the urban news for the week ending Sunday, April 13, 2008
 
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On May 5th, 2008, the Columbus City Council is tentatively slated to vote on funding an initial 2 million dollars to allow the design and engineering phase of the proposed Columbus Streetcar System to move forward. It's been more than a year since I talked about putting together a website to help promote the Columbus Streetcars. After collecting about 10 or so negative "Letters to the Editor" from the Columbus Dispatch about the system over the past several weeks, andÃÂ subsequently getting a clearer picture of some of the gaps in understanding the concept behind the system which people seem to have, I've been moved enough to make that website a reality. Later this week I will be launching an "Unofficial Columbus Streetcar" site through which I plan on providing a venue for some expanded perspective on the streetcars in short and simple terms. No lengthy diatribes, pontifications or rants. Just facts, perspectives, and examples of what other cities are up to. That's the plan.
Paul Bonneville  
 The vast majority of contracts have been entered into and have proceeded, Brooks says. "We've had a few blips on the radar screen but everything's on schedule, on budget. There's still a lot of work to do but I have confidence that we're going to get it done on time."ââ¬Â¦
The news hit the arts community like a ton of hicks: Columbus finished last in a 16-city comparison of arts and cultural establishments.
Postcard Caption: A27 - Columbus Auditorium, Columbus, Ohio
Significantly improving the Downtown shopping scene is all but a hopeless cause, say two of the city's pre-eminent retail developers.
This is a little factoid that popped up in yesterday's Columbus Dispatch article about downtown retail: Nationwide is no longer putting together the master plan for City Center.
For the first time in years, the neighborhood is rebuilding, and several local and state agencies are helping to rehabilitate houses and build new ones along streets like West Park Avenue.
Grandview Heights City Council Monday approved an agreement to reimburse Nationwide Realty Investors for the preliminary engineering and design work needed for a project related to Grandview Yard development if a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district is not established.
The first tenant at the Shoppes on Fifth retail development at the former Ed Potter Mercedes-Benz site on West Fifth Avenue is now open.
For many people the housing market is not the best place to be right now.
An industry group said Tuesday that pending U.S. home sales fell in February to the lowest reading since the index began, signaling the housing market distress is not yet over.
Housing officials say the agency will face a deficit for the first time in its 74-year history, starting in the fiscal year that begins in October.
The investment market for industrial real estate in the Rickenbacker International Airport area is showing renewed appeal to overseas investors with the recent sale of a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution complex in Groveport to a Swiss investor.
This week's metrospecitve, the last piece in a 3-part series, covers the final five points I wanted to touch on from Mayor Coleman's 2008 State of the City address which he delivered last month on March 13th. Today I share my thoughts about the Scioto Mile, the Mile on High District, City Center and finally, the Lifestyles Communities RiverSouth Apartments and Condos.
Civic Center Drive is going to be a happening place this summer -- if you prefer heavy machinery and construction over festivals.
Ohio, 12 cities and one county will share about $6 million that they can spend on expanding or reusing sites that have been contaminated by pollution or hazardous substances.
"The City of Columbus is disappointed by the news that Skybus has ceased operations. Skybus brought a great deal of excitement and energy to the City, but we understand in this difficult climate of increased oil prices and a slowing national economy that it was difficult for Skybus to be successful."
Just over 10 months after its heralded takeoff at Port Columbus, the airline that became famous for its $10 fares said Friday evening that its final flight of the day would be its last.
Things looked fine from the outside as recently as late February. Fox Business News did a mostly upbeat interview Skybus Chief Executive Bill Diffenderffer, wrapping up by praising the airline as a "success story."
Skybus Airlines passengers stranded at Port Columbus after the airline ceased operations today got some help from the airport and several major airlines.
Skybus Airlines announced Friday it is shutting down its passenger flights -- becoming the third airline this week to cease operations. Skybus Airlines joins ATA and Aloha Airlines, which announced shutdowns earlier this week.
The goal of coordinating transportation services is to achieve better service efficiency, increase client response, reduce overall costs for transportation and provide more travel options for all members of the community. The Franklin County Coordinated Plan is the vehicle by which the community can determine how existing transportation resources can best be used to meet current and future transportation needs.
Tons of freight idled across the country yesterday as independent truckers pulled their rigs off the road while others slowed to a crawl on major highways in a loosely organized protest of high fuel prices.
Skybus Vice President Floyd Nickerson said in the letter to the state the company didn't announce the closure earlier because it was "actively seeking new capital" as rising jet fuel costs and economic conditions clamped down on the startup.
The Columbus-based discount airline, whose board voted to discontinue service Friday after less than a year of operation, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Delaware district of U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
By World War I, 2,798 miles of interurban track existed within Ohio, according to the Ohio Historical Society. Ohio's mileage, the most in the country, exceeded the next closest state by about 1,000 miles.
Creation of the line would show Central Ohioans that public transportation has considerable merits, and that its development - whether as an electric rail car or a soy-fueled diesel bus - is imperative if we hope to keep the health of this community from taking a bad turn.
Streetcars in Columbus would connect residents and visitors to many downtown cultural amenities, making arts and culture in Columbus more accessible, according to the Greater Columbus Arts Council.
The founder of Skybus Airlines is working on a plan to revive the bankrupt carrier, the News and Record of Greensboro, North Carolina reports.
...I employ roughly 100 workers and cater to hundreds more, seven days per week from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Eighty percent of my staff would use the proposed streetcar line, eliminating up to 80 cars per dayââ¬Â¦
Everyone else might have given up on Skybus Airlines, which abruptly shut down over the weekend, leaving thousands of travelers stranded and hundreds of workers jobless. But its founder says he wants to revive the bankrupt carrier.
Crime is an ongoing problem in the University District, but some residents were surprised by news of a second fatal shooting in the past nine months in the South Campus Gateway parking garage.
After its shut-down in September 2006, The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library has been partially shrouded behind large fences covered with green tarps. With a projected completion date still more than a year away, many large-scale changes can no longer be hidden as the library prepares to begin a new chapter in its life.
I first profiled Tryst back in 2003 as a popular coffeehouse third place in Adams Morgan, Washington DC. But five years later, ten years after it first opened, it's not only become a neighborhood institution, but it really should be seen as a contemporary model for job creationââ¬Â¦
Retail gas prices could climb as high as $4 a gallon this summer, but prices at such lofty levels will make many Americans think twice about hitting the road this summer, the Energy Department said Tuesday.
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