Feb. 19--The Rozier Dedwylder Leadership Award was presented to Columbus Bank and Trust Co. Thursday during the annual meeting of Uptown Columbus Inc. and the Business Improvement District.
"We are honored to receive this award," CB&T president Billy Blanchard said during the luncheon at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center. The award is named in honor of Dedwylder, an architect who had a vision for preserving the region before he died in 2006.
Formed in 1888, the bank with more than 1,300 employees was recognized for investing $41 million in the restoration of historic buildings downtown. The effort accounts for preserving about 500,000 square feet for use, Blanchard said.
In addition to restoring parts of downtown, Blanchard said the bank has financed $100 million in development over the last 30 to 40 years.
Richard Bishop, president of the merged Uptown Columbus and BID, said the groups' efforts are dedicated to making the downtown area a destination place to live, work, learn and play.
Despite a tough year with the economy, Bishop updated the crowd of 255 business and civic leaders on developments along the riverfront and plans for some vacant historic buildings.
In conversations with business owners, Bishop said the growth in retail activity downtown had slowed in 2009 but he didn't know if gross receipts would top the $31 million in activity for 2008. "I hope there will be some growth," he said.
On the riverfront, he said plans are under way to complete a $1.9 million project on the Chattahoochee Riverwalk this year between 12th and 13th streets.
The city of Columbus also hopes to complete a section between 13th and 14th streets this year.
An announcement could come this summer on plans to breach two downtown dams and build a 2.3 mile course of rapids from the North Highlands dam down to about the Dillingham Street Bridge, Bishop said. Breaching the dams would cost more than $20 million. The city already is planning a plaza on the 14th Street Pedestrian Bridge to complement the restoration project.
At 12th Street and First Avenue, Bishop said work on the historic Empire Building should be completed in 2011. The building will provide retail shops on the ground floor and 31 apartments. The project wouldn't have occurred without support from the Historic Columbus Foundation, he said.
A developer already has met with city officials about the Swift Denim building on Sixth Avenue.
"The word I'm getting is a project will be under construction this year," Bishop said.
Based on its 2010 plan completed in 1999, Bishop said Uptown had some activity on 32 of 35 projects identified for improvements at a cost of $350 million.
"It sets the stage for Uptown to be a destination to live, work, learn and play," he said.
The speaker for the event was Max Reim, a partner and founding principal of LiveWorkLearnPlay, a company with offices in Canada and specializes in the development of mixed-use neighborhoods and real estate projects. Fifty percent of the population now live in urban village setting, he said. By 2050, Reim said 70 percent of population will live in mixed use urban village setting.
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