what are the worst neighborhoods in columbus (Cleveland, Hamilton: apartments, crime)
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Until they fix West Broad Street, those areas are going to continue to remain rather downtrodden. Throwing the ODOT HQ out there was nice and all, but there has been pretty much no corresponding development--particularly to the west. I have two very good friends who live in Westgate, which is by all rights a fine, middle class residential neighborhood. But it's just not close to anything, and West Broad itself is a real pit. One of them told me that Dan Dougan (former Stache's/Little Brother's owner), who lives next door to them, was talking about opening a coffee shop/cafe-type of place, but that was a couple of years ago.
The city really needs to focus on the rehabilitation of that corridor. I hope they can, because there's lot of potential there.
The new casino is going on the corner of Georgesville and W. Broad, and there are now plans for development all the way back to Hague on W. Broad. There is also a new plan for the Highland West neighborhood to revitalize the storefronts and surrounding areas. There is, of course, a lot of skepticism on how much development the casino project will bring, but anytime you put a $400 million project in an area like that, there is going to be changes taking place.
Columbus for a long weekend would be a great destination. Sometimes going to the ballyhooed places for a short stay is a mistake. Between the tax of lodging and food, shopping and the "cost of hassle" that may accompany that big city, someone could easily overspend and not have a particularly great time.
Why not? People vacation in many different types of places, why not here?
Because there are so many more interesting places one could visit? Columbus might be a fine destination for in-state tourism or close-in regional tourism, the same way we used to take weekend jaunts down to Cincinatti or up to Cleveland for a couple of days. There's enough to keep you occupied. But I can't fathom why anyone would travel any great distance to make Columbus their destination.
The new casino is going on the corner of Georgesville and W. Broad, and there are now plans for development all the way back to Hague on W. Broad. There is also a new plan for the Highland West neighborhood to revitalize the storefronts and surrounding areas. There is, of course, a lot of skepticism on how much development the casino project will bring, but anytime you put a $400 million project in an area like that, there is going to be changes taking place.
Mega projects like that can be hit-or-miss. Clearly Nationwide Arena was a catalyst for significant development in the north end of downtown, but a few miles north Crew Stadium continues to stand pretty much on its own. And there's the aformentioned ODOT headquarters, which didn't amount to anything as far as sparking additional investment in the area is concerned. Here in DC, the city constructed a new Convention Center in an underdeveloped neighborhood with the promise of significant investment and redevelopment to come. That was in 2003, and it was only a few months ago that ground was broken for a new hotel across the street--the first major development to come along since the Convention Center opened. Down the street you still have boarded-up properties and buildings suffering from neglect.
I'm more of a believer in hyper-local, block-by-block improvements for things like signage and facade improvements, green teams, assistance for people who want to start (or have started) a business, transit and infrastructure improvements, greenspaces and parks, and so on. Sometimes, it just takes a few small businesses succeeding and some investment from the city before you get the ball rolling towards developing critical mass. I know that a lot of hope is being placed in the casino, but the casino alone isn't going to overturn decades of neglect and disinvestment--I highly doubt that the casino project will have much of an impact at, say, Broad and Hague.
I would hope that the city has complimentary programs in place and is ready to go to help neighborhoods, residents and businesses succeed once the casino is in place. Otherwise, you risk another Westland Mall.
Mega projects like that can be hit-or-miss. Clearly Nationwide Arena was a catalyst for significant development in the north end of downtown, but a few miles north Crew Stadium continues to stand pretty much on its own. And there's the aformentioned ODOT headquarters, which didn't amount to anything as far as sparking additional investment in the area is concerned. Here in DC, the city constructed a new Convention Center in an underdeveloped neighborhood with the promise of significant investment and redevelopment to come. That was in 2003, and it was only a few months ago that ground was broken for a new hotel across the street--the first major development to come along since the Convention Center opened. Down the street you still have boarded-up properties and buildings suffering from neglect.
I'm more of a believer in hyper-local, block-by-block improvements for things like signage and facade improvements, green teams, assistance for people who want to start (or have started) a business, transit and infrastructure improvements, greenspaces and parks, and so on. Sometimes, it just takes a few small businesses succeeding and some investment from the city before you get the ball rolling towards developing critical mass. I know that a lot of hope is being placed in the casino, but the casino alone isn't going to overturn decades of neglect and disinvestment--I highly doubt that the casino project will have much of an impact at, say, Broad and Hague.
I would hope that the city has complimentary programs in place and is ready to go to help neighborhoods, residents and businesses succeed once the casino is in place. Otherwise, you risk another Westland Mall.
Crew Stadium was built on the fairgrounds far from the urban center. There's not really any land to build on there for more investments. The ODOT headquarters are not an attraction, so why would it necessarily spur development itself? I think we're talking about very different kinds of development.
And no, the casino is not going to redevelop the West Side by itself. At the same time, this is the first major project in the area in many years, and the fact that something that big is going there is creating a lot of interest in the neighborhood. As I said, there are now developments plans for the Broad corridor back to Hague, and another plan for areas further east from there.
And I don't get the Westland Mall comment. For decades that mall WAS very successful, but once you put Tuttle a few miles down 270, that was just about the end of it. Too much competition and too little investment in the area to keep it going.
the west side in general is a place to avoid, not because of violence but prostituion is horrible in the bottoms. Its disgusting. Now as for violenece and gangs I would say the east side is the worst. Mount Vernon and Champion, Oak and Will, Main and Will, Trevitt Heights, Easthaven (by eastland mall) Elaine, Shady Lane, 22nd the list could go on and on. Also the north side anything off of Cleveland Ave is a no go. South side I consider the east side. I would say go for Westerville or Hilliard or Bexley.
