July 7, 20177 yr :wtf: Hundreds of apartments being built next to Chase's Polaris complex An apartment complex is being built in the Polaris area and is targeted to JPMorgan Chase employees who want to walk to work. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/07/06/hundreds-of-apartments-being-built-just-south-of.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 31, 20177 yr :wtf: An apartment complex is being built in the Polaris area and is targeted to JPMorgan Chase employees who want to walk to work. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/07/06/hundreds-of-apartments-being-built-just-south-of.html If you don't mind walking across a huge parking lot! :|
July 31, 20177 yr Chase to put solar panels on Polaris offices as part of renewable energy push JPMorgan Chase & Co. is set to build the largest rooftop solar array in the state. ... The bank announced Friday that it will put solar panels atop the McCoy Center at Polaris, part of a plan by the bank to rely exclusively on renewable energy by 2020. ( . . . ) Chase, Columbus’ largest private employer, said the array of solar panels at the McCoy Center will have up to 20 megawatts of capacity, enough to power the equivalent of 3,280 homes and generate about two-thirds of the electricity needed to run the building. ( . . . ) The McCoy Center is Chase’s largest building in the world and houses 10,000 workers. At 2 million square feet, the building is basically has the same square footage as the Empire State Building. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170728/chase-to-put-solar-panels-on-polaris-offices-as-part-of-renewable-energy-push
September 6, 20177 yr Maybe there is hope yet for Polaris to become more dense and walkable overall. The interesting thing about it is that it is quite dense, with many apartments and hotels among the retail establishments. They are just so ridiculously inefficiently arranged that it's impossible to get around without a car. I stayed at a hotel on Lyra by Quaker Steak a couple of times and decided to walk to Kroger a few times, which was fine. Then I went to Chipotle and had to cross Polaris... That was... Interesting. Paths in some places but other places you had to walk over grass hills.
September 6, 20177 yr Nothing will put your WalkScore through the roof like being next to a busy mall.
September 28, 20177 yr 187-room hotel proposed near Polaris A new $20 million hotel is coming to the Polaris area. Drury Southwest, the Girardeau, Missouri-based parent of Drury Hotels, has secured the land for an eight-story, 110,000-square-foot hotel on 5.4 acres at the southwest corner of Gemini Place and Orion Place, near Polaris Fashion Place and the new Ikea. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/09/28/187-room-hotel-proposed-near-polaris.html http://www.dispatch.com/ "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 9, 20187 yr New Polaris-area google aerials, below link posted in the another thread: It appears portions of the 3D versions of Google maps have been recently updated in Columbus. New Polaris apartments/offices and Ikea - https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1458118,-82.9752255,63a,35y,45.58h,72.46t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
May 9, 20187 yr It's not saying much, but that new "Point" office/apartment project is probably the best thing anyone has going up at Polaris. If it's successful and the developers are smart, there's an opportunity to expand it using the same template on empty land next door and across the street Then, with some small investments to Lyra Dr and the parking lot on that side of the mall, you could actually have a nice, little walkable node there in the middle of our sprawling hellscape
May 9, 20187 yr ^ I was actually thinking the same thing last time I was up there. The project looks really nice. Polaris is so suburban it hurts (though that's not necessarily a bad thing), but I think there is some hope in making it a little more "urban" in some areas.
May 9, 20187 yr Maybe there is hope yet for Polaris to become more dense and walkable overall. The interesting thing about it is that it is quite dense, with many apartments and hotels among the retail establishments. They are just so ridiculously inefficiently arranged that it's impossible to get around without a car. I stayed at a hotel on Lyra by Quaker Steak a couple of times and decided to walk to Kroger a few times, which was fine. Then I went to Chipotle and had to cross Polaris... That was... Interesting. Paths in some places but other places you had to walk over grass hills. And about 8 or 9 lanes of traffic... I go down to Polaris every few months for work and I'm amazed at how many lanes of traffic they have down there...
May 9, 20187 yr Maybe there is hope yet for Polaris to become more dense and walkable overall. The interesting thing about it is that it is quite dense, with many apartments and hotels among the retail establishments. They are just so ridiculously inefficiently arranged that it's impossible to get around without a car. I stayed at a hotel on Lyra by Quaker Steak a couple of times and decided to walk to Kroger a few times, which was fine. Then I went to Chipotle and had to cross Polaris... That was... Interesting. Paths in some places but other places you had to walk over grass hills. And about 8 or 9 lanes of traffic... I go down to Polaris every few months for work and I'm amazed at how many lanes of traffic they have down there... Polaris Pkwy would be a great road for a dedicated bus lane, or...dare I say it....light rail.
