November 21, 2024Nov 21 Eastland Mall owners, city reach agreement on demolition "Eastland Mall could be coming down this spring. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced the city and owners of the Eastland Mall reached an agreement for demolition of the aging mall. If the Eastland Mall owners fail to follow the timeline and requirements laid out in the agreement, the city can immediately motion the Franklin County Municipal Court's environmental division to appoint a receiver to take over the property, according to the agreement. The November agreement lays out a plan for Eastland Mall Holdings to start the first phase of demolition before May 31, and a second phase after that date, to be completed by Sept. 15. Any project delays must be agreed to by all parties. This agreement requires the owners to give the city and court "lawful contracts" by Nov. 30 to remediate asbestos on designated structures, demolish designated structures and to cover and grade the site after demolition. By Dec. 31, the owners need to submit for permits to demolish or alter the mall structure, the agreement says. And by Feb. 28, the owners need to have all permits necessary to alter or tear down the mall, pending all city approvals." https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2024/11/21/eastland-mall-demolition.html
November 22, 2024Nov 22 14 hours ago, Luvcbus said: Eastland Mall owners, city reach agreement on demolition "Eastland Mall could be coming down this spring. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced the city and owners of the Eastland Mall reached an agreement for demolition of the aging mall. If the Eastland Mall owners fail to follow the timeline and requirements laid out in the agreement, the city can immediately motion the Franklin County Municipal Court's environmental division to appoint a receiver to take over the property, according to the agreement. The November agreement lays out a plan for Eastland Mall Holdings to start the first phase of demolition before May 31, and a second phase after that date, to be completed by Sept. 15. Any project delays must be agreed to by all parties. This agreement requires the owners to give the city and court "lawful contracts" by Nov. 30 to remediate asbestos on designated structures, demolish designated structures and to cover and grade the site after demolition. By Dec. 31, the owners need to submit for permits to demolish or alter the mall structure, the agreement says. And by Feb. 28, the owners need to have all permits necessary to alter or tear down the mall, pending all city approvals." https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2024/11/21/eastland-mall-demolition.html Going to be a rush of abandoned mall exploring YouTubers to Columbus to get in there again before it comes down.
December 5, 2024Dec 5 Eastland Mall to be Demolished in 2025 New plans are being laid out for the site of the vacant Eastland Mall building on the southeast side of Columbus, but first, the old mall building needs to come down. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein recently announced a timeline for that process, which should be fully concluded by September 15th next year. “I am committed to a future where the Eastland Mall site is primed and ready to be redeveloped so it can be an economic center on the east side again,” stated Klein. The building is currently owned by a private entity based in New Orleans known as Eastland Mall Holdings, LLC, which has been pressured by the City Attorney’s office to remediate issues for several years. The building was declared a public nuisance in June of 2022 due to multiple code violations and unsafe conditions, and the owners closed it seven months later. More below: https://columbusunderground.com/eastland-mall-to-be-demolished-in-2025-we1/ "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 3Jan 3 Columbus hopes to refocus on Eastland. What does that mean? The city of Columbus plans to refocus on Eastland in the new year. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/01/03/the-punch-list.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 4Feb 4 Sidewalk and landscaping work well underway in Vista Village, the tiny house development along Soldier St near Refugee Rd and Courtright Rd Looks like phase one includes roughly 45 tiny homes
February 4Feb 4 25 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: Sidewalk and landscaping work well underway in Vista Village, the tiny house development along Soldier St near Refugee Rd and Courtright Rd Looks like phase one includes roughly 45 tiny homes Love this, I hope it’s successful so 100 more of these villages pop up around the city.
February 4Feb 4 3 minutes ago, VintageLife said: Love this, I hope it’s successful so 100 more of these villages pop up around the city. I am working on Phase 2 as we speak, and we'll have another 80 homes.
February 4Feb 4 29 minutes ago, CbusOrBust said: Sidewalk and landscaping work well underway in Vista Village, the tiny house development along Soldier St near Refugee Rd and Courtright Rd Looks like phase one includes roughly 45 tiny homes Those are my stomping grounds haha! If you wanted pics just ask I've got tons!
February 4Feb 4 7 minutes ago, columbus17 said: Those are my stomping grounds haha! If you wanted pics just ask I've got tons! Any interior photos, would love to see the layout?
February 4Feb 4 1 minute ago, VintageLife said: Any interior photos, would love to see the layout? I'll one up you - I've got conceptual renderings of Phase 2 interiors. Will pull some better ones friday - most of existing are punchout related and show the worst lol!
