https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/08/08/exclusive-23-acre-arena-district-resort-style.html?ana=twt

 

Interesting:

 

"Initial planning includes three hotels, with one featuring a rooftop restaurant, plus a grocery store, conference center, extended stay hotel, restaurant row and boutique retail.

 

There's more: There will be a 10- to 12-story condo tower, a 12- to 15- story apartment tower and plenty of parking."

Looks promising, but I don't like the surface lots around the 2 main buildings.  Easy to fill in later, but that's not walkable as is and looks like something you might see in southeast Florida. 

I also don't like the way the separate the residential portions from the other development north of the railroad tracks.  I'd rather see the uses integrated a bit more.

 

Not much a fan of the "South Grand Central" site plan. Looks too much like an office park out on 270 with it's retention ponds and surface parking. The northern side looks much better, but I'm curious how they might be able to slow the traffic on that section of Goodale. It's basically a freeway off/on ramp until it hits Neil. It does seem like a very isolated site and I don't see how that is going to be resolved according to the plan. Interesting enough, it looks like it'll hook into the goodale access road that was mentioned in the white castle HQ redevelopment project.

 

Great seeing something happening on this site though.

Wow. Pretty unexpected news but definitely welcome IMO.

 

My first impression overall is favorable. I realize this is a difficult site to work with, and appreciate the connections they've included on the railroad tracks and freeway to Nationwide, Brodbelt, and the WC HQ site.

 

Here's a large version of the full site plan,

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/08/08/exclusive-23-acre-arena-district-resort-style.html?ana=twt

 

Interesting:

 

"Initial planning includes three hotels, with one featuring a rooftop restaurant, plus a grocery store, conference center, extended stay hotel, restaurant row and boutique retail.

 

There's more: There will be a 10- to 12-story condo tower, a 12- to 15- story apartment tower and plenty of parking."

 

When I saw this before reading the article, I was afraid this was the former casino site that NRI bought (and is likely to be the future new Crew Stadium location).  But its not.  Its that weird triangular parcel that sits between three railroad lines.

 

I was beginning to wonder if anything would ever be developed here because, although its a great downtown location, it's also an isolated site.  Although the Arena District has developed around it, you literally can't see this triangular parcel because of the elevated railroad lines surrounding it.  For the past 20+ years, this parcel has been used a construction staging site for various big downtown infrastructure projects.

 

This development could be great for this isolated site and open up a previously undevelopable parcel next to a thriving area.

Here are some visuals for this Schottenstein proposal from https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/08/08/exclusive-23-acre-arena-district-resort-style.html

 

Aerial showing the triangular parcel located between three railroad lines:

 

 

Proposed site plan - in addition to the triangular parcel there is a second phase along the Goodale-Vine Connector:

 

 

Conceptual rendering of the two 12-story to 15-story residential towers in the phase one triangular parcel:

The rectangle patch looks ok I guess.  The triangle patch, please no!  Don't waste this prime space with 2 mid-rises and a parking garage. ugh...  I've been dreaming for years of what could be done with this space.  Very disappointing.

Another Schottenstein proposal; just like Arshot I won't hold my breath!

I know this proposal is less than perfect or ideal(and I love how the rendering of the lower section conveniently left out the massive 7 floor parking garage), but this site is a difficult site and I had problems seeing how this would ever get developed given the isolation of the site. To see both the north slot and the south triangle developed with some(not exactly perfect)mixed uses and at least some height so there are some in the 12-15 story range, is way more than I ever would have expected. The connections will help, it will be good infill on a difficult site, and given the site, I can forgive some things coming up short.

 

IFthis gets built anything like this I will be very pleased.  The height for this area is fine-we need the height in the core anyway IMO, not way out past the Arena district. Maybe they can tweak it to be a little more urban and dense, if it gets built at all(being Schottenstein proposal and all as has been mentioned).

Half of the proposal is great; the other half is a Dublin office park with residential instead.

Honestly, I don't think it's that bad. A few tweaks could really help the triangle portion but overall I agree with Toddguy[/member]'s comments.

