German Village Society
German Village Society
Long-Range Planning Committee
Meeting Minutes - October 21, 2010
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Attending: Eleanor Alvarez, Nick Cavalaris, Janet Druen, Cindy Farson, Teri Moore, Jay Panzer, Jo Anne St. Clair, Carolyn McCall (chair).
•“Village Connections” (aging in place/concierge services) [Eleanor Alvarez]
Eleanor gave a brief update on the research that the committee has done to date. She is keeping a master notebook for reference, as we are starting to accumulate quite a bit of information.
One of the programs that the committee has looked into over the past several months is Capitol Hill Village in Washington, DC. Thanks to a connection made by Eleanor, two of the founding members of Capitol Hill Village, Mike and Judy Canning, will meet with our committee on November 18 to offer insights as to how they got the concept off the ground.
In preparation, the committee brainstormed a list of questions for the Cannings. Eleanor is condensing the information, which she will send under separate cover. Eleanor and Carolyn will coordinate meeting details. The Cannings graciously offered to stop in Columbus as they return home to Washington from Chicago. In appreciation, Eleanor has invited them to stay in her cottage for the evening, and we will invite the Cannings to join us for dinner following the meeting.
Eleanor has also extended an invitation to Capitol Hill’s executive director, Gail Kohn, to meet with us in December via Skype. We are awaiting confirmation. We are interested in learning more about how the program functions today.
On the local front, Jo Anne St. Clair told us about conversations taking place locally with an aimtoward creating a formal Lifelong Communities/Age Friendly/Livable Cities initiative in central Ohio. Jo Anne will keep us apprised of developments.
Next steps: In January, we will digest what we learned, discuss how it applies to German Village and determine what additional work is needed to formulate a recommendation. We plan to make a report to the GVS board in February or March.
•Downtown Development [Nick Cavalaris]
Our committee continues to monitor nearby development and assess potential impact on German Village. Nick Cavalaris reported that Columbus Commons is moving along, with sod being installed on the 9-acre park this week. The opening is projected for spring 2011. A representative of Columbus Commons, Amy Taylor, will be invited to our February meeting to give us a better understanding of what is envisioned for the project, particularly the planned commercial/office/retail space.
Nick called our attention to the Scioto Mile project, which stretches from the Whittier Peninsula to the Arena District, is another major development that is expected to add to the downtown area’s amenities.
Next steps: Nick will continue to monitor the progress of these projects. The Columbus Commons representative will be invited to join us at our February meeting.
•Business/Residential Mix [Jo Anne St. Clair]
Jo Anne St. Clair reported that Roxyanne Burrus, a city planning expert formerly with the City of Columbus and now with Ohio State, was very receptive to the idea of assigning the busiiness/residential mix project to a class, probably in the winter quarter. This is a very promising development. In addition, Jo Anne has agreed to chair a sub-committee that will pursue this initiative.
Next steps: A luncheon meeting will be held with Roxyanne Burris on Nov. 2 to determine the project scope and timeline. A small sub-committee has been formed to oversee this initiative, but all Long-Range Planning committee members are welcome to participate. Please contact Jo Anne St. Clair if you are interested.
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Next meetings:
Thursday, November 18 (6:00 - 7:30 p.m.: Meeting with Capitol Hill Village founders)
Thursday, December 16 (6:00 - 7:30 p.m.: Meeting Capitol Hill Village executive director)
Meeting Schedule for 2011 (second Thursday of every month):
January 13
February 10
March 10
April 14
May 12
June 9
July 14
August 11
September 8
October13
November 19
December 8
All meetings are at the Meeting Haus starting at 6:00 p.m.