Crew Stadium was built on the fairgrounds far from the urban center. There's not really any land to build on there for more investments. The ODOT headquarters are not an attraction, so why would it necessarily spur development itself? I think we're talking about very different kinds of development.
Office buildings and residential towers aren't attractions either, but frequently serve as catalysts for the development of a neighboring area. I remember when it was announced that ODOT would be moving its headquarters to the Hilltop, and it was heralded as much-needed investment in an area that had long suffered from neglect. The city spoke of the restaurants and service businesses that would spring up nearby to support the influx of workers, the rehabilitation of parts of West Broad Street, the potential for more housing, etc. A focus on investment in the neighborhood was a huge part of the reason for putting it where it was. But everything just fizzled out, and now the ODOT employees all jump in their cars and head to Wendy's for lunch.
Crew Stadium came with similar fanfare--I distinctly recall talk of the potential development of an Easton-type center near the Stadium, not too far away from where the Lowe's currently resides. In both cases, there was simply insufficient follow-through from the city to see the development through, largely due to an almost singular focus on the redevelopment of downtown.
I guess what I'm saying is that I've seen the city go down this road before. I'm not trying to be overly cynical, but I hope that the city isn't expecting the casino to single-handedly rehabilitate a rather sizable, under-invested neighborhood.
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And I don't get the Westland Mall comment. For decades that mall WAS very successful, but once you put Tuttle a few miles down 270, that was just about the end of it. Too much competition and too little investment in the area to keep it going.
That's precisely my point: too little investment. Westland Mall became a white elephant. Meaning, it worked as a neighborhood anchor for a time, but a lack of planning and investment from the city led to its deterioration, which was cemented when Tuttle opened in the late 90s. The city made a similar mistake with Northland Mall as well.
I'd be curious to see what the city has planned for West Broad, becuase it remains one of the most under-invested corridors in the city. Morse Road used to hold that title, but the city has actually made some rather significant efforts there to shore it up. (Although it's still not a particularly fun place to be--even if I do love Yogi's Hoagies.)
Office buildings and residential towers aren't attractions either, but frequently serve as catalysts for the development of a neighboring area. I remember when it was announced that ODOT would be moving its headquarters to the Hilltop, and it was heralded as much-needed investment in an area that had long suffered from neglect. The city spoke of the restaurants and service businesses that would spring up nearby to support the influx of workers, the rehabilitation of parts of West Broad Street, the potential for more housing, etc. A focus on investment in the neighborhood was a huge part of the reason for putting it where it was. But everything just fizzled out, and now the ODOT employees all jump in their cars and head to Wendy's for lunch.
Crew Stadium came with similar fanfare--I distinctly recall talk of the potential development of an Easton-type center near the Stadium, not too far away from where the Lowe's currently resides. In both cases, there was simply insufficient follow-through from the city to see the development through, largely due to an almost singular focus on the redevelopment of downtown.
I guess what I'm saying is that I've seen the city go down this road before. I'm not trying to be overly cynical, but I hope that the city isn't expecting the casino to single-handedly rehabilitate a rather sizable, under-invested neighborhood.
That's precisely my point: too little investment. Westland Mall became a white elephant. Meaning, it worked as a neighborhood anchor for a time, but a lack of planning and investment from the city led to its deterioration, which was cemented when Tuttle opened in the late 90s. The city made a similar mistake with Northland Mall as well.
I'd be curious to see what the city has planned for West Broad, becuase it remains one of the most under-invested corridors in the city. Morse Road used to hold that title, but the city has actually made some rather significant efforts there to shore it up. (Although it's still not a particularly fun place to be--even if I do love Yogi's Hoagies.)
Residential towers bring in people, which increases demand for local amenities. Office towers bring in workers, but not necessarily residents. One singular building is not going to do it alone, and I agree with you that if the city does not follow through with keeping development going in the area, the casino is not necessarily going to save the West Side. However, it at least will be a much bigger attraction than an office complex.
As far as Crew Stadium development goes, we're again talking about the late 1990s, which saw a huge increase in the number of large retail projects going up. Easton, Tuttle, even Polaris was in the planning stages, plus City Center was still there, even if it was rapidly losing prominence. I doubt in this case it was follow-through so much as just way too much saturation of the market all at once, especially for big retail projects. Westland and Northland couldn't compete either, so I can see why such plans would've been shelved.
And I for one am happy that the focus has largely been Downtown, as without a vibrant downtown area, it doesn't matter how nice areas are further out, imo. Downtown neighborhoods, with possible German Village as an exception, were dull, rundown and lifeless in the late '90s.
I haven't seen a lot of specifics for West Broad beyond streetscape/road improvements, the demolition of some abandoned buildings, and an ordinance in the works to keep future development around the casino from being "adult" meaning no strip clubs, etc.
And I for one am happy that the focus has largely been Downtown, as without a vibrant downtown area, it doesn't matter how nice areas are further out, imo. Downtown neighborhoods, with possible German Village as an exception, were dull, rundown and lifeless in the late '90s.
Oh, don't get me wrong--I think the focus on downtown was the right one. A city that lacks a vibrant central core will find it very difficult to thrive and attract investment elsewhere. ironically, it was the *lack* of focused investment downtown that contributed to the death of City Center (well, that and the fact that an all-enclosed shopping mall in the middle of downtown was practically obsolete from the moment it opened.) That focus was correct, but it did come at the expense of investment in other parts of the city.
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I haven't seen a lot of specifics for West Broad beyond streetscape/road improvements, the demolition of some abandoned buildings, and an ordinance in the works to keep future development around the casino from being "adult" meaning no strip clubs, etc.
Well, that's a start. I would look towards the rollout of an incentive plan for small-scale developers and businesses to move into the area--tax incentives, streetscape and facade improvement grants, the formulation of a BID, etc. Just something to get things moving.
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