Zumthor

The development I was referring to was Willow Glen. The project in the the video clip is a different, more traditional style housing development.

Yes, I have to say, the fact that it is not "one more red brick building" is definitely in it's favor. The pictures you listed are from the 12th street side of the building not the Broadway side. Yes, that portion of the building should be saved, that portion has historic value. It is the portion along Broadway that I think should be revisited. Regarding the set back, my concern is that at present it is a parking lot, a very suburban model. It creates an unwelcome void in the street scape. Yes, urban park spaces between buildings can be quite an Oasis. If the wall separating this space from Broadway were removed, and a cluster of restaurants and retail were able to open up on to a public plaza with lots of green and flowing water elements, then yes, I am sold on the set back. However to keep it as a parking lot walled off from the most pedestrian friendly street in Columbus, that to me is not desirable. Yes it was wrong to demolish the old courthouse just as it was wrong to demolish the old city market in Savannah to build a parking garage. Those mistakes and others led to the Historic Preservation movement. However, the desire to protect the valued sometimes is stretched to protect all that is simply older than the new. To me, a smarter approach is to view the city much as a gardener views his garden. Selectively planting, pruning, and weeding as necessary to create something beautiful and enjoyable.

I have not heard of any plans but I think it may be possible to change the curtain wall system (the exterior skin) of both Raymond Rowe and the tower portion of the Leger Enquirer building. Substantially more windows would be required to make either of these viable for loft conversions. However, re-using the existing structure would be a more sustainable solution. I would love to be able to keep all that glass at the base of the Raymond Rowe building and have a nice, well designed restaurant and bar. At night, lit up, with all that glass on a street corner, the place would be very engaging and could become a beacon for new development in the adjacent buildings.

I agree with your 6 site locations for higher density development. The CSU/Peachtree location has so much potential if a light rail line were put in linking it to downtown. A higher density of live -work -play -learn in this area would have so many benefits to the community. Not only would it improve the quality of life, I believe it would save the city in operating expenses in the long run. Maintaining roads, water, sewer, police, and fire resources in a denser area will be cheaper than constantly spreading out those resource across the continued suburban sprawl. Regarding the Mediterranean portion of the LE building, you do realize that is a more recent "tacked on" contrivance. It is not an historical asset. To me, it is the architectural equivalent of supergluing Mercedes emblems on to the hood and wheels of a Ford Pickup. The disengagement from Broadway that the set back creates is antithetical to good urban design. Faux Italian villa artifice picked from a catalog and tacked on to a facade is not good architecture. Columbus needs, and that site deserves, an architectural solution worthy of the resources it will take to transition that site into a new, dynamic, mixed use development. Saddling a developer and an architect with trying to "preserve" the Italianate contrivance will only diminish the end results. There are buildings worth the time and effort to preserve, that is not one of them.

New Urbanism design varies in density as appropriate to the site/market. Many New Urbanist planned communities are two story developments. Your Birmingham example would be appropriate for Uptown/midtown Columbus. It is not appropriate to place just anywhere in the city. The site across from Brewar changed from, I believe it was three suburban single family home lots into a new 28 unit development with a community center. That is a significant change in density. The reality is that when you move from 2 stories to 3 stories and up you began to incur additional costs/code implications that the market can't justify in most locations. In order to justify the cost of mid-rise, urban apartments, you need to be located in desirable, diverse urban environments. There are sites downtown where the Birmingham example you indicated would work well. I would love to see the Ledger Enquirer building demolished and a mixed use, ground floor retail, lofts above scheme executed. It would actively engage the sidewalk/streetscape along Broadway. The slope of the sight would allow for structured parking at the levels below the Broadway grade. The site is large enough to create it's own synergy. The available ground floor retail space would be large enough to accommodate the 28,000 sq ft Publix Grocery urban store model for example, or hopefully a more classic urban grocer-marketplace-cafe option found in well established urban communities. It is adjacent to the nearby lofts on the riverfront and the currently active parts of Broadway. It is also a short walk to the new Thayer YMCA. The site adjacent to and behind the Country's on Broadway would also be an excellent location for a large, mixed use development.

The development across from Brewer School will be a very unique (for this area) housing development. The design incorporates a number of modern design principles. Large overhangs that serve to create front porches while also providing shading for better day-lighting of the interiors. The buildings are arranged in a manner that facilitates community safety and interaction. The budget and materials are similar to other market rate housing but are combined to create a unique form. I will see if I can post the rendered image but based on the pace of construction, you will see the finished project soon.