyard barbecues). More smiling (less zero-sum vitriol). And heroes (we need them now more than ever). Oh, and I think we need a citywide lesson on the ethics of speech. If Columbus could be known as the place where people spoke kindly to each other, where speech was meaningful, helpful, necessary and encouraging—then we’d be the best place to live. Because everything starts with speech. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS James Jackson Better staffing for the Division of Police—Columbus has continued to grow not only in population but in area. To provide adequate police protection, the Division of Police must keep pace with that growth. Total staffing of sworn and civilian personnel is less now than it was in 1999. More interaction between parents and their children—juvenile crime and violence is a growing problem in Columbus. This issue can be best addressed by having parents discipline, lead and act as role models for their children. Parents making the tough decisions early in their child’s life will pay off in the long run for the parents, the child and our community. Accountability from community leaders—Politicians, school administrators, and other community leaders need to be held accountable for what they do and what they fail to do. The citizens of Columbus need community leaders that are working in their best interest, not for the purpose of being reelected or reappointed. The community deserves honest, consistent and quality leadership. When those expectations are not met, the citizens should exercise their right to remove that leader. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Larry James We need a more reliable public transportation system. People need to grow more comfortable with using the system, both for work and recreational purposes. We also need a loop system to connect the Ohio State University with downtown, German Village and the Brewery District. The redevelopment of the City Center mall is critical to our downtown quality of life. It needs a strong entertainment component, as well as business and retail use. The King-Lincoln District also deserves special attention to make sure that our near-downtown neighborhoods are part of our cultural center. This would include CCAD, the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus State, the King Arts Complex, the Lincoln Theater and all of the King-Lincoln District. These entities will provide a great opportunity to showcase our cultural gems. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Mike Johnson Form an economic development corporation in the Central Ohio region with the authority to create and implement a long-term and sustainable economic development vision/plan for the region. The corporation should be authorized to take full advantage of the assets in the region to include the higher education institutions, available intellectual capital, the two major airports and other relevant material resources. Increase the requirements for graduation from high school to include four years of study in math, science, English and social studies. Students should also take and pass course work in chemistry, physics and applied calculus in order to receive a high school diploma. These requirements should be endorsed and promoted by everyone interested in economic development in Central Ohio and in our ability to compete in the global marketplace. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Glenn Kacic A revitalized High Street (from Spring to Mound streets) through the downtown core to eliminate vacant storefronts and office buildings, bring more shopping stores and perhaps more hotel rooms. City Center should be either torn down or completely redesigned to make it pedestrian friendly and inviting to those strolling down High Street. These several blocks going through the heart of downtown are completely void of people on any given night—hardly the image of a thriving city. Elimination of the 10-year tax abatements being given to downtown residential developers of “luxury” condominiums ranging from $300,000 to $1 million. Surely, if the residents of Waterford and Miranova can afford to pay their property taxes, new downtown residents should be expected to do the same, not only to improve city finances, but also a deplorable city school system. If anyone took “risk” in moving to downtown Columbus, it was the “pioneers” of these two successful buildings, which received no tax abatements from the city. To focus more attention on the core of downtown, which has unprecedented vacancy rates in all major high-rise office buildings as well as City Center, and less attention to the Arena District, which has simply moved people from the heart of downtown to the fringes of downtown. I would hardly call that progress. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS James Karnes New Jail—Need a new facility to house misdemeanor and sentenced inmates. The system is hampered in handling their responsibilities in sentencing repeat offenders of various charges such as operating a vehicle intoxicated, driving under suspension, no operator license etc. Parking—Need reasonable public parking rates to be set by a commission consisting of public and business investors. BACK
TO THE LIST OF RESPONDENTS Kyle Katz Columbus decision makers need a sense of urgency. It seems there is an unwritten rule that progressive development has to take a long time, and that we need to plan . . . and plan again . . . and then, plan one more time. Through this imbalanced dependency we lose momentum, dissipate enthusiasm and numb entrepreneurship. Regarding the development of a vibrant downtown, we need to focus on the small and achievable. These victories accumulate and produce a more balanced and organic growth for the city. Too often, however, we dedicate ourselves to massive projects that rely upon huge assumptions, consume scarce resources, take years to deliver and may never produce the desired results. |
