Nationwide Realty's next Arena District apartment complex advances
 

“The Columbus Downtown Commission has signed off a new Arena District apartment complex from Nationwide Realty Investors. 

 

The commission considered NRI's proposal for a 124-unit, five-story apartment building at the northwest corner of Vine and Kilbourne streets on Tuesday. NRI and its architect, Columbus Architectural Studio, submitted the proposal for a conceptual review, but commsioners found the design drawings were complete enough to issue a certificate of appropriateness.

 

Brian Ellis, president and COO of NRI, said the developer has been waiting on AEP to relocate overhead power lines and bury them. 
 

"We don't know exactly when that's going to happen, but we're here (at Downtown Commission) to try to be ready," Ellis said Tuesday morning. 

 

Ellis said as soon as the power lines are buried, construction could start.”

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/03/01/nationwide-realty-arena-district-apartments-downto.html

 

I feel like the Arena District should be much more built out than it is. I hate to say this, but in any other decently size city there would be no gravel lots left in the area like this so close to downtown. I feel like there’s still a long way to go there I would say it’s one of the more frustrating areas in my opinion.

Id like to see something like this development in Charlotte called RailYard built in Arena District. More glass and really nice big retail spaces/restaurant spaces with big windows where we can attract interesting stores/cool restaurants (not saying I want all chains but some chains are really good like Summerbird shown in the pic or a place like Flower Child).

27 minutes ago, 614columbusohio said:

I feel like the Arena District should be much more built out than it is. I hate to say this, but in any other decently size city there would be no gravel lots left in the area like this so close to downtown. I feel like there’s still a long way to go there I would say it’s one of the more frustrating areas in my opinion.

Id like to see something like this development in Charlotte called RailYard built in Arena District. More glass and really nice big retail spaces/restaurant spaces with big windows where we can attract interesting stores/cool restaurants (not saying I want all chains but some chains are really good like Summerbird shown in the pic or a place like Flower Child).

We all want the arena district to be more dense and better developed, the problem is that NRI owns most of the area, and they have zero ability to do anything beyond brick and some nice condo buildings. They have no in between, so it’s either a 5 story brick or Parks Edge, with nothing between them. Both look great, but the area needs way more. 

...which is why I'm rooting for Franklinton. 

2 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

...which is why I'm rooting for Franklinton. 

I would say it is already better so I’m sure it will continue that way. The arena district looks nice but outside of games and events, nothing happens down there. Franklinton always seems busy with multiple things going on. 

2 hours ago, amped91 said:

Brian Ellis, president and COO of NRI, said the developer has been waiting on AEP to relocate overhead power lines and bury them. 
 

"We don't know exactly when that's going to happen, but we're here (at Downtown Commission) to try to be ready," Ellis said Tuesday morning. 

 

Ellis said as soon as the power lines are buried, construction could start.”

What a weird comment. You don't have a report with a local company HQ'd just outside your district?

 

As I said upthread the transmission lines are due to be buried and the two new transition towers are due to be built starting in June. So maybe they'll get started by this summer.

1 hour ago, ColDayMan said:

...which is why I'm rooting for Franklinton. 

 

Doesn't Nationwide own a bunch of land there too?

16 minutes ago, jonoh81 said:

 

Doesn't Nationwide own a bunch of land there too?

Yes, but they did sell the land for gravity 2.0 I believe, so there is hope they will sell more. As long as Kaufman continues to get land, it should turn out pretty great. 

1 hour ago, VintageLife said:

I would say it is already better so I’m sure it will continue that way. The arena district looks nice but outside of games and events, nothing happens down there. Franklinton always seems busy with multiple things going on. 

I was actually surprised the other day when I went through how many people were out walking around without any events going on. Maybe they were folks from the convention center wandering around—the area does have a decent restaurant selection. And it continues to be a draw for office tenants too. Just from my own observation, I don’t really see it being any more or less busy than Franklinton. 
 

I do think, once the whole Vine and Spruce area gets developed, developers need to go back to this area and start densifying it. I’ll give the Turner and Betty’s buildings a pass, but all the other low density buildings and parking lots can go. 
 

3 hours ago, 614columbusohio said:

I feel like the Arena District should be much more built out than it is. I hate to say this, but in any other decently size city there would be no gravel lots left in the area like this so close to downtown. I feel like there’s still a long way to go there I would say it’s one of the more frustrating areas in my opinion.

Id like to see something like this development in Charlotte called RailYard built in Arena District. More glass and really nice big retail spaces/restaurant spaces with big windows where we can attract interesting stores/cool restaurants (not saying I want all chains but some chains are really good like Summerbird shown in the pic or a place like Flower Child).

One pedestrian only street in the arena district between the clippers stadium and the crew stadium, like 4th in CLE, would entirely change the Arena District for the better 

Edited March 1, 20232 yr by smjjms

4 hours ago, amped91 said:

I was actually surprised the other day when I went through how many people were out walking around without any events going on. Maybe they were folks from the convention center wandering around—the area does have a decent restaurant selection. And it continues to be a draw for office tenants too. Just from my own observation, I don’t really see it being any more or less busy than Franklinton. 
 

I do think, once the whole Vine and Spruce area gets developed, developers need to go back to this area and start densifying it. I’ll give the Turner and Betty’s buildings a pass, but all the other low density buildings and parking lots can go. 
 

That area is just big enough to be a thriving micro-neighborhood.  Somebody make it happen.

