Project Mitigation and Design Enhancement Plan January • 2001 Segment B-1 of the I - 670 Corridor Columbus, Ohio Prepared for: The City of Columbus Prepared by: MSi Myers Schmalenberger In collaboration with: Meleca Architecture, & Burgess & Niple Ltd. Acknowledgements The Myers Schmalenberger design team thanks the following groups and individuals for their efforts and contributions to the I-670 Corridor Design Enhancement Study process: Spring Sandusky Interchange Design Task Force: Mayor of the City of Columbus: Michael B. Coleman Gavin Armstrong Linda Page President Director, Department of Public Service Columbus City Council: Jennette B. Bradley Victorian Village Society City of Columbus Matthew D. Habash, President Kevin Boyce Richard W. Sensenbrenner, President Pro-Tem Michael C. Mentel Craig Copeland Paul Graham Maryellen O’Shaughnessy Charleta B. Tavares President Assistant Administrator Citizens for a Better Spring Sandusky Office of Environmental Services City of Columbus: Ohio Department of Transportation: Ohio Department of Transportation Department of Public Service: Jack Marchbanks, District Deputy Director, ODOT District 6 Steven Shinn Mike Martin, Deputy Director Herb Ligocki, Production Administrator, ODOT District 6 Representative Andy Garnes Engineering & Construction Division: Megan Blackford, Project Manager, ODOT District 6 Andy Zarins, State & Federal Project Manager Larry Sutherland, Roadway Engineer, ODOT Central Office Harrison West Society Rural Program Engineer Ted Beidler, PE, Planning & Programming Manager John Binns, Highway Lighting Engineer, ODOT Central Office Federal Highway Administration Bob Long, PE, Assistant City Engineer (former) Tim Wagner Kelly Cramer, Administrative Secretary Project Engineer: Mary Smith Traffic Engineering & Planning/Parking Division: President Carl Eriksson, PE, President, Eriksson Engineering Dennison Place Association Architecture Reviews Manager Chuck Mayeres, Acting Administrator Ohio Historic Preservation Office Jim Davis, Operations Engineer (retired) Executive Director City Historic Preservation Office Consultant Team: Short North Special Improvement District Diane Cole, Historic Preservation Officer Keith A. Myers, ASLA, Senior Principal, Myers Schmalenberger Inc. Elizabeth Merritt Dawn Grunwell, Assistant Historic Preservation Officer David B. Meleca, AIA, Architect, Meleca Architecture Andy Klein Associate General Counsel Other Divisions: Martin P. Burke, Jr., PE, Senior Civil Engineer, Burgess & Niple Ltd. President Department of Law and Public Policy Linda Scothorn, Street Lighting Coordinator, Dept. of Public Utilities Chris S. Hermann, AICP, Urban Planner, Myers Schmalenberger Inc. Daniel Thomas, Urban Design Manager, Planning Division Italian Village Society National Trust for Historic Preservation Neal Semel, Education Coordinator, Community Relations Division Lelia Cady, Legislative Aide to Councilwoman O’Shaughnessy Kent Mills Laura Dean Board Member Program Analyst Friends of Goodale Park Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Others: Myers Schmalenberger Team: Scott McGuire, Federal Highway Administration Keith Myers, Principal Parties to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA): Harvey Schwager, AIA Columbus Chris Hermann, Urban Planner Rex Hagerling, AIA Columbus Tim McSheffery, Landscape Architect Signatory Agencies: Concurring Parties: Paul Cianelli, Friends of Goodale Park, Victorian Village Com. Darren Meyer, Landscape Architect Robert Harmon, Citizens for a Better Spring Sandusky Steven Hussey, Computer Visualization City of Columbus Italian Village Society Kathryn Wimberger, Urban Planner Pat Henahan, Ohio Arts Council Paul Kelley, Graphic Designer Ohio Department of Transportation Victorian Village Society Mark Haker, Italian Village Society Paul Buchanan, Graphic Designer Brian Higgins, Victorian Village Society, North Market District Federal Highway Administration Friends of Goodale Park Rick Espe, Senior Project Manager Rob Vogt, Victorian Village Society Ohio Historic Preservation Office Harrison West Society Jason Sudy, Urban Planner Todd Law, Victorian Village Society Aron Fraizer, GIS Coordinator Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Citizens for a Better Spring Sandusky Keith Dimoff, Harrison West Society Karen McCoy, Principal Dennison Place Association Maddy Weisz, Harrison West Society Julie Steigerwald, Architect Joel Teaford, Columbus Neighborhood Design Assistance Center Stephen Kolwicz, Landscape Architect National Trust for Historic Preservation Kim Moss, Columbus Neighborhood Design Assistance Center Jennifer Gelb, Landscape Architect Frank Elmer, Italian Village Society Brad Kissling, Intern Prologue ii Forward The I-670 Corridor Design Enhancement Plan is the result of a