At a time when the city seems close to a boom in terms of economic development, it also faces challenges with that growth. This week, Columbus’s Director of Development Michael Stevens discusses the portfolio of the Department of Development, how the department works to improve the lives of Columbus residents, evaluating investments at a neighborhood level, and how tax abatements happen in the city.
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Communities around Central Ohio are facing rapid change. That’s apparent in Upper Arlington where Steve Schoeny serves as City Manager. In this week’s episode, we discussed the role of a city manager, his time as Development Director for the City of Columbus, addressing diversity in communities, and the new development coming to UA.
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54,000 households in Central Ohio pay 50% of their income for housing. Homeport, along with other Columbus-based organizations, are working to fix that. This week, Homeport President and CEO Bruce Luecke discusses their work, the growing need for affordable housing in Columbus, and the contributing factors that hamper Columbus’s housing market.
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The work of architects has an impact on our lives every day. But how does that work get done? This week, we’re talking architecture and development with the principal of architecture and design firm JBAD, Jonathan Barnes. We discussed how architecture firms work, the importance of relationships, the issues that should be kept in mind as Columbus continues to grow, and whether we’re doing a good job of addressing those issues.
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There’s a rich history in Franklinton. This week, we dive into the origins of 400 West Rich and the larger 400 Square with the curator of their 400 History Show and Mini-Museum, Zach Henkel. We discuss the history of Franklinton, how the building has evolved over time, and what you can experience at the exhibition.
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When it comes to development, the City of Worthington, like many cities with their size and limitations, has to play a balancing act on navigating varying interests. Reporter Brent Warren sat down with the city’s economic development director and assistant city manager, David McCorkle, and Worthington City Manager Matt Greeson to discuss developments coming to Worthington and how they’ve evolved.
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With the threat of protests and the coronavirus raging, what’s going to happen to downtown Columbus? On the occasion of his recent retirement, we spoke with the former executive director of the two downtown special improvement districts, Cleve Ricksecker, about the state of downtown, why he retired, and why Columbus needs a screamer.
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Much like the rest of our city, the land controlled by and surrounding The Ohio State University is continually evolving. Reporter Brent Warren spoke with Ohio State’s Vice President of Planning, Architecture and Real Estate, Keith Myers, to discuss their framework plan, the importance of connecting the university to the surrounding community, and why consistent leadership and vision are needed for productive change.
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The City of Reynoldsburg is in for some big changes in the coming years. How they go about that change and get buy-in from their residents is key to their success. Reporter Brent Warren sat down with OHM Advisors Principal Aaron Domini and the city’s Director of Development Andrew Bowsher to talk about how they’re approaching the coming changes and best practices for planning for the future.
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Are land use and development a civic responsibility or just a monetary transaction? Yaromir Steiner, the Founder, Chief Executive Officer of Steiner + Associates has an opinion. He sat down with Columbus Underground’s urban development staff contributor Brett Warren to talk in-depth about that, the importance of density in Columbus, and the future of everything from Downtown to Easton.
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With the month of May quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about summer festivals. In this week’s episode, Columbus Underground co-founder and COO Anne Evans talks about what festivals are new this year, some of her favorites, and I interject my commentary on the end of Independents’ Day as we know it.
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As we embark on our semi-regular neighborhoods series, we went to the person tasked with creating a one-stop-shop for neighborhoods to access city-government services. In this week’s episode, Director Carla Williams-Scott discusses the various functions of the Department of Neighborhoods, the impetus for it, and what opportunities she sees in the diversity of our city’s neighborhoods and the disparity between them.
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