Major revamp eyed for Wendy's Restaurant in Five Points

[Kerry]

To be fair, yes they are investing in a new building that will be a huge improvement over what is there now.  I liken that to getting a hot fudge sundae as a surprise dessert.  But if they were able to mass the building at the corner and eliminate a curb cut it would be like getting a hot fudge sundae as a surprise dessert and then discovering a $10 bill at the bottom.  There are so many advantage to good urban design that opportunities like this can't just be passed up because some other man-made objects are in the way.

I know this isn't on the same scale (their lot was about 190' X 180') but it does show that Wendy's is perfectly capable of locating in a walkable urban environment.

http://www.columbusunderground.com/mixed-use-development-proposed-at-site-of-campus-wendys-bw1/comment-page-2

Two local developers are interested in constructing a five-story mixed-use building at the current site of the Wendy's restaurant at 18th and High. Solove Real Estate, in partnership with Celmark Development, will present the project for conceptual review at a meeting of the University Area Review Board tonight.

According to the proposal, Wendy's would remain a tenant on the first floor, while the upper four stories would hold 62 (mostly two-bedroom) apartments units. Two additional storefronts would bring the total retail space to just over 3,100 square feet . Parking for 143 cars would be provided in a multi-level parking garage, which would be entered from 18th Avenue on the side of the building.

[thelakelander]

Big difference is someone else is constructing the Columbus mixed-use development and Wendy's will be a tenant.  In this case, this is simply Wendy's wanting to upgrade their restaurant. There is no mixed-use development firm attempting to build on the property. I imagine, the developer who proposes a five story building in an office character area will probably get tar and feathered for the project being too big and out of scale with its surroundings.


High and 11th

Another big difference is that High Street is a hell of a lot denser than anything in Riverside. OSU's main campus is also right around the corner. What the market can support in Columbus' urban core is not necessarily what the market can support in Five Points.

[thelakelander]

To be fair, yes they are investing in a new building that will be a huge improvement over what is there now.  I liken that to getting a hot fudge sundae as a surprise dessert.  But if they were able to mass the building at the corner and eliminate a curb cut it would be like getting a hot fudge sundae as a surprise dessert and then discovering a $10 bill at the bottom. There are so many advantage to good urban design that opportunities like this can't just be passed up because some other man-made objects are in the way.

I actually don't disagree with this statement in bold. However, good urban design starts with the public side finding a solution to the other man-made objects standing in the way. In Columbus, they figured that out and invested in the infrastructure and land use policies to incrementally build and support denser development a long time ago.  We've got to find a way to do the same. So if there are corridors where great change is desired, let's get to burying power lines, adding on-street parking, pedestrian scale lighting, etc. that makes it a lot easier to then work with the private sector and market rate conditions.

[FlaBoy]

The restaurant is already on the street. It's just on Margaret instead of the corner. Since the lot is only 125x125, shifting to the corner means they'd lose most of their parking if they still want it to be a drive through fast food restaurant.  The sidewalk is located on public ROW, so adding outdoor seating would be in public ROW too. Within the ROW where these things would go, there's a bus stop, utility poles and mature trees that would have to come out. If they aren't willing to lose most of their current parking, the replacement parking would need to be added within public ROW too. All thst stuff in the public ROW gets to be pretty expensive when you add it up. Situations like this in similar districts across the country are generally resolved in the form of public parking garages (Ybor City), shared parking (San Marco Square), streetscapes with on-street parking (Winter Park), mass transit, etc.

I think they could have up to 12 parking spots if they move the building. It may not be 15, but 12 spots is a lot for that Wendy's. I actually don't think I have ever seen more than 3 or 4 cars in that parking lot. Most of the business generated is from walk ups during lunch/surrounding residents and the drive thru.

[thelakelander]

The typical Wendy's drive thru has around 30 spaces. The 12 space number comes from the parking requirements associated with the overlay's designation of the site being within the office character area. From a technical perspective, I'm not sure that number accurately represents their true need.

Nevertheless, when it comes to give and take, if the reduction of on-site spaces can be made up by adding an equal amount of spaces on the street (within public ROW), the argument for moving the building to the corner becomes stronger. If another funding source is established to pay for the modification within the public ROW, then we'd be reaching the point where the economics start to change for the better.

[TomHurst]

I work in 5 Points and would very much appreciate upgrades to this Wendy's location.  It is a sad, smelly, and outdated facility currently (and horribly mismanaged, but that's another discussion).  As much as I'd like to see them push the building to the corner as many have suggested, I agree with Lake that it would inevitably reduce parking spaces below the threshold that I'm sure the Owner would accept.  Worse, it would create a backup on Park that would be a traffic nightmare for the neighborhood.  Cars are always stacked up in a queue in the parking lot and sometimes already spill out onto Margaret Street after wrapping around the building.

BTW, going to two stories is highly unlikely for such a small establishment.  You'd need two fire stairs and an elevator serving the second floor, which combined would take up half of the floor area of this building.....just not practical.   

What I find interesting is that no one is calling BS on the "Outdoor Dining" in the City ROW  Does anyone really think that sitting at a table in a 4 to 5 foot gap between the sidewalk and the curb on Margaret will be a pleasant (or safe) experience?  I can't imagine the City allowing this.  It would be much better to reduce indoor dining and create outdoor covered space between the sidewalk and the building on the Wendy's property rather than the Right of Way.

[thelakelander]

It appears they have roughly 20 feet of space to work with from back of sidewalk to back of street curb within the public ROW. The sidewalk in this Chicago image is roughly 15' to 20' in width.



