From 1975 to the mid-1990s, I biked almost daily to work, grocery stores and visits with friends, first in Manhattan, then in Columbus.  I always used city streets.  Then, for 14 years, I did not own or use a bicycle.

Resolved to begin biking again, I took a bus to Clintonville on Saturday to purchase one.  I took a bus because I wanted to be able to bike home to the Short North.  And that’s when it happened.  I discovered the Olentangy Trail.

Wow!  Riding the Trail for the first time is one of those “firsts” that ranks with coming-of-age experiences like discovering your you-know-what at puberty and traveling internationally.  It is an exquisite experience, particularly on a clear sunny day.

I kept thinking about how lucky I am to live in a city with bike trails as I followed the Trail’s sign system toward downtown.

I remember the sticker shock I experienced when I bought my first car in 2007 (earlier I married into a car, had kids and got divorced).  With joint custody of three school-age kids, taxicabs did not meet all of my needs, and the closest Zipcar location was a 30-minute walk.

Prior to buying into the “American dream” of owning a car, transportation had cost me $60 to $80 a month.  Expenses included a car rental about once a month and a cab ride about once a week.  My employer paid for my bus pass.

Living in Columbus without a car was easy.  From 1977 to 2007, I lived in Bexley, German Village, Short North and University District.  All of these neighborhoods offered life’s necessities within walking distance, including groceries, pharmacies and bars.  I have always worked in or near downtown.

In seven years, I will go carless again.  The money I save will go toward something more pleasurable than sitting in traffic.

The arrival of chain apparel is a sure sign of maturity for any retail district.  Chain stores avoid risky locations and only enter proven consumer markets.  Apparently, the Short North has hit the corporate radar screen.

Whether this development is good or bad generates considerable debate in a place like the Short North.  Some people worry that national chains will increase rents and drive independent stores from the neighborhood.  Chain retail is equated to homogenization.

I subscribe to another line of thought: that chain stores serve as an anchor and improve the performance of their independent neighbors.  I cannot imagine a time when the Short North will not have unique local stores, and I enjoy seeing a mix of chains and independents.

The Short North is probably no longer a place where retail pioneers can afford to set up shop.  Luckily, Columbus has many other promising urban streets that are begging for attention.

The sheer volume of great, urban experiences in this part of Columbus compares favorably to any other place in the U.S.  It has everything Boston has except urban rail, department stores and outrageously high housing costs.

Good public transit and city sidewalks will take you to 20 movie screens, a public market, Barnes & Noble and more than 200 high quality, independent retail stores.  It is home to an NHL arena, a AAA baseball park, historic theatres and one of the county’s most prestigious universities.

There are scores of nightclubs, beautiful city parks, charming neighborhoods, several world-class museums, great live music and 40 art galleries.  You can stay in one of 4,000 hotel rooms, quickly hail a taxicab and dine at 150 full-service restaurants.

The Columbus High Five is a magnet for highly educated people from throughout the world.  It is young, creative and entrepreneurial.  Best of all, it is in our backyard.

Without a major developer pulling those corporate chains downtown, they likely won’t reemerge anytime soon.  But that does not mean that downtown cannot attract retailers.  Independent and start-up retail are the likely players in downtown’s retail future.  But after years of negative coverage surrounding City Center’s demise, there is a negative perception of downtown retail.

Capital Crossroads SID and the City of Columbus have developed a new retail initiative to educate independent and start-up retailers about downtown to and to help overcome the misperceptions that abound.  Announced by Boyce Safford, Director of the City’s Development Department, at the Capital Crossroads Annual Meeting in November, the City is offering several incentives to entice retailers downtown.

The incentives, which apply to the “Mile on High” are on High Street from Spring Street to Mound Street and from Front Street to Fourth Street, include cash incentives and tax abatement specifically for retail investments for property owners and retailers.

However, there remains a communication gap.  Work must be done to overcome the misapprehensions retailers hold and to share the information regarding the City incentives.  Relationships need to be built with independent retailers throughout the area to encourage them to consider downtown as a location.

To that end, Kacey Campbell, the former CCSID Promotions Coordinator, has been tapped as the new downtown Retail Recruiter.  Campbell will serve as a “matchmaker”, reaching out to retailers, answering questions, encouraging them to consider downtown, then matching them with leasing agents who can finalize the deal.

For the last four years, Campbell has connected with existing downtown retailers and with the many vendors who participate in the very successful Pearl Market.  She has an understanding of downtown and believes in its potential.

“There is a huge demand for retail in downtown,” says Campbell.  “It’s a matter of getting accurate information to people and then helping them navigate downtown.  It will take time to see results, but there is good opportunity.”

The seeds of success are already sewn, evidenced by the burgeoning pockets of retail on Gay Street and Fourth Street.  Programs such as this have also proven successful in other cities with a dearth of downtown retail, including Nashville, St. Louis and Minneapolis.  With new incentives from the City and a retail recruiter making the pitch, look for retail to return to the heart of Columbus.

