Groundbreaking for The Cole Friday, October 14, 2011

Following Lynne Maguire, chairwoman of the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Foundation, Columbus Mayor Fred Armstrong, Jane Hendrickson, of Buckingham Companies, City Councilman Jim Lienhoop and Tom Vujovich, former president of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission, make their exit Thursday after breaking ground for The Cole Apartments. After years of delays, The Cole will be built around the Cummins parking garage downtown. The ceremony was at Second and Jackson streets, which will be the southeast corner of the five-story complex.


THE REPUBLIC


Public-Private Project Set For Columbus Thursday, October 13, 2011
InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report

Officials in Columbus will break ground this morning on an $18 million mixed-use development. Indianapolis-based Buckingham Companies says The Cole will include residential and retail space in the heart of the city's downtown. The project is a public-private partnership among the city of Columbus, Buckingham Properties and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Columbus Mayor Fred Armstrong along with other community and business leaders are expected to attend the morning groundbreaking.

Original Article


Cole caps building boom here Thursday, October 13, 2011
BY PAUL MINNIS
pminnis@therepublic.com

If you want to get a sense of Columbus' bustling construction climate, stand near the Veterans Memorial next to the Bartholomew County Courthouse. You'll see workers swarming like ants in the shell of a future First Financial Banking Center, and heavy equipment breaking and swiping away aging steps outside City Hall. Walk to the north side of the courthouse, and you'll see machines clearing away an old sidewalk. Today, you can add The Cole apartments to the mix. Construction officially starts at 10:30 a.m. with a groundbreaking ceremony that will include Columbus city officials and representatives of Buckingham Cos., the developer. The $18 million Cole project, expected to be finished in about 18 months, will contain 146 apartments wrapped around three sides of the parking garage west of the courthouse.

Construction projects are going on in other parts of the city, too. For example, Columbus based Milestone Contractors has been widening National Road, and both Columbus high schools are undergoing major renovations. That said, it's debatable whether this is the city's best construction economy ever or simply very good. Mark Thompson, vice president and area manager for Milestone, said this is among the best construction climates he has seen. "Bartholomew County has offered a pretty stable labor base, even in a down economy," he said. "We've been very fortunate to participate in many of the projects over the years." David Doup, president of Taylor Bros. Construction, said Columbus is developing beautifully compared with other places where the company does business, and he gives credit to the foresight and courage of municipal leaders who have aggressively sought out companies. He said other development had proceeded even more briskly in other areas, though. There have been times when nearly every contractor had plenty of work, he said. Today, a lot of good companies struggle to land jobs. A study produced by the accounting and consulting firm Crowe Horwath, revealed that the Vision 20/20 effort, which includes Woodside Industrial Park, had produced $182.5 million in public and private projects and about 3,000 jobs. The study puts the number of indirect jobs at about 3,700, which result in all parts of the city because of development in the Vision 20/20 area. "Those numbers show an interest in building here and living here," said Ed Curtin, executive director of Columbus Redevelopment Commission. "It means jobs and a bigger tax base."


THE REPUBLIC



Groundbreaking For "The Cole" Thursday, October 13, 2011

A milestone was reached in the history of downtown Columbus Thursday morning. Groundbreaking for the 18-million dollar project called "The Cole" took place. The five-story tall structure is seen as the most significant step ever taken for downtown residential development. The top four-floors of the Jackson Street project, nestled between Second and Third Streets, will feature 146 upscale apartments. However, the first floor will be occupied by nine thousand square feet of retail space. Developers are hoping to attract such businesses as gourmet restaurants, fitness centers, internet cafes and theatres. Investors and public officials had originally planned to start construction back in 2008, but their plans were delayed by that year's flooding, as well as the ongoing global economic crisis. This mixed-use development is slated to be completed in March, 2013.


WCSI Local News
Original Article


Columbus breaks ground Thursday on downtown development Tuesday, October 11, 2011

A groundbreaking ceremony for The Cole, a mixed-use development in downtown Columbus, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Buckingham Companies representatives, including Jane Hendrickson, director of development operations, will be joined by Columbus Mayor Fred Armstrong; Edward Curtin, executive director of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission; and other local community and business leaders to kick off construction at the corner of Jackson Street and Second Avenue, just south of the city's new parking garage.

The Columbus Republic reports that the $18 million development will wrap apartments around the parking garage west of the Bartholomew County Courthouse. It will include 146 apartment units and 9,000 square feet of retail space. Construction is expected to be completed in 15 months.


IndyStar.com
Original Article