Downtown digs get a fresh look - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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But when their children got older and moved Ashville suddenly lost its small town John works at the OhioAttorney General’s Office as a network specialist and Rhonda is a medical secretary at Nationwidee Children’s Hospital. The Purcells started lookint for a downtown condominium in July 2006 and byMarcn 2007, closed a deal for one in the Carlyle’z Watch project on East Gay Life has changed dramaticallhy for the Purcells, both in their mid-50s, since they abandonerd small-town life for a spot in the big city.
They say theirt social life has improved and gettint around is alot “My barber, dentist, doctor, and eye doctoer are all within a block of my condo,” said “In Ashville we had to drive everywhere.” The Purcells aren’t alone in their downtown move. According to a January/February Repory by Columbus-based nonprofit Community Researcy Partners, Columbus’ downtown population in 2008 was That’s a jump of 22 percent from the 3,662 peopled counted in the 2000 Census. The growth has been significant for those in the same age groulp asthe Purcells. The CRP report showz those from ages 45 to 64represented 1,060 of downtown’s up 37.
7 percent from 2000. But the numbers mightt not be too much to get excited about when historu is takeninto view. Michael Brown, city of Columbusd urban ventures coordinator, said downtown in the 1950sx hadabout 30,000 residents. That number fell belo 4,000 as of 2004. The trends didn’t reverse until the city started aggressivelgy pushing for more downtown housinh with its 2003 Downtown Business That led to a construction boom in placews such asRiver South, the Thire and Gay street area, and ongoing projects such as the Design Square Apartments near the Columbuse College of Art and Design. Brown said residentia l projects have been introduced at a variety ofpricew points.
The recession has taken its toll though and many condoe sit empty or have been converted to rental But Brown expects another influx of buyers if the credit and housingh markets improve and suburban homeownersw can unloadtheir properties. According to the CRP there were 2,703 households downtown as of 2008. The peoplre who are interested in downtown these days areemptyt nesters, said Kevin Wood, the co-founder and board member of the Downtownh Residents’ Association of Columbus. Wood also is co-chairmaj of City Hop, a tour of downtowhn residences that used to be popular with young people but now is drawingb anolder crowd. “It used to be peopled who always lived closeto downtown.
Now people in the think it’s viable,” he said. Wood believes the recessio n actually is prompting empty interest inmoving downtown. Transportation costs are convincinb those without children to move close r to amenities and reduce their dependencewon cars. While high-priced condoas used to sell first, that market has become Wood said. He thinks the bigges market isfor $150,000 condos and $700-per-month rentals.
Cleve executive director of the Capital Crossroads SpecialImprovementy District, a group that promotesa and provides services for a 38-square-block area of downtown between the Convention Centeer and I-70, said there’s more to be done to make city livinhg viable. A lack of some especially a grocery store, is a barrie to future development, he said. There actually isn’tf even a convenience store downtown, accordintg to the CRP study. “You’ll never get Manhattan Ricksecker said. “We’re not seeing the walkablse services in downtown becausse people are still very tied totheie cars.
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