“Columbus is Columbus’ biggest critic,” Nic Parish, of the Burns Group and Friendly City Development, told a crowd of roughly 50 Thursday during the groundbreaking ceremony for Parkview.
After more than a decade of planning, fundraising and preparation by the Columbus Redevelopment Authority, multiple city administrations, partners and developers, any doubt about whether the project would come together was difficult to square as shovels broke ground.
“Let’s look at this project and understand that we can do big things,” Parish said. “We can do really hard things.
“… Let’s not look back 20 years from now and say this is the biggest thing to happen in Columbus in 20 years,” he added. “Let’s not do that. Let’s keep going.”
The groundbreaking on Thursday is the latest step in redeveloping the Burns Bottom Urban Renewal District, a process that began in 2015. The CRA purchased more than 70 lots in the 18-acre site between Third and Fourth Street and Second and Seventh Avenue North, most of them dilapidated or vacant.
Marthalie Porter, president for the CRA board, credited city administration at the time for investing in plans for developing Burns Bottom.
“They knew it would be difficult, but they got behind it,” Porter said Thursday during the ceremony. “They saw the vision and they enacted that, and then they also backed it up with a $3.2 million bond. That is what gave us the initial money … we had to purchase 18 acres.”
Along with the city’s commitment, the CRA secured $3 million from the state for the redevelopment and $2.2 million in federal funds to cover preliminary infrastructure work.
Along the way, Porter said the board shaped a vision for the property – a mixed-use redevelopment featuring both residential and commercial properties – knowing a developer may want to take the project in a different direction.
But the vision held.
“As it turns out, we’re so lucky that Nic Parish and Saunders Ramsey came together, and they saw the vision that we saw, which is just incredible,” Porter said.
Friendly City Development – led by Parish, his brother Garrett Parish and Ramsey, of Live Adelaide LLC – purchased the 70-plus Burns Bottom lots from the CRA in August for $800,000 after more than a year of negotiations, with plans to sell 28 lots in the first phase, priced between $48,000 and $80,000.
While the project could see homes completed by 2027, those builds depend on the lot owners’ timelines. Additional phases include opening up about 24 other lots for more houses with the possibility of mixed-use and commercial spaces like stores and office spaces.
For Parish, it is a deeply personal project.
“This is a milestone for my career, personally,” he said. “It’s something that I’ll look back (on) and say, ‘So many people had faith. So many people had vision.’”
For Saunders, who developed the Adelaide subdivision in Starkville, the project is an opportunity to not only change the physical landscape but the way residents experience the neighborhood entirely.
“I want you to see the pedestrian strategies,” Saunders said. “I want you to see the front porches and the way people live. I want you to see the way your visitors at the park experience what we provide, … the way people participate in a community. … We are actively changing the way people live by changing the way this place feels.”
11 lots under contract
In the coming months, Parish said passersby can expect to see earthwork and utility installation starting at the site. Several roads around the site were blocked off Saturday to begin preparing the site for work, he said.
Realtor Colin Krieger told The Dispatch 11 of the lots are currently under contract, though he’s seen interest from six potential clients since the groundbreaking was scheduled.
“We’ve also had multiple inquiries into potential commercial development in the area,” Krieger wrote in a text to the Dispatch. “… I’ve had quite a few people waiting to see some dirt turn. I think it makes it more real.”
Speaking to the crowd during the groundbreaking Thursday, Mayor Stephen Jones called Parkview a catalyst for continued development not just in downtown but throughout Columbus.
“Our plan is, once the redevelopment is through with this project, whether it be down by Seventh Avenue or whether it be down by Propst Park,” Jones told The Dispatch after the ceremony. “We want to redevelop those areas, … making sure that we’re putting all of our resources into making our city as nice as it can be.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
