While there are plenty of surface lots downtown, most of them are spread out between buildings to minimize the negative visual impact to the landscape. There are a few areas though within downtown that are large gaping holes in our urban fabric, and the lots next to Ross Labs are one of the biggest of those spaces.
This area in question is bordered to the north by 670, the east by Columbus State Community College, the south by Mt. Vernon Avenue, and the west by the giant Ross Labs building.
As the photo indicates, this area is currently used for Ross Labs to store semi cargo, park employee cars, and grow grass and weeds. With Columbus State building upward next door, this is a huge eyesore for the giant student population that come into the downtown area on a daily basis.
Could Ross Labs be convinced to “pull a Nationwide” and give back to the community in the form of turning this valuable land into a mixed-use urban development? It doesn’t look like they’re really using all of that land anyway, right? How about a residential development aimed at the student population at CSCC and CCAD with ground floor retail and entertainment options?
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great series - I think the Neil and Vine is one place where I expect development to spread. As the Arena District grows it will move west towards (and past) the Buggyworks and north from North Bank to VV.
The Riversouth is going to take awhile.
I love the Convention Center but that whole industry needs some further developments to really take off. Explain to me how Atla/Abbracci could fail while being in a hotel and across from the convention center. Not to mention how poorly the Cap is doing.
I wouldn’t expect anything to happen with the Ross site for 15 years.
I think the area between 3rd and 6th would be ideal for a convention center expansion. Can’t Ross take the rest of Fort Hayes or is that area still in use? The convention center is land locked now, but it can spread into this area quite nicely.
Is the convention center in need of expansion? If so, I’d say they should build it up before they build it out. It’s only one or two floors, right?