| High Street Plan Summary |
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Campus Partners published A Plan for High Street: Creating a 21st Century Main Street in August 2000. Columbus City Council subsequently adopted the plan as an official city document in May 2002. The public policies and public and private actions recommended in the plan will enhance the civic and commercial vitality of High Street in the University District. The plan also identifies a number of redevelopment opportunities which are consistent with good, urban "Main Street" design. This document is a valuable planning tool for the University Area Commission, University Area Review Board, the city and the private sector. The study that led to preparation of A Plan for High Street had a four-part mission: * Restore High Street as the symbolic heart of the University District * Re-establish High Street as a vital "Main Street" * Create a place for new economic opportunities * Reinforce High Street as an environment that supports learning The plan proposes a series of urban design principles in which High Street should be: * Viewed as common ground * Enjoyed as a walkable street which invites pedestrian use * Enriched by diverse economic opportunities * Linked to adjacent neighborhoods * Enhanced by both traditional and cutting edge design * Enlivened by a distinctive public realm Five key actions are identified in the plan as forming "a cohesive strategy for recapturing the street's vitality and integral role in the lives of the district's residents." The actions are: 1. Take tangible steps to protect and enhance High Street's urban fabric through development and design guidelines and a commercial zoning overlay. 2. Form a parking management entity to manage the district's parking as a system. 3. Establish a special improvement district. 4. Support strategic redevelopment opportunities. 5. Improve the public realm with new pedestrian lights, pedestrian crossings and other streetscape enhancements. The preparation of the plan also provided the design framework for South Campus Gateway, Campus Partners' signature redevelopment project. The design principles articulated in the plan also have influenced several other completed and pending private development projects on High Street. |