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Overview

Hurricane Sandy was named during the hurricane season of 2012. It started to form in the central Caribbean and made its way up the East Coast, eventually reaching landfall in New Jersey. (Picture #1) It had winds that reached 80 mph. The storm flooded streets and caused immense damage destroying homes, businesses, power lines and landmarks around the city. (Picture #2) The storm continued east leaving 15 states without electricity. Many people were killed or severely hurt from the strength of the storm.

Picture #1

Picture #2

Communication

At first, the articles described more material impacts, such as those affecting power and transportation systems. The loss of electricity was a major focus of many of the articles with variations of additional focus on other issues like housing, hospital issues, and fires. Immediately following the hurricane, these problems were quickly mentioned without a large amount supporting information. As time passed after the hurricane, articles became longer and featured more in-depth information, with a shift in focus from material loss to human loss. The articles that were written later also focus on the much larger consequences such as economic impact and mental health problems. The progression of material covered went from quick information (immediately after the hurricane) to more in-depth analysis and description about all of the damages (longer span of time since the hurricane). Stories about people’s situations also began to make an appearance in the later articles more than those in the first few days after the storm. The tone definitely changes over time as it seems at first more urgent about the damages, and over time, reporting is less frequent and less pressing about the hurricane. Accuracy also improved, as estimates of damage became more accurate as time passed. Overall, human and material impacts were covered in all the articles, with early articles focusing on immediate concerns and latter articles focusing on larger scale issues.

Names and Dates of Articles Used for CommunicationSection

• Sandy’s Aftermath: 33 dead, millions without power (10/30/2012)
• Hurricane Sandy: The Aftermath (11/01/2012)
• Hurricane Sandy: High Winds and Flooding Hit US East Coast (10/29/2012)
• Hurricane Sandy: October 29 as it happened (10/29/2012)
• Sandy’s Impact: State by State (10/31/2012)
• In New York City, a rising death toll from Sandy (11/01/2012)
• Superstorm Sandy: Facts About the Frankenstorm (11/27/2012)
• The Night Hurricane Sandy Hit New York City (10/29/2013)
• Hurricane Sandy’s Impact (10/29/2013)
• Hurricane Sandy, five years later: ‘No one was ready for what happened after’ (10/27/2017)
• Hurricane Sandy Facts, Damage and Economic Impact (09/22/2018)
• Superstorm Sandy Struck 6 years Ago Today; What’s Changed? (10/29/2018)

Vulnerability

            There were a variety of factors, some man-made and some natural, that contributed to the intense degree of devastation seen along the East Coast following the hurricane. One of the biggest causes for such large-scale devastation was the location of the cities themselves. Areas such as Hoboken, New Jersey and Lower Manhattan lie at or below sea-level, meaning that the areas are “notoriously susceptible to flooding even after just a heavy downpour.” (McGeehan n.pag) (Picture #3) These communities lacked both the hard engineering solutions (levees, surge barriers, etc.) and the natural barriers (living shorelines, wetlands) needed to weaken the strength of the storm. The lack of such infrastructure meant that these low-lying areas were hit by the storm at full force, resulting in over $72.1 billion in damages. (Miller 2) Another problem that contributed specifically to New York’s material devastation was the flooding of the subway system by large amounts of saltwater. “Salt can eat at the motors, metal fasteners, and electronic parts, some many decades old, that keep the system running.” (Mann n.pag) Hurricane Sandy managed to flood all 10 of the subway tunnels located in lower Manhattan, resulting in widespread damage to subway infrastructure – some of which has been in service for over 100 years. (Picture #4) The age of such equipment proved to be a source of vulnerability, because when flooded equipment refused to restore function, engineers could not simply order parts to repair them, as they were no longer available. (Mann n.pag) Such weaknesses in New York City’s transportation network had massive consequences, as the 4.3 million people that depend on the subway every day were rendered immobile for over a week, hurting the area’s economy.

Picture #3

Picture #4

Future Improvements

Major coastal communities must strive to improve engineering on a number of fronts in order to avoid both surface-level and underground infrastructure damage. One way in which cities can mitigate underground flooding damage is by developing and implementing grating and entry flood-prevention techniques. Sealable aluminum covers for street grating and inflatable, sealable barricades for subway entrances can help mitigate underground flooding and infrastructural damage. Cities can alleviate ground-level damage by constructing coastal defenses such as levees, sea walls, and natural wetlands. (Miller n.pag) (Picture #5) Another key aspect to reducing an area’s vulnerability to natural disaster is the implantation of evacuation warnings/procedures. A major issue in Hurricane Sandy was a delayed evacuation command and many people ignoring the evacuation. Taking evacuations seriously and responding accordingly is an important measure in short-term and long-term safety. Most importantly, individuals need to develop emergency response protocols and emergency kits. Although located directly on the coast, near or at sea level, many people failed to have emergency planning before Hurricane Sandy. Evacuation and contingency planning and emergency kits can expedite responses during emergencies, backup plans in case of failure, and mitigate some of the stress and panic of emergency situations.

