February 21, 201510 yr I was lurking on the Columbus Underground message board and I saw that Dick's Last Resort is going to open in the Arena District. Here is an article from the last year about the possibility. It sounds like it is a sure thing now. http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/08/13/dick-s-last-resort-looking-at-arena-district-spot.html
March 21, 201510 yr A month-old Business First article about the expansion of the Arena District west toward the Olentangy River. The full article was previously only readable for subscribers. Now its viewable to everyone: Arena District’s western boundary coming into focus on Nationwide By Evan Weese, Staff reporter - Columbus Business First Feb 6, 2015, 6:00am EST In the 15 years since Nationwide Arena opened for the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2000-01 inaugural hockey season, more than 75 businesses and 870 residences have populated the surrounding Arena District neighborhood. Much of the area from North High Street to Neil Avenue between Interstate 670 and Spring Street now is densely developed with housing, offices, restaurants and entertainment venues. There are few reminders of its relatively recent past as a desolate warehouse district surrounding the vacant, rundown Ohio State Penitentiary. Except on West Nationwide Boulevard. There, a bumpy, pot-holed road west of Huntington Park goes past empty fields and abandoned-looking industrial sites culminating in the shuttered Columbus Municipal Light Plant at 555 W. Nationwide Blvd. – a historic building that opened in 1904 – and a little-used boat dock on the Olentangy River tucked into the curve of a freeway overpass. But that's changing as the street becomes the last frontier to be made over in the Arena District, completing the area's transformation into a vibrant example of urban revitalization. Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd. and others have turned their attention to the industrial eyesore west of Neil Avenue, recognizing its riverfront potential. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2015/02/06/arena-district-s-western-boundary-coming-into.html
May 6, 201510 yr Urban Land Institute report on sports entertainment districts (aka sports-oriented mixed-use developments) that features the Columbus Arena District as one of the success stories: Making Sports-Oriented Mixed Use Work: http://urbanland.uli.org/planning-design/making-sports-oriented-mixed-use-work/
May 22, 201510 yr CU has an announcement on the first new construction plans for the Arena West area: Borror Properties Unveils 5.5 Acre Mixed-Use Project Downtown By Walker Evans, Columbus Underground May 21, 2015 - 6:33 pm Borror revealed details on their future company headquarters, which will be constructed at 640 W. Nationwide Boulevard in the “Pen West” or “Arena West” corner of Downtown. The 5.5-acre site will be home to approximately 100,000 square feet of Class A office space in a five story building (which will be divided between Borror and local construction company Ruscilli), around 285 for-rent apartment units located in two six-story structures to the north, and a three-story 300-unit parking garage located between the offices and residences. Both the office and residential buildings will contain additional covered parking on the first levels of those buildings, while the office building will also contain space for a ground-floor restaurant tenant. ( . . . ) The Borror/Ruscilli project is just one piece of the larger puzzle that is coming together for the entire site located west of the Arena District. The City of Columbus announced plans last December to sell the old Municipal Light Plant buildings located on the south side of Nationwide Boulevard to Connect Realty and Schiff Capital, who plan to renovate the structures for office and event venue space. Nationwide Realty Investors also owns a large 25-acre parcel of land next door, which may eventually become another residential extension of the Arena District. Jeff Baur, Executive Vice President of Borror said that his company won’t be able to purchase the land from the City of Columbus and begin any kind of work there until January 1, 2016, which would give the City ample time to relocate facilities currently housed on the site. Construction is expected to begin in Spring/Summer of 2016 with a target occupancy date for offices in June 2017 and apartment residents to shortly follow that. MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/borror-properties-unveils-5-5-acre-mixed-use-project-downtown
May 22, 201510 yr There were project renderings but no site plans associated with the Borror project announcement. Below is a property ownership site map of this area from this thread's previous page: From the descriptions, it looks like the Borror project will be on the city-owned property (shown in green) located north of Nationwide Blvd. The Borror project would also be north the Municipal Power Plant building (shown in red) that will be redeveloped by others and west of the NRI-owned property (shown in blue) that is slated for future residential development. The Borror development of the 5.5-acre site would have the following: - Five-story building with 100,000 square feet of office space for Borror and Ruscilli on the south end of the site fronting Nationwide Blvd. - Two six-story buildings containing 285 apartments located on the north end of the site - A three-story, 300-unit parking garage located between the office building and apartment buildings Below is a rendering of the entire project looking westward (from the NRI property). The office building is to the left and the apartment buildings are to the right: Close-up of the Borror/Ruscilli office building and the middle parking garage portion of the project: Close-up of the 285-unit apartment buildings and the middle parking garage portion of the project:
May 22, 201510 yr That's probably about as good a project as we could expect, given the far-flung location. I do wish more of the ground floor was any use other than parking, though. Not necessarily retail, but even townhome-style residential entrances screening the parking behind would be an improvement and help generate more pedestrian activity.
