All Forum Posts by: Amanda Roderick

@James Kojo - yes, Parsons Ave south of Children's Hospital. German Village is west of Parsons and the east side has been neglected for several years but is starting to turn around. It's great to hear everyone's optimism about this area, I'm really hoping to see it turn around because there's so much potential there. 

Really great to read everyone's thoughts on this! @Michael Hamby & @David Roberts - when you say "University District" are you talking about the Old North? I do agree that the area north of OSU has potential since Clintonville has become so hot, but when I think of "University District", I can't help but picture all of the run-down college rentals that exist in that area (though I admit I pretty much avoid the OSU area and have for many years so perhaps it has changed since I lived there). 

I agree with your Franklinton comment @Michael Hamby, that it "needs more time" -- it will definitely take a long time to turn that area around and in order for it to become the "next Short North" and I think it will rely on the Scioto Peninsula development. Would love to see that happen! 

Probably the area that I would most LIKE to see flip around is E. Main St. in Olde Towne, which hasn't yet been mentioned in this thread... the street is already set up to be a commercial district, and it's a connector between downtown & Bexley. 

What would be great would be to see ALL of these areas turn into their own unique awesome neighborhood! 

This is one of my favorite conversations! And one that I consider to be a "million dollar question"...

I agree with your insights, except the University District. Yes, definitely, there are a number of developers improving that area significantly, but in regards to it being "The Next Short North", I don't think it ever will be since by nature that district caters to transient college kids. 

I agree that all the areas you mentioned are going to continue to improve. If I had to pick one area right now that will change the most in the near future, I would pick Franklinton for a number of reasons. I think Kaufman's Gravity project under construction on W. Broad is going to spur a lot of change that neighborhood, and if this Scioto Peninsula project moves forward as planned, it will be a game-changer for downtown west of the Scioto River. Plus the fact that the Short North became what it is today due to a significant numbers of artists that moved into the area and turned it around from the sketchy district it once was, which is exactly what is happening in Franklinton with the Idea Foundry and 400 W. Rich. 

With that said, there's a revitalization ceremony in Milo Grogan today and significant development happening in that neighborhood, as well as a lot going on in the Parsons Ave area. You're right, Children's Hospital has a vested interest in improving that neighborhood and their construction alone is changing the landscape around that part of the city. New apartments are going up southwest of the intersection of Parsons & Livingston that look like they'll be ready by spring or early summer next year, behind the new(ish) building that has Crest Parsons, the Fitness Loft & Local Matters, etc. There's also the East Public development that I'm hoping will come to fruition just south of there along Parsons. 

Regarding Old Towne, improvements seem to be slowly chugging along though not quite as quickly as some other areas. I used to live in the area and it has changed a LOT since then, but I think the fact that a lot of the houses are huge and many with significant deferred maintenance is a deterrent for many. I hope to see them all restored to their former glory as some are, because they are truly beautiful homes!

So much more happening all around the city - it's a pretty exciting time to be in Columbus and watching all the changes happening! Obviously this is all just my thoughts -- would love to hear other's opinions! Thanks for starting the conversation @Austin Steed!

Hello Ohio BP'ers -- I expect many of you will be at the OREIA Conference next weekend & I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible! 

Wondering if anyone will be at the Ohio Housing Conference this Tue-Thur (11/7-9)? I will only be there intermittently through the day(s) but will be at the evening networking events Tuesday & Wednesday... just thought I'd reach out to see if anyone else will be there as well and we may be able to meet up? 

Happy conference season! Looking forward to all of the learning opportunities next week. :)

Yes @Robert Ellis, I would like to hear how that works out for you. 

@Stephen Schoon, I'm not sure if other gas companies do the same but I would definitely like to know if there are ones out there that do not do things this way! Haven't had much time to look into it lately.. 

Thanks for all your replies! 

I'm

A) happy to hear I'm not doing this "wrong", but

B) sorry to hear so many people are getting screwed. 

I hear you all saying that it's just the cost of doing business but it just isn't right! AEP doesn't do this and they have a monopoly on their market too. 

Still feeling a bit irate (and I'm not an easy-to-anger person!) over the fact that we're paying for 3 months of service for 5 weeks. Combined with the 2 months our tenants will pay on both sides it's 5 months of fees for 3 months of service. 

Thanks again for your responses. I'm definitely wondering if this is normal for the whole US or just those who deal with Columbia Gas??

Hey fellow Columbus property owner/managers,

I'm hoping someone can offer a solution to our issue. We're still relatively new (2.5 years, and it's part-time) to managing a residential property, so I am thinking "there has to be a better way" to deal with this problem. Here it is: 

Every time a tenant moves out of one of our units, the Columbia Gas account automatically switches into our business account. Each time, we renovate the unit a bit more (we have been doing it all ourselves with this first 4-unit but won't continue with future properties as we have learned the hard way all the reasons you shouldn't do this yourself, but that's another story). So, the gas bill ends up being in our name often for an odd amount of time. Columbia Gas' policy is to charge a fixed monthly service charge ($27) for a full month even if it's only few days into a billing cycle and even if you do not use any gas. 

The last time we came across this problem a few months ago, I spent a lot of time on the phone with Columbia Gas representatives, and with PUCO (Public Utilities Commission), who first told me they could "help with my situation", then later that "there's nothing they can do". I ended spending so much time on it I ended up frustrated, and just paid the bill rather than continue to argue with them, and filed a formal complaint with PUCO. 

Here we are again, a unit was vacant for around 5 weeks (partially due to our vacation, not that it wouldn't have rented). Columbia Gas charged us for 3 MONTHS of gas service, since the account switched into our name a few days shy of the start of the cycle (whenever that is, the bill doesn't say the service period), and a few days into the third month. During this time, we used 3 ccfs of gas, and we're being charged $85 for the 5 weeks. We're going to call them again tomorrow, but I first wanted to reach out to you all in case there is some way to work around this mess. It is simply not right and of course they do not care. They told me the last time I spoke with them that they charge our tenants the full service charge for the same month we're paying for it because "they have to manage the account and send a bill". So in the last few years they've charged several extra months for our property, and it's infuriating! 

Does anyone have a solution? Do you have the same problem? Thanks in advance for your advice. 

Nate (husband) & I have met with fellow BP'ers over beers... We live near Groveport & you can buy us a beer anytime! (Ha). We're IPA drinkers. (Again, ha.) 

We have also met up w/ people for coffee. I agree w/ others, depends on the time of day... since we both work full time it tends to be happy hour-time when we can meet up. : )

Hi @Kurt Dieringer! I'm in CBus too and on the BP site for the same reasons (it is truly an awesome resource). Best of luck with scaling up! 

Hey @Grant Patmon! Still searching... looking for a deal as good as our first and haven't been successful yet! Considering lowering our "criteria".. :) 

We'd still love to get together to chat, I'll text you to set something up! We also want to go to the landlord meeting but haven't made it yet. Hope all is well in your world! 

Hey @Tim Dye.. I'm interested in learning more about the 4-units you may be selling.. where are they?