Picture #5

Implementation

            There are a number of significant barriers that prevent East coast communities from implementing new strategies to prevent future hurricane/storm damage. The largest of these barriers comes from an unexpected source; the citizens that would benefit from such improvements. Such opposition is seen in places like Hoboken, where NIMBY-like movements occur as residents protest the construction of a sea wall that would prevent flooding in the city but also ruin the beautiful view of Manhattan. (McGeehan n.pag) Even when projects are supported by residents, other barriers persist. One such hindrance is the magnitude/complexity of the projects needed to “flood-proof” the coastline, many of which are the first of their kind. (Picture #6) The implementation and construction of these improvements takes large amounts of time and money, leaving communities vulnerable until construction has been completed. (Jorgensen n.pag) In order to minimize these barriers, communities must attain commitment from citizens and long-term funding to support major projects through their completion. Without such improvements, the East coast will continue to be susceptible to hurricanes and thus significant economic damage.

Picture #6

 Sources

• livescience.com/24380-hurricane-sandy-status-data.html
• http://nf4hr2ve4v.search.serialssolutions.com/?rft.title=Wall+Street+Journal+%28Online%29&sid=sersol%3ARefinerQuery&SS_issnh=2574-9579&issn=2574-9579&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&l=NF4HR2VE4V&SS_LibHash=NF4HR2VE4V&SS_ReferentFormat=JournalFormat&rft.genre=article&rft.issn=2574-9579&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.atitle=Salt+Water+Puts+Subway+%27in+Jeopardy%27
• https://fordham.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=environ_theses
• https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/nyregion/plan-to-flood-proof-hoboken-runs-into-a-wall.html
• http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-vulnerable-storms-5-years-hurricane-sandy-article-1.3597208(Solutions)
• https://web.tplgis.org/NYC_CSC/pdfs/Eval%20of%20NYC%20Coastal%20Vulnerability%20TPL%203-3-2016.pdf
• http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-vulnerable-storms-5-years-hurricane-sandy-article-1.3597208

BLOG 6

Name of the property: Creative Living Center

Owner/ Manager: David Berentz, President

Type of funding: 1/3 from donations are accepted, 1/3 project-based section 8 contract with HUD rent subsides, and 1/3 from rents at the property are based on tenant incomes which are monthly contributions equal to about 30% of their adjusted income

Population Served: Housing to physically disabled people, specifically wheelchair bound

Year Built: 1974

Number of Buildings: 2 buildings

Number of Units:  18 units

Land Use Classification: R4H35, labeled as multi-family on Columbus Zoning Map

Square Footage of building: 14,000 SQFT or ½ an acre

Total Assessed value: N/A

SITE EVALUATION

Aesthetics: The building is a simple single story rectangle to accommodate the wheelchair handicap residents. The building is brick with dark wood fencing to enclose the back patios of each individual units. The building is simple and is definitely works well to accommodate the residents. Unfortunately while the building works well in its isolated function in context for the surrounding neighborhood the building is visually out of place on the edge of Victorian village.

Maintenance: The property is kept up nicely. The front lawn is mowed and the office door is freshly painted. The courtyard is fresh cut and has a central fountain running to keep out any traffic noise.

Nearby Businesses and type: The Ohio State University Medical campus is on the north side of the property. On the west side is the franklin county corners office and to the south and east of the building is Victorian Village. There are restaurants within the Hospital building that is close for food.

Transit: Bus stop near, but uphill from location of the housing units. There is also Uber and Lyft available in the area.  

SECONDARY EFFECTS

Crime: Closest Crime was fraud three blocks away. The next closest thing is robbery at the hospital. Overall the property is quite safe and so is the surrounding area.

Property Values and Education:  The property value according to Zillow.com is between 48k-71k and the surrounding properties are between 180k-429k. There are a few schools on the southeast side of the property. Unfortunately the ratings of these schools also according to Zillow are 3/10 (Hubbard master School pk-6), 6/10 (Columbus Collegaite Academy 6-8), 4/10 (Indianola informal k-8), 2/10 (Weinland Park Elementary pk-5). These are not great scores and the schools lack any upper level education around the property.

