Living Downtown Columbus

For decades, homebuyers have flocked to the burbs to buy/build residential homes. Suburban sprawl as well as the increase in acreage per home has resulted in dramatically longer drive time in the past decade. But here in Central Ohio, there is an exciting and viable alternative - living downtown Columbus! Those who live, work and sell the downtown area will eagerly share that demand for downtown Columbus housing has never been greater. In a recent study, the primary benefit cited by downtown residents is proximity to the workplace, followed by freeway access to other areas, mix of activities and culture, geographic center, public transportation and proximity to clients. No other place in Central Ohio offers such a unique group of attractions: professional hockey; beautifully restored State Capitol building; Scioto River; COSI; landmark Public Library; Arena District; indoor ice skating rink; and festivals that draw over two million people a year. Downtown Columbus is our arts and entertainment center with one of the best infrastructures for the performing arts in America, anchored by three historic restored theaters - the Ohio, Palace and Southern - along with the Riffe Center and Vets Memorial and the newly built Nationwide Arena and PromoWest Pavilion. Our major arts organizations including the Columbus Symphony, Columbus Museum of Art, Opera Columbus, BalletMet Columbus and CATCO are all located Downtown.

Living Downtown Columbus The Plan The Areas - Arena District, Uptown, Market Exchange, Town Franklin, RiverSouth Lifestyle What is a SID Demographics Properties - list of new residential developments as of July 2005. Resources www.DowntownColumbus.com www.ColumbusAlive.com www.ColumbusRetroMetro.com Inside 43215 - www.43215.com City of Columbus Department of Development Downtown Residents Association

The Convention Center is a very successful Downtown institution welcoming over 2.5 million visitors in 2001.

Downtown is home to four colleges and universities and 26,000 students who attend Columbus State Community College, Franklin University, Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), and Capital University Law School.

Very few cities can point to our multitude of healthy, vibrant necklace neighborhoods, including Italian Village, The Short North, German Village, Victorian Village, Old Towne East and The Brewery District, which have seen steady increases in property values, strong housing stock and an influx of young residents.

According to Bob McLaughlin, downtown development director for Columbus, before the city's current downtown-housing initiative began in 2002, the area had about 2,500 residential units, the newest of which were constructed nearly 40 years prior. Since the launch of the program, though, approximately 3,500 units either have been completed, approved or proposed, he said.

In the past two years, 978 housing units have opened up throughout the downtown area, as well as in the Brewery District, Italian Village and Victorian Village.

The property tax incentives are a prime advantage for home buyers. However incentives for employers, renovation incentives for ground floor retail façade and sidewalk improvements for property owners, as well as cost reduction incentives on utility taps, streets/sidewalks and financing for developers, all help support strong downtown development.

Downtown Columbus is geographically huge. At nearly 1,500 acres (684 quarter blocks), it is more than 35% larger than downtown Boston. It is eight times larger than the Chicago loop. Therefore, for the purposes of this feature section, we'll focus on the core downtown area as defined in Mayor Michael Coleman's downtown business plan.

Although not for everyone, living in or near the downtown area, is an excellent option for many property owners. REALTORS® and lenders should be ready and able to offer the many benefits when a buyer asks.