The City of Dublin

22 Comments

• Eric Posted on June 21, 2010

  Very impressive presentation....the Goody Clancy guys are highly Encouraging to see such interest and positive responses from the community. Precisely what is needed to progress this plan into action. Just be careful mentioning the term "on street parking"....heard lots of groans when that one slipped out.

• jag Posted on June 22, 2010

  I was very pleased with the vision over all and I am eager to see a more in depth plan on of how the ARB will be involved, percentage of our tax dollars will be involved, if any grants are available and a non-vision but working plan to bring in said businesses to help build upon this vision. However, as a home owner in HD, I wasn’t satisfy with the non answers to the questions asked about taking privately own property for walking/bike paths. I would like the rest of Dublin residents to understand that for a walking/bike path along the river on the west side, south of 161; you are asking the City to take away or buy privately owned land!

• mac Posted on June 23, 2010

  I viewed the presentation and I am happy to see that Dublin has a vision for the future. However, what analysis is being completed to promote and encourge tenants to occupy the already vacant buildings at the Shoppes at River Ridge? These Shoppes have not been promoted nor talked about in your presentation. I am disappointed that this viable area has not been addressed.

• anonymous Posted on June 23, 2010

  I like the revitalization that is planned. Would prefer that a Costco store be considered as an occupant for the Sawmill area. We really need to entice Costco. They have a huge client base and would be good neighbor to the area. Sams Club is down the road but they pale in comparison. Would be extremely dissappointed if a nightclub would be allowed in this area. Also establishments like iHop or Rallys would not be suited for Dublin. Let's keep the stores and restaurants tasteful. Small local bar like Donericks is fine but anything that is loud and draws the wrong crowd would be a detriment to the area. The field house should be closer to Sawmill and farther away from residential areas. I hope that the planning board anticipates the traffic around this Sawmill area. There is already heavy traffic flow onto Riverside and Sawmill. More traffic will require more traffic studies and ways to ease congestion.

• anonymous Posted on June 25, 2010

  Was physically unable to attend the meeting on the 21st, but I fear the presentation confirms some of the biggest fears of the residents in the actual corridor. Very disappointed in the whole process overall, as the City continues to make it look as though input from the real stakeholders was actually considered. The scale and character (and historicity) of the Historic District looks like it will be destroyed/erased by this vision, when there are plenty of other areas in the corridor where the ideas can still be implemented to the corridor's benefit. It also appears the City does want to go ahead with "hardening" the river bank, which is a far cry from considering the natural spaces (it will no longer be natural) or the "sustainability" of the area (I hate to think of how much wildlife will be lost - has this even been looked into?) The City seems also to overlook the fact that residents actually own the property along the west riverbank. I'll also be intersted to see if less than shining feedback is actually posted.

• Walker Posted on June 27, 2010

  I'm very interested in the idea of a more walkable community. Particularly creating better "walkability" between Historic Dublin and areas/shops East of the River/HWY33. What would be the possibility of creating a pedestrian bridge to cross over HWY33? There's no real safe way of walking from HD to the new shops/restaurants East of HD, without crossing the hwy 2-3 times and walking along route with no pedestrian walkway. Just a thought.

• Marian Vordermark Posted on June 28, 2010

  Mr. Dixon asked for suggestion of name for the Corridor. I am suggesting "The Village." This would be an aea designated within the City with its own logo and image created by entry markers and other details. Incorporated within it would be neighborhoods such as Olde Dublin in the Village, Bridge Point in the Village, Dublin Village Center, Stonebridge in The Village. Shoppes at Ravine's Edge in The Village. A resident or visitor could refer to this destination as going to the "The Village," very user friendly. With the correct logo and image details, it could look prestigious and not altogether old fashioned. The name/logo needs to appeal to all generations..

• Marian Vordermark Posted on June 28, 2010

  I spoke to someone living in Reno NV, and they are impressed with the transformation of the Truckee River area from old Casinos to a swim park in the tributaries created to defray flooding, kayak rentals, live activities and entertainment,. They created an artist haven of lofts for creation/living and retail below. Perhaps a review of Reno's river park area should be included in the scope of Dublin's plans. I am impressed with the "River Park in The Village." concept, including the Path in The Village. These comments don't need to be included on the site.