130 Piscitelli Pl. Columbus, OH

Site Evaluation

Aesthetics

•  The property is surrounded by some older multifamily and single-family homes as well as flanked by some more modern style apartment buildings.
• Overall New Village Place fits in pretty well into its’s surroundings given that the architectural style isn’t super modern nor super old looking. It blends well and doesn’t make it look like public housing.
• I would consider it an attractive building, but it isn’t the most attractive building. It blends in.

Maintenance

•  The landscaping of the building is very well kept, and the overall sanitation of the facilities is very good. A few places were slightly ungroomed, but the rest was very well groomed in terms of grass and foliage.
• The parking situation is very good, every until seemed to have designated parking and there are a couple of larger lots wedged in between buildings.
• Street lighting was average and was on the outside as well as inside of the complex.

 Nearby Businesses and Type

•  The nearby land uses include very few stores. Across the street to the east there is a primary school and to the south and west there are other residential zones. The closest grocery store is almost exactly a mile from the complex. The closest businesses were restaurants and smaller storefronts.

 Transit

•  The nearest bus stop is very close. It is maybe 500-600 feet to the northeast of the complex. The lines available are all the COTA lines. The Bus stop was an unprotected bench area with the bus stop sign with the lines described on it. It has protected bike lanes very close to the complex due to being very close to Summit Street. Summit street is also a major car thoroughfare.

Secondary Effects

Crime

•  At the 500ft radius there was very little crime, just one theft. At the 1000ft radius there were a few more individual burglaries. At the .25 miles, there were quite a few theft and burglaries but no murders. At the .5-mile radius there were no murders either, but more thefts and burglaries.
• At the .5-mile radius the crime is concentrated to the north of the New Village Place and there is barely any crime around the location itself. The most common crime is individual burglaries.

Property Values and Education

 Zillow Zestimate

•  There is no Zillow Zestimate for the units in our building. The Montessori School across the street does not have any rating data on it. We tried to find the correct pricing for the units, but no website gave current prices as contacting the owner would be necessary they were all currently being leased.

 Education

• Weinland Park Elementary Schools – Score 2/10
• Hubbard Master School – Score 3/10
• Harambee Christian School – NR
• Indianola Informal K-8 School – Score 4/10
• Columbus Collegiate Academy – Score 6/10
• Arts Impact Middle School – Score 4/10
• Youthbuild Columbus Community – Score NR
• Fort Hayes Career Center – Score NR
• Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School – Score 4/10

 Site Characteristics

• Name of Property: New Village Place
• Owner/Manager: Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Type of Funding: Public/Government
• Population Served: City of Columbus on the Northern Side
• Year Built: 2004
• Number of Buildings: 4
• Number of Units: Approx. 16 (Not completely sure because of conflicting information)
• Land Use Classification: Exempt Property
• Square Footage of Building: 12,760
• Total Assessed Value: $1,798,600

Site: Terrance Place – 81 E 9th St. Columbus, OH 43201
Site Characteristics:  Franklin county auditor, city of Columbus zoning map

Name of the Property: Terrance Place

Owner/Manager: Community Housing Network and Ohio State

Type of Funding: Financed by local and regional organizations including Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, City of Columbus and Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority

Population Served: Chronic Homeless and mentally ill

Year Built: 2015

Number of Buildings: 1

Number of Units: 60

Land Use Classification: 680 charitable / hospital

Square Footage of Building: 5200

Total Assessed Value:$2.45 million

Aesthetics:Terrance Place matches the aesthetics of Gateway and the other new builds going up on campus. Although the complex doesn’t match the surrounding campus housing of single and double family homes it is much cleaner and better maintained. It perfectly matches the luxury apartment complex next to it.
Maintenance: The maintenance of the property and landscape are well maintained. The apartment complex is clean with no signs of disrepair and well-maintained landscape and parking lots. This complex is aesthetically cleaner and nicer than the other side of the street, which is campus housing for students.
Nearby businesses and type:The complex is closely located to Gateway and High Street, which provides tenants easy access to many bus routes and connections, as well as retail locations. The complex is one block away from Gateway with its numerous restaurants, services and retail locations. The closest grocery store, Kroger, is located on King Ave. just four blocks away within walkability and can also be access by bus routes.

Crime

•  Set buffer  and see crime data at 500ft, 1000ft, .25miles, and .5 miles
• When .5 mile, use density map to examine crime
•  500 ft robbery and theft mostly
• 1000ft mostly theft and robbery, some assault too
• .25 miles mostly theft and robbery, some assault and weapons and graffiti

Property values and education

•  Zillow zestimate – 2.45 million
•  Nearby properties are mostly campus housing or apartment complexes or university buildings. The average price of the surrounding properties were around $500,000.

Site : Creative Living Center – 1531 Perry St. Columbus, OH 43201

Name of the Property: the Creative Learning Center

Owner/Manager: Creative Living Inc.

