Commons at Buckingham

The Commons at Buckingham are located at 328 Buckingham St. Columbus, Ohio 43215 right off a freeway.This apartment complex is right in downtown Columbus and is for those with low incomes and may have been previously homeless. This complex is not surrounded by other housing complexes at all. There are no regular homes or even other apartments close by.There seems to be a lot of trailers being stored for different companies all around the commons. There is a local beer taproom/ brewery right by it. There are also many buildings that are related to columbus state nearby. This is a space that would usually be used for a factory or a warehouse due to there being about 2-3 warehouses right next to the commons. The surrounding land uses are used for mostly businesses. The nearest grocery store is about 1.5 miles away which is a kroger that would take approximately 45 mins to walk to.

Crime:

Buffer at 1000 ft : There has been one vehicle theft incident in the last 6 months & one prescription drug theft as well.

Buffer at 500 ft : There has been one vehicle theft incident in the last 6 months.

Buffer at .25 mi :In the passed 6 months a house has been robbed and acts of fraud have taken place as well.

Buffer at .5 mi : In the last 6 months there have been over 5 acts of assault reported and 4 cars have been stolen. There has also been about 2 robberies.There has been trespassing as well and a couple counts of fraud.

Crime happens further away from this specific building due to how far it is from everything. These commons are not directly right next to anything near downtown Columbus.

Property Values & Education 

Z estimate values:

500 ft: N/A

1000 ft:N/A

.25 miles:Values are extremely expensive.

This site does not have many livable spaces around it. There are not any other homes close by so once you do begin to see them they are very expensive due to them being so close to the downtown area. 

Terrace Place

Terrance Place is located at 81 E 9th Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43201. It is about half a block from High Street and about a block from Summit Street. It was built to provide affordable housing to people in danger of homelessness, and those that struggle with addiction and mental health issues. It is mostly surrounded by other housing and apartments and is directly across the street from Indianola Park. It also is within short walking distance of a church. Its close proximity to High Street also means that it is close to plenty of fast food, stores and entertainment, especially since the Gateway Center can be seen from Terrace Place. The nearest grocery store is the Kroger on 5th and High, only 4 blocks away. Its modern style blends into that of the nicer apartment buildings around, however the complex dwarfs nearby houses in terms of size. Aesthetically it is a very nice looking building and is well maintained. The parking lot is big and has a gate so that only residents may park there, as well as serving to protect their cars from possible break ins. 

Crime:

Buffer at 500 feet: In the last 6 months there have been 4 petty thefts, a robbery and a house burglary within 500 feet of the development.

Buffer at 1000 feet: In the last 6 months there have been 17 cases of petty thefts, 3 robberies, 4 motor vehicle thefts and 3 burglaries within a thousand feet of the development.

Buffer at .25 mile: In the last 6 months there have been 6 robberies, many petty thefts, 9 vehicle thefts, 1 aggravated assault and 12 burglaries.

Buffer at .5 mile: In the last 6 months there have been 2 murders, lots of petty thefts and vehicle thefts, lots of burglaries of both residences and commercial buildings, 6 aggravated assaults, and 11 robberies within a half mile of the development

Property Values and Education:

The Weinland Park area has an average “Zestimate of about 136,000 dollars. Within 500 feet of the development, most houses are valued 200,000 to 600,000 dollars, however cheap rentals are very common, with most 1 or 2 person apartments being valued from 800 dollars a month to 950 dollars a month. With a roommate or significant other, this price would likely be doable for somebody low on money who had a stable job. This area is mostly inhabited by students so housing is relatively cheap in comparison with other places in the city as close to downtown.

Commons At Buckingham 

Commons at Buckingham is located right next to interstate 670. It is also surrounded by on the perimeter by Columbus State Vet Tech building and what appears to be a distribution center of sorts. The building is constructed of beige and tan brick in a geometrical type style. Height wise the building is comparable to the surrounding buildings although there are not many. There also are no other surrounding living spaces close by. The property is surrounded by businesses and educational type buildings. The property in and of it self it very nice and well maintained but right out side the property the landscape is not maintained what so ever and land looks very industrial. The apartments are extremely close to the columbus state campus. The property doesn’t seem to be made to house individual people but seems to be more of broad use building based on appearances. It has a hospital type look from the exterior.n The nearest grocery store is a few miles. Based on appearances and location the building it is not very personal or have much of a homey feel, it is very plain, cold and has a singular purpose which is to home individuals.  

When the crime map was set at 500ft from the location the only crime was theft. Within 1,000 ft there was another report of theft. Within .25 there are more reports of theft and robbery. When the map is extended to .5 miles there’s over 20 counts of theft, individual robbery, grand theft auto, and assault. The crime is less dense in this area because it’s only in the blue range. The closest schools to the Commons at Buckingham are the Arts Impact Middle School and the Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School. The Arts Impact Middle School (AIMS) is rated a 3/10 on greatschools.org. Their overall student averages for math, science, and reading all fall below the state average. This isn’t a good sign when trying to find a good school, this also suggests that students at this school are not performing at grade level. The Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School is also rated a 3/10 on greatschools.org. Again, they fall below the state average in all subjects. The state average for integrated math 2 is 34% and percent at this school is only 9%. The property values in the surrounding area range from 9K-6.3M. The properties in the million dollar range are buildings or apartment complexes. The houses themselves are very rundown and not maintained properly. The actual houses range from 9K-51K, all other properties are buildings; which again are all run down. 

Creative Living Center

The Creative Living Center is located near 315 and King Ave on Perry St. It is right beside the Ohio State University Medical Campus. This property is a low rise one story complex constructed of brick. It lacks individual complexes or doors from the outside. The height and scale of the building is similar to those around it. It is located by single family homes that are most likely occupied by students. It in general is a very unattractive building that is very different in comparison to surrounding buildings. In general the property is well maintained but in comparison to the university’s medical campus the property is not well maintained. It has the appearance from the exterior as a home for the elderly or something close in purposes. The parking lot and fencing need some upkeep and maintenance.

