Regional planning intern Harry Allen helped Marble Cliff review its use of Fifth Avenue. Photo courtesy of the Village of Marble Cliff
With the help of summer intern Harry Allen, the Village of Marble Cliff continues to develop long-term plans for what will make the Village’s Fifth Avenue business corridor, from Cambridge Boulevard to Dublin Road, more productive to the Village and appealing to the public.
“There was no hesitation to participate in the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission summer internship program when we learned about it,” says Mayor Kent Studebaker. “Harry’s assignment during his three-month internship was to review our existing Fifth Avenue use and make recommendations to Council for creating a unified business and office district along Fifth Avenue, and supporting redevelopment of Fifth Avenue and surrounding properties.”
Born and raised in Madison, Wis., Allen is a senior majoring in city and regional planning at The Ohio State University. He brought planning experience to the Marble Cliff project, having worked on an OSU studio project to create an economic development plan for Knox County.
“I really enjoyed my interviews with government officials and business people throughout central Ohio. Not only have I learned about Marble Cliff, but community improvements programs being implemented in central Ohio, especially Columbus,” Allen says. “Marble Cliff businesses told me that few people know they are there. With so much traffic on Fifth Avenue, they don’t even stop. Many of the buildings don’t appear to be businesses. The whole corridor feels residential, and that’s confusing. The structures beg for redevelopment. The oldest was built in 1900 and the newest in 1970.”
Based upon his research and interviews, Allen presented Village Council with the following recommendations at the August Council meeting:
- Set design and overlay standards for new construction along Fifth Avenue in order to help developers know what the Village wants done along the corridor.
- Allow mixed-use buildings up to four stories tall. “That will require education to gain support of Village residents,” Allen says. “Unfortunately, I learned that demand for office space in Columbus is very low. The demand today is for retail and restaurants along major corridors in business districts. There must be a mix of office and retail space if Village revenue is to be maintained. New construction cannot be all residential.”
“Harry has done a fine job for the Village, providing us with useful information and guidance that will assist us with our redevelopment efforts in the future,” Studebaker says.
“Talking to other communities to see if they have experiences we can use in Marble Cliff has been helpful,” Allen says. “We might not be as far behind the curve as we think. For its size, Marble Cliff is doing very well. I know there are redevelopment tools that can be applied to the Village’s business corridor that will serve the Village well for years to come.”
Bill Johannes is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