May 29, 201510 yr More about the Borror project: http://www.columbusunderground.com/the-new-pen-west-downtown-neighborhood-begins-to-take-shape Aerial rendering of the project looking westward toward the Olentangy River: Site plan of the project (similar orientation as the above aerial rendering):
June 24, 20159 yr This is only a 1,300 square foot development, but it's a big deal toward the Arena District rounding out as a "real urban neighborhood". The small development is a basic convenience store scheduled to open this summer at 155 W. Nationwide Boulevard (the building shown below that also houses Rodizio Grill). Nelson’s Convenience Store is a small operation with only one other shop, currently located inside the nearby Nationwide corporate headquarters. This new location will sell drinks, snacks, beer, wine, over-the-counter medication and other items. Once open, Nelson’s will operate seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. More about this from CU: http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-convenience-store-opening-in-the-arena-district
June 26, 20159 yr More about the planned Arena District convenience store from Business First: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/06/24/convenience-store-on-tap-for-arena-district.html
September 25, 20159 yr City unveils big redevelopment plans west of Arena District Columbus officials liked the ideas they got for transforming the old city power plant west of the Arena District so much that they're green-lighting two of them. The city has chosen the local development team of Connect Realty and Schiff Capital Group to redevelop the plant at 555 W. Nationwide Blvd. It's also arranged for Dublin-based developer Borror Properties and joint-venture partner Ruscilli Construction Co. to develop another city-owned property at 640 W. Nationwide Blvd. on the Olentangy River into a new headquarters for both of them. Each project is expected to bring about 150 jobs downtown. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2014/12/05/city-unveils-big-redevelopment-plans-west-of-arena.html?page=all Update about the redevelopment of the former city power plant building pictured above: Historic designation could mean tax credits for redevelopment of city's shuttered power plant By Brian R. Ball, Staff reporter - Columbus Business First Sept. 22, 2015, 3:37pm EDT The Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board on Friday will consider Columbus developer Brad DeHays’ application to put the city’s shuttered electric power plant on the National Register of Historic Places. A positive recommendation from the panel would mark “a first step” toward gaining the National Park Service’s placement of the property at 555 W. Nationwide Blvd. onto the list of significant buildings, DeHays told me. ( . . . ) The city of Columbus in late 2014 agreed to sell the former electric generation facility to DeHays and partner Michael Schiff of Schiff Capital Group. The developers at that time offered vague plans of redeveloping the complex into offices and other commercial uses. But they have held off finalizing any plans until the property qualifies for tax credits. The historic preservation advisory board will review the Columbus property and five others outside the region seeking historic status at the Sept. 25 meeting at the Ohio History Center. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/09/22/historic-designation-could-mean-tax-credits-for.html
September 30, 20159 yr A new Arena District pharmacy - called 'Arena District Pharmacy' - opened this week in the ground floor of The Eye Center building at 262 Neil Avenue. Actually, it's more like a re-opening because this new pharmacy opened up in space that operated as a pharmacy from 2006 until 2012. More about it at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2015/09/arena-district-gets-a-pharmacy-after-three-years.html
October 21, 20159 yr Office, apartment project on West Nationwide Boulevard gets green light from Downtown Commission The city’s Downtown Commission did more than approve a luxury hotel at 77 E. Nationwide Blvd. during its meeting this morning. The panel also approved the office and apartment complex Borror Properties LLC has planned on 4.6 acres at the terminus of West Nationwide Boulevard at the Olentangy River. Borror Properties unveiled its revised conceptual view of a 304-unit apartment complex and 104,000-square-foot office building the developer had first presented in May. The "Outpost" project at 650 W. Nationwide Blvd. will replace several old city office and industrial properties that will be demolished. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/10/20/office-apartment-project-on-west-nationwide.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
October 21, 20159 yr Borror is really on a roll with all of these projects! Glad they're taking more of an interest in Downtown lately and moving beyond the SN. I'm also hoping NRI will tip their hand soon about what's being planned for next door...