When looking at the LexisNexis Community Crime map,  it can be determined that most crimes committed in the 0.5 miles radius are located in the eastern direction. The crimes consisted in this eastern area are a majority of  heft, fraud, and robbery of a motor vehicles. Within the last six months, there have been 5 crimes of assault and 1 of homicide. These are the hottest kinds of crimes (red) and are in a much closer proximity to the Creative Living Center. The crimes continue to grow worse and more saturated towards the East as it begins to fill the entire map when the location becomes a 1 mile radius. In more detail of the area, there are also 3 sex offenders that live less than a block away from the center. Compared to Commons on Buckingham with only 3 crimes in total of its 0.5 miles radius , the Creative Living Center appears to be more dangerous due to the amount of criminal activity that has taken place within the last 6 months. Looking at the Zillow Map around this area, the apartments and condominiums are in the $800 range in the 500ft-1000ft distance of the center, and increase to $3K range at the 0.25 mile distance. For housing in the 500ft radius most of the housing goes from $100K-$250K; for 1000ft the range is $250K-$400K; for 0.25 miles radius the houses range from $500K-$700K. The prices for residential living appears to go up in the northern and southern distances from the center. This is more than likely due downtown Columbus being south and the University being north, rather than affordable housing being in this location.

Site 1: New Village Place – 130 Piscitelli Pl. Columbus, OH 43201

New Village Place homes and apartments are located in the Itallian Village and Short North districts, less than two miles away from The Ohio State University and 8 to 9 miles away from both North and South High Street. I would say that the surrounding buildings of the districts are fairly diverse; the property doesn’t necessarily match the architecture and designs of the houses on 71 E 1st Avenue, however there are still a handful of structures that match the same, plain design of the New Village Place property, such as the houses on Robertson Street. I wouldn’t say this is an attractive building; the aesthetics of the apartment building is short of anything unique and don’t really stand out from other surrounding properties in the district. The building, while well furnished, doesn’t really stand out as anything creative or colorful, but rather just as a plain brick building that you can live in. Brick is, of course, one of the main materials used besides wood and concrete for patios, but none of them are used are used in any particular fashion to stand out aesthetically and attract residents from other surrounding properties. The apartment building does try to add some kind of the design, with the front of the structure positioned in a sort of zigzag. We honestly don’t know why this was added in the first place since, due to the no creativity in using the materials, the townhouse is still left looking bland. This time it’s with a little pointless design that no one would bother to point out. Maintenance of the building, however, is fairly well kept. The mulch surrounding the building is laid down well, and none of the bushes are overgrown and ferturding onto the sidewalks. A small plot of land dividing Piscitelli Pl. and E 1st Avenue is also well maintained, with no overgrown grass or misplaced trees that could disrupt the layout of the properties. One thing we’d fix for landscaping are the random dead grass patches, but other than that the landscape’s well maintained. Nearby land use is mostly residential; the village consists of other houses and apartment buildings, and other business are on the busy streets such as High Street, Summit Street and North 4th Street. The nearest grocery store is Kroger, which is a 4 minute drive from the property.

(Land in between Piscitelli Pl. and E 1st Avenue)

(Other surrounding houses on the property)

The New Village Place homes are located in a low crime area when looking at a small buffer area. When looking at a buffer of 500ft there was only 7 crimes surrounding the affordable housing unit. When the buffer grew to 1000ft the crime in the area was over 100. The crime grew to more than 500 when looking at a buffer of .25 of a mile and the crime grew to over 1000 when looking at a buffer of .5 of a mile. There may not be crime surrounding the affordable housing unit right away but as you look at the area in a bigger perspective there is a good amount of crime within a small distance of the homes. The affordable housing unit is located in a low density crime zone as you move to the left of the affordable housing you start to see why there’s so much more crime when the buffer is larger. Moving to the left of the homes there are a couple of areas where the crime becomes very dense. The most common crimes around the affordable housing unit is traffic incidents and burglary from a motor vehicle. When looking at the property values surrounding the affordable housing unit we saw that most of the property values were about the same. The only time we saw a significant increase in the property values was as we got closer to certain districts such as the short north district. The reason for that is the short north is a new developing area that is very attractive to the higher class. The property values surrounding the affordable housing unit are all about the same because the affordable housing unit is well maintained and doesn’t give off the affordable housing feel that people seem to dislike. The schools near the New Village Place homes are the Hubbard Master School which is Pk-6 with a rating of 2 out of 10, the Arts Impact Middle School which is grades 6-8 with a rating of 3 out of 10, and the Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School which is grades 9-12 with a rating of 3 out of 10. There aren’t many schools in the area surrounding the affordable housing unit most likely due to the fact that the area is not very family oriented. The schools in the area have very low ratings which is also probably due to the fact that it is not a very family oriented area. The affordable housing unit is located in an area where it didn’t have a huge affect on the surrounding property values, also its out of the main area of crime, and its near a couple decent schools. Overall the New Village Place homes are located in a spot that makes sense to have affordable housing.

Site 2: Weinland Park Homes – 1215 N Grant Ave. Columbus, OH 43201

Weinland Park Homes are located east of campus, only 2 blocks off of 4th street. The aesthetics of the homes are somewhat uniform, with wood siding but each is unique in that the colors are different for each home. The surrounding area around Weiland Park Homes consists of empty lots directly across from Grant Avenue. The only building on Grant Ave. other than the homes is an apartment building which does not fit the aesthetic of the surrounding homes because it is of metal and brick construction. The Weiland Park Homes fit the scale of the greater Weinland Park neighborhood. I find the homes in Weinland Park Homes to be very attractive and aesthetically pleasing compared to other affordable housing options in Franklin County. The properties are well maintained with the landscaping kept tidy with shrubs, trees, flowers and other features being maintained well. The lawns of the homes are trimmed and green indicating that they are also well maintained. Each home has their own detached garage for accessible off street parking, as well as available on street parking for guests. Trees line the area between the sidewalk and the road and include lightposts for illumination at night. The backyards are fenced in providing the residents with privacy. There are buildings on nearby 5th Ave. including: Harris Paper Crafts, Columbus Medical Equipment, National Seating and Mobility. The nearest grocery store is Kroger on High St., which is only 0.8 miles away.