 

Miranova is a more offensive site plan, and in a much more prominent location, but everyone forgives it because of the height.

 

IMO the real test of whether this area will develop to its true potential will be the remaining NRI land. I think it would be a colossal mistake to site any new Crew Stadium there. It's really the ideal spot for a residential neighborhood of 1,000+ units. Especially with the new pedestrian bridge planned and the possible connections through to Goodale, etc. We need density that can drive more 24/7 activity and spur retail demand in the AD. A soccer-specific-stadium that would be used ~17 times a year doesn't do that. Not to mention that there isn't really a lot of room for proper spin-off development that a stadium would actually attract, like bars and restaurants, on this dead-end, off-the-grid land.

 

A much better site for the Crew is east of High and the AD proper, bounded by Mt Vernon, 5th, Buckingham, and 6th Sts.

Half of the proposal is great; the other half is a Dublin office park with residential instead.

 

Perfectly described. 

 

It sits touching the arena district, just a toss away from SN, victorian village, grandview yard, and the up and coming peninsula - and on its west side is more planned development.  This is a highly desirable area now but moreso in 10 years.  The only obstacle here is access and there are a lot of ways to cross railroad tracks.  It seems like a wasted opportunity with the design definitely looking like 90s Dublin being planted downtown.  It'd be nice if it was walkable and added a new connected neighborhood to the area.  What's shown now is an island.

I think both sides need work. The uses are too compartmentalized. The location of the grocery is too hidden within the site. The north site sits about 10' to 20' above Vine. Unless there's major earth moving, the project won't have great visibility from Vine (you'll see the tops of the buildings, but not the activity on the ground plane). Traffic on Vine backs up to 670 in the mornings but at other times Vine is a high speed off ramp. Any comparison to the Arena District or Grandview Yard are a stretch - I think what makes those two work it connectivity to existing neighborhoods/districts. My office overlooks the tracks in the foreground of the birds-eye rendering - I haven't counted but I'll bet there are 20-30 trains a day.

 

I loved the '90s reference above - I worked on quite a few Dublin office parks in that decade that have this character.

 

It seems to me that there are better sites to develop first before this left-over land is developed, but I suppose the land is relatively cheap.

 

 

It's definitely a missed opportunity to not put some retail directly on Neil -- build it into the embankment and have access at street level there. It is an interesting concept to have "boutique" shopping up within the site but they need to make it accessible and visible to pedestrians, as you suggest.

I worked on this site as my senior landscape architecture studio at OSU and the site really does deserve more than an awkward parcelization and division -- there are very interesting opportunities to connect the site over and under the railroad tracks and properly engage and connect it to the stadium, Express Live, the riverfront, etc. It needs to be looked at from a larger master plan perspective and not just piece by piece, the White Castle site included (for those interested, my proposal for the overall site is here: https://issuu.com/joshuabauman/docs/4999h_final_presentation)

 

I think both sides need work. The uses are too compartmentalized. The location of the grocery is too hidden within the site. The north site sits about 10' to 20' above Vine. Unless there's major earth moving, the project won't have great visibility from Vine (you'll see the tops of the buildings, but not the activity on the ground plane). Traffic on Vine backs up to 670 in the mornings but at other times Vine is a high speed off ramp. Any comparison to the Arena District or Grandview Yard are a stretch - I think what makes those two work it connectivity to existing neighborhoods/districts. My office overlooks the tracks in the foreground of the birds-eye rendering - I haven't counted but I'll bet there are 20-30 trains a day.

 

I loved the '90s reference above - I worked on quite a few Dublin office parks in that decade that have this character.

 

It seems to me that there are better sites to develop first before this left-over land is developed, but I suppose the land is relatively cheap.

It's a really weird area with hard boundaries like the river and I-670 coming into play.  There's also unlikely to be access to Vine Street unless it connects to the White Castle site.  Add to that you've got several rail lines in the way, I mean, that will be future stops on an intra-city rail line, right?