May 9, 20187 yr COTA is actually running a regular bus route on it now, the limited stop 2L express from Downtown (which is great btw). But, if you get off anywhere along Polaris Parkway itself you're still dumped straight into a drainage ditch and then have to hike through landscaping to your nearest parking lot in order to get anywhere... Thankfully there are pedestrian signals at most intersections, but you aren't really given enough time to make it across 10 lanes, especially without a median refuge island and needing to dodge distracted drivers making no-stop right turns. It's an incredibly hostile environment to anything not on four wheels
May 9, 20187 yr 187-room hotel proposed near Polaris A new $20 million hotel is coming to the Polaris area. Drury Southwest, the Girardeau, Missouri-based parent of Drury Hotels, has secured the land for an eight-story, 110,000-square-foot hotel on 5.4 acres at the southwest corner of Gemini Place and Orion Place, near Polaris Fashion Place and the new Ikea. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/09/28/187-room-hotel-proposed-near-polaris.html http://www.dispatch.com/ Wow, that makes 14 hotels within a half mile of the Polaris/71 exit. Insane. Any other destination retailers on their way?...
July 19, 20186 yr Topgolf announced last year it was building one of its driving range/sports bar/nightclub venues in Polaris. According to its announcement, the new Topgolf facility is expected to open in Fall 2018: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/11/30/topgolf-says-columbus-site-will-open-next-fall.html Construction of the Topgolf facility is well underway next to the Polaris IKEA location. Below is are construction photos from April 2018 and June 2018:
August 16, 20186 yr Topgolf in Polaris has a planned fall opening date. Topgolf also announced that it will be hiring 500 workers for its new location at 2000 Ikea Way at Polaris. Below are two recent news items about this and two aerial views of the construction from the NBC4 story: http://www.thisweeknews.com/business/20180807/topgolf-to-hire-500-workers-for-columbus-location https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/topgolf-columbus-hiring-for-500-new-jobs/1351410512
September 9, 20186 yr 187-room hotel proposed near Polaris A new $20 million hotel is coming to the Polaris area. Drury Southwest, the Girardeau, Missouri-based parent of Drury Hotels, has secured the land for an eight-story, 110,000-square-foot hotel on 5.4 acres at the southwest corner of Gemini Place and Orion Place, near Polaris Fashion Place and the new Ikea. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/09/28/187-room-hotel-proposed-near-polaris.html http://www.dispatch.com/ I drove past this site yesterday and it looked like they had the base of a tower crane in place.
September 10, 20186 yr 187-room hotel proposed near Polaris A new $20 million hotel is coming to the Polaris area. Drury Southwest, the Girardeau, Missouri-based parent of Drury Hotels, has secured the land for an eight-story, 110,000-square-foot hotel on 5.4 acres at the southwest corner of Gemini Place and Orion Place, near Polaris Fashion Place and the new Ikea. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2017/09/28/187-room-hotel-proposed-near-polaris.html http://www.dispatch.com/ I drove past this site yesterday and it looked like they had the base of a tower crane in place. I wonder why they would need a tower crane for that? It's not tall and the site is not constricted by neighboring buildings or streets. You sure it wasn't the base of the elevator or stairwells?
September 10, 20186 yr ^^ It definitely looked like the base for a tower crane. It was right in the middle of the construction area. I suppose my eyes could have been deceiving me, but that's what it looked like.
September 29, 20186 yr So apparently I was correct about the tower crane. I drove past today and saw a red tower crane operating at the sight. Unfortunately I could grab a picture because I was driving down 71.
October 18, 20186 yr Topgolf Polaris opens tomorrow: https://www.columbusnavigator.com/topgolf-columbus-open/ https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/10/15/topgolf-columbussets-opening-date-for-its-columbus.html
October 25, 20186 yr Alabama developer enters Columbus market with 176-unit Polaris community An Alabama developer has closed on a deal to build a 176-unit apartment community in Columbus. Birmingham-based Arlington Properties has closed on deals to build in Columbus and Cincinnati, introducing the company to Ohio. The new Columbus complex, Tapestry Park Polaris, marks the beginning of a long-term strategy for the developer to become a significant player in Central Ohio's rental market, said William Morris, the company's vice president of development. He said Arlington has been looking to build in Columbus for three years. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/10/25/alabamadeveloper-enters-columbus-market-with-176.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 26, 20186 yr ^ interesting — how much regular old residential is in the polaris area nowadays? and around what % is residential versus the rest? more res to come obviously.
