Merion Village - Columbus, Ohio

What a delight to have Darby Creek Nursery so close to home this year.  They’ve set up shop in the parking lot next to the Columbus Maennerchor on South High Street and have a wide variety of annuals, perennials and vegetables available.

Not only is a good use for an otherwise underused parking lot, it’s also nice to be able to walk home with the goods and eliminates having to drive for the garden essentials.

Merion Village Association members delayed voting to support a Starbucks proposed for the southeast corner of Front Street and Greenlawn Avenue. Instead, they put the recommendation in the hands of member Ken Fultz, who will discuss the matter further with Starbucks representatives….

The article in This Week News by the Columbus Dispatch goes on to say…

Despite their concerns over traffic, an informal show of hands indicated that about half of the MVA members at the meeting would approve the plan, as long as Starbucks pays for a “Welcome to Merion Village” sign for the corner.

I would have to label this as blatant pandering. If traffic is an issue because of location, then define it as such and help solve the problem. Personally, I’d be unlikely to visit this Starbucks location because I’d play hell trying to get in and out of there.

Wouldn’t it be nicer walk to a neighborhood coffee shop, Starbucks or otherwise, somewhere in the neighborhood? There is available retail space on Thurman, High Street, Parsons as well as vacant land for sale along 4th. Starbucks, however, is attracted to the traffic counts at Greenlawn.

A sign demarcating Merion Village isn’t going to solve a traffic problem and neighborhoods are not defined by a sign in someone else’s front yard.

When the Columbus streetcar system is expanded south into Merion Village (of course it will) two possible routes exist to bring the line into the Village.

High Street is an obvious choice, since the street is wide enough to accommodate the system. If higher density housing is permitted along High Street through Merion Village, then we’d likely see an investment in upgrades and new builds, as property values always rise with immediate proximity (and within a few blocks ) of a fixed route transit line.

The other route would be down High Street then turning into the Village on Hanford, then turning south onto 4th Street. This route, while only a couple blocks off of High Street, could offer greater opportunities for redevelopment inside the Village. Fourth Street definitely needs an infrastructure boost, and this might be exactly what’s needed.

The challenge with the 4th Street line, however, is street width as well as where the line might exit the Village to the south. Woodrow is a logical choice, but turns from Hanford to 4th and 4th to Woodrow might not accommodate the width needed for the turns.

Ideally, the southern line should extend to Great Southern. In doing so, both German Village and Merion Village residents would have transit access to the shopping there, as well as quick access into downtown. While COTA route 16 takes residents to these destinations already, it would make sense to eliminate route 16 altogether with the addition of streetcars.

Which ever route is agreed upon, it’s important for Merion Village to get on board with the streetcar system so it will benefit the neighbors as well as economic development in the area.