For the Weiland Park Homes, the crimes near the homes themselves are actually extremely rare. Within the 500ft range, there were only 4 total crimes within the 6 month period from April to October with two assaults, one vandalism, and one commercial burglary. All things considered, that is a really low crime rate compared to the surrounding areas when expanding to 1000ft and a quarter mile. Even at just 1000ft the crime numbers go up to 30 adding some trespassing, burglary and car burglary as well as a few weapons violations. At a quarter mile, there are 57 crimes, and at a half mile the number skyrockets to a total of 446 total crimes and violations. None of it is densely located at the homes themselves, more around the outside of the half mile radius, even so, to have that many crimes in just a short walking distance area is a rough look. The most common crimes also seem to be burglary from a motor vehicle and assault making up about one third of the total crime in that half mile radius. Definitely not a good trend for walking around the Weiland Park Homes, but at least the homes themselves are safe overall with little crime directly in the area.

As for property value, Weiland Park Homes seems to have a lot of variety. Most of the houses are in the general range of 150,000 dollars to roughly 200,000 dollars, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any under or over that range at all. In fact, even within a 500ft radius, there are plenty of houses that have a much higher estimate, including 300,000 and 400,000 dollar homes. Over double the value of the similarly located 150,000 dollar homes. Once you start going a bit more south, or a bit more west, there are clear areas that have homes of lesser value, directly in line with where the crime density increases as well. East seems to be more land to possibly expand with more homes in the future, and just past that there is some commercial and parking lots. As a general rule for the area though, it seems that prices vary all around and do not increase or decrease as you go further away, following the same trend of mixed pricing in the area. The schools in the area however are not very good at all. Weiland Park Elementary school received a score of 3 out of 10, the same score that Whetstone High School received. The middle school, Dominion Middle school was only marginally better with a score of 5 out of 10. Certainly not a good look for people thinking about moving into the area, but since these homes are newer, built in 2011, and there is room for expansion, the schools can grow with the area and become better overtime as well.

Terrance Ave – 81 E 9^th Ave Columbus, OH 43201

The apartment building is a large 4 story brick apartment building. It is located in the University district. The surrounding buildings include other apartment buildings of the same style. The building is a very attractive modern design accompanied by brown, black and nude brick coloring. The parking spaces for the building are very neat, and so are the sidewalks and other means of circulation. Everything about the building looks brand new and renovated. East of the building across the street are run-down apartment buildings and homes on the other side of section alley and Indianola Ave. The area is pretty quiet for the most part, the city is still working on the homeless problem in the surrounding areas. Terrace Ave is very close to High Street, High street is both a retail and residential hub as it is located in the middle of the city. The closest grocery store to this location is Kroger which is less than a mile away also located on High Street.

As you look at properties further away from Terrance place you can see that the values tend to decrease because Terrace place is a prime location near the short north and the OSU campus. Therefore the property value is higher than places further away from these prime locations. The schools in this area tend to have mixed ratings. For example, Linden McKinley Stem Schools received a 2/10 from Great Schools and Columbus Alternative High School received a 7/10. So the area offers a range of quality of education.

When analyzing the crime map of this property we are able to see that the immediate neighborhood surrounding the apartments is relatively safe. While there are 17 crimes within 500ft in the past 6 months we can see that almost half the crimes happened in the same multi family dwelling down the street and not a single crime has been reported in this building in over 6 months. At 1000ft there were 21 crimes reported, at 0.25 miles there are 80 reported crimes, and at 0.5 miles there were 165. As the radius goes up the number of crimes is about 10 times higher but again we see that the crime is centralized elsewhere by the color of the density being blue near the address and local red hot spots around the area. The most common crime committed is motor vehicle break ins, and this is the most evident by several happening on the next street over. So as the radius is enlarged it is evident that the neighborhood becomes less safe but at a small radius these apartments are in a good location.

—   —   —

1531 Perry Street

The creative living center is located on the OSU medical center. It is very close to the heart of the campus. The building is a 1 story brick building that houses elderly people. The surrounding areas include the OSU campus, medical center and a shopping center which includes a Target grocery and a movie theater. The building is not brand new or modern but it still looks like it holds value. The exterior of the property is very clean and well kept. Being located on the OSU campus I wouldn’t expect this building to run-down at all to keep up with the etiquette and prestige of the university.

As you look at properties further away from Creative Living Center, the values tend to increase. Creative Living Center is located near some upper end and up and coming communities, so as you get closer to those communities the value of the houses increase because they are in prime locations and valued neighborhoods such as Victorian Village and Grandview heights. The schools in this area have high ratings. A couple of examples are Grandview Heights middle school which received a 9/10 from Great Schools and Metro High School which received a 7/10.

This address is substantially safer than the last location. At 500 ft there were 1 crime committed in the last 6 months and at 1000ft 7 crimes and 0.25 miles there are only 15 reported crimes. And at 0.5 miles there are 115 reported crimes. When looking at the density map it is evident that this address is nowhere near a “red” location and is even almost out of the blue area. Given that this is around a hospital with little retail or casual public usage, these crime patterns are to be expected. Similarly to before, the most common type of crime committed in this area is a motor vehicle break in.