October 26, 20186 yr Right now you don't hear people say they "live at Polaris", but plenty live "in" Lewis Center. Blargh
February 21, 20196 yr Polaris Fashion Place owner working with Crawford Hoying to redevelop Sears site Washington Prime Group Inc. is making plans to redevelop the Sears at the Polaris Fashion Place mall. In its fourth-quarter earnings report, the Columbus-based mall developer and operator said it has signed a letter of intent with the developer Crawford Hoying to redevelop the store, which is scheduled to close early this year. The company did not indicate the scope of the joint venture. Dublin-based Crawford Hoying is known for mixed-use projects, including Bridge Park in Dublin and The Lane in Upper Arlington. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/02/21/polaris-fashion-place-owner-working-with-crawford.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
April 29, 20196 yr ^ A little more information on the redevelopment of the Sears site at the Polaris Fashion Place mall from this Dispatch article: https://www.dispatch.com/business/20190416/j-crew-joins-other-stores-in-leaving-polaris-fashion-place Quote Work has yet to begin on the biggest change for Polaris. The Sears store will be redeveloped by mall owner Washington Prime Group in conjunction with Columbus developer Crawford Hoying, said Kimberly Green, a spokeswoman for Columbus-based Washington Prime. “As previously announced, Washington Prime Group has signed a letter of intent with Columbus-based mixed-use developer Crawford Hoying,” Green said in an email. “In addition to planned mixed uses, there are plans for new entertainment, restaurants and retail.” Details have not been announced for the project, but Washington Prime has said it plans to open former Sears anchor stores to the the outdoors to create “hybrid town centers which capture both open-air and enclosed retail space, as well as assessing the viability for non-retail use.”
September 6, 20195 yr On 2/21/2019 at 2:19 PM, ColDayMan said: Polaris Fashion Place owner working with Crawford Hoying to redevelop Sears site Washington Prime Group Inc. is making plans to redevelop the Sears at the Polaris Fashion Place mall. In its fourth-quarter earnings report, the Columbus-based mall developer and operator said it has signed a letter of intent with the developer Crawford Hoying to redevelop the store, which is scheduled to close early this year. The company did not indicate the scope of the joint venture. Dublin-based Crawford Hoying is known for mixed-use projects, including Bridge Park in Dublin and The Lane in Upper Arlington. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/02/21/polaris-fashion-place-owner-working-with-crawford.html I wonder if we might be hearing some more details about this redevelopment soon. An engineering/site plan application was just filed for “15 multi-use buildings and 3 associated parking decks in place of existing Sears”. This sounds like a huge project. It will be interesting to see what their plan is. https://portal.columbus.gov/permits/ Edited September 6, 20195 yr by cbussoccer
September 6, 20195 yr 11 minutes ago, cityscapes said: I've seen it and it looks like a mini Easton. Thats kind of what I assumed.
September 6, 20195 yr I usually like what Crawford Hoying does. Hope this adds some density to the Polaris area. I'm still waiting for a big downtown development from them..........
September 6, 20195 yr 1 hour ago, Zyrokai said: I usually like what Crawford Hoying does. Hope this adds some density to the Polaris area. I'm still waiting for a big downtown development from them.......... Well, currently their High + Cherry project is under construction, but it was watered down form an 11-story design to a brick 6-story box so wouldn't get my hopes up sadly. Crawford Hoying doesn't seem incredibly interested in true urban development, most of their work right now seem focused on the suburbanite who wants urban "vibes" without actually venturing into the city. I imagine if Crawford Hoying is developing this it'll be a hybrid lying between between Easton and Bridge Park.
September 6, 20195 yr 4 minutes ago, DevolsDance said: Well, currently their High + Cherry project is under construction, but it was watered down form an 11-story design to a brick 6-story box so wouldn't get my hopes up sadly. Crawford Hoying doesn't seem incredibly interested in true urban development, most of their work right now seem focused on the suburbanite who wants urban "vibes" without actually venturing into the city. I imagine if Crawford Hoying is developing this it'll be a hybrid lying between between Easton and Bridge Park. I thought it was 7-stories. Not that that makes it any better.
September 6, 20195 yr 12 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: I thought it was 7-stories. Not that that makes it any better. Apologies, you are correct, its 7-stories. It looks like the final drawings have it as 7 floors on the Wall St. side (the garage entrance) but due to elevation change it will only be 6 floors on the High St. face... somehow this makes me hate them more. Edited September 6, 20195 yr by DevolsDance
September 24, 20195 yr The Pointe Phase II is next up: Bank of America to anchor new Polaris office building "Bank of America will occupy the top two floors of a new office building planned for the next phase of the Pointe at Polaris development off Interstate 71. The bank will consolidate its Columbus and Dublin offices into 60,000 square feet of the 145,000-square-foot building, developed by VanTrust Real Estate and NP Ltd. The building will rise west of I-71 and south of Gemini Place, in the second phase of Pointe at Polaris. The phase also will include a 260-unit apartment building. VanTrust and NP also developed Pointe at Polaris’ first phase immediately to the north, which includes a 216-unit apartment building, 70,000 square feet of offices and 30,000 square feet of retail space occupied by Condados Tacos, Atlas Tavern and Sweetwater Coffee." https://www.dispatch.com/business/20190920/bank-of-america-to-anchor-new-polaris-office-building
October 23, 20195 yr Sports complex to replace former Sears at Polaris By Tristan Navera – Staff reporter, Columbus Business First Oct 22, 2019, 5:17pm EDT Updated Oct 22, 2019, 5:19pm EDT The former Sears near Polaris Fashion Place will be replaced with an indoor sports facility. Washington Prime Group Inc. (NYSE: WPG) announced Tuesday that FieldhouseUSA will anchor a planned mixed-use redevelopment at 1400 Polaris Parkway, the former Sears department store. The brand is a community-based facility that specializes in sports leagues, events and tournaments year-round, including basketball, volleyball, pickle-ball and futsal. It also has programs for performance training, fitness, adventure exhibits, sports camps and club and corporate sports, with additional activities ranging from cheerleading to taekwondo. Full article: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/10/22/sports-complex-to-replace-former-sears-at-polaris.html
January 26, 20205 yr I haven't seen this in any news reports, strangely. Building permits are issued, and dirt is being moved on this parcel near Polaris. It's just south of IKEA and Top Golf, and the new Drury Inn. It's going to be a five story Hyatt Place hotel. That makes 16 Polaris hotels open/under construction vs Easton's eight.