year-long process by the Spring Sandusky Interchange Task Force for Design Considerations. The recommenda- Victorian Village tions of this plan are to be incorporated, as practicable, by Jeffrey Site the City of Columbus and the State of Ohio in the con- Italian Village struction and widening of Interstate 670. The history and purpose of the Spring Sandusky Inter- change project and the creation and role of the Design Task Force are detailed in the first section - Background (pp. 1-7). This document contains the conceptual designs Goodale Park and improvements rendered by the consultant team (MSi) Short North based on ideas of the Task Force. The Design Task Force reviewed the concepts throughout the Fall of 2000 and Smith Bros. Bldg. suggested modifications and additions. The final design concepts are reviewed in the second and third sections — Focus Area Recommendations (pp. 9-29) and Corridor- Wide Recommendations (pp. 31-41). The Design Task Force approved these recommendations, and ranked them Greek Orthodox Church in terms of importance for inclusion in the I-670 construc- tion project. The rankings are highlighted in the fourth sec- tion — Design Task Force Priorities (pp. 43-45). Early Convention Center versions of concepts, additional renderings, and three-di- North Market mensional computer generated images of many of the pro- Ross Labs posed enhancements are included in the Appendix (pp. 47-55). Ohio Center to Downtown Columbus Nationwide Arena Site Existing & Proposed I-670 Corridor: N Orthophotograph of the I-670 corridor in northern downtown Columbus circa 1996. The yellow superimposed lines represent the planned widening and improvements along this segment of I-670 as part of the Spring Sandusky Interchange Project, as well as the edges of pavement on surrounding streets. The red lines signify parcel boundaries. Prologue Background 2 Introduction In January of 2000, an agreement was reached that authorized the creation of a Task Force on Design Considerations for the reconstruction of a section of Interstate 670 in northern downtown Columbus. This agreement was con- Columbus State tained in a document called the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The MOA was signed by five “signatory agencies”: the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Advisory Coun- cil on Historic Preservation (Council), the Ohio Historic Preservation Office (OHPO), and the City of Columbus; and seven “concurring party” interest Italian Village groups. The agreement was created to address the concerns of surrounding Downtown Columbus neighborhoods regarding the potential negative impacts that a widened I-670 Convention Center might have on existing historic districts and the community as a whole. Short North Arena District The I-670 improvement project involves the reconstruction and widening of an existing portion of Interstate 670 from Neil Avenue on the west to Cleveland Avenue on the east (red highlight on photo to right — note North is to the left). Victorian Village This reconstruction project is referred to as “Segment B-1” of the larger Spring Sandusky Interchange (SSI) Project. Under construction since 1993, the Spring Sandusky Interchange Project has three major objectives: 1) Rebuild State Route 315 through downtown to increase the safety, function, and capacity of this major intercity north-south route; 2) Link the two sections of I-670 together, PenWest District creating a continuous east-west highway from I-270 and the airport in the east, through downtown, to Grandview and I-70 in the west; and 3) Create a complete interchange system between SR 315 and I-670, with safe and effective con- nections to the northern and western downtown street system. The SSI project is nearing completion, with State Route 315 reopening in March Harrison West of 2001. Construction continues on the new I-670 connection, though the B-1 Segment must be rebuilt and widened before the new sections of I-670 can be opened to traffic. The Spring Sandusky Interchange Project has encountered numerous delays including funding shortages, the need for improved environ- mental mitigation measures, and concerns about its impact on neighborhoods and historic districts. The primary purpose of this plan is to address concerns about protecting the historic character of the community and maintaining the 315 integrity of the districts through which Segment B-1 passes. Context Photograph: (continued on page 4...) N August 2000 aerial photograph of the I-670 corridor (orange highlight) through northern downtown Colum- bus. Segment B-1, the focus of this plan, is highlighted in red. Note that north is to the left of this photograph. When completed, Segment B-3 (bottom right branch) will continue and connect I-670 to the west. The Background