 

Hopefully they can take some feedback and update it before moving forward.

I view the train tracks not so much as a constraint but an opportunity.  People are interested in trains.  Build pedestrian bridges where people can watch them go underneath.  Have buildings right alongside so you can see them out your window.  Use the small opening between the 2 elevated tracks on Nationwide as a tucked away entrance into a distinct neighborhood.  I think this could be one of the best neighborhoods in the city once the development west of it comes around too.  Such a great out of the way & unique location with some fantastic views of downtown - just needs a little creativity.

^One of the trains that goes by almost daily is a trash train traveling from the east cost to a landfill in eastern Kentucky. I was walking over one of the bridges in the AD when the trash train passed by below me - awful smells...

^One of the trains that goes by almost daily is a trash train traveling from the east cost to a landfill in eastern Kentucky. I was walking over one of the bridges in the AD when the trash train passed by below me - awful smells...

 

Haha, well...

 

Few more pictures -

From the dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170809/massive-plan-for-arena-district-includes-residences-hotels-shopping

 

 

From Reveal Visuals:

 

 

 

^One of the trains that goes by almost daily is a trash train traveling from the east cost to a landfill in eastern Kentucky. I was walking over one of the bridges in the AD when the trash train passed by below me - awful smells...

 

It already passes Arena Crossing and the Flats developments so obviously it's not that big of an issue.

I'm just going to be super real here.... The proposal is garbage.

 

We have the Schottenstein Group (a suburban luxury developer) entering the urban market with the "SUB/URBAN" adaptation garbage they all seem to be obsessed with. What I think is important to note is that just because something is tall does not mean it's urban, and this is not urban. Development for development sake isn't the answer. The proposal has no business in the core let alone downtown, I mean retention ponds?! Come on... it's 5 blocks from the river. Honestly, just accepting this is borderline... no actually worse than just accepting highpoint because at least highpoint is actually urban. 

 

I know we all want something to happen here and fill in this space, but people, this is just bad.

^Retention ponds are required by environmental regulations all over Central Ohio. If it's flat, it has to have a retention pond basically.

^Retention ponds are required by environmental regulations all over Central Ohio. If it's flat, it has to have a retention pond basically.

 

From how I understand it, retention/detention ponds are required for flat lot greenfield developments as a form of drainage and wetland preservation. In a location like downtown this is not only unnecessary due to existing drainage systems and connections but negated by the proximity to the river itself. So around the metro, yes but being as no other development even remotely close to this has such ponds, it seem's this one is aesthetics.

They might be filing this one under greenfield rather than urban redevelopment. I can't remember if there were buildings here ever or just train tracks.

If you wait for perfect on this 23 acre site then you will either get nothing, or wait for 50 more years. The northern part is not that bad at all-there is virtually no surface parking and in no way is it like any suburban office park in Central Ohio. It looks more like the Dublin Bridge Street project than anything. The southern part?-yeah...more so and it needs work but still how many Central Ohio office parks have buildings over 10 floors and have most parking in a garage rather than surface lots? I think given it's location, it may be ok...not everything within the 960 plus acres that covers the official 'downtown' of Columbus has to have very high density...this is not along Broad or High or along a critical passageway into downtown and it is denser than most of the Arena district itself it seems(no large stadiums that are empty most of the time). Sometimes it seems that people expect way too much and in the wrong places as well. Building six story wooden boxes along High(especially LowPointe and at Gay and High)is much more of a travesty and long term mistake than this would ever be IMO.

 

Yeah they can work on it and all, but the expectations from some people seem to be rather extreme. This site has been a wasteland for over half a century and if they can build this, then build it! flaws and all. I would like to see some improvements as others have suggested but I would rather see this built as is than a dream never built.

 

*There are a number of small things that have been mentioned that could be done to tweak the plan to make it better and yes those should be pushed and suggested...but to say the whole thing is whack is just over-the-top to me. This is a site that is and has been isolated for nearly forever...it is not really a part of 'the core' CBD anyway-too far away and not enough good direct connections.

