Rediscovering neighborhoods
As people move closer to Downtown, more could move back to places that have lost population over the past few decades.
“I think we’re going to see residential skyscrapers,” said David Staley, an Ohio State University history professor and member of the Columbus Futurists group.
Taller buildings seem destined for neighborhoods connected to Downtown, too. A 35-story tower is planned in the parking lot for the North Market at the gateway to the Short North.
“Part of what I think that density means is fostering a more seamless connection between the neighborhoods adjacent to the Short North,” said Betsy Pandora, executive director of the Short North Alliance.
Short North development to this point has focused on High Street. But Pandora said development will emerge on the streets linking the district to surrounding neighborhoods, such as 5th Avenue and Park Street.
The Short North arts, entertainment and residential district just north of Downtown has become Columbus’ crown jewel of development success stories over the past 30 years. Several neighborhoods are in position to become the next one.
The city is investing in the Scioto Peninsula, just west of Downtown, where it is working with the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. on 21 acres on both sides of West Broad Street near COSI that will become a mixed-use combination of housing, retail, office space and hotels. It is meant to bridge Downtown to Franklinton. Developers broke ground this year on a new housing complex where the former Riverside-Bradley public-housing site used to be.