Continue reading Blog 6 – MCM Planning →

Network Restoration II –1326 Indianola Ave. Columbus, OH 43201

Network Restoration II on 1326 Indianola Ave is an affordable housing unit. It is an apartment like complex with 10 housing units. The overall structure of the building looks to be in great condition and safe to house people. The building is made out of bricks which match the building on its side of the road but the complex does not match the homes on the opposite side of the street. The height of the complex stays consistent with the other homes in the area. A problem that we saw was that the building is built in a different direction then all the other homes that share the street with this housing unit. The complex is surrounded by mostly other apartment complexes with the exception of a few small homes across the street. This building is definitely not attractive but it is also not the ugliest affordable housing unit that we have seen. The side of the complex on Indianola is very well kept. No trash is visible on the facility from the street and the grass and bushes are cut and well maintained. The side of the complex on Frances Pl trash can be seen on the street and around the garbage cans but nothing that any apartment complex would have. One problem we found was the parking situation. There are only two parking spots directly on the plot of land. Many of the people living in these units are either forced to park on the street in front of the complex or further down Frances in a larger parking lot. The area around the complex is mostly residential with commercial buildings scattered around the area.

When reviewing the crime history in the area of this affordable housing unit we found that no crimes were committed within 500 feet on the complex. When using the 1000 foot buffer we see two thefts, one vehicle theft and one robbery. When the buffer is increased to .25 miles we see three more thefts and a home burglary. When using the density map within the .5 mile buffer we found that most of the crimes in the area were around N High Street, which is around three blocks from the unit. The area to the east of the complex only has one crime which is a vehicle theft. The area in the immediate area looks to be safe and free of any major criminal activity which many people would think is not the case. When viewing the property values of surrounding area we concluded that there is no significant price increase or decrease the further you went away from the property. This is because the value of the properties in this area are all mostly the same and because the housing unit is in good condition there would be no reason why there would be a change in property value. Near the housing unit there is an Elementary school that is within walking distance. This school received a three out of 10 rating.

CHN University District – 1535 W 3rd Ave. Columbus, OH 43212

1535 W 3rd Ave. is a condo building for the housing around the arena district. It matches the surrounding area in that every building is brick and has the white pillars and window frames. The building also fits the scale of the other buildings in that they have two stories and also two sides to each building. I would consider this building to be attractive in that it is almost uniform to surrounding buildings. The building is well maintained and easy on the eye from the road view. The house could use more flowers and plants to accent the house but overall it is well maintained. The surrounding area is used almost explicitly for residential and more affordable housing but to pair with that, there is a school just down the road. This area is very nice in terms of more affordable housing, and is a good area to raise children with the parks and the school on the surrounding area.

After reviewing the crime history around the complex we found the area seems to be fairly safe. Within 500 feet of the complex there were no crimes reported in the area. 1000 feet from the complex there were only two total crimes committed in this 6 month span. Using a quarter mile buffer we found that still only 6 crimes had occurred in the area. When using the half mile buffer is when crime rates shot up to 61 crimes in the past 6 months. With 30 of them being thefts, 10 burglaries and, 9 vehicle thefts. When turning on the density map we found that crime was prominent north west of the complex between 5th ave and 4th ave. A Lot of these crimes were thefts and vehicle thefts. Another hot spot for crimes was to the south east around W 2nd ave. When looking at the neighboring housing values we found that the values tend to increase the further sound of the unit you go. We believe this is because there is a large park and recreation facility that a block down that would increase property value the closer you are to that. The housing unit is also on a major road that crosses over the Olentangy river. The Hubbard Master School is the closest school to the housing units and it received a 2/10.

CCDC: Mac, Henry, Sam, Taylor

Residences at Career Gateway

The front of the property from E Whittier St. (#1)     Parking lot with fence (Google Maps) (#2)

Landscaping and litter in front of the property (#3)

Site Evaluation

Overall, the property matches the surrounding homes in the community fairly well. The architecture is very similar as well as the materials used on the outside of the home. The brick and the vinyl siding matches that of other homes in the community. One main difference is that the building is an apartment building that spans an entire block. Most of the other homes in this neighborhood are single-family, two story units. The Residences are three stories and are much larger since they are all connected. The building is very clean and attractive looking. It definitely improves the look and feel of the neighborhood. The Residences at Career Gateway was built in 2017 and has been well maintained to date. The long term maintenance should be minimal given the construction and landscaping materials utilized. The building has grey vinyl siding and white trim. Grey will not show dirt and vinyl holds up well against weathering (photo #1). The rear of the property including the parking lot is surrounded by black iron fencing which can easily be cleaned and inspected for rust (photo #2). The landscaping includes trees, grass, plants and bushes. The greenery will need to be trimmed, mowed and mulched for upkeep. The parking lot will require a new coat of sealant as it ages and the parking lines will need to be repainted as they weather. There were no visible signs of litter in the back portion of the building which has trash cans and a supply of dog waste bags. However, the front of the building may benefit from the addition of trash cans as there was some visible litter in front of the building when I visited the property (photo #3). The land near this property is used mostly for residential use, however, there is a small grocery store across the street, on the corner of East Whittier St and Carpenter St. If the search radius is expanded five or more blocks, other businesses such as a carry out, restaurant, barber shop, and automotive care shop can be found.

