Transit Friendly Neighborhood

Merion Village is mentioned several times in the April issue of Columbus CEO magazine.

The article entitled Alternative Commuting talks with two Merion Village residents, Jeff Johnson (that’s me) and Joe Vargo, who have have chosen this pedestrian and public transit oriented neighborhood to call home.

The April issue of Columbus CEO is now available at newsstands.

The University District Neighborhood Blog Arrives

We’d like to take a moment to introduce the University District blog as the newest “kid on the block”.

Not unlike Merion Village, the University District is a neighborhood that is constantly changing. Young and old, established and seasonal, and going through some of the same growing pains as most inner-city neighborhoods. Take a look, check in frequently. and participate in the discussion.

Urban Achievers 4H Program

Kerry, who is a Merion Village resident, asked me to post this information. I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet her last earlier in the week at the Merion Village Association meeting with Kroger.

We talked briefly about the Urban Achievers 4H program and I learned that the cost of sponsoring a child is only $16 per year. When I learned that a small investment could help give a child a chance to participate in such a program I offered to donate $16 so that the program could sponsor one more child this year.

I would encourage everyone to do the same. It amounts $1.33 per month, which is less than the cost of one cup of coffee. Sponsoring a child for the Urban Achievers 4H program is a very inexpensive investment for our neighborhood and our city as a whole.

Urban Achievers 4H would like to invite all youth ages 8-18 to join our club.

We are hosting an organizational meeting on Friday March 13, 2009. 5:30 – 7:00pm at the Columbus Metropolitan Library – Parsons Avenue Branch meeting room. (845 Parsons Ave.)
For more information about the Franklin County 4H youth program click here.

Urban Achievers formed in 2005 and offers a fun learning environment with a focus on volunteering and community service. To serve our community the club has been helping weed, maintain and even pick a name for the pocket park at Morrill & Bruck now called “Walker-Bruck Park” in Merion Village. This is an on-going volunteer project that began when Urban Achievers participated in Make a Difference Day 2005, the club created an action plan for the park and were awarded a grant from the Ohio 4H Foundation to put the plan into motion. Each year we plan learning experiences focused on the park. Our members have also volunteered for the Merion Village Association Pasta Dinner, the 4H BBQ at the Franklin County Fair, collected pop tabs for The Ronald McDonald House and canned food for the food bank.

Members are encouraged to select and enroll in a project for evaluation at the Franklin County Fair, but are not required to. Members can opt to participate in a group project completed during club meetings. In the past the club has pursued “Art as Expression”, “Let’s Explore the Outdoors” and “Ohio Ponds” as group projects. There are also opportunities for learning at 4H camp, participation in various workshops hosted throughout the year and on club field trips. 4H also offers State, National and International opportunities for learning and leadership and several scholarships for college.

If you are interested in learning more feel free to attend the meeting, we are more than happy to answer your questions. If you are interested but unable to attend the meeting please contact me directly at: kerry |at| think-urban.com or (614)507-5630.

Kroger Hears Merion Village Concerns

The Kroger corporation sent several representatives to the Merion Village Center this evening for an open discussion with neighbors.  About forty people were in attendance including Kroger employees representing the real-estate and human resource departments, the Parsons Avenue store manager, the district manager as well as a lawyer representing the corporation.  As a resident Merion Village resident I was present as well.

Kroger has plans to add a fueling station to its property on Parsons Avenue as way to bolster sales, which are reportedly down by 12% over last year at this location.   The new plans call for the fueling station to be located on the current Kroger property rather than on the previously targeted vacant lot at the south-west corner of Sheldon and Parsons.

While the fueling station plans are still under consideration, Kroger wants to address neighborhood concerns about the facility in hopes that making improvements to the facility and personnel would lend neighborhood support for their continued commitment to Merion Village.

The most commonly voiced concern dealt with how the Kroger store handles the disposal of trash.   Residents who boarder the Kroger property complained that the compactors behind the building emit foul smells and are sources of neighborhood litter. Adjacent neighbors claim that the compactor lids and enclosure are not properly secured.

Other residents stated that they feel as if the facility is not maintained to the standards of other Kroger stores, comparing  it most often to the Kroger store in the Brewery District.  Store cleanliness and employee attitudes were cited as the top reasons why neighbors have taken their shopping dollars elsewhere.

A portion of the discussion surrounded the adjacent parking lot which Kroger also owns which is located between Frebis and Moler (click HERE for more info).  The lot is maintained as part of the square-footage-to-parking ratio that was required by the city at the time of construction.  Representatives from Kroger asked what, if anything, the residents would like to see happen with this property.

A local resident whose background is in urban planning suggested that the lot(s) be returned to the urban fabric of the neighborhood with new housing.  Another resident suggested a community garden.  Whatever Kroger may decide to do with the adjacent parking lot would require a variance from the city to scale back the number of required parking spaces.   However, Kroger claims that no variance is needed to eliminate the existing parking spaces to accommodate the fueling station.

Kroger’s district manager said that the Parsons Avenue store has been approved for a large-scale renovation although a date has not yet been set.  He did not say, however, if the renovation included the fueling station or if the renovation was aimed primarily at the existing facility.

Most residents said that they felt that a neighborhood grocery store was key to keeping the neighborhood and Parsons Avenue vibrant and many volunteered to assist Kroger in any way possible to see that the Parsons Avenue store become a more productive part of the neighborhood.  Kroger representatives stated that they hoped to become a Business Member of the Merion Village Association.

Both the store manager and the district manager claim to be working on programs and processes to ensure that a mutually beneficial relationship continue and grow between the two parties.

Another meeting will be planned to discuss the actual fueling station plans later this year.