City seeks approval to declare Golden Park surplus property (Columbus: for sale, real estate)

[Airforceguy]

This could be a great opportunity to see the prime real estate redeveloped. While I would love to see Golden Park saved, I think creating a mixed-use development on the site would be better. Imagine having a new vibrant community on the south riverfront integrated into the historic district, BTW Village and the Civic Center/South Commons....

During its 5:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting at the City Services Center, the 10-member council will consider a proposal from City Manager Isaiah Hugley to authorize the sale of 5.53 acres of property valued at $3.7 million.

The park has been in the hands of the city for 88 years, since it was conveyed to the Commissioners of Commons of the City of Columbus on Jan. 30, 1928.

Although the 4,500-seat stadium was renovated in 1994 for softball events during the Olympics, it was used for minor league baseball teams until 2008. With no minor league team using the facility, the park is currently used only for special events.

The park is costing the city an average of $93,000 a year, with expenses exceeding revenues. It also needs about $2.7 million in renovations.

Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson said Golden Park is among a handful of various properties the city has assessed on whether they should be put on the block to be disposed of through public bid.

“It really is an opportunity to see what the market is for the property, what the value may be in the market, then for council to assess their choices,” she said.

If approval is granted to put the property up for public bid, Tomlinson said council still has the final decision once the bids come back.

“It’s still in council’s absolute discretion whether to accept the bid or not,” she said.

The mayor identified the old fire station on Talbotton Road and maybe two other properties the city considers surplus. Council has been aware that the city has been looking at properties to eliminate cost the city has to maintain them and because of the potential cash value they could bring in a tight budget year.

Golden Park was considered because it has no legal ties from Community Development Block Grants or other legal sources.

The mayor said the park, which fronts the Chattahoochee RiverWalk, was going to be part of the Liberty District Tax Allocation District but it was cut out.

“They just wanted to separate those two things and make it very clear,” Tomlinson said. “The public bidding process for Golden Park was not related to the TAD process. They stand separate and alone. There was a lot of discussion about excluding Golden Park for that reason.”

Read more here: City seeks approval to declare Golden Park surplus property | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

City seeks approval to declare Golden Park surplus property | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

[OldRiverRd]

Interesting - The way I've looked at it is that we're finally about to see the potential of both the Civic center and golden park with BTW gone. Say it however you like, having projects across the street kept a portion of Columbus from going to events there, and I for one think the future is bright.

[Fountain-of-youth]

Originally Posted by OldRiverRd

Interesting - The way I've looked at it is that we're finally about to see the potential of both the Civic center and golden park with BTW gone. Say it however you like, having projects across the street kept a portion of Columbus from going to events there, and I for one think the future is bright.

The way I've looked at it is that we're finally about to see the potential of both the Civic center and golden park with BTW gone.

The city is just being cheap. With BTW gone,why not go after a team? A lot can be done with the old BTW land.

[Columbus1984]

This could spur a major development along the river.

What would everyone like to see there?

[DWColumbus]

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

This could spur a major development along the river.

What would everyone like to see there?

It would be a great place for a multi-story hotel. That spot would give a great view of both the river and downtown Columbus. Also it would be just down the road from the Brickyard if that happens to actually pan out. (I know it seems kind of iffy a while ago, but their website is still up)

Even better yet put a form of entertainment that we don't yet have in Columbus like maybe a science museum, or a zoo to name a few things that would be neat that I haven't commonly seen on people's wish lists on this forum.

[DWColumbus]

Chuck Williams: The play that may have saved Golden Park

A week ago the home team was getting killed.
Golden Park was down a bunch of runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Columbus Council was poised to end nearly 90 years of playing baseball on that site by declaring it surplus property and seeing who was interested.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley was requesting a resolution to see if the park that appraised for $3.735 million would attract a buyer. The bet here is it would have because it is prime property a mile south of downtown.
Goodbye baseball, hello condos — or so it looked.


But a funny thing happened. The home team put together an epic rally, and the comeback was sparked by a historian. Yep, a card-carrying history professor trained to look for facts.



Dr. Virginia Causey, a semi-retired Columbus State University instructor, didn’t like the idea of a piece of common land once owned by the state not being used for the common good.
And, through research she is doing on a book about Columbus, she was in a position to give Council information that caused the city to think twice about putting Golden Park up for sale.
Causey, who is married to Ledger-Enquirer columnist and reporter Tim Chitwood, found a December 28, 1920 article in the Columbus Enquirer-Sun that outlined the state’s donation of Golden Park, which includes all of what is now known as the South Commons. The land was given for recreational purposes, and only a vote of the people could change that.
“My number one priority, however, is preserving the South Commons for the use of the citizens of Columbus, NOT to sell it off to line the pockets of some developer. Columbus' original plan in 1828 surrounded the city with greenspace on north, east and south — Commons on all sides for the common use of the people,” Causey wrote in an email.



Other common land once owned by the state was gone.
“Very early, starting in the 1830s, the city sold off the north Commons for house lots except for Linwood Cemetery and the land where the Medical Center is,” she stated. “I think the area for METRA off Linwood Blvd probably is a remnant of the North Commons. During the Civil War, the East Commons began to industrialize, and that process accelerated after the war with location of big industries such as Lummus and Tom's. Freed slaves also squatted on the East Commons and their neighborhood developed into the black business district centered at Sixth Ave and Eighth Street. But the South Commons along the river has remained largely intact. It's all we have left and I want to keep it for the use of the citizens.”
So, with that reasoning, Causey swung into action. She sent emails to the council prior to the vote outlining what she had found.
Councilor Judy Thomas took note of the email.



“I get a lot of emails about this or that being historic,” Thomas said. “But there was something in her email that gave me pause and knowing who Dr. Causey is and that she is a historian, I forwarded it to the city attorney.”
Causey told council that she thought there was a “legal question.”
Turns out she was spot on, like an 82-mile-per-hour curveball that paints the corner. That caused council to table the matter.
Had Causey not stepped to the plate, council would have likely voted on it, Thomas said.
Elizabeth Barker, executive director of the Historic Columbus Foundation, praised Causey for stepping forward.
“What she has done is slow down the process so that a good, thoughtful conversation can be held,” Barker said. “I know that Historic Columbus looks forward to working with her to find a good solution for the property and the community.”

Not a bad idea. And one heck of a clutch hit by Causey.

[DWColumbus]

Golden opportunity: City needs historic baseball park


One thing I found interesting is this quote..


"One idea is to re-purpose it as an amphitheatre, attracting performers like Willie Nelson, Melissa Ethridge, Lauryn Hill, Boys II Men, John Prine, Indigo Girls, Erykah Badu, Al Green, and Alabama Shakes. The park would be a great location for a music festival or for a bike or road race. With only six big-name performances a year, it would turn the current $80,000 city budget deficit for the park's upkeep into at least a $40,000 profit."


I also heard from a friend that it might be used for a music venue. I think that would be a great use to attract more big name concerts to the area!