Permits moving along

 

 

The ceremonial launch for the residential development adjacent to Lower.com Field was today in Astor Park. The residential project is a partnership between the Haslam Sports Group and the Pizzuti Companies. 

 

Dubbed Residential A Block, the development will have 261 multifamily units - some apartments and some townhomes.

 

Astor Park currently includes a 154,000-square-foot office building with 17,250 square feet of ground-floor retail space, plus a public plaza and park.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/04/haslam-sports-group-expands-columbus-footprint-with-astor-park-residential-project.html

 

Just now, Luvcbus said:

 

 

The ceremonial launch for the residential development adjacent to Lower.com Field was today in Astor Park. The residential project is a partnership between the Haslam Sports Group and the Pizzuti Companies. 

 

Dubbed Residential A Block, the development will have 261 multifamily units - some apartments and some townhomes.

 

Astor Park currently includes a 154,000-square-foot office building with 17,250 square feet of ground-floor retail space, plus a public plaza and park.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/04/haslam-sports-group-expands-columbus-footprint-with-astor-park-residential-project.html

 

I wonder if the design or height has changed on the new apartment buildings? Is everything staying the same with the most current renderings? 

1 hour ago, sono4315 said:

I wonder if the design or height has changed on the new apartment buildings? Is everything staying the same with the most current renderings? 

It’s probably unchanged, I haven’t seen any updates on it 

Construction Begins on First Residences at Astor Park Development

 

A groundbreaking ceremony took place this afternoon next door to Lower.com Field, signaling the start of construction on the first residential units at the Astor Park development. The project is a partnership between The Pizzuti Companies and Haslam Sports Group.

 

“We’re extremely excited to finally break ground on this innovative multifamily development, and deliver on our 2020 promise to develop a walkable neighborhood,” stated Joel Pizzuti, President and CEO of The Pizzuti Companies. “Starting construction on this latest phase reinforces the importance of public private partnerships, without which this project would not exist.”

 

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/construction-begins-on-first-residences-at-astor-park-development-we1/

 

 

More from the Dispatch on the retail portion:

 

Construction begins on apartments, pickleball venue next to Columbus Crew's Lower.com Field
 

“Pizzuti also announced that Pickle Park and Pub would occupy the 17,250 square feet of ground-floor retail space in Astor Park's office building. The venue will include five indoor pickleball courts, one outdoor court, golf simulators, a pickleball store and a restaurant and bar.

 

The apartment building will include studios, one-, and two-bedroom flats, and two-bedroom townhomes with private entries. Amenities at the complex will include an indoor/outdoor fitness facility, clubroom, game room, lounge with bar and fireplace, bike storage, dog spa, and a courtyard with pool and outdoor kitchen. 
 

Pizzuti and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said 25% of the apartments will be reserved for those making no more than 80% or 100% of the area median income.

 

Rents have not been set for the complex, which is expected to open in 2027.”

 

https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/real-estate/2025/04/23/columbus-crew-lower-com-field-apartments-pickleball-courts-golf/83227883007/?tbref=hp
 

Glad it’s gonna be more than just restaurant/bar this time around. Also, I believe this marks downtown’s first pickleball court?

 

Im also glad to finally this starting (along with so many other downtown projects going on right now). I’m not super optimistic about it, but I do hope the slow down lets them reimagine the next phase. There’s truly no reason for such a massive surface lot in a new downtown development, especially when there’s a giant publicly funded garage in the middle of it. Would also be nice if it could truly become an extension of the entertainment district—add some retail and other ways to activate the ground floor in the next phase. 

I look forward to the day someone opens a rooftop pickleball court on one of the downtown high rises. Rooftop bars are played out. Rooftop pickleball is the future. 

5 hours ago, cbussoccer said:

I look forward to the day someone opens a rooftop pickleball court on one of the downtown high rises. Rooftop bars are played out. Rooftop pickleball is the future. 

I’ve always thought that pins should have a rooftop put put course

3 minutes ago, VintageLife said:

I’ve always thought that pins should have a rooftop put put course

 

Alternatively, Putt Shack should have chosen a downtown location for the Columbus location instead of Polaris. I've been to the Pittsburgh and St Louis Putt Shacks that are in Old industrial buildings in popular neighborhoods. Seems like a perfect fit to anchor the ever disappearing 'Warehouse District'.... (of course other places would be great too but just using that as an even better example than tucked beside a Top Golf next to an Ikea, behind a Drive In and Gas Station) 

Earlier from a rainy Astor Park

On 4/23/2025 at 10:09 PM, ColDayMan said:

Construction Begins on First Residences at Astor Park Development

 

A groundbreaking ceremony took place this afternoon next door to Lower.com Field, signaling the start of construction on the first residential units at the Astor Park development. The project is a partnership between The Pizzuti Companies and Haslam Sports Group.

 

“We’re extremely excited to finally break ground on this innovative multifamily development, and deliver on our 2020 promise to develop a walkable neighborhood,” stated Joel Pizzuti, President and CEO of The Pizzuti Companies. “Starting construction on this latest phase reinforces the importance of public private partnerships, without which this project would not exist.”