February 4Feb 4 9 minutes ago, columbus17 said: Looks great, I really would love to see some for purchase tiny homes pop up somewhere around the city. Edited February 4Feb 4 by VintageLife
February 4Feb 4 34 minutes ago, PrestoKinetic said: Looks better than I Imagined! They're gonna be nice - about 650sqft
February 4Feb 4 8 minutes ago, columbus17 said: They're gonna be nice - about 650sqft So the second phase will have bigger builds? The original are 420 sqft
February 5Feb 5 7 hours ago, VintageLife said: So the second phase will have bigger builds? The original are 420 sqft Yes, bigger builds targeting a different group. Hence the need for additional space.
February 5Feb 5 What amenities will there be in the community center? Will it just be an open gathering space or will they have things like a business center (computers, printers, workspace, etc.) for residents to use?
February 5Feb 5 9 minutes ago, JohnOSU99 said: What amenities will there be in the community center? Will it just be an open gathering space or will they have things like a business center (computers, printers, workspace, etc.) for residents to use? You can find all the info on their website https://www.vistavillage.org/program Edited February 5Feb 5 by VintageLife
February 5Feb 5 1 hour ago, JohnOSU99 said: What amenities will there be in the community center? Will it just be an open gathering space or will they have things like a business center (computers, printers, workspace, etc.) for residents to use? Open gathering space, business center (I set that one up haha), kitchen, laundry services, etc. Really working to figure out programming and ways to activate the space to benefit residents. I am also going to be redoing the website to make it more clear and updated as we finalize things. I'm only donating my time though and between 18 credit hours at OSU, trying to get back on my feet in life, and working with a potential partner to pencil out some deals downtown, I only have so much I can put towards it a week.
February 9Feb 9 On 2/4/2025 at 11:18 AM, columbus17 said: Scratch this apparently design is changing 🙃
February 9Feb 9 What is the price on these houses? Edit: Never mind. I read the website. Edited February 9Feb 9 by John7165
February 9Feb 9 22 minutes ago, John7165 said: What is the price on these houses? Edit: Never mind. I read the website. I am working on a different venture to bring similar small-format homes to the city. Think the 1980s brick ranches in Dayton.
February 10Feb 10 Columbus tiny home community Vista Village welcomes first residents, eyes second phase Vista Village, Columbus' first tiny home community, is now welcoming residents and eying a second phase. Built on a 15-acre site south of Refugee Road and west of Hamilton Road at 3791 Soldier St., Vista Village aims to help those experiencing homelessness by providing them their own space and wraparound services. "This is a space that is just for them and some residents haven't had that in a while," said Harvey Hook, chief engagement officer for Vista Village. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/02/10/vista-village-tiny-homes-welcome-residents.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 10Feb 10 7 minutes ago, ColDayMan said: Columbus tiny home community Vista Village welcomes first residents, eyes second phase Vista Village, Columbus' first tiny home community, is now welcoming residents and eying a second phase. Built on a 15-acre site south of Refugee Road and west of Hamilton Road at 3791 Soldier St., Vista Village aims to help those experiencing homelessness by providing them their own space and wraparound services. "This is a space that is just for them and some residents haven't had that in a while," said Harvey Hook, chief engagement officer for Vista Village. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2025/02/10/vista-village-tiny-homes-welcome-residents.html I really hope this program is successful. If it proves to work, I would love to see more money form the county and city thrown into it.
February 21Feb 21 Demolition begins at Eastland Mall, 57 years after the shopping center opened More than half a century after its opening, Eastland Mall in Columbus is crumbling to an end. Crews from Loewendick started demolishing the north end of the shopping center on Columbus' Southeast Side this week in preparation for major demolition in upcoming months. Owners of the mall, Eastland Mall Holdings LLC of Louisiana, reached an agreement with the city in November to demolish much of the mall by the end of May, ending years of court battles over the condition of the shopping center, which closed in December 2022, more than half a century after opening on Valentine's Day in 1968. Workers started demolition work on the former JCPenney store, which closed in 2015. Eastland Mall Holdings owns the former anchor, along with the mall building itself. While the first phase of demolition must be completed by May 31, the second phase, adjacent to the academy, cannot start until the school’s summer break and must be completed by Sept. 15, according to the agreement. https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2025/02/20/eastland-mall-columbus-ohio-demolition-business-development/79320024007/
February 21Feb 21 As someone who worked down the road at Media Play during college and then came back to live in the area for 14 years, that's tough to see. I grew up in the suburbs or rural areas and never had a home with a street-front sidewalk until my first apartment in college. Malls were always these amazing commercial wonderlands. All kinds of little shops and food courts and fountains and all in a neat little row. Kind of what I imagined a shopping district would look like in a city, when you saw old photos from NYC or some other major metro. I love malls and I visit every one that's within reasonable distance on almost every trip we take. It's the right call though. I watched the decline pretty vividly, and there's just no way to bring that particular structure back in any thing resembling a reasonable timeframe. The area needs a serious economic boost but Eastland wasn't in a condition where it could be that driver --- it was only going to be a beneficiary and then only with a good bit of luck. Hopefully the next phase helps breathe some life back into this area. Kind of tangential but still keeping it in the neighborhood, Saraga has been an absolute blessing for the neighborhood and has a sort of mini-mall implementation itself. The anchor part of the store (a former Kohls, for anyone not familiar) is a world grocery, with nearly any kind of produce you can think of, and each aisle more or less dedicated to a specific region or country. Then a fairly large butcher and fish market section (which regrettably permeates the store with a bit of a fish smell, but that's the price you pay). After the checkouts though the remaining space is used by a handful of shops and services (phones, what I assume is a wire service, barber, other assorted non-grocery goods) in a little street of "buildings" between the checkouts and the far wall, which is lined with about a half dozen restaurants. It's just a really cool little community market, and sharing the building space with "external" vendors makes it feel alive and engaging in a way that a Kroger or Giant Eagle can't really match.