Type of Funding: ⅓ contributions (donations), ¼ resident rent fees, ⅓ HUD rent subsidy (US department of Housing and Urban Development)

Population Served: 34 disabled individuals

Year Built:N/A

Number of Buildings: One

Number of Units: 18 units

Land Use Classification: Multi- family

Square Footage of Building: N/A

Total Assessed Value: Net assets – $2,003,011

Site Evaluation – Document with Pictures

Aesthetics

Examine this property within the built environment.

Does the property:

•   Match the surrounding architectural style/building materials?
•   Fit the scale (same height and density) of the surrounding buildings?
• Is it an apartment building next to single-family homes?
• Would you consider this to be an attractive or unattractive building?
• Are surrounding buildings similar or different?

Maintenance

Walk around the property and examine the landscaping and maintenance of the

property. Is the property well maintained or do certain things need to be fixed or

cleaned up? If so, what are they?

Things to examine: Number of spaces and condition of parking lot; landscaping; trees;

streetscape improvements; fencing; signage; lighting; graffiti; trash

Nearby Businesses and Type

What are the nearby land uses?

– Research Park ( OSU),Commercial use (west of Olentangy River rd.), Residential (east of campus)

Is it mostly residential or are there businesses?

– ⅓ split between Collegiate land, Residential, and  Commercial

What types of businesses exist?

How far away is the nearest grocery store?

– The Kroger on King ave. is 0.9 miles from the Creative Living Center.

Transit

How far is the nearest bus stop?

– The closest is a ten minute walk north to Medical Center Dr. and W 9th ave.

What lines are accessible?

– Neil ave. & King Ave. (to the east), King Ave. & Olentangy Trail. (west), Medical center Dr. & 9th ave. (north), All within 2 miles.

How well are these stops maintained?

– The Neil and King stop as well as the King and Olentangy trail stop both do not have shelter from inclimate weather while the Medical Center Dr. stop does.

Secondary Effects

Crime

Set buffer and examine crime analytics at 500ft, 1000ft, .25 miles, and .5 mile. How

many crimes occurred at each distance?

500ft.- none

1000ft.- Robbery Near medical campus

.25 miles-  Robbery (near MC)

.5 miles- 6 counts of misdemeanor thefts, 1 burglary, and 1 Robbery.

When the buffer is set at .5 mile, use the density map to examine crime. Is crime the hottest/most dense (red) around the property, or is it concentrated elsewhere?

• The most crimes committed around the property are committed elsewhere, moreso allocated towards the west Commercial properties and East in the more dense residential living area.

Look at the density at different levels and see if this changes. What type of crimes are most common?

– The most common crime are theft around this area, while burglaries are the second most common. The third ranking crime would be robberies.

Property Values and Education

Zoom in to your property and examine the zestimate values for nearby properties within

500ft, 1000ft, and .25 miles. Do values tend to increase or decrease as you move further

away from your property? Why might this be? Do you think it relates to the affordable

Housing?

– Prices for housing tend to trend higher as the distance increases away from the Living Center. This may relate to other properties not having government subsidised grants and rely more heavily on the income of the residents living there. also , the property location and cost to maintain the respective properties may differ from site to site.

Select schools on the map and determine which nearby schools are located nearby. List

and write what score they received from GreatScores. Make sure your building is in that

school district.

• Huber Master School (PK-6th grade) scored a 3/10
• Indianola Informal School (K-8th grade) scored a 4/10
• (6th-8th grade) scored a 6/10

Final Blog :

Site Characteristics

The site that was selected for our team was the Creative Living Center located at 1531 Perry street in Columbus ohio. This property is owned by the Creative Living Incorporation that specializes in affordable living environments. The company is able to achieve their low cost goal by receiving funding form various amounts of contributors. Looking at the graph below, it is shown th each contributor of all funding to the Living center.Government subsidies from the United States Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) are responsible for 38.7% of the funding to the site and is the highest revenue source. Second would be contributions from programs such as golf banquets, bouquet of flavors, and the annual campaign income creates 26.9% of the chart. Rent and residential fees make up 17.5% of the revenue and the last portion of the chart is comprised of investment income at 16.6%.

With sustainable funding and multiple sources of revenue the net value for the Creative Living Center is $2,003,011 in total. These revenue resources allow the Creative Living center to create an affordable living space for 34 residents spread across 18 units on the multi-family zoned property.