Boarded up house across the street (#4)          Remodeled house across the street (#5)

House and shops across the street (#6)

Secondary Effects

    Many people believe that affordable housing promotes crime. There were 27 crimes occurring within 500 feet of the Residences at Career Gateway, 80 within 1000 feet, 141 within ¼ mile, and 500 crimes occurring within a ½ mile. The three most common types of crimes committed include burglary from auto, assault, and theft. Within 1000 feet of the property, the amount and type of crime varied. Most crimes, specifically assaults took place to the east of the property while areas to the west had the greatest number of burglaries from auto. However, the crime pattern shifted when the radius was increased to ½ mile. The magnitude of crime was higher in areas to the west of the property specifically along Parsons Avenue which appears to be a hotspot. There was no specific pattern as to types of crime at the ½ mile radius, the types were equally distributed to the east and west of the property. The Residences at Career Gateway does not appear to be promoting crime as it is concentrated elsewhere. The absence of burglary from auto at the Residences is likely attributed to the iron fence surrounding the parking lot (photo #3). As seen in the photo #4, there are boarded up homes near Residences, however, nearby homes are in the process of being renovated and improved (photo #5). While the residential area is improving, the commercial establishments are in disrepair (photo #6) and experiencing criminal activity. Overall, the area near the property is improving, but more work needs to be done (LexisNexis®).

Another common association with affordable housing is that it diminishes property values. Within 500 feet of these affordable housing units, homes range from $80-$150k. Within 1000 feet, the range rises to 120-200k. Within .25 miles the range jumps even higher to 100-520k. This difference in range may not necessarily be because of the affordable housing in that area though. The rise in prices may just reflect different housing demand in certain areas of the city. If an area is in high demand then the houses will be worth more money. Many believe that affordable housing units will lower the value of their homes when they go to sell but this is not entirely true. When looking at neighborhood homes to compare prices, realtors do not look at apartment units, which make up a large amount of affordable housing. They instead look at homes similar in style and size. Affordable housing units therefore would not be compared when selling a home in most cases. Some local schools in the area received lower scores according to GreatScores. Livingston Elementary School and South High School both received scores of 2 out of 10, which are on the lower end of the scale. There is much room for improvement in these schools (Zillow).

Weinland Park Homes

Front view of 1215 N Grant Ave. (#1)            View of Properties down the street with contrasting condos                               and single plot homes (#2)                                           

Enclosed yard with garage and alley access (#3)           Older duplexes to the west of 1215 N Grant Ave. (#4)

View of Condo construction directly across the street (#5)

Site Evaluation

The home specifically at 1215 N Grant is a relatively new construction that seems to be a part of a larger construction effort to expand an existing neighborhood to its immediate west. The home is a two story stand alone sitting on a lot much larger than the building itself, which is allowing for a front porch and space in front and back for flower beds and lawns (Photo #1). The house and those like it are mimicking the architectural style of older, nearby homes, despite those older homes generally being duplexes with a larger footprint (Photo #4). The building materials seem to be a mixture of shingle, and wood siding. Overall the construction materials suggest an attempt towards economical choices while maintaining an attractive suburban aesthetic. Moving around the construction this same aesthetic is maintained through simple fencing and a garage facing a shared alley (Photo #3). The property is well kept up, evident by close-cut grass and a flower bed running around the property that clearly has been shown care (Photo #1). Everything is clean as a whistle and there is ample parking, streetside and in a personal garage. Trees are young and in good health, suggesting the property is new and the city is showing the neighborhood care. The street itself is slightly torn up on the opposite side, but likely is a result of the ongoing construction across the street, rather than a result of neglect. 

Nearby is almost entirely residential; a few lowrise warehouses are the only exception. The majority of that housing is standalone lots but down the street is a condo construction that sits in complete contrast to these houses, and directly across the street there is ongoing construction of duplexes or condos on lots of their own       (Photo #2 and #5). Outside of the immediate neighborhood there are a wide variety of businesses including a Kroger that likely serves for the vast majority of grocery needs.

Secondary Effects

    Especially when compared to the Residences at Career Gateway, crime is relatively rare in the area immediately surrounding the Weinland Park Homes. Only 1 crime, a commercial burglary, was committed within 500 feet of the property, 8 crimes within 1000 feet, 16 within .25 miles, and 126 within .5 miles. The overwhelming majority of cases were property crimes, with 68 of the 126 crimes categorized as theft, and a further 53 categorized as motor vehicle theft, burglary, or robbery. There were 5 cases of aggravated assault, but these primarily occurred near High Street, an area frequented by college students. Indeed, the larger trend of the area seems to be that many of the incidents originate in and around High Street and the Short North, likely stemming from the high volume of tourists, bar-goers, and college students (not the presence of public housing). The streets immediately surrounding the Weinland Park Homes are actually remarkably safe, with the community bounded by Grant and 4th to the east and west respectively, and 5th and 7th to the south and north having no reported crime in the last 6 months. This could be attributed to how integrated into the community the houses are, as opposed to one central housing facility that could be a target or hub for criminal activity. On the whole, the Weinland Park neighborhood could reasonably be described as safe and crime is not a major concern. 

    Looking at z-estimates for the surrounding houses, it is interesting to observe the houses that are marked affordable in contrast to their neighbors. Houses just across the street from each other vary greatly in their value. Within 500 feet, the houses are clustered around $175k or $350-400k with no clear gradient. At 1000 feet, homes in the $200-300k range become common, but there are still many houses above and below that range, topping out around $425k and bottoming out at $65k. This is roughly the same distribution as seen at .25 miles, indicating that the public housing is relatively homogeneous with the surrounding community. It is, by nature, more affordable than many of the surrounding homes, but it does not appear to have made a significant impact on their property values given that there is not a noticeable rise in home prices as the area expands. Given that this area is roughly halfway between Ohio State’s campus and the downtown area, it is likely to be popular with commuters to both areas. This demand helps support home prices and generate value in the community. With that said, the area suffers greatly from an underperforming school district. The local elementary school (Weinland Park Elementary) and high school (Whetstone) scored just 3/10 according to GreatSchools, with the middle school (Dominion) only marginally better with a 5/10. This poor educational system makes it more likely that at risk families will be stuck in the cycle of poverty and that future generations will continue to rely on public assistance. While Weinland Park is a relatively desirable location, the poor school system is a major negative factor in assessing the area.