 

Now if this was suggested for the Scioto Peninsula(the Dallas Office Park southern part particularly)I can understand being underwhelmed).

 

*This development will have over 600 residential units plus hundreds of hotel rooms and retail, office, etc. on a long-term wasteland. i hope it gets tweaked and improved(and God forbid, not downsized) and most of all, actually gets built and ends up not being another 'pipe dream' proposal that we look back on ten years from now.

 

*let the hate begin. JMHO.

Its like the toy that the kid wants to play with only when they see the other kid playing with it.

 

No one has expected the triangle piece to develop, and now we are expecting nothing but the highest quality urban infill.

 

No one has expected the triangle piece to develop, and now we are expecting nothing but the highest quality urban infill.

 

Considering this will exist for 50+ years.... we should always at least expect the best, then go from there.

 

How I am viewing this is that currently we just have renders and stats, with just those pieces the response seems to be 'It's decent enough and tall, its also better than an empty lot that we may have to wait 50+ years to fill'. So aside from the proposal seeming out of place, most seem to think its okay at best. A proposal/render is usually the wow factor... impressive because it's the pristine, flashy, perfect result of the developers dreams. With that in mind don't forget that we will likely see this project go through value engineering (as they usually do). So my question is if it's already meh, then what will be the final result?

 

Also... does the gold color bother nobody?

It's hard for me to buy that nobody had any expectations for this and nothing would be done if we don't do this.  Sure, we have waited a long time, but the area is being surrounded by high quality, dense, urban development.  Its value is absolutely on the rise and I think as the peninsula plan takes shape, the white castle development gets completed, NRI does their thing, and the north market area gets built out - the more it's going to be obvious the value the area holds.  It's basically next to the best features Columbus has to offer.  Regardless of whether this was on the collective radar before or not, it's valuable land.  We keep talking about constraints, but it's really an elevated highway and a few railroad tracks, hardly insurmountable. 

 

There will be less and less opportunities to have a completely clean slate to be creative and do whatever you want in the downtown area.  This is one of the few left.  Why settle?  The demand will continue to grow.

 

That said, I'm being vociferous about this because I did have some wild ideas about what could be done and the proposal is basically the antithesis of them.  I don't expect what I was thinking to become reality, but for god's sake, retention ponds?!?  We can do a lot better.

 

Also, I do kinda like the northern parcel with a few tweaks.  The triangle just kills me.

 

I'll stop commenting on this now :)

How does this impact / integrate with the previously proposed Pen West development?  I know Borror is out on that project - was that this area?

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/plans-unveiled-for-new-pedestrian-bridge-bw1

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/penn-west-development-bw1

Also... does the gold color bother nobody?

 

It's horrendous.  I've seen better gold buildings in Tunica.

 

How does this impact / integrate with the previously proposed Pen West development?  I know Borror is out on that project - was that this area?

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/plans-unveiled-for-new-pedestrian-bridge-bw1

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/penn-west-development-bw1

 

Pen West is near by, but more to the west.  I put together a map that may help visualize the area better.  I've included other outlines and projects/proposals to have a better understanding of how the area is filling out.  I'm sure I'm missing other proposals/projects, but here's what I have.

 

 

Also... does the gold color bother nobody?

 

It's horrendous.  I've seen better gold buildings in Tunica.

 

You guys made me think of this Chvrches song:

 

How does this impact / integrate with the previously proposed Pen West development?  I know Borror is out on that project - was that this area?

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/plans-unveiled-for-new-pedestrian-bridge-bw1

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/penn-west-development-bw1

 

Pen West is near by, but more to the west.  I put together a map that may help visualize the area better.  I've included other outlines and projects/proposals to have a better understanding of how the area is filling out.  I'm sure I'm missing other proposals/projects, but here's what I have.

 

That's a pretty complete and very helpful map for all the projects in this area.

How does this impact / integrate with the previously proposed Pen West development?  I know Borror is out on that project - was that this area?