 

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/construction-begins-on-first-residences-at-astor-park-development-we1/

 

 

I like the design of the apartment/townhome buildings around the parking garage, would love to see a bodega sit on the ground floor of one of the buildings.

Still, would love to get rid of the parking lot and would be cool to have a 12story+ tower on the open lot North of the stadium.

Does NRI own those parking lots north of the stadium? I know 4-5 years ago NRI mentioned as space fills in the arena district, they would have to go more vertical. So maybe it is quite plausible those lots would be taller if NRI owns them. Now that the apartments are nearly done by the Chipotle building maybe they will focus on other parts of the arena district🤞

This is my petition for the triangle lot north of the stadium to be turned into a large outdoor amphitheater to compete with Riverbend and Blossom

9 hours ago, smjjms said:

This is my petition for the triangle lot north of the stadium to be turned into a large outdoor amphitheater to compete with Riverbend and Blossom

It's not big enough. Blossom and Riverbend are twice the size of that space. (As is Rouffe) They are about 500ft by 1000ft. That lot is 500x500 not inducing being partially reduced by the railroad. Even the Bermuda railroad triangle is not large enough.

1 hour ago, DTCL11 said:

It's not big enough. Blossom and Riverbend are twice the size of that space. (As is Rouffe) They are about 500ft by 1000ft. That lot is 500x500 not inducing being partially reduced by the railroad. Even the Bermuda railroad triangle is not large enough.

Looks plenty big enough to me. Dug in the way Lower.com, Huntington, and Nationwide are, and with walls or pines on a steep slope next to the tracks it would be both a large outdoor venue, and intimate at the same time.

Edited May 1May 1 by aderwent

2 minutes ago, aderwent said:

Looks plenty big enough to me. Dug in the way Lower.com, Huntington, and Nationwide are, and with walls or pines on a steep slope next to the tracks it would be both a large outdoor venue, and intimate at the same time.

That's eating alot of right of way. To squeeze in the understanding would have to be that it would be smaller by the time you factor in right of ways, grading, access points over or under railroads, etc. And that's fine. I think a 10-15k amphitheater would be great there but I dont know what they're feasibility is for that. If the goal is to compete with the others, then not sure that fits the bill.

The best best for a true competitor of 20k+ in town is going to be other under utilized river front property elsewhere. But then you have to have even more space for parking where as the AD has built in parking abundance.

Edited May 1May 1 by DTCL11

5 hours ago, DTCL11 said:

If the goal is to compete with the others, then not sure that fits the bill.

Honestly, I just am personally not a fan of indoor arena concerts, and would love an outdoor amphitheater that could accommodate artists that need an arena sized venue.

I heard a rumor that Thrive was considering an outdoor amphitheater in Quarry Trails which would be awesome, but selfishly, I want the amphitheater to be downtown. So with my extreme lack of knowledge about feasibility, it seems like the best place to put it lol.

3 minutes ago, smjjms said:

Honestly, I just am personally not a fan of indoor arena concerts, and would love an outdoor amphitheater that could accommodate artists that need an arena sized venue.

I heard a rumor that Thrive was considering an outdoor amphitheater in Quarry Trails which would be awesome, but selfishly, I want the amphitheater to be downtown. So with my extreme lack of knowledge about feasibility, it seems like the best place to put it lol.

Quarry would be an awesome location, especially if they could incorporate it right by the water somewhere. Just saw the Columbus symphony played in one of the caves down at hocking hills. If they could somehow create a cave at quarry and have it there, it would be stunning.

Even if the space wouldn’t allow for 20,000, the downtown triangle would be an amazing location for it. Riverbend and blossom are both outside of downtown, so it would be a cool draw, and is already in an area with plenty of parking.

1 hour ago, clippersandyank said:

Does NRI own those parking lots north of the stadium? I know 4-5 years ago NRI mentioned as space fills in the arena district, they would have to go more vertical. So maybe it is quite plausible those lots would be taller if NRI owns them. Now that the apartments are nearly done by the Chipotle building maybe they will focus on other parts of the arena district🤞

1 hour ago, VintageLife said:

Quarry would be an awesome location, especially if they could incorporate it right by the water somewhere. Just saw the Columbus symphony played in one of the caves down at hocking hills. If they could somehow create a cave at quarry and have it there, it would be stunning.

Even if the space wouldn’t allow for 20,000, the downtown triangle would be an amazing location for it. Riverbend and blossom are both outside of downtown, so it would be a cool draw, and is already in an area with plenty of parking.

It'd be interesting having Kemba Live down there along with an even larger venue in the "triangle". I can already see complaints about the noise issues with a new venue.

When I was younger, I thought a tennis court would do well in this area, especially having all the condos/apartments nearby. You could incorporate both outdoor and indoor courts. Just need to put walking tunnels under the railroad tracks to easily get to LDC from the Northside or Kemba Live.

31 minutes ago, KyleofColumbus said:

When I was younger, I thought a tennis court would do well in this area, especially having all the condos/apartments nearby

Not tennis, but they had a similar idea….

Indoor/Outdoor Pickleball Venue Launching Downtown in 2026

It's either the future or it's Roller Disco.

