xivinrah

Being a native of Columbus and currently living in Savannah, I can attest that Savannah has surprised me so much in terms of what it already has. About 90 percent of what you just listed is already here. But I believe the number one reason why Savannah has much more in terms of shopping and restaurant options is because unlike Columbus, Savannah is completely isolated on the coast. Charleston, Jacksonville, Macon, Augusta... are all over 2 and a half hours away. Even Hilton Head is an hour drive. Columbus, however, is within short distance of Atlanta and Montgomery. Which explains the size of its mall, airport, and the lack of entertainment, restaurant, and shopping options. If ever one were to desire entertainment, it could be readily accessible in Montgomery and Atlanta. Both are roughly an hour and a half away. Savannahians, however, must be responsible for providing everything that they lack access to, which explains the presence of two malls, strip malls that span almost the entire length of Abercorn Extension (south of DeRenne), and hundreds of stores and restaurants in the Landmark Historic District. I can only speculate as to why Columbus has not landed these establishments yet... Augusta even has an Apple Store! So a lot of this progress is not entirely progress, its catch up.

I APPROVE! 100% Even if it's way up North... it is a start! This can be a new trend that could spread across the city. This is the development of the future. Excellent vision! Now if we could just change that horrible name... "Koonce Place" sounds like an abandoned country saloon in the swamps of Southeast GA.

Oh... then I guess my source was right.

I thought that these unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) statistics might be of some interest to everyone: Atlanta (city): 11.8% Augusta-Richmond County (consolidated city): 11.3% Columbus (consolidated city): 9.9% Macon (city): 13% Savannah (city): 11.4% Georgia (state): 9.9% Source: Google Data Explorer Labs http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z1ebjpgk2654c1_&met_y=unemployment_rate&idim=state:ST130000&fdim_y=seasonality:S&dl=en&hl=en&q=georgia+unemployment#ctype=l&strail=false&nselm=h&met_y=unemployment_rate&fdim_y=seasonality:U&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=city&idim=city:PS130050:CT130360:PA130250:PA130150:CT130060&ifdim=city:state:ST130000&hl=en&dl=en

I was told that that is where Burlington Coat Factory is going... but I'm not entirely sure. I haven't seen any signage yet.

I wonder why they won't consider a heavy rail segment into Cobb Co. via I-75 corridor... at least up through Cumberland/Vinings with a terminus at Smyrna. Same goes for Gwinnett Co. an extension of existing heavy rail through Norcross. Light rail may be cheaper, but it is much less effective and efficient. I honestly don't see myself riding a light rail line over driving, because in some cases it would take me longer to drive up to a light rail station, the light rail has to travel in and along already congested vehicular traffic corridors, (so you still face the same delays), and top speed is probably no more than 45-50 mph. So what is the advantage of light rail over a heavy rail aside from cost?

LOL! XD Not that I know of... I was just being facetious. But at least you got my point, right? lol after doing a little research... Nope. Even milk doesn't. At least not on its own. There is a process that requires milk to be warmed with a bacteria culture and then whey and curds are separated from it... it's a lot more to it- this is just the beginning. But cheese-making is so ancient and dates back farther than written history- which goes to show that you don't need technology to make it.

But see that's just the thing. Walmart and Target sell a wide variety of things. 1 floor would be dedicated to non-grocery items, and the other would accommodate all grocery items. Which still make them single floor grocery stores. It's just not reasonable (or marketable) to facilitate a two or three story grocery store or a section that spans between two floors. It would be hell having to go up and down floors making sure I covered everything on my grocery list. All the while my milk is "sweating", frozen dinners are thawing, yogurt turning to cheese.

Yeah... I'm going to just go on ahead and say that that is highly unlikely. Imagine having to go upstairs to look for milk and eggs and downstairs if you want bread, rice, and cereal? That isn't a very reasonable layout for a grocery store - no matter how large it is. If indeed it is two stories... then that second floor would probably house operations offices for all five Publix in Columbus. That's the only reason I can see them having two floors. Other than that, at it's height in the diagrams, we can assume it has fairly high ceilings for lighting and signage just like every other modern grocery store.

That's been in the news and newspaper for quite some time... If you go to Cross Country Plaza you will see the on-going construction taking place and a sign with an illustration of the new Publix. It is beautiful.

Sweet!

Rightfully so... because hardly anyone uses it. I'm probably one of the few, if not the only one, who still believes that it should have been the first light rail segment of a bi-city wide system. BUT that's too progressive... and perhaps it is better for CSG (Columbus) to explore other things, before making that kind of an investment. Who knows. But IMO it is never too early for a city this size to invest in its economic future.

Yeah... I kind of overlooked that part... Forgive me for my indiscretion.

I didn't know Chick-Fil-A, Panera Bread, and Three Brothers Cheesecake were "projects" or "developments" for you all... hmm...

