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MidTown in Motion
E-NEWSLETTER
August 2007
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Dear MidTown Stakeholder,
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I take great pride in the fact that the Columbus Museum is the western cultural anchor for MidTown Columbus just as the Columbus Library serves as its eastern anchor. The Columbus Museum, since it opened in 1953, has provided the experience of art and history through collections, traveling exhibitions, symposia, programs, lectures and film. As we are fond of saying: the Museum is always changing and always free.
The Columbus Museum is one of the only art and history museums in the entire southeast, and has over 6,000 objects in its permanent collection. The art collection focuses on the development of American fine and decorative arts from colonial times up to the present, and is particularly strong in American drawings, American impressionist paintings and southern folk art. The history collection focuses on the social and cultural history of the lower Chattahoochee River Valley. The Museum is one of the few museums in the United States that is a part of the school system; in fact, we are an integral aspect of public education in the arts and in history and social studies. We have a fine reference library with almost 6,000 volumes in art history and American history. The Museum's grounds and gardens are open to all. We are especially proud of the ongoing restoration of the garden designed and built in the late 1920s by the renowned Frederick Law Olmsted & Sons firm.
Besides working in MidTown Columbus, I also live in MidTown. In the summer of 2004, my wife, Marilyn, and I located temporary quarters in MidTown while awaiting the expected construction of a new home in Green Island. During that summer, we found ourselves falling in love with the neighborhood around us with its mix of homes and businesses. Evening walks with our dogs in Dinglewood Park and casual get-togethers with new neighbors made us aware of a strong sense of community that was compelling, and thus made us start looking at available properties nearby. Eventually we opted not to build and instead found a wonderful Tudor Revival home that was rich in history (from the stories we hear, every kid in Wynnton played in our house in the 1930's) and reflective of the solid craftsmanship so prevalent in the 1920s homebuilding in Columbus. Front porch living and warm greetings from neighbors who are passing by make us so glad that we chose to live here: MidTown is home.
We are thrilled with the efforts being made by MidTown, Inc. to maintain this sense of neighborhood for all of us.
We hope others recognize what a good thing we have here and join the effort to make it even better!
Sincerely,
Tom Butler
Director
Columbus Museum
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| What is MidTown? |
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We welcome our new stakeholders (139 since June!). MidTown Columbus encompasses an area of over six square miles in the heart of Columbus, Georgia. It radiates from Wynnton Road and a core of six contiguous historic neighborhoods. It boundaries are: Talbotton/Warm Springs Roads on the north; I-185 on the east; 10th Avenue on the west; and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. on the south.
MidTown is intriguing for its simultaneous diversity and community. It contains homegrown businesses that serve the neighborhood and the world. It contains historic homes and a postmodern library. MidTown is at once Columbus's history and its future.
As a renewal organization, MidTown, Inc. was met with equal measures of challenge and opportunity. Few renewal efforts start with the solid base of housing stock and stable neighborhoods enjoyed by MidTown residents; yet, some of those resources were being threatened by incompatible zoning encroachment and a loss of access to retail. Growth had become stagnate, but what existed was a remarkable weave of neighborhoods and an inextinguishable sense of place - the distinctiveness of MidTown Columbus.
After a three year, $350,000 long range community visioning process, MidTown, Inc. was formed to implement, in coordination with local officials, a better, more sustainable growth model for this area. In its first year of existence, MidTown, Inc. can boast of many accomplishments, and tell of many more to come. Our mission statement is succinctly stated: In support of community, conservation and diversity, MidTown, Inc. - through education and advocacy - works to sustain and enhance the neighborhoods and businesses within MidTown Columbus.
Please visit our website to learn more about The MidTown Story and our Accomplishments and Redevelopment Priorities. You can help spread the word about the progress in MidTown by forwarding this e-Newsletter to those on your email lists. Ask them to "Join Our Mailing List" by clicking on the icon above. You may also stop by our headquarters at 1236 Wildwood Avenue, just off of Wynnton Road, to pick up a brochure and T-shirt or bumper sticker. |
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New CVS Coming to Macon Road |
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Macon Road Facade
Auburn Avenue Facade
The CVS design has an attractive brick facade with a corner entrance facing the intersection of Macon Road and Auburn Avenue, directly across from the new CB&T MidTown bank branch. A drive-thru pharmacy window is planned on the Mercury Drive side of the building for customer convenience. The site plan for the project shows a landscaped parking lot with large specimen trees, such as oaks. (The parking lot landscaping exceeds the tree density units required by local ordinance). "We are pleased to see such a nicely designed building and treed parking lot. We will be getting the convenience of a national retail store in an attractive setting. This design will be a complement to the new library and the new CB&T branch", says John Agnew, local attorney and resident of the Wynnton Grove neighborhood that abuts this retail area.