Bibliography

• Google Maps, Google, www.google.com/maps/@39.9880693,-83.0468766,15z, https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9897861,-82.9932228,13.7z. 
• “LexisNexis® Community Crime Map.” LexisNexis® Community Crime Map, communitycrimemap.com/.
• “Real Estate, Apartments, Mortgages & Home Values.” Zillow, www.zillow.com/find-your-home/.

Weiland Park Homes:
Weinland Park Homes appear to fit in with the concept of mixed use housing, where low
income homes are blended into developments of middle and upper-income homes. It appears to
be made of the same materials and in the same architectural style as the neighboring structures.
From the aerial view of Google Maps, the home appears to be well-maintained, with trimmed
green grass and evenly spaced trees beside the road. Parking is on the street, but it does not seem
to be too crowded. There is even a small elevated roundabout in the street outside to slow down
traffic. The surrounding neighborhood is mainly residential, with a couple churches and
Weinland Park located to the west. This makes the area seem more desirable because there are
no obnoxious signs or blaring lights like a more commercial area would have. The location of the
development is very convenient for families of low income because it is 0.6 miles from the
Kroger grocery store on High Street and within walking distance to the COTA bus line that runs
downtown. New homes are also being constructed in a development across the street, so the
value of the area seems very promising.

For the Weiland Park Homes location the crime analytics, in terms of the number of crimes committed at each distance are as follows: 500ft-8, 1000ft-35, 0.25mi-60, and 0.5mi-496. With the buffer set at 0.5mi, the density map shows that the greatest concentration of crime occurs the further outward you move from the property. Criminal occurrences appear to be the hottest nearing the Southern Campus and Italian Village areas. The most common types of crime are non-criminal offenses, burglary from motor vehicles, assault and theft.

The z-estimate for nearby homes starts to increase as you get further from the property. One reason for this might be because it’s hard to have affordable housing right next to market-rate because some people wouldn’t look at that as “fair.” Why should they pay $1,000+ per month when their next-door neighbor pays roughly $650 per month? Another reason for this may be because those with the means to pay for market-rate housing want neighbors with similar looking houses and yards. It’s typical for crime rates to go up around affordable housing, for various reasons; therefore, some people aren’t willing to live near affordable housing.

Nearby Schools:
Weinland Elementary School: 3/10
Dominion Middle School: 5/10
Whetstone High School: 3/10

St. George on the Commons:
St. George on the Commons is located in a very diverse area, where buildings range from
brick to Tudor style and residential units are mixed with commercial facilities. The complex
matches the red-colored façade of the building across the street and its unique “X” shape mirrors
a few of the other buildings on the block. The height and density appears to fit in well with its
surroundings. The lot seems to be very well-maintained along its expansive lawn. In the Google
Earth image, the lines from the lawnmower are even still apparent. A large parking lot is situated
behind the building, which is helpful to escape the congestion on the street. Many health-related
centers are located to the north of the complex, a sports park lies to the east, and a Catholic
school and childcare is a short walk to the south. The closest grocery store is 2.8 miles away,
which might be a little bit of a walk while carrying grocery bags back. In street view, a sign for
the complex can be read with the words “Sponsored by: The Annunciation Greek Orthodox
Cathedral”. It appears that the church is doing a lot of good work for the low-income residents
living here.

For the St. George on the Commons location the crime analytics, in terms of the number of crimes committed at each distance are as follows: 500ft-N/A, 1000ft-19, 0.25mi-23, and 0.5mi-103. In comparison to the Weiland Park Homes location, with the buffer set at 0.5mi for the St. George on the Commons location, the density map shows that the crime is more distributed around the property versus being primarily concentrated in a particular area. There is also a much lower occurrence of crime in general. The most common crimes are burglary, theft, fraud, and vandalism.

With the exception of a few houses, property values again tend to increase the further away you. Again, there are plenty of reasons as to why that might be, and one of those could be the fact that the schools in these areas aren’t good, so parents live further from those neighborhoods and closer to ones in better school districts. Because this is a demand, the property values in these neighborhoods go up.

Nearby Schools:
Winterset Elementary School: 5/10
Ridgeview Middle School: 5/10
Centennial High School: 5/10

Property 1: The Creative Living Center

Address: 1531 Perry St. Columbus, OH 43201

Source: Google Images

The Creative Living Center is an older build, with the purpose of providing people with affordable housing. The complex does not look aesthetically pleasing. However, it is better than what people normally think of when thinking about affordable housing. The complex does not match the surrounding architectural styles of the neighborhood. While the complex is constructed of the same brick the surrounding buildings are, the houses and the complex take on very different architectural styles. The scale is weird as well. The complex is one story and square shaped with a courtyard in the middle. The surrounding houses are 2 stories and the buildings are multiple stories. We would consider this to be an unattractive building due to the lack of updating done to the property. The landscaping seems to be maintained. The bushes are trimmed and the flower gardens have mulch in them. However, the backside of the property could use some updated landscaping. This could be as simple as weeding, trimming some trees, and putting in mulch. The property could also use new fencing, or a new coat of paint on them. The complex is located in a neighborhood across from the OSU medical complex on the south-western edge of campus. The complex is also located next to the Franklin County Coroner’s office. The closest grocery store is a Kroger on High Street. It is a 3 minute drive or a 15 minute walk. Also located on High Street are restaurants and stores. 

Secondary effects of the complex include crime and education as well as property values. Although when first looking at the crime rate around this are it seems sparse, as soon as the radius is set to .5 miles, the amount of crime rises extraordinary. There are a couple aggravated assault charges near the hospital but those seem isolated. Most of the crime happening is burglary, theft, and auto theft. For someone who wants to live in the city, this area is a much safer option since the crime is concentrated mostly towards the east. The houses surrounding the apartment complex go for a very low monthly rate (somewhere between $600-$800 per person per month). As one moves more south, the houses and apartments are kept up and expensive. The Harrison Apartments that are near it go for about $1,500 a month for a one bedroom apartment. These could be considered affordable housing for different income groups. It makes sense that the farther away the houses are from a college campus the more expensive and nicer they are. The location alone will raise cost since being near a campus isn’t desirable. Moving further away from campus and being in the city will cause rent to skyrocket. The elementary school closest to this building is Weinland Park Elementary School. On GreatSchools it showed that it was not a diverse or high testing school. It also said that all of the students are low income which poses the question of whether it is (1) safe or (2) a school where a kid can prosper academically.