October 27, 20159 yr More about the Ruscilli/Borror office/apartment project at the west end of Nationwide Boulevard in the Arena District: http://www.columbusunderground.com/penn-west-development-bw1 Overview of the project looking west. Nationwide Boulevard and the old city power plant to be renovated are to the left. New, unnamed street is shown in front of the office/parking garage/apartment structures: This is the back side of the project that faces the Olentangy River. New trails and parkland between the building and river will link to other existing trails and parkland in the area: Couple of views of the Ruscilli office building at the end of Nationwide Boulevard. The office building has been redesigned from the earlier conceptual review. The second view shows the parking garage to be located between the office building and the apartment building: Couple of view of the Borror apartment building. Parking is planned for the ground floor, but the street front looks reasonably transparent with lobby spaces and possibly some units located in front of the parking space on the ground floor:
October 27, 20159 yr Another article about how the sports-entertainment anchored Arena District has proven to be a model for other such redevelopment projects across North America: Arena District a blueprint for other cities’ development By Mark Williams, The Columbus Dispatch Sunday, October 18, 2015 - 8:10 AM It was an unusual strategy at the time: Build an arena in a beat-up area of downtown, with plans to surround it with office buildings, restaurants, entertainment venues and apartments, in hopes of turning it around. Now 15 years after the first puck was dropped at Nationwide Arena, the strategy not only succeeded, but it also has become a blueprint for development in a growing number of other cities. Politicians and development officials from cities throughout North America have visited the Arena District, taking ideas back home that are now being deployed. Officials from Detroit; Milwaukee; Edmonton, Alberta; Sacramento, Calif.; and Pittsburgh have been among those who have come to the Arena District, according to the district’s developer, Nationwide Realty Investors. “ ‘How do we replicate this?’ That’s what people are asking,” said Mark Rosentraub, professor of sport management at the University of Michigan, who has studied the development of arenas and stadiums. MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2015/10/18/1-copy-right.html
October 27, 20159 yr Brief article from the Dispatch about Nationwide Realty Investors redoing the video screens and advertising boards near the corner of Nationwide Boulevard and Front Street. The existing screens/boards that face Nationwide Boulevard and the Front Street entry plaza to Nationwide Arena were installed in 2001. And as NRI's President Brian Ellis stated in the article, “the technology has improved greatly since we hung the original Arena District TV screen back in 2001". The new display will feature a video screen, five advertising boards, a team-branded Blue Jackets backlit feature and a clock face. Below is a link to the article and a rendering of the updated video screens and advertising boards: New video screen to go up next to Nationwide Arena
November 5, 20159 yr Nationwide Realty going forward with $34M, 12-story Arena District condo tower The developer of the Arena District has tipped its residential development hand. Nationwide Realty Investors filed plans with the city for a condo tower at the corner of Spring Street and Neil Avenue, the first for-sale project set for the Arena District since the end of the Great Recession. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/11/05/nationwide-realty-going-forward-with-34m-12-story.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 6, 20159 yr This project has been the worst kept development secret in Columbus for some time. Maybe "secret" is the wrong word, because NRI has been previously quoted as saying they would bring "something residential" for this site to the Downtown Commission before the end of this year. Incidentally, this site is the last remaining development site within the "original Arena District". The original Arena District master plan (circa 2000) was for only the 75 acres of NRI-owned property surrounding Nationwide Arena and had Neil Avenue as its western boundary. Since then, NRI and other developers have expanded the Arena District west of Neil Avenue with the Huntington Park baseball stadium, North Bank Tower, FBI Building, Buggyworks project, and now way west with the Ruscilli/Borror office/apartment project and the Old City Power Plant building at the western end of Nationwide Boulevard. But even with all that expanded Arena District development, it will be great to see this final piece of the original plan finally completed.
