Right Now Downtown

PUMP IT UP

Some of us remember Arnold Schwarzenegger before he was the Terminator or the governor of California.  Even before he became politician acclaimed superstar, his caricature may have landed on some TVs in the form of two young Saturday Night Live actors in bulky muscle suits named Hanz and Franz.  These two guys weren’t too concerned about politics as their skit promised to Pump You Up. 

Well Columbus, the remnants of Hanz and Franz may only be uncovered by a Google search, but The Arnold is coming to town and it pumps energy (and let’s face it, a boat load of cash) into the city, especially downtown.  Many of us would love to see this kind of spirit and all year long.

The development of Gowdy Field at Olentangy River Road and Third Avenue with generous incentives from the City of Columbus is disappointing.  Two new buildings in the development house Time Warner Cable and the Ohio State University James Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Daimler Group is building a third structure on Third.

I began to think about the layout of this development one day as I waited at a traffic signal and saw a man walking south on Olentangy to get access to Time Warner.  Daimler had blocked access to an asphalt trail that serves as a sidewalk, forcing the pedestrian to walk on Olentangy and compete with 45-mile-an-hour traffic.

Pedestrians, transit riders and bicyclists are clearly an afterthought at Gowdy Field.  Buildings are surrounded by acres of surface parking.  The buildings do not open onto the streets they face, but appear to provide only rear entry (no double entendre intended).  The development stands in stark contrast to a much more urban-looking development to the south, Nationwide’s Grandview Yard.

Measured against a fallow, former landfill, the new buildings at Gowdy Field are an improvement.  But alas, our standards are so low.