January 26, 20205 yr 15 minutes ago, aderwent said: I haven't seen this in any news reports, strangely. Building permits are issued, and dirt is being moved on this parcel near Polaris. It's just south of IKEA and Top Golf, and the new Drury Inn. It's going to be a five story Hyatt Place hotel. That makes 16 Polaris hotels open/under construction vs Easton's eight. There’s also a hotel under construction behind Costco right now. I was up there around Christmas and they had a crane up for it. I think it was a Home2 Suites but I can’t remember for sure. Polaris is really booming right now. Just passing through on 71 is pretty impressive as you can see quite a bit of on going construction and recently wrapped up projects.
January 26, 20205 yr 7 minutes ago, cbussoccer said: There’s also a hotel under construction behind Costco right now. I was up there around Christmas and they had a crane up for it. I think it was a Home2 Suites but I can’t remember for sure. Polaris is really booming right now. Just passing through on 71 is pretty impressive as you can see quite a bit of on going construction and recently wrapped up projects. Thanks! I didn't make it north of Polaris Parkway. It is crazy the amount of development from South Old State to Africa Road in this corridor. The Google Maps satellite is seriously out of date. Would be nice to get an update this year.
January 26, 20205 yr 1 hour ago, cbussoccer said: There’s also a hotel under construction behind Costco right now. I was up there around Christmas and they had a crane up for it. I think it was a Home2 Suites but I can’t remember for sure. Polaris is really booming right now. Just passing through on 71 is pretty impressive as you can see quite a bit of on going construction and recently wrapped up projects. Gemini Place has seen the most growth overall. If you could go back 5 years and look at that road versus now it’s like night and day.
January 26, 20205 yr 1 hour ago, cbussoccer said: Polaris is really booming right now. Just passing through on 71 is pretty impressive as you can see quite a bit of on going construction and recently wrapped up projects. Yea, and don't we have that 15 building "mini Easton" starting soon? Has there been any more movement on that?
February 7, 20205 yr On 1/26/2020 at 5:27 PM, wpcc88 said: Gemini Place has seen the most growth overall. If you could go back 5 years and look at that road versus now it’s like night and day. 2015 on the top. 2019 on the bottom.
February 26, 20205 yr JPMorgan Chase Announces Major Solar Project "The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021, at which time the company says the new panels will generate nearly 60 percent of the complex’s annual energy needs. When combined with existing rooftop panels – which were installed in 2019 – about 80 percent of the total energy needs of the facility is expected to be generated on site." "The rooftop and parking lot panels together will make the Polaris McCoy Center home to the second largest commercial office solar installation in the world, according to the company." It's also so nice when they install things like this from simply a shade aspect for parked cars during the hot summer months!!!
February 28, 20205 yr Fascinating. I didn't realize the McCoy center was so big: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCoy_Center
February 28, 20205 yr As nice as this is, I will still always be jaded by the fact such a massive suburban complex was allowed in the first place.
February 28, 20205 yr 18 minutes ago, DTCL11 said: As nice as this is, I will still always be jaded by the fact such a massive suburban complex was allowed in the first place. It was intended to be a mall and to complain about it now is kind of ignorant considering how much it means to Central Ohio’s economy. Chase could’ve easily packed up and shipped all those jobs to a southern state and not thought twice about it.
February 28, 20205 yr 52 minutes ago, wpcc88 said: It was intended to be a mall Wasn't it built as an office building by Bank One? Per an old dispatch article: "Bank One, bought by Chase in 2004, completed the first phase of the building in 1996. The second phase, which more than doubled its size, was finished in 2001. The bank, which had employees scattered in offices throughout the area, opened the building as part of a move to concentrate employees into a handful of locations in the city."
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