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/plans-unveiled-for-new-pedestrian-bridge-bw1

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/penn-west-development-bw1

 

Pen West is near by, but more to the west.  I put together a map that may help visualize the area better.  I've included other outlines and projects/proposals to have a better understanding of how the area is filling out.  I'm sure I'm missing other proposals/projects, but here's what I have.

 

That's a pretty complete and very helpful map for all the projects in this area.

 

I work in the Arena District, and during my lunch time walks, I like to walk through McFerson Commons then down to the newly revamped riverfront, and it's been exciting watching the quick progress on Parks Edge, I still think NRI may have something nice "up their sleeve" for their "Phase 3" of that project, slightly back from the 12 story towers against the parking garage/park.  I've always felt there is potential for another 20-25 or so story tower there to complete that area.  Just my thought though.  I love all the input, and everyone has different ideas and concerns, but you have to admit, it's a pretty exciting time to live in Columbus during its growing boom.

How does this impact / integrate with the previously proposed Pen West development?  I know Borror is out on that project - was that this area?

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/plans-unveiled-for-new-pedestrian-bridge-bw1

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/penn-west-development-bw1

 

Pen West is near by, but more to the west.  I put together a map that may help visualize the area better.  I've included other outlines and projects/proposals to have a better understanding of how the area is filling out.  I'm sure I'm missing other proposals/projects, but here's what I have.

 

Ah, thank you.  That map really puts into perspective just how far away some of the proposed projects are from the Arena District / Short North.

 

I think the gravel lots across from Flats on Vine may be part of a proposal for in-fill -> either with or in addition to the North Market Tower.  Can't remember who put that plan out there.  Really that whole area west of School Street could use some help - nothing big I wouldn't think but it just seems misfit for the area now.  It'll probably end up being a parking garage and some apartments/condos.

How does this impact / integrate with the previously proposed Pen West development?  I know Borror is out on that project - was that this area?

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/plans-unveiled-for-new-pedestrian-bridge-bw1

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/penn-west-development-bw1

 

Pen West is near by, but more to the west.  I put together a map that may help visualize the area better.  I've included other outlines and projects/proposals to have a better understanding of how the area is filling out.  I'm sure I'm missing other proposals/projects, but here's what I have.

 

Ah, thank you.  That map really puts into perspective just how far away some of the proposed projects are from the Arena District / Short North.

 

I think the gravel lots across from Flats on Vine may be part of a proposal for in-fill -> either with or in addition to the North Market Tower.  Can't remember who put that plan out there.  Really that whole area west of School Street could use some help - nothing big I wouldn't think but it just seems misfit for the area now.  It'll probably end up being a parking garage and some apartments/condos.

 

I agree about the gravel lots, there's quite a bit of space for the future there.  I know they just tore down the old Lodge Bar site and what not to create extra temporary parking for the anticipation of the North Market Tower site during its construction.  I could be wrong, but those gravel lots are almost the last piece of the puzzle in the Arena District that NRI actually does NOT own, I think Schottenstein might actually have tabs on those as well?? (Might be wrong on that).  It would be nice after a lot of these other projects wrap up in the coming years if they can then focus on these last gravel lots to complete the area out.

http://www.columbusunderground.com/experience-columbus-identifies-sites-for-hotel-expansion-by-convention-center-bw1

 

^This article has several proposals from Experience Columbus re: northern edge of the A.D.

It's hard for me to buy that nobody had any expectations for this and nothing would be done if we don't do this.  Sure, we have waited a long time, but the area is being surrounded by high quality, dense, urban development.  Its value is absolutely on the rise and I think as the peninsula plan takes shape, the white castle development gets completed, NRI does their thing, and the north market area gets built out - the more it's going to be obvious the value the area holds.  It's basically next to the best features Columbus has to offer.  Regardless of whether this was on the collective radar before or not, it's valuable land.  We keep talking about constraints, but it's really an elevated highway and a few railroad tracks, hardly insurmountable. 

 

There will be less and less opportunities to have a completely clean slate to be creative and do whatever you want in the downtown area.  This is one of the few left.  Why settle?  The demand will continue to grow.

