New Leaders of Downtown Group to Focus on Affordable Housing, Protection

The Columbus Downtown Enhancement Commission now has a new management workforce to go together with a recently-reconfigured board and a new directive from the mayor’s office to force for an “equitable recovery” for the region’s main.

Greg Davies, who most a short while ago labored for the Columbus Partnership and beforehand served as Mayor Andrew Ginther’s Main of Staff members, was named final 7 days as the organization’s new CEO. Amy Taylor, beforehand the Chief Functioning Officer of the CDDC, will now keep the title of President.

“We want to get people today back again Downtown, and I imagine it is heading to occur definitely immediately,” Davies mentioned. “But we want to make sure that it’s harmless, that there are entertaining points to do, and that there are sites to dwell for everybody…from a school instructor to a business person.”

Davies claimed that constructing new economical housing will be a big component of that work, and to be expecting a lot more jobs like the 90-device condominium constructing the CDDC has proposed for a website it owns near the Topiary Park. Models in the making would be obtainable to tenants earning amongst 60 and 100 p.c of the spot median profits.

“We want that challenge to be a seamless addition to the neighborhood, where you wouldn’t know it was cost-effective housing,” Davies claimed, including that Downtown has witnessed incredibly couple of reasonably priced units extra in new years, in element thanks to climbing design expenses and the selling price of land. “We want true affordability…and we’re hoping to exhibit to some others that do these sorts of project that you could do it Downtown.”

Dude Worley led the nonprofit entity for 14 yrs, shepherding a lengthy record of initiatives to completion, this kind of as Columbus Commons, the National Veterans Museum and Memorial, Scioto Mile, and Scioto Greenways. 

Davies characterised the organization’s next chapter as “both a continuation of all the excellent function, the basis that Man laid down, and also…with Covid, and the civil unrest final summer season, I assume all people realizes that we have to concentrate on obtaining Downtown back again to exactly where it was, but additional inclusive and open to everybody.”

“There have been some items that just experienced to be carried out,” Taylor reported, referring to the require to change Town Heart Shopping mall and to make the variety of substantial-scale advancements to the riverfront that experienced been envisioned for many years. “But now, we have a new focus…and that will impact how we’re likely to come back and what we’re going to prioritize.”

When requested if just one of the new priorities will be more assistance for transit, both Davies and Taylor stated that it will be, citing in unique the worth of the Northwest and East-West corridor projects at the moment remaining prepared as element of the LinkUs initiative.

The CDDC pulled the Lazarus Building, which it redeveloped and nonetheless owns, out of the Capital Crossroads Particular Improvement District about a 12 months right before a totally free bus go software for Downtown staff (the C-Move) formally introduced.

Davies said that they are “open to” rejoining the district and taking part in the application, and strategy to examine the concept additional in the around foreseeable future.

One more target location will be protection.

“One of the massive things, and something that the board has talked to us about, is stability,” reported Davies, mentioning the latest substantial-profile incidents like the capturing death of 16-year-aged Olivia Kurtz at Bicentennial Park. “If we want to carry people today again from the suburbs and other spots, we have to be quite cognizant of that.”

The CDDC employs unarmed protection guards to watch its Downtown properties, and Davies explained they are open to expanding the territory that that team handles in order to “have additional individuals to help police…more eyes and ears.”

For additional information and facts on the CDDC, see www.columbusddc.com.