I will not dispute that High Street has the high volume of crashes because it undoubtedly carries the highest volume of bicycle and pedestrian traffic in central Ohio.  But to say that High Street is the most dangerous corridor in Central Ohio is absurd.  Is biking or walking along High Street more dangerous than Polaris Parkway?  According to this article, it is, by virtue of the fact that nobody walks or bicycles on Polaris Parkway.

In my experience, High Street is a relatively safe arterial street because bikers and pedestrians are so prevalent that motorists tend to watch for them.  The MORPC report is a service to the extent that it leads to improving the design of High Street.  But to call High Street the region’s most dangerous corridor makes no sense at all.

And a disclaimer (please read this in your head at a very fast pace like those TV commercial speed-talkers): the views and opinions expressed by guest bloggers may or may not reflect the views and opinions of DowntownColumbus.com and its affiliated parties.

STREETCARS OFF ON THE WRONG TRACK

I believe there are problems for electric streetcars in Columbus, especially in the Short North and OSU, where the first streetcars would run, such as:

• taking up critical lanes of traffic;
• cutting down on the very limited parking;
• rails catching bicycle tires and women’s heels;
• the overhead electric wires they run on are exceptionally ugly;
• the 2.8 mile stretch of track, costing $103 million, is outrageous; and
• they can only run on expensive tracks, limiting routes and destinations.

So streetcars aren’t nearly as cool as they might seem at first.

If we considered the next generation of futuristic electric buses, we could achieve all of the good with none of the bad.  Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) has designed a “Superbus”, which looks like something Batman would use to commute to work.  Being on wheels, it requires no new, expensive infrastructure.

Matter of fact, turns out Las Vegas has taken steps to improve their mass transit.  Take a look at their new buses!  Congratulations LVTA!

How about Columbus riding into the 21st century with some new sets of wheels?  So instead of being like other cities, we could do something different.  Something better.

This trend is not new.  Ohio has been experiencing a “brain drain” among so-called young professionals for more than 30 years.

Columbus has had its share of change agents, including people who invested “sweat equity” in the Short North, German Village, Old Town East, local music and visual arts, and one of the most vibrant gay communities in the country, to name a few.  These grass roots changes are often lead by recent college graduates.  They are the truly meaningful changes that capture a generation.

Where are the young change agents in Columbus?  What are they advocating?  Where are people investing sweat equity?  Who is “rocking the boat”?

The service is a great addition to the Columbus scene.  It allows folks who want to drink and dance the night away to leave their cars at home when they flock to watering holes on Park Street, the Short North and University District.

The service is also a huge benefit for the hundreds of bar and restaurant employees who work until the wee hours of the morning.  Parking anywhere between 11th Avenue and Nationwide Boulevard is expensive.  Imagine walking several blocks to a remote location at 2:30 am to retrieve a car or paying for daily taxicab service.

The Night Owl replaces the #20, which COTA discontinued several years ago during a budget crisis.  If the Night Owl draws a similar crowd, it will feel like Toronto’s street cars late at night.  Experiencing the Night Owl will be almost as much fun as the destination.

Can you describe your art and process? Tell us a bit about yourself?

I founded Crimson Design Group 6 years ago after working for a firm here in Columbus. I have always known that I would have my own company at some point in my career. I enjoy the freedom that operating your own business brings. I started working in design in NYC managing a furniture boutique in Soho. I loved the city but life called me back to Columbus and here I am 10 years later. Crimson Design is a full service interior design firm. We work on a vast scale of projects and clients. We work on new construction projects, remodels, to furnishing interior spaces. (Custom window treatments, furniture placement, lighting, art and all other elements of design)
We are launching a new program called designer for a day. We go into a home recreate a room using their existing furnishings and make suggestions on things they can add as well as color consultations. Room redesigns start at $350.
My philosophy on design and working w/ someone is that we really work on finding out who our client is and translating that into design in their home or corporate space. Finding your style and inspiring your life!!!

So- what inspires you?

Traveling is what inspires me most. I am always changing my environment from day trips out of Columbus to traveling internationally.  I love culture and seeing how people live and how colorful everyday life is for people in other countries. Also the simple things in life give me alot of pleasure. Tasting beautifully created food, to fresh cut flowers out of my garden, seeing the array of color combinations in nature, and appreciating beauty in life everyday.

What do you love about Columbus?
I love that Columbus is an easy affordable city to live in. Seeing the growth and change downtown and in the Short North has been fun to see. We just moved into Pearl Alley this year and love the energy that the alley and Gay street brings. It is also a very easy city to fly in and out of. Columbus is my base home and love to see the world from here.

To be truly comfortable, rewarding and timeless, environments must speak to the heart of who you are– as an individual or organization.

Thanks so much! Please stop by Crimson Design and say hello! Tell them the Market Maven sent ya!