November 11, 20159 yr More about NRI's proposed 12-story condo tower near Neil & Spring and their plans for the remainder of this original Arena District site. Below is a rendering view from Spring Street looking northwest toward NRI's previously built 20-story North Bank Condo Tower. NRI says it plans to build two additional residential phases on this site, but they are only showing this initial phase in this rendering: Arena District getting 12-story condo tower, with 2 more planned By Brian R. Ball, Staff Reporter - Columbus Business First Nov. 11, 2015, 1:49pm EST Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd. is planning three residential projects on the last significant development land in the core of the Arena District. NRI President Brian Ellis told me the 69-condo first phase of the Parks Edge complex will feature one-, two-, and three-bedroom units ranging from $450,000 to more than $2 million. ( . . . ) Ellis said the Parks Edge complex will have a plaza along Spring Street overlooking the North Bank Park in front of a two-story atrium in the midst of the first two phases. It also will feature a swimming pool atop a four-story, 327-slot parking garage. MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/11/11/first-look-arena-district-getting-12-story-condo.html
November 12, 20159 yr ^^Based on the site plan, I do not think this takes up the full extent of the last site. There will still be room for development to front Spring and the park, wrapping the new parking structure.
November 12, 20159 yr So a tall but single-use structure with adjacent 'parking garage rooftop swimming pool'?
November 12, 20159 yr I think they pretty well say that there will be two more structures to fill out the development. I can't imagine the location directly to the east of this building will be any less tall, and the one in the last spot east of the garage, who knows? Would it need to be higher to get decent views or would the views simply be oriented east towards the park? It would be nice to get some ground floor retail like a restaurant at the spot next to this building-it would face the river and McPherson Commons...with outdoor seating that would be really nice.
November 12, 20159 yr Yes, one of the articles I read says this is the first of 3 phases for the site. That parking structure with the pool they plan to build will have 327 parking spaces so it will eventually serve all 3 buildings.
November 19, 20159 yr Columbus Underground interviewed Nationwide Realty Investors (NRI) President Brian Ellis about their new Parks Edge development in the Arena District: -- Brian Ellis on Parks Edge, NRI’s Proposed 12-Story Condo Building
November 19, 20159 yr From http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-arena-district-condos: NRI's new 12-story, 69-unit residential tower was approved by the Downtown Commission this week. New renderings presented at the meeting show additional views of the 12-story tower and the four-story, 327-space parking structure to be built as the first phase of this development. Two additional residential buildings are planned for future phases that would be revealed later. NRI plans to break ground as soon as possible, with a completion date targeted for Spring 2017. View from the corner of Neil Avenue and Spring Street: Back side view of the 12-story, 69-unit residential tower from the interior of the development site: View of the two-story entrance lobby next to the residential tower and its connection to the 4-story parking garage from the interior of the development site: View of the four-story parking garage from the interior of the development site: More renderings at http://www.columbusunderground.com/new-arena-district-condos
November 19, 20159 yr Not a fan of the outdated skywalk but otherwise I'm okay with this. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 5, 20159 yr Business First has a video of the recently approved Phase One of NRI's Parks Edge development: 12-story, 69-unit residential tower and 4-story, 327-space parking garage with a rooftop swimming pool and deck. Below is the link to the video: Take a virtual tour of the upcoming Parks Edge condos in the Arena District
December 29, 20159 yr Slideshow from Columbus Business First that looks at the offices of marketing and communications agency Treetree in the Battleship Building at 444 N. Front Street: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2015/10/columbus-coolest-offices-treetrees-arena-district.html
December 30, 20159 yr The All Columbus Data website has a series of before and after google streetviews for the Arena District that date from 2007 to 2015: Before and After Google Special: 2007-Present - Arena District
January 27, 20169 yr Well, NRI certainly doesn't mess around. As of last week, Parks Edge has officially broken ground and is now under construction. :clap: https://www.instagram.com/p/BAiDSWtO1tA/
February 4, 20169 yr Pricing, floor plans revealed for new Arena District condo tower High-end home buyers are getting a first look at new options in the Arena District. Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd. has released detailed floor plans and pricing for its Parks Edge luxury condominium tower, with one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from $427,000 to $1.345 million. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/02/03/first-lookpricing-floor-plans-revealed-for-new.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 2, 20169 yr Late April 2016 view of the construction work for a 12-story condo tower at Neil & Spring in the Arena District: http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-downtown
May 31, 20169 yr ^ Same view of the construction work on the 12-story NRI condo tower at Neil & Spring in the Arena District, one month later (May 30): http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-may-edition
