Columbus Council approves $250,000 to master-plan South Commons redevelopment
Columbus officials are aiming to prevent gentrification after the Columbus Council approved $250,000 in funding to move forward with bringing a mixed-use development to South Commons, the city’s 170-acre swath of land along the Chattahoochee River comprising Synovus Park, the Columbus Ice Rink, Jonathan Hatcher Skateboard Park, the Columbus Civic Center, A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium and the South Commons Softball Complex.
Missy Kendrick, president and CEO of the economic development organization Choose Columbus, told the council during its May 12 meeting that the Citizens Advisory Committee recommended the Minneapolis-based design firm Nelson Worldwide, which has an office in Alpharetta, to master-plan South Commons. This is the same firm that master-planned The Battery around Truist Park in Atlanta, Kendrick said.
Choosing a firm for the project was about more than making sure they were experienced, talented and creative, said Chris Woodruff, a Columbus developer who sat on the Citizens Advisory Committee that gave input to Choose Columbus and the Development Authority of Columbus.
“The biggest thing that I saw in the course of almost 20 to 30 years of being involved in those kinds of things was that the most successful firms and outcomes from the master plans that were ultimately delivered came because they were done by a firm that understood the value of involving as much of the community as possible,” Woodruff said.
Choosing a firm and securing funding
Public engagement was a top priority, Kendrick told the Ledger-Enquirer.
The Development Authority put together a request for qualifications and received 10 proposals from local, regional and national firms, she said. An evaluation committee, separate from the citizens committee that Woodruff sits on, was created with industry experts to evaluate the proposals.
“We narrowed it down to the top three firms,” Kendrick told the council during her presentation. “We then interviewed those top three firms.”
Nelson’s proposal received the highest number of points from the evaluation committee, Kendrick told the council, and the firm also provided the lowest quote at $199,600. This led the Citizens Advisory Committee to recommend Nelson to master-plan the South Commons redevelopment, Kendrick said.
Before they could begin to work on a master plan, due diligence needed to be done on the site along with a market study, Kendrick said.
This costs $265,750, she said, and the city had already set aside $250,000. This means that they needed about $15,750 plus the $199,600 to move forward. So Kendrick asked the council to fund $250,000, which would allow them to cover additional incidental expenses.
“I would also like to tell you that the Development Authority is seeking a $250,000 planning grant to cover this cost,” she said.
If approved, the $250,000 that the city council would provide may not be needed, she said, but they wanted the funding set aside in case it is needed.
This funding could come from the economic development funds maintained by the city, deputy city manager Pam Hodge told the council.
The return on investment and financial impact of the redevelopment would be included in the master plan, Kendrick told the council, which would take around six months to complete.
Importance of the market study
The market study that was conducted was an important part of the process because it examined what is already in the community and what the market could support, Kendrick told the Ledger-Enquirer.
This will ensure that the city doesn’t have a “master plan that includes three new hotels when our market can only support one new hotel,” she said.
“We also were looking for ways not to have gentrification occur,” Kendrick said. “We wanted to make sure that there were non-displacement strategies included in (the master plan) as well.”
They did not want to move Uptown Columbus to South Commons, she said. The master plan needs to find a way to connect South Commons as an addition to the community.
“If we’re going to do this right and make sure that we can provide our citizens with something that is going to work and not rob Peter to pay Paul, we need to know what our market can bear and where its gaps are,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff went through this process when developing Highside Market, he said. A market study helped determine the type of retail, how much retail and the rent rates, Woodruff said.
The market study for South Commons is in the last stages of being finalized, Kendrick said, and it will help determine what type of businesses and other features will go into the master plan.
Community engagement
Community engagement is going to be an important part of developing the master plan, Kendrick said.
“We’ll be doing surveys,” she said. “We’ll be doing public meetings. We’ll be meeting with stakeholders, and all of that is going to be open to the public.”
Information will be available on the Choose Columbus website, she said, along with social media.
“This is a community opportunity and community discussion,” Woodruff said. “No one entity can possibly reach all voices.”
It will be important for the public to help and share links and information, he said.
“We as a community need everyone to help spread the word, be a team and be the community that I know Columbus can be,” Woodruff said.
The contract with Nelson was signed following the council meeting, Kendrick said, and they will set up the first planning meeting with the firm within the next two weeks.
Kendrick welcomes Columbus residents to contact her..
“Don’t sit back and wonder what’s happening,” she said. “Call me.”