43 minutes ago, GCrites said:

It's either the future or it's Roller Disco.

The new courts in Groveport are constantly being used. I think it might be here to stay.

I was just saying a couple days ago that one of the biggest things I find lacking downtown that we had in Groveport was access to sports facilities. Basketball, tennis, and pickleball all have fairly small space requirements and are the kind of amenities that really make an area feel alive. I wouldn't advocate for wasting space on High Street or in a commercial corridor, but maybe taking out one of the billion parking lots by Franklin University, since it;s a little more residential to start with.

54 minutes ago, Zordon Shumway said:

I was just saying a couple days ago that one of the biggest things I find lacking downtown that we had in Groveport was access to sports facilities. Basketball, tennis, and pickleball all have fairly small space requirements and are the kind of amenities that really make an area feel alive. I wouldn't advocate for wasting space on High Street or in a commercial corridor, but maybe taking out one of the billion parking lots by Franklin University, since it;s a little more residential to start with.

The Continental Tower would have been a cool spot for a rooftop basketball court. I’ve seen so many shows based in New York where they have rooftop courts and it always looked so cool.

44 minutes ago, Zordon Shumway said:

I was just saying a couple days ago that one of the biggest things I find lacking downtown that we had in Groveport was access to sports facilities. Basketball, tennis, and pickleball all have fairly small space requirements and are the kind of amenities that really make an area feel alive. I wouldn't advocate for wasting space on High Street or in a commercial corridor, but maybe taking out one of the billion parking lots by Franklin University, since it;s a little more residential to start with.

Yea, adding these amenities to the downtown area would be really nice. I was in Curitiba, Brazil late last year and a few blocks from my hotel was a really cool public park that had a running track, outdoor basketball/futsal court, indoor mini basketball/futsal arena, indoor swimming pool, indoor workout facility, beach volleyball courts, playground, and walking path, all squeezed into a standard sized city block. It was really cool and was always busy. Granted, this was in central Curitiba which is far more densely populated than downtown Columbus, but I think something similar would be very popular here.

Here's an overhead view of the park in Curitiba (this satellite imagery is a bit outdated as the park has been slightly reconfigured):

Here's an aerial photograph of the park:

And here is the Columbus Commons parking garage at the same scale:

You could add a building similar to 250 High along 3rd, build a few underground parking levels, and have plenty of space to create an incredible sports park.

Columbus Crew to add new premium spaces at Lower.com Field in 2026

The Columbus Crew is readying three new premium spaces for the 2026 season, a move that will add about 400 seats to Lower.com Field's capacity.

The new spaces are:

• Skyview Club, which will be located on the east side of the stadium and have an unobstructed view of the downtown skyline, will "offer the best sightlines of the pitch," a press release said. It also offers all-inclusive food and beverage options.

• Northwest Lofts, an extension of the Cenovus Energy Zones, will have premium outdoor seating with heated and air-conditioned racer-style seats. The section also will include beer, wine and soft drinks, in addition to a new three-course food experience for each match, according to the release. It will be available as private eight-person boxes or single seats in a shared space.

• Patio 96, an extension of the Party Decks in the northwest corner of Lower.com Field, will include all-inclusive food and drink focused on stadium fare, beer and soft drinks, the release said. It also will have its own concession stand and bathrooms.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/05/12/columbus-crew-new-premium-spaces-2026.html

That stadium is very fun and already packed with premium seating. Adding more is Massive! Good for them. I love the Crew and am a season ticket member. Maybe now they can keep Messi-mania games in Columbus, where the city and county invested $100,000,000 for the benefit and economic impact of the area, instead of diverting millions in economic impact to Cleveland and the Haslim and Edwards families’ pockets. I know, it’s not as simple as that, but it sure looks sleazy to me. That said, I’m thrilled the business metrics support additional premium seating. It’s says a a lot about the city.

9 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

Columbus Crew to add new premium spaces at Lower.com Field in 2026

The Columbus Crew is readying three new premium spaces for the 2026 season, a move that will add about 400 seats to Lower.com Field's capacity.

The new spaces are:

• Skyview Club, which will be located on the east side of the stadium and have an unobstructed view of the downtown skyline, will "offer the best sightlines of the pitch," a press release said. It also offers all-inclusive food and beverage options.

• Northwest Lofts, an extension of the Cenovus Energy Zones, will have premium outdoor seating with heated and air-conditioned racer-style seats. The section also will include beer, wine and soft drinks, in addition to a new three-course food experience for each match, according to the release. It will be available as private eight-person boxes or single seats in a shared space.

• Patio 96, an extension of the Party Decks in the northwest corner of Lower.com Field, will include all-inclusive food and drink focused on stadium fare, beer and soft drinks, the release said. It also will have its own concession stand and bathrooms.

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/05/12/columbus-crew-new-premium-spaces-2026.html

I don't have access to this article, but The Dispatch's article makes it sound like the Skyview Club is a new seating area, and I assume this article does the same. It is not a new seating area. The club space will be new, but they are kicking hundreds of season ticket holders out of their current seats (unless they are able to pay 4x as much as they do today for the same seats).