Columbus Dispatch: Developments Downtown tout urban convenience, suburban feel

clipped from www.dispatch.com Developments Downtown tout urban convenience, suburban feel Rick Basco has gotten used to the looks. "I can sit on the patio and watch people go by, and so many of them just stare out the (car) window as if they can't believe this is here," said the North Carolina transplant. The curious looks aren't surprising. Basco's new home, Neighborhood Launch condominiums, seems as though it might have been plucked out of Chicago or Montreal and dropped onto Gay Street in Downtown Columbus. Here's a snapshot of the projects. • The Annex at River South, developed by Lifestyle Communities, features 134 apartments and 76 condominiums on Front Street. All are being built at once and are expected to open between Oct. 1 and the end of the year. • Neighborhood Launch, developed by the Edwards Cos., is scheduled to include 300 condominiums along Gay Street between 4th and 6th streets. The projects are proceeding despite tepid housing sales and a glut of Downtown condominiums.