 

 

*alright the more I look at them the more hideous the triangle golden buildings look. They really do need to redesign that-looks right out of suburban Phoenix or Vegas or Dallas or something. ugh. I admit I don't want 50 years of that looming over the area either.

That said, I'm being vociferous about this because I did have some wild ideas about what could be done and the proposal is basically the antithesis of them.  I don't expect what I was thinking to become reality, but for god's sake, retention ponds?!?  We can do a lot better.

 

Also, I do kinda like the northern parcel with a few tweaks.  The triangle just kills me.

 

I'll stop commenting on this now :)

 

There is nothing wrong with wanting more and pushing for improvements and at the very least pushing to have this be the very least that they can do. And yes the triangle part is ugly and that gold is awful...so complain about the cladding and offer alternatives to the ponds. Nothing wrong with that. It just seems that with some people, once we actually have a comprehensive proposal for this whole area (both the northern part and the triangle integrated together in some way)which came as a complete surprise to me, instead of working with the proposal and offering ideas for improvement, it is more 'this sucks we deserve the best' attitude. In and ideal world that would happen-we would get the best. But this is reality not a college classroom and we work with what we can get and try to influence what we can by speaking out.

 

The layout of the southern part, the retention ponds, the apparent lack of any real landscaping/hardscaping to try to turn those areas into something at least park-like and usable, the complete lack of the huge garage in the rendering, the hideous color of the buildings shown, the design and placement, number (why only two buildings in such a rather large area) are valid criticisms that I think can be addressed WITH the plan that is shown.

 

And I will take henoius Trump Towers Vegas/Columbus(downsized naturally, this is Cbus we are talking about)triangle-edge-of-downtown-office park over Hilton Avenue-on-Broad-LowPointe at Columbus Commons any time.  Hell name the damn thing for the bastard Trump-if he will pay for it and make it come about instead of this fading away like so many other proposals and another recession and then one reason after another of nothing happening with this site.

 

*this is not really directed at you personally-just picked a reasonable post to respond to.

 

Okay the more I look at them the gold buildings are ugly as sin and I don't want 50 years of them either.

From CU's article on the proposal:

 

"Schottenstein Real Estate Group also plans to bring on a joint venture partner for the project, and is currently in talks with a number of different developers.

 

The level of interest from national developers in the project has been strong, as has interest from potential tenants, according to Schottenstein.

 

'It’s very exciting, and really shows how much Columbus has grown,' he said. 'Several big name national chains have reached out to us already…that’s a really good sign that Columbus is ready to enter that big-city status, and we think this project will help take it to that next level.'"

 

http://www.columbusunderground.com/proposal-calls-for-apartments-condos-hotels-and-more-on-vacant-land-next-to-arena-district-bw1

Okay the more I look at them the gold buildings are ugly as sin and I don't want 50 years of them either.

 

:)  -- I very much want to see development too, but I have to do a double take every time I look at the renderings to make sure that really is downtown Columbus in the background and not Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dublin, or Orlando.  It just doesn't make any sense.  It's like they took the retirement towers in victorian village, threw a coat of gold paint on them and called it a day.  In fact, that's who I imagine will be strolling around those ponds every day.

Okay the more I look at them the gold buildings are ugly as sin and I don't want 50 years of them either.

 

:)  -- I very much want to see development too, but I have to do a double take every time I look at the renderings to make sure that really is downtown Columbus in the background and not Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dublin, or Orlando.  It just doesn't make any sense.  It's like they took the retirement towers in victorian village, threw a coat of gold paint on them and called it a day.  In fact, that's who I imagine will be strolling around those ponds every day.

 

That is funny-the same thought went through my mind(the Thurber buildings) the longer I looked at them. The eastern one especially They have to do better than ugly gold boxes. This is all just preliminary and hopefully it will come about with improvements and all. I just love how they omitted the largest single building in the entire plan-the HUGE seven story parking garage which will probably dominate the triangle part given it's seven story height plus it's large areal coverage. If it is the typical concrete garage monstrosity....oh boy. That must be a no-no. They better disguise that thing. And why not some office or residential on top of it?-the views would be great from up there?