Construction is expected to start in 2007.
The Foresite Group of Atlanta has recently announced plans to build a new CVS Pharmacy at the intersection of Macon Road and Auburn Avenue. The construction of the CVS facility will replace the entire block between Auburn Avenue and Mercury Drive, which is currently a mish-mash of car repair lots. The CVS store is expected to occupy some 13,000 square feet of the building, while two tenants will occupy separate space of approximately 2,000 square feet each. One potential tenant is a coffee shop. |
| Wynnton Road Corridor Revitalization Plan |
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As you may recall from our earlier newsletters, MidTown, Inc. received a $50,000 grant from the National Trust and the Knight Foundation to have traffic engineering consultants study the Wynnton/Macon Road corridor. Issues being addressed through this study (which is taking place in conjunction with the Columbus Consolidated Government transportation planning department, as well as the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT)) are the efficient movement of vehicular traffic, pedestrian accessibility, and streetscape aesthetics. Challenges to be addressed by the consultants are how to design a more efficient road within the existing, tight right of way. Our consultants have met this challenge head on and have proposed an exciting Phase 1 plan to remake the core Wynnton Road corridor from Peacock Avenue to Hilton Avenue, some 2,300 linear feet. This proposed design will support the continued revitalization of MidTown, improve safety for pedestrians and drivers, provide an improved safe route to Wynnton Elementary School, and support community desires for the streetscape of the corridor.
 The plan proposes establishing a typical six foot wide landscape strip adjacent to the curb, and a six foot wide sidewalk beyond it within existing right-of-way. Within the typical six foot wide landscape strip, street trees and street lights are proposed. The exact species and placement will be as approved by the Georgia DOT. Street trees and the shade they provide are a critical component of the MidTown renewal vision, and will greatly improve pedestrian comfort and visual aesthetics along the corridor.
The proposed plan anticipates replacing an existing painted median between Cedar Avenue and Forest Avenue with a planted median. The median would average five feet in width and be planted with crape myrtle. Other options to install small medians in existing painted areas may also be achieved at Wildwood Avenue, and west of Hilton Avenue.
The proposed project will benefit pedestrians, disabled persons, transit riders, school children, and drivers. This project anticipates installing ADA-accessible facilities and high visibility crosswalks along the stretch of the project. It will also support the continued revitalization of adjacent properties. New, smooth sidewalks will reduce trip hazards and provide safe walking routes. Drivers will benefit from reduced turning conflicts resulting from potential curb cut consolidation and a continuity of vehicular lane width along the corridor.
The City of Columbus recently applied for a $1 million Transportation Enhancement Act grant from the Georgia DOT to implement this proposed plan. We should learn later this month whether the City will receive this grant. You can learn more about the Wynnton Road Corridor Revitalization Plan by going to our website. |
| MidTown, Inc. Annual Update - Mark Your Calendar |
Please join us for a community update on the accomplishments and projects of MidTown, Inc. Tuesday September 18, 2007, 5:30 p.m.at the Columbus Museum Auditorium. All are welcome, and please bring a friend, co-worker or neighbor. Because of the hour of the day, we will start promptly at 5:30 and keep the meeting to 1 hour. We hope you will join us to hear of our exciting progress.
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Investing in MidTown Made Easy |
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You know about MidTown's neighborhoods and parks; its educational and cultural highlights; its central location linking east to west, and north to south Columbus; its historic past and potential for a dynamic future. You see that MidTown reflects a character that is distinctively Columbus.
As Columbus taxpayers, we have already paid for the substantial infrastructure - from roads and sewers to schools and public safety - that sustains MidTown Columbus. It makes sense to reclaim fragile areas of deterioration and create a more vibrant MidTown community to optimize the investment we have already made. MidTown's revitalization benefits the entire Columbus region with sustainable growth and positive economic activity. Get the investment return that you deserve.
Support the organization that supports MidTown Columbus. Invest in MidTown's future by contributing to the efforts of MidTown,Inc. MidTown, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, non-profit organization. Contributions made to MidTown, Inc. are tax deductible. To access our on-line giving page click Invest in MidTown. |
| Smokin' Hot Properties In MidTown |
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MidTown, Inc. | 1236 Wildwood Avenue | Columbus | GA | 31906
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