February 21Feb 21 ^Other Saraga locations are on Morse Rd and Cleveland Ave in Northern Lights. It's an awesome store!
February 21Feb 21 I knew about Morse, since that was our first experience and why we got so excited to hear one was coming to Eastland --- and also why we were so disappointed when it got tied up for like two years in development hell. Never knew about Cleveland Ave though, rarely end up that far north. Probably too much to ask that they open one downtown for me, but if they happen to be name searching themselves on an urban development forum, consider this my formal request!
March 7Mar 7 Eastland Mall's future: Newly unveiled neighborhood vision includes housing, shopping, more "With demolition underway, what does the future hold for Eastland Mall? Some possible answers arrived late Thursday when a group led by the Columbus Department of Neighborhoods unveiled a study called Eastland for Everyone that lays out a vision for the Southeast Side property and surrounding area. The study, reflecting 16 months of work and 1,800 participants, highlights what residents would like to see in the neighborhood, including more grocery stores, a recreation and community center, more jobs, and improved safety and transportation. The study looks far beyond the mall itself to 6 square miles roughly bounded by Interstate 70 to the north, James Road and U.S. 33 to the west, Refugee/Chatterton roads to the south and Brice Road to the east." https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/real-estate/2025/03/06/eastland-mall-columbus-demolished-shopping-center-housing-development/81405637007/
March 7Mar 7 19 minutes ago, Luvcbus said: Eastland Mall's future: Newly unveiled neighborhood vision includes housing, shopping, more "With demolition underway, what does the future hold for Eastland Mall? Some possible answers arrived late Thursday when a group led by the Columbus Department of Neighborhoods unveiled a study called Eastland for Everyone that lays out a vision for the Southeast Side property and surrounding area. The study, reflecting 16 months of work and 1,800 participants, highlights what residents would like to see in the neighborhood, including more grocery stores, a recreation and community center, more jobs, and improved safety and transportation. The study looks far beyond the mall itself to 6 square miles roughly bounded by Interstate 70 to the north, James Road and U.S. 33 to the west, Refugee/Chatterton roads to the south and Brice Road to the east." https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/real-estate/2025/03/06/eastland-mall-columbus-demolished-shopping-center-housing-development/81405637007/ Is this more dense than the original plan a few months ago? It looks pretty good, but I feel like the parking area around the red buildings could go away.
March 7Mar 7 13 hours ago, VintageLife said: Is this more dense than the original plan a few months ago? It looks pretty good, but I feel like the parking area around the red buildings could go away. Didn't read the article because I don't find the DIspatch's content worth the paywall, but from the images this looks all but identical to the previous plan. The only change I can see is was one of the L buildings may have shifted from retail to mixed use. Still better than a dead mall and empty parking lots.
March 7Mar 7 16 hours ago, VintageLife said: Is this more dense than the original plan a few months ago? It looks pretty good, but I feel like the parking area around the red buildings could go away. This is not really a plan but rather an aspirational vision, and those rarely pan out. I would be very surprised if something as dense and urban as that drawing ends up being built at the Eastland site.
March 17Mar 17 How much would i need to bribe the construction crew to look the other way while I snagged a few dozen of those blue bricks?
March 18Mar 18 22 hours ago, Zordon Shumway said: How much would i need to bribe the construction crew to look the other way while I snagged a few dozen of those blue bricks? Funny you mention that. The Upper Arlington Historical Society sold blue Lazarus bricks as a fund raiser when the Kingsdale building was demolished. Surprised they didn't do that for Eastland.
May 26May 26 Dirt moving at Weyburn Rd and Refugee Rd on a project that will add over 200 more units to the Refugee Rd corridor
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