We, the undersigned residents, property owners, neighbors, and supporters of German Village, urge the German Village Commission and the City of Columbus to reject the Cedar Square development proposal in its current form.

We recognize that the Cedar Square property can and should be developed. Our objection is not to development of the site. Our concern is that the proposed development remains incompatible with the established character and scale of the German Village Historic District and the standards contained in the German Village Guidelines.

Despite revisions to the project, several fundamental problems remain.

Excessive Height, Massing and Scale
The proposed development remains too large for its surroundings.

The combination of its three-story height, density, massing, lot coverage, and more than 300 feet of continuous building along Blenkner Street creates a development substantially different in scale from the residential fabric surrounding the site.

German Village is characterized by buildings that relate to the human scale of their streets, sidewalks, alleys and neighboring structures. A development of this size would dominate its surroundings rather than fit within them.

More Than 300 Feet of Continuous Building Along Blenkner
One of the most significant problems with the proposal is the more than 300 feet of continuous building along Blenkner Street.

This is not simply an architectural or façade-design issue. A building extending more than 300 feet along a single street creates a scale fundamentally different from the smaller buildings, individual properties, varied setbacks and rhythm that characterize German Village.

Architectural treatments intended to visually break up the façade cannot fully compensate for the underlying length and mass of the building.

The Third Story Should Be Eliminated
The proposed third story is a fundamental reason the development remains incompatible with the scale and character of German Village.

Setbacks or other design techniques intended to reduce the visibility of the upper floor do not adequately address the problem. The third story contributes substantially to the building's overall mass and scale and allows a level of development that is inconsistent with the surrounding historic neighborhood.

The third story, which is does not conform with the German Village Guidelines, should be eliminated not simply redesigned or set back.

Blenkner Street and Dixon Alley Are Particularly Constrained
The project places substantial development immediately adjacent to an already narrow and constrained street and alley environment.

Residents have raised concerns regarding:

• pedestrian safety and the lack of adequate pedestrian refuge;
• vehicle access and maneuverability;
• service, delivery and loading activity;
• emergency access;
• construction staging;
  utility infrastructure; and
• the effect of adding substantial residential density to these narrow corridors.

These conditions are not theoretical. They are existing physical constraints that should influence the size and design of development on this site.

The Proposal Risks Setting a Harmful Precedent
Perhaps most importantly, approval of Cedar Square at this scale could affect decisions far beyond this property.

German Village property owners routinely appear before the German Village Commission seeking approval for additions and new construction. Height, massing, scale, setbacks and compatibility with neighboring buildings are regularly considered as part of those reviews.

Approving a development that substantially exceeds the traditional scale of the district makes it increasingly difficult to insist that future projects comply with those same principles.

The standards applied to Cedar Square should be the same standards applied throughout German Village.

The German Village Guidelines Must Matter
The German Village Guidelines exist to ensure that change can occur without gradually destroying the qualities that make the historic district worth protecting.

Development pressure will continue. Individual projects may each be presented as unique circumstances, but the cumulative effect of exceptions can permanently change the character of the district.

This is not only about Cedar Square. It is about whether the German Village Guidelines will continue to provide meaningful protection for the entire historic district.

We Support Development — But Development That Fits German Village
The Cedar Square site can accommodate new housing and productive development without requiring the community to abandon the preservation principles that have protected German Village for decades.

We urge the applicant to return with a substantially revised design that:

• eliminates the third story
• substantially reduces the more than 300 feet of continuous building mass along Blenkner Street;
• reduces the overall massing and density of the development;
  breaks the development into a scale more consistent with the historic development pattern of German Village;
• responds realistically to the constraints of Blenkner Street and Dixon Alley;
• provides appropriate pedestrian access and streetscape improvements; and
• demonstrates clear compliance with the German Village Guidelines.

Until those fundamental issues are addressed, we urge the German Village Commission and the City of Columbus not to approve the Cedar Square proposal.

To be fully transparent, the applicant's proposal can be found at this link.

Add Your Name
If you believe new development in German Village should respect the same preservation standards expected of every other property owner, please sign this petition.

Development can happen at Cedar Square. But it should be development that respects German Village.