I personally feel like downtown is so dated, rough-looking, and stigmatized with crime and loitering... it needs an overhaul that would require an economic boom. Some of those horribly dilapidated structures south of Alabama St SW, either need to be revitalized or razed, more green space would make the place more attractive. Five Points... where do I even begin... knowing the cost would be substantial- a newer structure needs to facilitate a waiting area for buses that terminate/begin at that station... that way it would help law enforcement to differentiate the transit riders from the undesirables whose loitering constitutes as one of many reasons why very few people see downtown as a good place to live. Just throwing my own opinions out there... lol I'll admit the Five Points thing... highly unrealistic considering the state that MARTA is in.

Beautiful... I can't wait to visit! I also can't wait until they set up that light rail segment in that area... it'd make it easier to get there from the Blue Line MARTA rail line.

You have a point... might be better to situate it in Lindbergh (for that very reason alone). From there, you would be able to see Buckhead, Midtown, and Downtown skylines... Cobb Galleria/Cumberland too, if your lucky. But from an economic standpoint, downtown needs the attraction... placing it further north would only perpetuate the current patterns of growth - northward. I'm sure that in time, Downtown skyline will mature enough to suffice as a beautiful spectacle in itself.

I just read both articles... Cool beans to the donation of the AJC building. I think it would be pretty romantic having that Sightseeing Ferris wheel downtown... and yet at the same time, I do have mixed feelings about it. I just hope that the cost of operation doesn't become something residents have to cover in the immediate future.

O4W park will probably be my new favorite park...

NO MORE STRIP MALLS!!!! OMG...

I hope a good portion of those jobs moderate to high paying... they don't need anymore low income jobs here. Seriously.

Has anyone noticed the road work going on at Veterans Parkway downtown? I truly hope that the streetscape project will stimulate some interest in creating a more urban or walkable retail/office/residential and hotel corridor.

The first article: Great. More sprawling developments like Columbus Park Crossing and five more drugs stores to add on to the existing... 15, 16, 17, 18... oh I lost count. The second article: I've always thought it was wonderful when AFLAC, Synovus, and TSYS host major events like that. Those are things you would typically see in the major cities... only on a much larger scale, but it's great for a city this size. The third article: The comments on the last one are well... so much like my own personal opinions and feelings that it is deliberately ironic. I always thought that I was the only one who felt that way. But at least someone is finally planning to do something new that ISN'T confined to Broadway and Front Avenue. All of downtown should be revitalized not just two and a half thin strips of land closest to the river.

Nice Pictures.&nbsp;<img src="http://www.saveaplanet.org/cdn/img/public/style_emoticons/default/good.gif" alt="" class="bbc_emoticon">

What would Columbus be without the airport? You also have to consider that because if it wasn't for the presence of Atlanta's airport, AFLAC, Synovus, Carmike, and TSYS would either be the local bank/insurance company down the street or not even present here. Hartsfield Jackson is an economic driver for the state. Not just Atlanta. Only Savannah can say that it can fully sustain itself without co-dependence. Atlanta had always been growing even before that airport. And Atlanta would have grown more so than Columbus because of all of its railroad connections. This is prior to the interstate system established in the 60's. Not to mention when the interstate system was established Columbus decided NOT to have adequate interstate access. Atlanta Metro probably would have only been half its size - 2,500,000 or so, but compare that to what Columbus is and what it would be without Fort Benning. I believe that Atlanta's economy is so much more diversified than what you are giving it credit for. Much more so than Columbus. Columbus is relying on Fort Benning to continue its growth. But other than that it has poor interstate access, very few major attractions, and only enough private corporate business to count on one hand. It has a very healthy mix of just about any job you can think about --- the best jobs in manufacturing, commerce, transportation, services, banking, etc in addition to having a military presence. Blue Cross Blue Shield has a much larger headquarters in Buckhead. Government jobs are PLENTIFUL - Sam Nunn Federal Center, MLK Federal Center, IRS Offices, GA Tax Office headquarters, Georgia Legislature, Fulton Co, City of Atlanta, GDOT... MARTA makes resident and business growth even more sustainable, lucrative, and attractive - and is also a major employer. In terms of medical base, Grady, Piedmont, Emory, Northside, Scottish Rite, St. Josephs, Atlanta Medical Center... It has ten times the banking/credit business presence just inside the inner city - Bank of America, Wachovia, BB&T, Bank of North Georgia... There is so much more outside of the airport. There is just no way that Columbus has a more diversified economy than Atlanta. However... aside from "the Engine" of the state, I believe Columbus tops the rankings when compared to the other second and third tier cities of the state. People don't flock to Columbus because of it's diversified economy. They flock because of the jobs created by the military presence here. The soldiers come, we build and create retail, hotels, restaurants, and an expansion of government services (very few high paying positions) to entertain and accommodate them. Columbus does not provide an adequate transportation network to support the growth of industry. Hence the reason why I believe Kia chose West Point over Columbus to build its facility. Better interstate access.