Property 2: The Commons at Third

Address: 1280 Norton Ave. Columbus, OH 43212

Source: Google Images

The Commons at Third is a newly constructed affordable housing property. The entire area is new construction so it matches the surrounding aesthetics. The scale of the building is similar to those across the street. The buildings in that area are also similar in height. Landscaping is minimal, but looks typical of new development. Commons at Third is in the middle of other residential buildings. The developer did a good job with matching its surroundings and making the building desirable, and pleasing to look at.

Some secondary effects of the affordable housing unit are crime and property values of surrounding buildings. Crime seems to be very minimal in this area with theft being the most common, but still few. The crime tends to be more concentrated in the east where downtown starts. The property values around the affordable housing unit seem to remain consistent and only seem to fluctuate which are you are in. Housing values actually raise to the south of it where a lot of new construction is happening. The housing seems to have no effect on nearby property values. The schools are also excellent. Grandview public schools are rated from a seven out of ten all the way to a nine out of ten. The Commons at Third was a well done public housing projects. It blends into the neighborhood and does not bring any perceived negative connotations like crime and lower property values.

Sources:

-Zillow

-Google Images

-GreatSchools

MAK Production Blog 6

New Village Place is an affordable housing site at 130 Piscitelli Place in Columbus, Ohio. This building, in our opinion, is in a great location. There are nearby schools, religious centers, and parks. Its architectural style and red brick exterior matches nicely with the surrounding buildings. This building fits in well with the neighborhood and the nearby apartment complexes near to it. There are some single family homes in the area, but we observe that a large percentage of the population lives in multifamily buildings or apartment complexes. The landscape of the building is well kept and appealing with many flowers, bushes, and trees. Within the area, there are various spaces for recreation and family services- like parks and religious centers. There is a Kroger within walking distance (0.8 miles away). With past experience of the area, it would be safe to walk during the day while there is light, but traveling on that sidewalk alone at night may want to be avoided in order to stay safe; however, there is always plenty of lighting on High Street, and if the walk couldn’t be avoided past dark, it would likely be safe. We gathered that there is no nearby parking lot for the facility, but there is enough within walking distance that not owning a vehicle would not lower the quality of life for residents. There are also public transportation stops near the house that are likely helpful to people without vehicles.  The aesthetics and location of the building are nice and do not seem to stand out in any way.

Crime may be an issue near the area due to North High Street being the next block over from the residence. North High Street can be full of life, but also it is dangerous to walk alone and is not as well kept as many would like. High Street is the main corridor to basic necessities for people in this residence, so this could be an issue for New Village Place. At 500 feet from the residence, there were roughly 7 accounts of crime. There were 118 accounts of crime within 1000 feet of the residence. There were 163 accounts for .25 of a mile, and 191 accounts for .5 mile distance from the house. The density is highest on North High Street, probably due to the high pedestrian and car traffic. Burglaries and thefts were most common. Prices for nearby homes is relatively constant within 500 and 1000 feet, so we have assessed that affordable housing does not necessarily impact the costs of other homes. As you get further from the property to the West, properties seem to lose value due to being so close to High street and towards the East, homes go up in value. The schools available are Weinland Park Elementary School, Dominion Middle School, and Whetstone High School. The GreatSchools Rating for local schools are relatively low. 

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Middle

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1531 Perry Street Columbus, OH- Creative Living Center

The Creative Living Center is located at 1531 Perry Street in Columbus, Ohio. It is an affordable house complex with mostly one-bedroom apartments. One of the team members, Kari, lives just a few houses down from this complex and feels that it is a great neighborhood to live in with rich culture and ties to its history. This building, though, is not a great fit into the neighborhood of single-family historic homes. The Creative Living Center is single story and built in a square shape with a grass plaza in the inside of the building complex. It is located directly across from the Ohio State Medical Campus and Hospital. It is in a great location, however, it doesn’t fit all too well with the other buildings and homes in the area. The building has an attractive grass plaza but the mix of a brick and vinyl looks cheap on this building. The fencing outside of the building looks old and run down as well. Fixing this fence would make the housing complex more inviting and modern. Without prior information on what the building was, it only stuck out as a run down building; now knowing what it is, it is understandable why it is not well-kept. The street next to the building is brick and the surroundings of the building are aligned with the rest of the historical district. Parking is available on the premises, along with opportunities to street park. With the hospital across the street, the streets and sidewalks are typically well-lit and well-kept. The nearby buildings are mostly just residential, other than the hospital. King Avenue is a road nearby with food and retail, and a little further down in North High Street. Access to the closest grocery store would be taking that path to Kroger on the corner of King Avenue and North High Street. It is a fifteen minute walk or three minute drive to the grocery store, and from experience, the walk is relatively pleasant and safe. 

Crime is low in the area. Only 1 crime was reported within the last 6 months within 500 feet of the residence. Within 1000 feet, there are 7 reported incidents. In a quarter mile distance, there were 14 incidences and in a half mile there were 169 incidences of crime. Most crimes are burglary from motor vehicle and theft. Crime is not concentrated around the property. There are more dense crime areas near the hospital and down the street towards King Avenue. The price of houses in this area is very constant. Due to being near the university and the hospital, the prices of homes are high and get lower as there gets to be more distance from the school and hospital. The affordable housing complex makes no difference in the prices or values of nearby homes. The schools serving this home have relatively low GreatSchools Ratings, especially for elementary school children. This may be because there may not be a large number of school-aged children in the area. 

