COLUMBUS – New homes and businesses, a rec center, sidewalks and streetlights are all part of a multi-million-dollar plan to improve the Linden area unveiled Tuesday by Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther.
The “One Linden” plan is the result of a year and a half of discussions with residents and other groups about workforce, transportation, health and safety, housing and retail and small business for the once-thriving Northeast Side community that has been overtaken by poverty and blight.
Ginther calls the plan – which includes at $20 million community recreation center and another $3 million worth of infrastructure and lighting improvements — a “roadmap for a safe neighborhood.”
“The One Linden plan will set the course for long-term transformation of the neighborhood through community involvement, city investments and important partnerships with private and other public sectors,” he said.
Part of the plan includes the transformation of the areas around the I-71/Hudson Street interchange and the intersections of Cleveland and Myrtle avenues and Cleveland and 11th Avenue into business and retail centers, creating a “downtown” for the area around Cleveland Avenue from approximately E 5th Avenue in the south to Cooke Road in the north.
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The plan, which may take more than 10 years to complete, aims to spur economic development, improve and access to affordable housing and quality healthcare, education and employment opportunities that will “help stabilize families and empower residents,” Ginther said.
“As a lifelong Linden resident I have been through many planning efforts, but this one feels different, and I am excited about the future of my neighborhood,” said community advocate and former South Linden Area Commission Chair George Walker.
Highlights of the plan include a $20 million Linden Community Recreation Center to be completed by The Pizzuti Companies 2020, $2 million in Neighborhood Crisis Response funds for gap sidewalks, ADA ramps and neighborhood cleanup; $1.2 million in street lights on Cleveland Avenue between Chittenden and Hudson avenues.
Easton Town Center co-developer Georgetown committed $4.25 million as part of a tax increment financing agreement for infrastructure projects and an additional $1.5 million cash payment for revitalization efforts.
Habitat for Humanity Mid-Ohio will invest $10 million to build new homes, and rehab and repair existing homes
The plan also includes elements that will improve access to health care and offer recreational activities for youth: Through the Smart Columbus initiative, the Prenatal Trip Assistance program will transport pregnant women to health care appointments and Battelle has invested $1 million in after-school programming being run by the YMCA.
Projects will be implemented over the next 10 years, Ginther said.