Luvcbus

New Hotel at Hollywood Casino Columbus Breaks Ground "PENN Entertainment, announced today that it will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a new hotel at Hollywood Casino Columbus on November 28, 2023 at 1pm ET. “We are thrilled to soon begin construction on a new, state-of-the-art hotel at Hollywood Casino Columbus,” said Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment. “Since opening in 2012, our Columbus property has experienced tremendous growth, and the addition of a hotel at Hollywood Casino Columbus will create a true regional destination.” The hotel, with an estimated budget of approximately $100 million, will be attached to the existing property and will add hundreds of construction jobs and approximately 100 new permanent jobs upon opening. The hotel is expected to include 180 rooms, meeting space, an additional restaurant, and local partnerships and amenities that will be announced at a later date." https://news.yahoo.com/hollywood-casino-columbus-break-ground-195927313.html

QTS Data Centers commits to $4.4B investment in New Albany "QTS Data Centers, a Kansas-based company already committed to building four data centers in New Albany, plans to triple its initial investment. New Albany City Council last week approved a pair of incentives for the co-location data center provider, which wants to build eight additional facilities spanning 3.2 million square feet on 240 acres on Babbitt and Miller roads. It will invest nearly $3 billion in those projects." https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/11/27/qts-data-center-expansion-new-albany.html

Just saw this little nugget in an article out of the Toledo Blade. Hopefully we see some announcements out of these soon: "Additionally, Ohio is in active discussions with more than 30 out-of-state semiconductor suppliers that are considering investing in Ohio to support Intel’s operations." https://www.toledoblade.com/business/technology/2023/11/22/ohio-intel-silicon-heartland-consortium/stories/20231120149

Polaris area shopping center sold, to be redeveloped "The Powell Center, a 202,000-square-foot shopping center on U.S. 23 just north of Powell Road, has been acquired by the investment team of DLC Management Corp. and DRA Advisors. The partnership said this week it "has plans for an immediate redevelopment featuring new national tenants." The Powell Center is one of four shopping centers (and the only one in Ohio) acquired by DLC and DRA in a $100 million deal. DLC also owns and manages Northern Lights Shopping Center on Cleveland Avenue." https://www.dispatch.com/story/nletter/breaking-ground/2023/11/22/polaris-shopping-center-sold-to-be-redeveloped/71676168007/

I'm curious what the capacity will be for basketball games at the new multi purpose building. Some high school playoff rounds in the Central District are currently played at Ohio Dominican University on Sunbury Road. It's a decent facility but only seats around 3000. After going to lots of tournament games there, it's obvious it's just not quite big enough. It would be nice if this seats between 4,500 and 6,000+

Construction to start soon at the Ohio Expo Center and Fairgrounds "The first phase of renovations to the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair will begin fall 2023. The renovations will include a new entry gate, new and renovated buildings, an improved navigational experience, and vital unseen underground infrastructure improvements." Details on numerous projects found here: https://www.ohioexpocenter.com/p/about/expo-2050-master-plan

Tech Consortium to further position Ohio as ‘Silicon Heartland’ "A new partnership has been established between Intel, JobsOhio, and the Ohio Grants Alliance, forming a semiconductor supply chain consortium in Ohio’s “Silicon Heartland.” “When we were working to attract Intel to establish its semiconductor fab facility in Ohio, we knew that most of the jobs would be created from the supply chain that followed, the establishment of this semiconductor consortium can play an important role in establishing Ohio as the Silicon Heartland.” The goal is to better position Ohio to become one of two new semiconductor clusters in the United States. It’s also meant to help current and prospective Ohio suppliers compete for new federal grant funding. Intel has agreed to serve as the anchor institution in the consortium to support existing suppliers and attract other key suppliers to Ohio. In January of 2022, Intel announced its selection of Ohio for its two semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Since then, Intel has grown its Ohio supplier footprint from approximately 150 to more than 300 current suppliers. Officials expect the creation of the Silicon Heartland Supplier Consortium will contribute to Ohio’s position as a leading contender for these federal funds." https://www.wdtn.com/news/ohio/tech-consortium-to-further-position-ohio-as-silicon-heartland/

Update on Starlab: World’s first space lab on earth to be built near Ohio State airport "The first-ever space science park on Earth will one day sit just north of the Ohio State University Airport. A 10-acre plot of unimproved land in northwest Columbus has been set aside for the development of an earthly replica of the George Washington Carver Space Park, a laboratory currently operating on the International Space Station. This past Thursday, Ohio State’s Board of Trustees approved a 40-year lease of property on West Dublin-Granville Road to Voyager Space Science Park, which will construct the terrestrial space lab. The land, at 3025 W. Dublin-Granville Road, is part of a 56-acre plot Ohio State’s board bought in 1972, according to meeting materials. Seventy acres of adjacent land the board owns has been “reserved for future aerospace research development.” https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/ohio-state-university/worlds-first-space-lab-on-earth-to-be-built-near-ohio-state-airport/amp/

*Just checked the webcam again, now that it's light outside... The tallest part of the building is currently being tore down but it's not completely gone yet

Found a few pictures of Phase 2 of the Cannon Drive Relocation. These are from the end of September I was just checking the webcam at the Drake. From what I could tell in the dark, it looked like the tallest part of the building is gone!