Site Aesthetics

At this particular location, the Creative Living Center specializes in creating cost effective living conditions for disabled people that require more accomodations for its inhabitants. The building is a single story brick structure built around a small courtyard in the middle, which is great for those unable to walk up stairs. Around the perimeter of the residents apartments the building is hidden behind a tall fence that creates both a border from the building to the street and allows the residents a small lot private greenland. To the north of the building, just across Medical Center Drive,  is the Ohio State Comprehensive Medical Center which is comprised of hospitals and laboratories in towering buildings with brick and glass facades. This location is also beneficial to disabled persons because of its close proximity of a hospital if an emergency were to occur. Surrounding the other directions though is residential land made up of mostly two and three story houses that also have wood and brick motifs. The Buildings placement on the edge of commercial and residential land allows it to blend in with the built environment as it serves as a medium from single family housing to the commercial landscape of the Cancer center. The use of brick and other materials used by both the houses and apartment complex allows the space to fit in with the design characteristics of the surrounding houses.

The complex also seems to share the same age as the surrounding environment. Walking around the structure the pale olive shutters of the windows and almost dirited white paint on the trim looked identical to the upkeep of the surrounding homes. The weathering on the exterior showed its age but the structural integrity seemed strong.Surrounding sidewalks were in great condition with minimal cracking and the back alley way was level with gravel. There was not a lot of litter on the ground and the grass was clean and green. The parking lot on the side allowed for more than enough space for the residents. The paved pathways would allow for easy mobility for those in wheelchairs or other disabilities. Without a car, the 0.9 mile walk/roll to the nearest kroger would be achievable via sidewalks. Overall the condition of the area was accommodating and in great condition.

Transport to and from the Living center are readily available in the surrounding area. The most comfortable and closest one in proximity would be the Medical Center dr. and West 9th ave. bus stop. From there you are able to take it to High street and past King ave. This stop is also the closest one that has a small weather shelter for adverse conditions.

There are also two other bus stops around the building. One of which would be the Neil ave. & King Ave. bus stop to the east  as well as the King Ave. & Olentangy Trail to the west. The drawback to these two spots though is that they do not offer any  shelters while waiting. While the bus stops may be available, the site also has access to a parking lot on the side. Given its location so close to campus, having parking in a dense place is a highly valued commodity for those residents planning on driving for their first mode of transportation.

Traveling may seem dangerous while being in such a populated area, especially at night. The crime reports around the area reflect that the area gets more dangerous the father away someone moves the Apartment complex. Within the immediate surrounding area at 500ft. There had not been any crimes committed. The only crime that had been committed within .25 miles was a robbery near the Medical Campus. As we extended our range farther we found that within .5 miles we found that there were 6 misdemeanor thefts, 1 burglary, and 1 robbery. Utilizing the maps it was shown that the most crime committed was not in the residential area but more localized towards the commercial area such as the Medical Center and area near Olentangy river road. The most common crime was misdemeanor thefts which are localized in high traffic areas.

Like the amount of crime, the property values for the surrounding area also increases with the distance away from the Creative Living Center. As property value increases the school districts also get better, for instance, the closet school to the Living Center is the Huber Master School which had only scored a 3/10 on a school rating scale called GreatScores. The Indianola Informal School was rated a 4/10 but it was father away. Lastly, the Columbus Collegiate Academy scored a 6/10 being the highest ranking, but also the farthest away.

Pictures:

Property: Commons at Third

Owner/Manager: National Church Residences (Nation’s Largest Affordable Housing Community)

Funding: LIHTC

Population Served: ⅗ homeless and disability, and other

Year Built: 2011

Number of Buildings: 1

Number of Units: 100

Land Use Classification: Manufacturing

Square Footage: 61,200 square feet

Total Assessed Value: $4,841,870, $1,050 per month

Aesthetics:

The property matches the styles of the surrounding apartment complexes. It is the same height as the nearby apartment complexes and looks to be an attractive building. All surrounding apartments including The Commons were built with a more modern aesthetic on the exterior.

Maintenance:

The complex seems to be very well maintained. There is landscaping all around the outside and the outside of the property was clean and welcoming. The outside has a large space for parking. There is no graffiti or litter outside the building.
Nearby Businesses and Type: The complex is surrounded by residential apartments. The nearby apartments are mainly luxury apartments ranging from $1,000-$3,000 monthly rent. On the perpendicular streets  there are lots of commercial businesses, mainly restaurants.
Transit: Nearest bus stop is 300 ft from the complex on 3rd Ave, approximately a 1 minute walk. This bus stop is serviced by the #3 route, which travels from Grove City to Upper Arlington, passing through Franklinton as well as downtown. Just down the road at the intersection of 3rd Ave and Edgehill Rd. there are bus stops which are serviced by the #22 route as well as the #3. The #22 route travels from Grandview all the way down to the airport. It travels up through Ohio State’s campus and through Olde Towne East and Obetz. Because the #3 route runs on the west side of the city and the #22 runs on the east side, residents of Commons at Third ave transportation access to nearly everywhere in the city, very close to their home.
Crime:

