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    In Limbo: Still No Shovels in the Ground For These 38 Projects

    At the end of each year, we like to group the urban development projects that we’ve been tracking into categories – completedunder construction and announced. We’ve also come up with this fourth category for all of the projects that don’t fit neatly into any of the other three. That could mean proposals from previous years that have been dropped, projects that are still very much alive but just haven’t started construction yet, or, in a few cases, development sites where construction began but has now stopped.

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    Read on for a list of those projects, and our best guess for what might happen with them in 2023.

    Downtown

    The redevelopment of the former Kroger Bakery site on Cleveland Avenue has not started. The project has its approvals but was not one of two local developments to be awarded Transformational Mixed-Use Development tax credits from the state earlier this month.

    Another major project that has tried and failed to land those tax credits is the second phase of The Peninsula development, which was announced in the fall of 2021 and featured a 34-story tower.

    We didn’t hear anything more about plans from COTA to develop the former Greyhound bus station that the agency bought in 2021.

    A 2020 proposal to build a 30-story mixed-use tower on a High Street parking lot is not likely to happen as proposed, since Schiff Capital sold the parcel and the adjacent Atlas Building to Crawford Hoying last spring.

    Just down the street from that site, Edwards Companies got approval to build a 15-story mixed-use building at 100 N. High St., but work on that project has not started yet.

    Also no sign of work yet on the plan to build an elevated “park walk” parallel to Broad Street.

    There was no news in 2022 about a plan for a mixed-use development on three acres of prime real estate on Capitol Square, and another proposals from 2019 was also quiet this year – a seven-story building on Mound Street.

    CU got the latest on the plan to build a new Municipal Courthouse on South High Street.

    Work is scheduled to start in 2023 on this affordable housing development.

    The Main Bar was demolished earlier this year, and a plan was teased for a larger development at the corner of Main and High, but no details have been forthcoming.

    A plan to transform the parking lot of the 11-story Jaycee Arms building was back in front of the Downtown Commission this summer, but has yet to be brought before the board for final approval.

    The seven-story Greenhouse development (Gravity phase 3). Also shown is Gravity’s second phase, which is under construction. Rendering by NBBJ and Humphreys & Partners Architects.

    Franklinton

    New phases of two significant Franklinton developments were approved by the East Franklinton Review Board in the spring, but work has yet to start on either of the projects.

    A plan first discussed in 2020 to renovate a pair of historic buildings in Franklinton doesn’t appear to have moved forward.

    TRIAD Architects had planned to build a new office in Franklinton, but construction costs led them to sell the parcel instead. They told CU that they’re currently looking at other options for a long-term home.

    A plan to renovate a historic fire house on Broad Street was back before the review board this fall, but work has yet to start on the project.

    This proposal for a 15-story building doesn’t appear to be moving forward – a charter school operator bought the existing one-story building at 567 W. Broad St. and is renovating it.

    South Side

    The plan to redevelop the former Copious building on South High has been through several different iterations but work hasn’t started yet.

    A contentious German Village hotel proposal remains in limbo.

    This project on Parsons has been reworked to hold more apartments.

    This plan for townhomes on Frebis may be on hold after the property was sold to a different owner.

    We haven’t heard any updates on this plan to build single family homes on a parking lot in German Village

    Rendering of the proposal for 1020 N. Fourth St. – By The Columbus Design Company.

    Italian Village

    This proposal from 2021 for a five-story apartment building on North Fourth Street has not been back to the Italian Village Commission.

    175-unit proposal for East Second Avenue has also been quiet.

    Milo Grogan

    A company affiliated with Rogue Fitness received approval to build a 90-unit apartment project on Cleveland Avenue, but no work has started at the site.

    A gas station proposed for the neighborhood has also not moved forward.

    Near East Side

    The revitalization plan for the Broadwin appears to have stalled again.

    The city has not come back to the Near East Area Commission with a new plan for the historic building it wanted to demolish in 2021.

    A rendering of the High North development, via City of Worthington’s website.

    Worthington

    The final plan for Phase II of the High North redevelopment of the Shops at Worthington Place was approved earlier this month.

    There’ve been no updates on plans for the United Methodist Children’s Home site since city council voted down the last proposal in late 2021.

    University District

    This plan to build new apartments on High Street has not been brought back to the University Impact District Review Board.

    The former Beer Barn site was cleared in 2021 but it’s been used as a parking lot. No work has started on the four-story building proposed for the site.

    Other Neighborhoods

    Work hasn’t started yet on the redevelopment of the Golden Bear shopping center, which is now being called Golden Bear at Riverside.

    Nothing’s happened with this 2021 plan to renovate a prominent building in the Short North.

    No signs of construction activity at 875 Michigan Avenue in Harrison West, or on this Gahanna project.

    Work is scheduled to start on the renovation of this historic train station next year.

    READ MORE: 21 Urban Development Projects Completed in 2022

    READ MORE: 74 Urban Development Projects Under Construction in 2022

    READ MORE: 59 Urban Development Projects Announced in 2022

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    Brent Warren
    Brent Warrenhttps://columbusunderground.com/author/brent-warren
    Brent Warren is a staff reporter for Columbus Underground covering urban development, transportation, city planning, neighborhoods, and other related topics. He grew up in Grandview Heights, lives in the University District and studied City and Regional Planning at OSU.
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