Yep... Summer of 2024

One of Central Ohio’s fastest-growing companies to begin construction on new industrial development near Intel "LeVeck Commercial Construction & Development, a Gahanna-based company, is developing Edge Industrial Park on Worthington Road. The new speculative development will be located on 71 acres in Jersey Township. The first phase of the project includes a 255,000-square-foot building at 12101 Worthington Road. The warehouse is one of five proposed buildings that are expected to total more than 1 million square feet. Edge Industrial Park is located less than a mile from the Mink Street/State Route 161 exit, and less than 3 miles from Intel's new semiconductor manufacturing site in New Albany." https://www.nbc4i.com/news/columbus-business-first/one-of-central-ohios-fastest-growing-companies-to-begin-construction-on-new-industrial-development-near-intel-site/

Drone picture from two weeks ago

Apartments, townhomes to be built on former Salvation Army campsite in Delaware "Developers are overhauling 60 acres of a former Salvation Army campsite in Delaware to build a nearly 600-unit apartment and townhome complex. T&R Properties, a Dublin-based real estate developer, received approval from the Delaware Planning Commission on Nov. 1 to construct 592 apartment and townhome units across 61 acres on the east side of Lake Street and north of Jay Avenue. The site, a former Salvation Army summer campsite for disadvantaged children, will be split into two sections, “Greenwood Commons” and “The Flats at Sugar Run.” https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/delaware-county/apartments-townhomes-to-be-built-on-former-salvation-army-campsite-in-delaware/

Ohio State, Honda announce advanced battery center partnership for research, job training "Ohio State University's Carmenton innovation district is adding a new research and development center dedicated to battery cells. Backed by $15 million from Honda, Ohio State University announced on Monday that it will build a new center to advance battery cell research and development meant to also serve as a training hub for students and workers. The project will include the renovation of a 25,000-square-foot facility in Ohio State's innovation district at 1305 Kinnear Rd. It is scheduled to open in April 2025. For Honda, the creation of the center continues its work to transform Ohio into a hub for manufacturing its electric vehicles. The project has secured $22 million in commitments to date, including $4.5 million in federal funding. The center will serve as a hub for academic and industry connections across chemical and physical sciences, engineering, business and policy." https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/manufacturing/2023/11/13/honda-commits-15-million-for-ohio-state-battery-cell-research-center/71566324007/

Intel leading candidate for defense chips "Intel is a leading candidate to potentially receive billions of dollars from the federal government’s CHIPS Act for secure facilities that would produce semiconductors exclusively for military and intelligence applications, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The development of what the Journal calls a 'secure enclave' is part of an effort by the Biden administration to reduce dependence of the production of the tiny, critical devices on foreign sources, especially from Taiwan, that many experts say is vulnerable to an invasion from China, the Journal reported. Such a development could position Intel, which is investing $20 billion to build two chip factories in New Albany, as a big winner from the bill. The story said at least some of the operation could be in Arizona where Intel is adding two factories to its operations in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler. That expansion is about a year ahead of Intel’s factories being built in Ohio, which are expected to start production in 2025. Commerce officials have said they expect initial awards from the CHIPS Act to be made by year’s end. Ohio is also in the mix to become a U.S. semiconductor manufacturing cluster, Commerce officials have said." https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/manufacturing/2023/11/10/report-intels-new-albany-factories-could-benef-leading-candidate-to-receive-grants-for-defense-chips/71502981007/

Microsoft acquires nearly 600 acres on Refugee Road in Pataskala "Microsoft has bought 580 acres on Refugee Road in Pataskala, as tech companies look beyond New Albany for data center sites in Licking County. The tech giant paid $30.65 million for three parcels on the north side of Refugee Road between Mink Street and Etna Parkway in the Pataskala Corporate Park. The purchase comes a few weeks after the Texas company Aligned Data Centers paid $13.85 million for 89 acres on the southeast corner of Mink and Broad streets a bit north of the Microsoft property. The purchase follows Microsoft's purchase earlier this year of 183 acres on Beech Road in New Albany for $57 million. Also over the summer, Microsoft paid $4.7 million for 16 acres on Ganton Road in New Albany, the site of a Scioto Ready Mix operation, across the road from a Meta data center. Microsoft's purchase illustrates the evolution of commercial activity north of Interstate 70 in Etna and Pataskala. Commercial development in the area for years has been fueled by distribution centers in the Etna Corporate Park. That growth has pushed north along Mink Streets and Etna Parkway into the Pataskala Corporate Park." https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/real-estate/2023/11/09/microsoft-quiet-on-details-about-hundreds-of-acres-bought-in-pataskala/71488891007/