1 Report of theft in the last six months within 500 feet of the property

2 Reports of theft in the last six months within 1000 feet of the property

7 Reports of theft and 1 reported robbery in the last six months within .25 miles of the property

21 Reports of theft, 4 reported robberies, and 6 reports of residential robbery in the last six months within .5 miles of the property

At a buffer of .5 miles most of the crime is located in areas further away from the property. The immediate area surrounding the property appears to be relatively safe based on the data. Crime increases a lot once in the .25 mile range. The most common crime in the area is theft.

Property Values and Education:

Zestimate: $4,841,870, $1,050 per month

Schools: Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary, Indianola Informal K-8 School, Grandview Heights High School

Site Characteristics

The area Weinland Park was created in between 1900 and 1920 as a streetcar suburb in close proximity to many middle-class factory jobs, but once the streetcar was removed it started to decline. In the 1980s as the area was destitute, public housing was instituted but failed, and gang activity rose. A majority of the properties were American Foursquare, with brick siding. Additionally, many other properties were one or two-story duplexes and there seemed to be no property higher than 4 stories. The area’s revitalization was funded by grants from the Department of Housing and Windsor Terrace and Low-income Housing Tax Credits and has received support from Weinland Park Civic Association and Weinland Park Collaborative. The population for the area is 5,000 people served by 2,000 households with land use being for many single family homes around 1,500 square feet. In regard to home value, most people are renters but the average rent $637, however its steadily rising.

Aesthetics

After visiting Weinland Park Homes, it is comparable to the built environment. The housing is 3/4 bedrooms, however, the houses fit the style of the area except the fact that they are newer. Before the area was developed it was a vacant lot, however. It fits the scale of surrounding housing because the homes only have two floors.  The homes look attractive and quaint. Additionally, the area is maintained in order to attract new people to the neighborhood. Each house has a 1 car garage with more parking spaces, with young vibrant trees keeping the property clean and sleek. The areas proximity to the Short North is also attracting new businesses, with many bars and corner stores on the outskirts. The area also isn’t a food desert as there is a Kroger within a mile. The area also utlizes the COTA bus system with multiple routes such as the 1, 2, 2L, 4, 8, 12, & 22. Also, there are bike paths throughout the area allowing for inexpensive tranportation.

For the Secondary effects of the area, crime and property values have drastically changed. As already discussed before, in the 1980s  there was prominent gang violence, today however even thought crime is 141% higher than the national average, it still is safer than 2/3 of cities in Ohio. For property values, they increase West of High and as you approach Clitonville and Italian Village. The crimes at 500 ft were only 1 theft, within 1000 ft there were 13 crimes including assault, motor vehicle theft, robbery and burglary, .25 miles there were 22 crimes, and 113 total crimes.  Weinland Parks Schools in the area, are not the best (2/10 according to Great Schools), and do not have a lot of students.  Finally, housing as we move further from 500 ft, 1000 ft, .25 miles, and .5 miles the properties slowly increase in value from 25k to 90k and beyond. 

For this case study the Back Corner Design Team visited the Commons at Buckingham (CB). CB is a well maintained, relatively new, affordable housing apartment building located at 328 Buckingham St. Before visiting we did a general site overview with the following results:

Site Characteristics:

• Name of the Property: Commons at Buckingham
• Owner/Manager: Commons at Buckingham Housing L P
• Type of Funding:

Capital Financing Sources JP Morgan Capital Corporation, LIHTC Equity $ 6,935,482 City of Columbus HOME Funds $ 1,100,000 Franklin County HOME Funds $ 500,000 Soft Debt $ 2,338,342 Other $ 81,521 Total $ 10,955,345 Operating Financing Sources Project Based Section 8, HAP Subsidy $ 552,860 Tenant Rent $ 110,740 Services Financing Sources Medicaid/Medicare/County Levy/Private Insurance $ 171,000

• Population Served: no data
• Year Built: 2011
• Number of Buildings: 1
• Number of Units: 100
• Land Use Classification: Commercial Apartment
• Square Footage of Building: 59,128
• Total Assessed Value: 1,400,010

Following the site characteristic investigation, most of which was done using information from Franklin County’s auditor maps, we actually visited the physical location in order to see how well it is maintained, along with it’s location relative to other parts of the city.

Photography:

A view of the facade from the parking lot

A brick road leading to CB. The sidewalk (right) is relatively poorly maintained.