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Overall, the two affordable housing complexes we studied were in relatively safe and high populated areas. The buildings may not have blended in great with those around it; however, neither of the buildings were too worn down or unpleasing. The greatest concern for these two affordable housing complexes would be the quality of schools in the area. This does not give equal opportunity to other children or families. If we were to change what we didn’t like about the housing complexes, we would modernize the building and advocate for better public schooling in the area.

Site 1:Network restoration II

Google Maps, Google, www.google.com/maps/place/1326+Indianola+Ave,+Columbus,+OH+43201/@39.9899775,-83.0032624,3a,75y,172.95h,80.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHM3Cy7mCMgv-dyWgYDnyyg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x88388ecf46779215:0x3857899af1fbb34!8m2!3d39.9897842!4d-83.00311.

Evaluation:

Buildings in the surrounding area at this location are all different. The buildings from Network Restoration II are mainly red-brick townhouses; while the townhouses at the other side of the street are yellow-ish and grey-ish color. All three townhouses are all built in different materials and directions. For example, some of them have a private stair and front yard while others only have a shared hallway; also, some of them are facing the street while others facing the buildings next to them. Different from the other townhouses where you can have part of the building by yourselves, one of them is more like a two-floor apartment where you may only have a room of it. There are also single-family houses mixed in the neighborhood, building in different styles, materials, and colors. These buildings are also at different height, with various amount of residents living in. This building can’t be an attractive one because the neighborhood is dirty, old, and complex. It’s also lack of facilities such as a parking lot and the area for people to do exercise. There are some grasses and trees but there can be more; there are also trash on the ground that could be taken care of by the community because I can hardly see any dumpsters; in addition, several lights and electricity lines make the neighborhood look disordered; and lastly, there is only fencing around the single-family houses since most of these spaces are shared by multiple people and there is no certain people who is responsible for the fencing. The building we are looking at is almost at the center of a big neighborhood, so most of the buildings in the surrounding area are residential used. There is a Kroger and a pharmacy right outside this large neighborhood, which is within walking distance and very convenient for residents to get things they need. There are also many other stores and restaurants on the main street that outside the neighborhood. In general, the conditions and environment in the neighborhood is not very satisfying, but it is easy to approach the nearby business areas. 

Secondary Effects:

When observing crime analytics at 500 ft of the Network Restoration II, 16 crimes occurred in that area; at 1000 ft, 96 crimes occurred; at .25 miles, 197 crimes occurred; at .5 miles, the number of crimes was so high that it would take an immense amount of time to count. Taking into consideration the amount of crimes at .25 miles, 197, I would estimate that the number of crimes occurring at .5 miles would be well over 300. Using the density map, the most dense sections of crime are not concentrated on the property, but close by. If observing the density at different levels, the crime density does change, however, it is never located at the Network Restoration II. Although it is observed to be fairly consistent around Weinland Park and along High Street. While the crime map can be a bit convoluted, it appears that burglary from motor vehicles and assault are the most common crimes at .5 miles from the Network Restoration II. The property values of the areas within 500 ft of Network Restoration are around 250,000. When 1000 ft away, they decrease towards Krogers to 200,000 and increase away from Krogers to about 300,000. When 0.25 miles away, there seems to be no significant jump in prices of the surrounding homes. The housing is staying in relatively the same price due to similar value of the land. All the surrounding housing is similar quality to the Network Restoration II so it would make sense to have similar pricing. The school district in the area is Columbus City School District. There is an elementary school within a mile of the housing that has a three out of ten on GreatScore. 

Site 2: Commons at Third

“Commons At Third.” Google Maps, 2019,

www.google.com/maps/@39.9854484,-83.0320364,3a,75y,70.56h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sE3vpG7Rza2HZdIPR9aI-6g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DE3vpG7Rza2HZdIPR9aI-6g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D65.264366%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192.

Evaluation:

This property matches the surrounding buildings in its architectural style and building materials. The look of the affordable housing matches surrounding buildings like the Quinn and the Edgehill.  The Commons at Third also match the size and shape of the surrounding buildings as they are also multiple-family homes. The Commons is architecturally beautiful in the mix of glass, stone and brick. The area looks well kept and cared for for the residents.Parking is used on the street as well as behind the building. The only improvements that could be made is the excessive construction that is occurring around the area. However, this does not take away from the beauty of the building. The looks of the housing facility exceed the surrounding areas even though they are fairly similar. Around the Commons at Third there are many businesses for the residents to use. While the building is surrounded by some residential buildings, most of the area around it is commercial. These commercial areas include businesses like Goodwill, Hot Yoga Studio Columbus, Budget Car Rental, and Market District Supermarket. These stores are in a good location for the residents especially the grocery store. The Market District Supermarket is only a block away from the Commons at Third. 

Secondary Effects: 

When observing crime analytics at 500 ft of the Commons at Third, 10 crimes occurred in that area; at 1000 ft, 19 crimes occurred; at .25 miles, 44 crimes occurred; at .5 miles, 144 crimes occurred. Using the density map, the most dense sections of crime are not concentrated on the property, but close by. If observing the density at different levels, the crime density does change, however, it is never located at the Commons at Third. While the crime map can be a bit convoluted, it appears that burglary from motor vehicles is the most common crime at .5 miles from the Commons at Third. The property values of the area within 500 ft of Network Restoration II are around $300,000; the property values within 1000 ft are around $350,000; the property values within .25 miles are around $400,000. However, the range of housing prices in this area vary wildly. The price would dip down to around $190,000 and rise to $544,00; these prices were true from the 500 ft area to the .25 mile area. It does seem that the property values of homes appeared to increase the further away from the affordable housing. These housing facilities are not within any school districts. The closest school is a private school that parents would have to pay for.