 

The top of that garage looks to be at least two acres. How about a rooftop park? They need to do better than two boring at best/ugly as sin at worst bulky box towers and a hulking concrete garage.

 

The northern part seems to have minimal problems by comparison and a lot that is done right.

 

I really hope they tweak this and it comes to fruition. But also, it is all 'very high end, unlike anything seen in Columbus' and all....so the masses need not apply and all. So much development and so much unaffordability. It will basically be another enclave for the wealthy.

Broke out the posts about this Grand Central development proposal from the Arena District thread to create this stand-alone thread.

Couple of articles about the Grand Central development from today's Business First.  No further updates, just some more context for how quickly (or sometimes not quickly) ambitious projects like this 23-acre proposal can take to realize.  The first article looks at the technical and permitting standards the project must meet.

 

In the second one, Marc Conte, director of research planning and facilities for Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District is interviewed about how the Grand Central development might fit into the overall downtown housing market.  Conte said the downtown currently can absorb the residential units planned within the project because demand outweighs supply for now.

 

Both Business First articles are excellent as always, but unfortunately behind a subscription paywall.  However a project overview video in the first article is viewable to everyone:

 

---

-- Grand plans: Schottenstein's Arena District Grand Central project could help with demand for housing, but faces many hurdles (Video):  https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/08/24/grand-plans-schottensteins-arena-district-grand.html

 

-- Access, possible pollution and traffic: Projects such as Grand Central face a few hurdles:  https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/08/24/access-possible-pollution-and-traffic-projects.html

So they went with "Grand Central" instead of Pen West, despite the fact that the old Grand Central was where the Convention Center is?

So they went with "Grand Central" instead of Pen West, despite the fact that the old Grand Central was where the Convention Center is?

 

Are you referring to the former Union Station?

So they went with "Grand Central" instead of Pen West, despite the fact that the old Grand Central was where the Convention Center is?

 

Are you referring to the former Union Station?

 

Yeah. Did I miss why this is called Grand Central now?

So they went with "Grand Central" instead of Pen West, despite the fact that the old Grand Central was where the Convention Center is?

 

Pen West was the name some gave to the NRI & City of Columbus properties west of the railroad tracks. Not sure if that'll be the name they use. Schottenstein appears to want to have its own little district here instead of tying into a greater neighborhood. Same with the White Castle property.

So they went with "Grand Central" instead of Pen West, despite the fact that the old Grand Central was where the Convention Center is?

 

Pen West was the name some gave to the NRI & City of Columbus properties west of the railroad tracks. Not sure if that'll be the name they use. Schottenstein appears to want to have its own little district here instead of tying into a greater neighborhood. Same with the White Castle property.

 

I mean..."Grand Central" only makes sense if you're in the center (they're not) or they're building on a site that was formerly a (Grand) Central station.  Otherwise...wtf?

So they went with "Grand Central" instead of Pen West, despite the fact that the old Grand Central was where the Convention Center is?

 

Pen West was the name some gave to the NRI & City of Columbus properties west of the railroad tracks. Not sure if that'll be the name they use. Schottenstein appears to want to have its own little district here instead of tying into a greater neighborhood. Same with the White Castle property.

 

I mean..."Grand Central" only makes sense if you're in the center (they're not) or they're building on a site that was formerly a (Grand) Central station.  Otherwise...wtf?

 

I mean... the whole project is basically wtf so I feel it's par for the course on this one.

I think you all might be overthinking this, to me the name is pretty straightforward... The project site is at the confluence of a lot of rail lines, and they're seeking to make it a kind of upscale 'destination' district within the larger downtown area.

There actually might have been a small train station here at one point. There were five stations between Leonard Ave. and Grandview, I believe. The Lenoard Ave. one, Union Station, Franklinton, Grandview and whichever other one which could have been here. Oh also, Ft. Hayes was probably a stop as well.