Nearby fencing (not managed by CB) in poor condition

a view of CB from the adjacent highway

nearby businesses are inaccessible and alienating

Additional angles of CB

nearby areas are vacant or completely commercial

Site Analysis:

The largest benefit the location has is it is a short walk away from Columbus State. This provides tenants easy access to higher education.

The building itself is very out of place. Aesthetically it looks very nice, and takes a modern approach. It is surrounded by highway (i670), a gated semi truck shipping yard, a field, and other various buildings that do not have similar uses or architecture. CB itself is tucked away almost against the highway.

It is by the company ABBOTT, but other than that there isn’t a whole lot around it. The building and landscape is well maintained and it seems like a great spot for students, but it’s in an isolated area that’s noisy from the highway

The building is nice and well maintained, but it’s terrible location(and isolated surroundings) takes away from its value. The building might be okay with students renting, but not a good permanent living situation as it would be a hike to the nearest store or even gas station.

There are very few bus routes within walking distance of the location, aside from those made to service C State.

Crime:

From LexisNexis

Number of crimes

500 ft:  6

1000 ft: 9

.25 miles: 10

.5 miles: 167

Density:

The address is in the dark blue, which is the lowest density that still has crimes occuring. Therefore, it is not anywhere near one of the highest crime rate areas within .5 miles. Several blocks west is significantly higher in crime rates.

Within 500 and 1000 feet however, the property becomes the desnist area of crime – however this is most likely due to the fact it is one of few buildings in the area whatsoever.

Most common crimes:

The most common crime within 1000 ft is theft, of which there are 3. Within .5 miles, however, the most common crimes are, in order: Burglary from a motor vehicle (18), All other criminal (10), and Assault (8)

Education:

Nearby schools:

Columbus State Community College N/A

East High School 2/10

Champion Middle School 3/10

Trevitt Elementary School 1/10

Property Values:

Property Values:

There was only one property that was even near the housing development, which had a property value of $152k

Properties to the east of the development had similar property values to the one near by development

Properties to the northwest (north of 670) had a much higher PV, as did those to the south in downtown Cbus

This is mostly due to the development’s close proximity to two noisy interstate highways and an industrial area

Closing Remarks:

Overall CB itself seems like a relatively safe, and semi-acceptable place to live. When members of BCDT did a crime comparison to some of their own living situations, it was significantly safer. Furthermore, the property itself is indeed well maintained and the building looks nice form the outside (which often indicates a well maintained interior).

The largest downfall of the building is its location. Because it is rather isolated, with the exception of Columbus State, there is little residents can do without a car. The direct access to i670 is an indicator of the car-centricity of the design. Furthermore, local public schools are low ranking. This can hinder youth growing up in the building and make Columbus State’s accessibility almost irrelevant for them. Overall, CB is a best pick for those looking for affordable housing near Cstate that have access to a car.

Our site was Terrance Place at 81 E 9th Avenue. It is approximately two years old and houses 60 units. This location is part of the Community Housing Network that opened it for local citizens at risk for homelessness due to problems of addiction and health.  It is connected to the OSU Extension office where there is work and financial counseling available. They were given 11.1 million to build the property from a large variety of sources such as the City of Columbus, Huntington Bank, Arlington Bank, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, etc.

The property both fits in and does not when considering its surroundings. When looking from the view of 9th Avenue, it seems to flow with the unit to the east, what seems like another housing complex. However, when looking at the unit from the front (which is actually behind the unit so you must walk around), it does not flow with the rest of the its surrounding buildings. It is adjacent to a large black structure that seems like a parking garage, and it also faces the back of a housing unit that is also extremely different looking. The height of each of the buildings vary, though it is much more similar to the black structure than to the house it faces. So while from the street view it aesthetically flows, it does not when you actually see it from its intended entrance. It is not obviously an attractive building. It is, however, very clean and obviously appears new. It may be attractive to some, but in general it seems quite bland. There is nothing exciting or innovative about the building.

The property seems very well maintained. There are several trash cans and practically no littering. The plants were not very exciting or appealing, but they were alive. The white walls were clean, the door and windows were spotless, the porch lights were function, and the parking lot was clean as well. The parking lot was full so it is unknown to us if there is not enough parking, but there is definitely not too much. The only thing that was not “clean” was across the street in front of the house you could see their construction material. However, it is against unknown if this has been there for a long time if there was a temporary/ short-term location for these things. Also, since not actually apart of the property it is not the properties fault if these materials were there consistently.

The property is located on a block that is fully residential. On the east side of the block, there’s a large open space attached to an orthodox cathedral. These are zoned as a park space and an institutional space, respectively. The property is bordered on the west side by mixed use spaces, specifically Gateway Film Center. Since the property is so close to High Street with plenty of shopping, the closest grocery store is Kroger, only a quarter mile south.