Not claiming anything they do will look like this but that's enough width to add in some linear outdoor dining if the utility zone is converted into additional sidewalk. One modification I'd suggest is narrowing the driveway openings and using the saved square footage to enlarge the length of that proposed outdoor dining area.

[TimmyB]

In our travels last summer, we stopped by a Noodles and Co. in Lexington.  This was on an insanely busy 8-lane road.  They had outdoor seating, but to keep the noise down (and to keep the riff-raff from bothering the customers) they installed very tall glass panels, which served their purpose quite well.  Even with all of that traffic, it was great to sit outdoors and enjoy the fresh air.  I wonder if the Wendy's people might consider something such as this?

[exnewsman]

Call me naive, but I live in a city which is NOT growing, where companies simply pull out and leave a dying shell of a building to grow weeds on.  Any time a company says that they like doing business here enough to tear down the aging structure and put up a brand new one (with several improvements), I say "Thank you very much for investing your money here."  The mood of this thread seems very much the opposite.  There is little gratitude, just what seems to be people telling this business how THEY should be spending THEIR money, simply because it's in (or close to) their neighborhood.  Am I mistaken in this read?

While I don't totally disagree with you... the building is 42 years old. So its not like they've been pumping money into the area. The place is a dump. This spot does consistent business and like most fast food the drive-thru stays busy. So they really have no incentive to go above and beyond (and by waiting 42 years before making improvements) have proven that. But with no other drive-thru places nearby, Wendy's will stay busy. Glad they are finally upgrading. But the small lot does make any significant change a challenge (even if the desire was there to do it).

[TimmyB]

Call me naive, but I live in a city which is NOT growing, where companies simply pull out and leave a dying shell of a building to grow weeds on.  Any time a company says that they like doing business here enough to tear down the aging structure and put up a brand new one (with several improvements), I say "Thank you very much for investing your money here."  The mood of this thread seems very much the opposite.  There is little gratitude, just what seems to be people telling this business how THEY should be spending THEIR money, simply because it's in (or close to) their neighborhood.  Am I mistaken in this read?

While I don't totally disagree with you... the building is 42 years old. So its not like they've been pumping money into the area. The place is a dump. This spot does consistent business and like most fast food the drive-thru stays busy. So they really have no incentive to go above and beyond (and by waiting 42 years before making improvements) have proven that. But with no other drive-thru places nearby, Wendy's will stay busy. Glad they are finally upgrading. But the small lot does make any significant change a challenge (even if the desire was there to do it).

There are other factors that come into play, and I (not being a local) am purely speculating.  Does anyone know if this is a corporate store or is this a franchisee?  I know that Wendy's corporate is involved in a huge row (involving lawsuits, etc.) with one of their very largest franchisees on the east coast.  It involves exactly what is taking place here: updating the restaurant to Wendy's new specifications, as well as shifting over to their new kiosk-based POS system.  It could be that this franchisee is getting a kick up the backside (with the threat of losing a $1m-plus franchise location) and finally acting after 42 years.

[thelakelander]

It's a franchisee based out of the northeast.

[Captain Zissou]

What I find interesting is that no one is calling BS on the "Outdoor Dining" in the City ROW  Does anyone really think that sitting at a table in a 4 to 5 foot gap between the sidewalk and the curb on Margaret will be a pleasant (or safe) experience?  I can't imagine the City allowing this.  It would be much better to reduce indoor dining and create outdoor covered space between the sidewalk and the building on the Wendy's property rather than the Right of Way.

I agree that 2 or 3 poorly placed tables won't do anything to improve the outdoor environment.  Last weekend I was in one of the remodeled stores and the "fireplace" and "lounge" areas didn't do anything for the ambiance of the restaurant.  A well laid out traditional restaurant would function much better than some cheaply done gimmicks. 

[TomHurst]

It appears they have roughly 20 feet of space to work with from back of sidewalk to back of street curb within the public ROW. The sidewalk in this Chicago image is roughly 15' to 20' in width.

You're right....I looked closer yesterday and it appears that they have closer to 12' of space from sidewalk to curb (17' or so including the sidewalk).  Still not ideal but possibly doable if it's designed right.  Placing the seating against the building as shown in your photo and moving the sidewalk out toward the curb would be ideal but not likely in this situation.

[thelakelander]

^While I believe it would be quite difficult to be successful in moving the building to the corner, I do believe the integration of the site, with its surroundings, can be greatly enhanced through better design and landscaping in specific locations like this potential seating area. While not as sexy as a mixed-use building or space with no drive thru, it can be an affordable, market-rate solution to incremental enhancement of the area.

[ProjectMaximus]

But do diners really want to advertise that they're eating Wendy's?? I always inhale my spicy nuggets and frosty and then throw away the evidence so my wife doesn't find out. Outdoor seating here may be on par with Daily's in San Marco.

I agree that 2 or 3 poorly placed tables won't do anything to improve the outdoor environment.  Last weekend I was in one of the remodeled stores and the "fireplace" and "lounge" areas didn't do anything for the ambiance of the restaurant.  A well laid out traditional restaurant would function much better than some cheaply done gimmicks.

Ha, I just realized that I've been to one as well. We made a pit stop in some small town about an hour south of ATL. It was a Wendy's attached to a gas station but it was sleek, contemporary, and there was even a round table of retired aged couples having a get together. I jokingly remarked that Wendy's must be a "nice night out" in this town. Didn't realize Jax would soon be in on that joke.