• Jerry Posted on June 29, 2010

  I am very impressed with the care and expertise that went into the ideas presented and they seem very feasible. That part of Dublin, apart from the Old Dublin Village area is not of the same quality as the rest, and there is certainly room for significant improvements there. I particularly like the aspects that stressed walkability and mass transit possibilities. My spouse and I are candidates for housing in one of those areas. We would very much like to stay in the area when we retire and we would like to live in an environmentally friendly, green building within a discernible neighborhood community built to high-quality standards. I like the idea that this area can be higher density than we are used to, have a somewhat more urban or cosmopolitan feel, and hopefully some contemporary architecture that we can all be proud of. It would be good if some of the city's arts money could be used for architectural fees for some prominent architectural firms to design some distinctive landmark buildings to highlight the area and help define the places within it.

• Steve V Posted on June 30, 2010

  While I'm impressed with the detail and extent of the study, I must express my disappointment in the omission of a key issue. It is simply dangerous to walk along 161 in the historic district when cars are whizzing past at 50 MPH within arms length. There's a "fight or flight" instinct dragging people away from that area with good reason. No matter how pretty, it is neither a comfortable nor a safe environment. Until you address this issue (as Old Worthington did on Rt 23) you can forget about foot-traffic business or strolling families. While I think the architecture is great, I feel it short sighted of the city to allow the planning of the recent BriHi area with shop entrances 9 feet from an unobstructed highway without addressing the safety factor. God forbid a minor fender-bender sends a car up on the sidewalk.

• Jerry Posted on June 30, 2010

  Traffic through this area is already congested for parts of the day and higher density development will only increase that. To that extent I agree with Steve V's comments above. I have recently made it a point to frequently walk around this area. Going along 161 at present is noisy and unpleasant even at the current level of traffic. Higher density development would make this worse unless there is some realistic plan to get cars in, out and through this area. Narrowing down to one lane each way as is done in Old Worthington may not be realistic for this area given the volume of traffic and the proximity to the freeway, etc. unless some alternate route is made available to get to and away from the area. As is well-known, traffic is also an issue along the east side of the study area -- Sawmill Road. I think part of the solution that should be seriously considered is to think of inventing a couple of bypass roads. Desperately needed is a way to tie disparate parts of the city together. One suggestion is to create a Sawmill Road bypass that would run north and south along the current route of Dublin Center Drive to Bright Road or maybe connecting to Emerald Parkway directly north of 270 and east of Riverside. Of relevance to the traffic concern in Old Dublin, consider another river crossing north of the current bridge. This could loop around somewhere south of the freeway and connect to Franz/Post Roads.

• johm m. Posted on July 05, 2010

  It is a nice pipe dream. This was already tried in the continent complex and in larger cities during the 80's. These areas 20 years later, are a blight to the city. Low income housing,crime and drugs mark the area of urban revitalisim. Many areas were magnates for empty nesters and young professionals. The empty nesters left for the warm areas of the sunbelt and closer ties with families. The professionals left for the suburbs and less traffic and open spaces. The stores proliferated dollar stores, fast food, discount shops and check cashing stores. The people who owned condo's and apartments found they could not sell due to the economy. They began taking a property that use to rent for $2000.00 permonth and started filling them with section 8 tennants. I hope that you carefully weigh your options. Remember. most of the people pushing for this plan will either retier or Die with in 20 years. They will not be alive to see the outcome or will be financially able to jump ship. All that glitters is not gold. Forget posible revenues and slick realestate developers they our out for their own financial gain.

• Al Posted on July 09, 2010

  I'd like to comment but your presentation downloads with mostly green blank pages on a Mac. Nice programming. That aside, if you want to keep some empty nesters in town, you had better start setting up some communities built for them. You already have plenty of young families with tons of kids that are mostly just driving up your tax rate sending them to Dublin schools.

• tb Posted on July 11, 2010

  I am very concerned about more traffic. 161/Sawmill area is already too congested. Even without the growth proposed here, traffic will worsen as the rest of Dublin sprawls and grows. I like the idea of a pedestrian area, but to get there, most people are still going to be driving. I hate to see more green space lost to construction. Sawmill is already an eyesore compared to most of Dublin. I don't think "growing it" no matter how nicely done is going to help.