The nearest bus stop runs along high street 0.1 miles west of the property. Bus line 1 and 2 both stop here. Bus line 1 runs from Clintonville, through Downtown, and over to Reynoldsburg. Bus line 2 runs from the Carriage shopping center in Upper Arlington, through Downtown, and over to Reynoldsburg. Both of these routes run through the most populated stops on High Street.  

Secondary Effects- At around 500 ft, for our site there were 7 crimes mostly break-ins and robberies. When you get to around 1000 ft, there are 36 crimes committed, mainly thefts and robberies. At .25 miles there are 74 crimes and by .5 there are 204 crimes, some being violent. Our area is fairly spread out in terms of crime and robberies where there aren’t that many crimes happening around our property. The most dense areas are around 5th avenue and sex offenders on opposite sides of our range but definitely not close to our property. The map spreads out many of the crimes where the majority of the crimes committed around our range of a half-mile are just robberies. There are quite a few sex offenders however and they all seem to live very close to one another however, they are on the outer ranges of our spectrum. High street seems to be quite clear of crime as is expected being right on the main road and many cops patrolling the area on a daily basis.

We were unable to retrieve data for housing prices at this location on account of the building being too new to be mapped out. The surrounding areas are mainly houses, and are much less densely packed together than the University District. I would assume this apartment complex is less expensive than the surrounding houses and adjacent apartment. The prices seem to increase as you move North towards the University, and decrease as you move towards the Short North. This is only a trend when zoomed out to a half-mile radius.

Weinland Park Elementary School is the closest school to the property, and is about a quarter-mile away. It scores a 2 on GreatScores. The closest High School is the Fort Hayes Arts and Academics High School near Columbus Community college. The student population is 760 and it received a score of 3.

Poindexter Place

Our group researched Poindexter Place (211 N Champion Ave. Columbus, OH, 43203). It is owned and managed by the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). CMHA operates with federal funds received from the provisions of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Annual Contributions Contract (ACC) with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Poindexter Place serves seniors with affordable apartment housing. The 104 unit building was completed in 2016. It is classified as multi-family (Z73-197, Multi-family, ARLD, 4/11/1974, H-35). It has 106,969 square feet and is currently worth approximately $4,000,000.

Site Evaluation – Document with Pictures
Aesthetics

Our building matches the surrounding architecture style because much of what surrounds it is other Poindexter public housing projects. The village at large does not blend well into the surrounding single-family homes. It is taller than surrounding buildings because of the fact that it is a two-story apartment building. It is denser than surrounding buildings because it is an apartment building next to duplexes and single-family homes. We believe that this building is attractive. It is a fairly new building, but it is well-designed and has a nostalgic feel. The immediate surroundings are similar and form a small community, but outside of Poindexter, the single-family homes are different.

Maintenance

The property is well-maintained, the landscaping and lawn look nice, and the building seems to be kept in adequate shape. The only negative thing we noticed was the trash was overflowing, but it could have been trash day because it was not too bad. There seemed to be enough parking spaces for visitors and for the seniors to have a space for a vehicle too. Landscaping was great, but there could have been more shrubbery and trees. There was a large fence around the parts that were not accessible by people passing by. It definitely could have interacted with the street a little better, but overall it was not too bad. Signage and lighting were clear. There was no graffiti, and we already mentioned the trash issue.

Nearby Businesses and Type

The nearby land uses were primarily public housing or other residential areas. Business does not really exist close, as most of it is near I-71 on E Long Street or on Mt. Vernon Avenue. There is not a grocery store within a mile.

Transit

We saw bus stops at the corner of the lot, we saw that there were lines 22 and 7 going through there. The stops were well maintained.

Secondary Effects
Crime

These are the buffer distances and the number of crimes at each buffer: 500 ft = 21 crimes, 1000 ft = 61 crimes, 0.25miles = 90 crimes, 0.5miles = 167 crimes. When the buffer is set at 0.5 miles, the crime is concentrated at the northwestern , region of the property, which is around the intersection of N 20th Street and Mt Vernon Avenue. Among those crimes, the most common type is assault, which constitutes nearly one-third of total cases.

Property Values and Education

The median Zestimate for nearby properties is $148,200, and home values seem to be on the rise. As you zoom out, the trend seems to be that property values go up, although they are inconsistent across the board. Trevitt Elementary, Champion Middle, and East High are located relatively close to Poindexter Place. All schools are below average; they score a 1/10, 3/10, 2/10, respectively

Links

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/04/05/take-a-look-inside-37m-final-phase-starts-at-old.html