June 28, 20168 yr Former power plant in the Arena District, Green Lawn Abbey among projects getting historic tax credits Several redevelopment proposals across Central Ohio have earned state tax credits for historic preservation, highlighted by the planned renovation of Columbus’ 112-year-old electrical generation complex along West Nationwide Boulevard. ... The largest award in Central Ohio, $2 million, went to perhaps Columbus’ most high-profile project, a $20.2 million rehabilitation of the Municipal Light Plant at 55 W. Nationwide Blvd. to offices and a large auction house. More than 200 employees are expected to work for the building’s two tenants, the Development Services Agency said. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/06/28/former-power-plant-in-the-arena-district-green.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 30, 20168 yr More about the tax credit announcement for the renovation of the former City Power Plant building from CU: http://www.columbusunderground.com/power-plant-renovation-gets-tax-credits-work-to-start-soon-bw1
June 30, 20168 yr Also in that CU article, mention was made about the previously approved Ruscilli office/apartment project at the west end of Nationwide Boulevard. This new construction project is located immediately north of the former City Power Plant. These project renderings were shown earlier in this thread at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,3335.msg776897.html#msg776897. From http://www.columbusunderground.com/power-plant-renovation-gets-tax-credits-work-to-start-soon-bw1: "The renovation of the power plant building will be the first in a series of major developments along this section of Nationwide Boulevard, stretching west from the Arena District to the Olentangy River. Plans for the land directly across the street from the historic (power plant) building call for new offices and residential, although the team working on that project recently changed — Carey Realty Partners has replaced Borror Properties as the development partner working with Ruscilli Construction." Borror announced last week that they are instead locating their offices in a new office building being built in Italian Village. More about that at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,5953.msg807455.html#msg807455
June 30, 20168 yr One final news item from http://www.columbusunderground.com/power-plant-renovation-gets-tax-credits-work-to-start-soon-bw1: "An announcement of the city’s plan for streetscape improvements along Nationwide is expected soon, with work scheduled to begin before the end of the year."
July 6, 20168 yr Fascinating photo-tour and drone video footage from inside the power plant building that will be renovated at the western edge of the Arena District: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/07/05/photo-tour-inside-the-former-city-power-plant.html
July 8, 20168 yr Business First has an article and renderings about the streetscape improvement planned for the western end of Nationwide Boulevard that was hinted at in a previous CU article: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2016/07/08/first-look-see-the-park-olentangy-foot-bridge.html These renderings for the streetscape improvements at the west end of Nationwide Boulevard focus on the area between the previous approved Ruscilli office/apartment project and the former City Power Plant that recently received historic tax credits for its renovation. This rendering is looking east from across the Olentangy River that runs next to both planned projects and shows a pedestrian bridge proposed to span the river; This is a view of the same area looking west down Nationwide Boulevard toward the river. The power plant building is to the left and the Ruscilli project is to the right in this rendering: Ground view of the same area looking westward. The power plant building is to the left and the Ruscilli project is to the right in this rendering:
July 8, 20168 yr I dig. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 8, 20168 yr I'm trying to figure out where that bridge is going...over to where the boat house is?
July 8, 20168 yr It connects to the Olentangy Trail, which goes by The Boathouse. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 9, 20168 yr Do you think that they might ever build a highrise upscale residential building where the boathouse property is-maybe behind it in part of the parking lot with structured parking or something? The views would be spectacular. If only..... These last few posts are looking good too! In this area 6 story infill is appropriate and can only help the Arena district itself-whatever they call it, Pen West, Arena west, I am all for it. Build! lol. * and is it so much to ask to have some 'Workforce housing' thrown in?
July 20, 20168 yr Late June 2016 view of the NRI 12-story condo tower under construction at Neil & Spring. View taken from the LeVeque Tower by CU in http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-july-edition:
July 20, 20168 yr That should really help give some more presence to that part of the Arena District. Is that the Grandview Yard development in the background? How far away is that? Would be cool to see a streetcar connecting the two districts.
July 20, 20168 yr That should really help give some more presence to that part of the Arena District. Is that the Grandview Yard development in the background? How far away is that? Would be cool to see a streetcar connecting the two districts. Yes, that is Grandview Yard in the background (another NRI development btw). It's a little under one mile away (the telephoto lens effect probably makes it seem closer). And it would be cool to see a streetcar connecting the Arena District and Grandview Yard. But didn't you see the news in the Columbus: Smart Cities Grant thread? - http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,30733.msg810695.html#msg810695
July 20, 20168 yr That building is going up faster than anything at High & Rich! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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