• Mike Posted on July 12, 2010

  @Al FYI, I'm on a Mac and had no trouble downloading and viewing the presentation

• Jerry Posted on July 16, 2010

  I'd like to comment on John M.'s remarks, as I think he is wrong. What is proposed is not Continent Shoppes II but a series of walkable communities of the kind that are gaining popularity all over the country. As a nation we must be preparing for new transportation solutions, and Franklin County is way overdue for a light rail transport backbone. This will be tremendously helpful in channeling more dense growth around the rail stations. Dublin can begin preparing for this. What is so feasible about the plan is that there seems to be a recognition among various firms and major landowners in the study district that things need to change. If OCLC, Wendy's and the city itself want to make major changes they have the power to transform that area -- as there is much vacant or at least under-utilized land that can be developed/redeveloped. The right zoning and development guidelines and building standards and a decision to build a new city hall in that district could be the start of a major transformation. Dublin has always been a progressive place and has been several steps ahead of competitors over the decades. The city has turned out well because the original people had vision, a commitment to planning, and were smarter and more nimble than those with which they were competing. We can do it again and build a community that speaks to current sensibilities and realities. People want walkable, mass-transit intensive areas in good locations as well as green construction and environmentally sensitive design. This area can be all that and more. It was interesting to hear how many people at the national planning meeting were interested in what Dublin's doing. We can show the world that we have the courage of our convictions and understand what at least some parts of the world need to look like going forward.

• sw Posted on July 21, 2010

  Good start to the planning process, but I would like to see the schools remain where they are currently located. Our leaders of the past always put great emphasis on supporting the schools. The success of our community has been in large part due to the exceptional schools. Why shouldn't some school facilities remain in the heart of Dublin? The schools always have been and should always be a vital part - a central part - of our community. Do we want to develop/maintain a true community for everyone, or are we trying to be a trendy place to eat and shop? Moving the schools would be expensive, too. And if it's green space we need downtown, why did we build more retail at Bridge and High? Trends come and go; let's be forward-thinking, but let's not forget the important things that make this a great place to live and work.

• Marian Posted on August 04, 2010

  Other suggestions for naming the Bridge St Corridor area: Uptown Dublin (connotates positive environment and a defined area) Center City (the name covers the geographic location) Marysville has used Uptown and Philadelphia has a Center City, but perhaps a spin off from these names might develop.

• Anonymous Posted on August 05, 2010

  I understand that this will likely unfold into a 10-20 year plan but when will any of these proposals be turned into action? There are many vacant stores in the Dublin Village shopping center. doing nothing and watching these become eyesores is worse than doing something to remedy them. When the project is approved I would expect that the incoming businesses will foot the bill rather than raising the taxes of the Dublin community. If provisions to raise taxes go on the ballot I will definitely vote "no" especially since we have some of the highest tax rates in Ohio. We already pay enough and we should not be held accountable for the empty store fronts.

• OLD TIME CITIZEN Posted on August 11, 2010

  Wow, What can I say but where is Dublin? I grew up in a great community and now all we want to do is add more shops and more shops and have all these empty areas. Food areas great but why all pushed into one location , Dublin isn't a mall or is this your long term wish????? I grew up with buildings on the corner or South High and 161 now you are just over powered by building and not so much what is there. We walked in Dublin 58 years ago and we went to get Ice Cream or something to drink. Why not keep Dublin as Dublin and remember you all moved here and changed enough now why not step back and take some time and not let contractors buy what they want. I think so of the Council members are working for the same, but others still don't have the feeling for how it was and used to be that made it a great place to live.

• Really Bad Idea by Greedy Developers Posted on September 05, 2010

  If you want to do something about this plan contact me at: SaveDublin@yahoo.com This plan calls for destroying our schools and our community green space and replacing it with dense urban housing, bars and strip malls. Once it is gone we will never get it back. We don't need any more vacant store fronts. We already have several EMPTY malls... This plan is bad for long term residents and the community at large. It benefits only out of state developers and leaves our community looking like the old broken down city center development...If you own a home it will kill your property value as you will have to compete with cheap apartments. If you have kids it will kill the schools as high density apartments do not pay for the demands they place on schools. Traditionally urban goes hand in hand with high crime and high congestion... This plan will harm the safety and livability of our community. It benefits only developers...

• Jerry Posted on December 12, 2010

  These plans are developing nicely and so far exceed my original expectations. To deal with some of the concerns expressed above, it will be vital to build substantial, first-class buildings with outstanding architects and first-class materials with great design. This will minimize the chance that they will become outdated any time soon. The writers above have a point about the current state of the area -- empty shopping centers, stores, etc., but this is the point -- to attract the right kind of development in sufficient volume and density that it can be self-sustaining for long periods of time. I particularly like the right rail or other mass transit options suggested. If the city can attract some technology firms locate along Route 33, all this seems very, very feasible.