There's a webcam in this link if you want to watch the live demolition: https://buildingthefuture.osu.edu/cannon-drive-relocation-phase-2

132 unit townhome development coming to the east side of Delaware "Developers are overhauling 16 acres of farmland in east Delaware by constructing a townhome neighborhood with more than 130 units. Fincon Bowtown is developing 132 for-sale townhomes across a 16.8-acre site home to city-owned farmland, located north of Bowtown Road and west of the Village Gate Apartments complex. The “Bowtown Grand” development proposal is moving forward after the site’s preliminary development plan was approved last week by the Delaware Planning Commission. Plans call for the “high-quality townhome-style” units to range from two to three stories and span 21 buildings housing four, six or eight units. Fincon’s proposal comes as several other developments are taking shape in Delaware"... Read more about them here: https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/delaware-county/townhome-development-proposed-for-16-acre-delaware-farming-site/

Multiple apartment buildings coming to Fifth by Northwest neighborhood "Multiple new apartment buildings are coming to the Fifth by Northwest neighborhood near Grandview Heights. In August, construction crews began carrying out two demolition projects in the neighborhood — both of which were clearing the way for new apartments. Columbus agency Effler Commercial is in the process of building “Fifth X Northwest Apartments” at 1350 W. Fifth Ave. The new apartment building will come with 164 residential units, 194 parking stalls and 10,000 square feet of ground retail space facing West Fifth Avenue. Preferred Living also has plans for apartments in the area, which will be located at 1124 Chambers Road. The Langham Community will contain four levels of apartments totaling 180 units, according to Preferred Living marketing director Mindy Greer. The building will also have two levels of parking." https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/multiple-apartment-buildings-coming-to-fifth-by-northwest-neighborhood/

Found another recent picture of the two fabs currently being built in Chandler, Arizona. (Construction on these two fabs in Arizona started about a year before construction started in New Albany) https://www.intc.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1638/opinion-intel-is-poised-to-unleash-americas-innovation

Franklin County group establishing a land trust to connect waterways with parks, trails "RAPID 5, the non-profit group formed to connect Franklin County's parks and trails with its waterways, is establishing a land trust to preserve and protect land for that purpose. That includes talking to land owners about conservation easements along rivers and streams, said Keith Myers, who chairs the RAPID 5 board. Myers said RAPID 5 is seeking to partner with other municipalities, townships and park districts. Myers also said that RAPID 5 hopes to have a new executive director in place by the end of the year. That person will replace Dr. Amy Acton, the former Ohio Department of Health director, who left RAPID 5 in May after a year on the job." https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2023/11/03/columbus-group-establishing-a-land-trust-to-connect-waterways-trails/71406900007/

Hyperion's Columbus hydrogen fuel cell plant delayed until at least 2024 "Hyperion, a California fuel-cell company, has delayed plans to move to Columbus and hire up to 700 workers. The company announced in February 2022 that it would invest nearly $300 million to convert the former Columbus Dispatch printing plant on the Far West Side into a facility to manufacture hydrogen fuel cell stacks, which would be used to power a line of products including Hyperion's XP-1 sports car, theoretically capable of traveling 1,000 miles without a charge. A company spokesperson this week said the company remains committed to its Columbus plans but will not open this year, as originally scheduled. “For the last 18 months Hyperion’s Columbus campus has undergone significant renovations and construction," Hyperion Vice President Monique Loustaunau wrote in an email. "During this time, there have been some delivery delays for highly specialized equipment, which is consistent with global supply-chain hurdles for hardware-focused companies. To maintain course, Hyperion has offset some factory activities to strategic partners." Loustaunau said "2024 will see the start of limited-series production to early customers alongside some larger pilot programs for international buyers. Our main activities continue to thrive at our California campus, with a full transition to Ohio slated next year." https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/manufacturing/2023/11/01/whatever-happened-with-the-hyperion-factory-planned-for-the-west-side/71406030007/

Picture in today's Dispatch of what's left of Westland Mall

"In a Commerce Department document posted, the agency describes a cluster as a geographically compact area with multiple, commercial scale fabs owned and operated by one or more companies. Along with that comes a large, diverse, and skilled workforce; nearby suppliers; R&D facilities; utilities; and specialized infrastructure. "Each cluster will have the scale, infrastructure, and other competitive advantages required to ensure that chipmakers view continued expansion in the United States as economically attractive and core to their business models, even in the absence of future funding from the CHIPS Program Office," according to the document. In addition, the goal is to have U.S.-based workers develop and scale the technology underlying future generations of chips and that each CHIPS-funded fab will be supported by an ecosystem of reliable suppliers committed to operating and innovating in the U.S. The development of the clusters also is meant to ensure the military has access to leading-edge chips made in the U.S."