 

Utility work on Vine looks like it’s full steam ahead. Hopefully the overhead lines are cleared and the new building breaks ground this year. 
 

Is the convention center on fire? There’s a lot of smoke and news helis over there.

3 hours ago, amped91 said:

Utility work on Vine looks like it’s full steam ahead. Hopefully the overhead lines are cleared and the new building breaks ground this year. 
 

Nothing gets me going like the burying of overhead power lines!

The birds are unsure of this. 

Great news for the AD! Wonder what sport we land next down there will be.

 

"The Pro Volleyball Federation's Columbus team has chosen a venue and a name.

The new professional volleyball team, dubbed the Fury, will play its home matches at Nationwide Arena come the inaugural 2024 season."

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/04/12/pro-volleyball-league-columbus-fury-venue.html?csrc=6398&utm_campaign=trueAnthemTrendingContent&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=linkedin

I’m hoping Arena Football eventually makes its way back here too. The Destroyers were always a fun game to go to. 

1 hour ago, columbus17 said:

Great news for the AD! Wonder what sport we land next down there will be.

 

"The Pro Volleyball Federation's Columbus team has chosen a venue and a name.

The new professional volleyball team, dubbed the Fury, will play its home matches at Nationwide Arena come the inaugural 2024 season."

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/04/12/pro-volleyball-league-columbus-fury-venue.html?csrc=6398&utm_campaign=trueAnthemTrendingContent&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=linkedin

I like “Columbus Crush” better 

6 hours ago, amped91 said:

I’m hoping Arena Football eventually makes its way back here too. The Destroyers were always a fun game to go to. 

Good news the league is resuming play next year and it’s hard to imagine Columbus not having a team again.
 

But it may be hard to convince someone to compete with the Crew and Clippers. My only thoughts are the nearest “spring league(s)” franchise is in Pittsburgh, so to me it would be worth it to put one here.

 

 

Nationwide Arena seems like such a big venue for that. I would have guessed starting out at Covelli but perhaps it being a professional team prevents that. 

 

Perhaps this is another check in the box on a push toward a field house and/or mid sized arena as part of the Convention Center Complex. 🤞

Bye bye bye

 

1 hour ago, amped91 said:

Bye bye bye

 

Hopefully we are saying “bye bye bye” to all that electrical some time soon  as well 

Okay but why are we quoting NSYNC here?

Fanatics opening sportsbook by Nationwide Arena

Alex Silverman - July 25, 2023 - Sports Business Journal

 

"Fanatics Betting & Gaming is partnering with the Blue Jackets to open a retail sportsbook adjacent to Nationwide Arena. The new sportsbook will span more than 5,000 square feet and feature four betting windows, 14 self-service betting kiosks, one giant LED video wall, 16 TV monitors and a full-service restaurant. It is set to open at the end of August."

 

 

Fanatics to Open Retail Sportsbook Adjacent Columbus Blue Jackets’ Nationwide Arena

Brant James - July 25, 2023 - GamingToday

 

 

"According to a Fanatics release, the sportsbook in Columbus will be located at 401 North Front Street. The main entrance will be located 'in the alleyway immediately north of the entrances to Buca di Beppo and Starbucks.' ... It’s scheduled to open in late August, on a similar timetable as another Fanatics retail spot in Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians."

 

Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus opens tomorrow in Arena District

 

"The Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus is located at 401 North Front Street just outside Nationwide Arena. The main entrance is located in the alleyway immediately north of the entrances to Buca di Beppo and Starbucks. It is more than 5,000 square feet and features four betting windows, 14 self-service betting kiosks from Suzohapp, one giant LED Video Wall and 20 TV monitors. The full-service restaurant operated by Delaware North, will have food options that every sports fan will enjoy.

 

The Fanatics Sportsbook Columbus will offer viewing experiences and legal betting markets for all major sports including professional and college football, basketball, hockey, baseball, alongside tennis, soccer, golf, MMA and boxing. The development and trading of sports betting markets will be done in-house at Fanatics Betting and Gaming and supported by a number of world-class trading suppliers."

 

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/08/24/2731544/0/en/Fanatics-Sportsbook-Columbus-Blue-Jackets-To-Open-Retail-Location-in-Columbus-Arena-District-on-Friday-After-Special-Preview-Day.html

 

The large utility poles on Vine are finally beginning to come down today, which I believe is the final step before the apartments begin construction. 

20 minutes ago, amped91 said:

The large utility poles on Vine are finally beginning to come down today, which I believe is the final step before the apartments begin construction. 

Good to hear! That corner is a little empty! Biggest thing I hate is how every time I drive through the AD during the week it's like a ghost town. They really need to do more to bring people through - the only life I see are the scooter people changing batteries.

8 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

Good to hear! That corner is a little empty! Biggest thing I hate is how every time I drive through the AD during the week it's like a ghost town. They really need to do more to bring people through - the only life I see are the scooter people changing batteries.

Yeah, they didn’t do a great job with arena district in making it something great outside of game days. It’s always boring and empty when I drive through. It needs more residents and more commercial space.

Edited September 28, 20231 yr by VintageLife

2 hours ago, columbus17 said:

Good to hear! That corner is a little empty! Biggest thing I hate is how every time I drive through the AD during the week it's like a ghost town. They really need to do more to bring people through - the only life I see are the scooter people changing batteries.

4 or 5 more Wario's down there would probably do the trick.

 

On 9/28/2023 at 11:56 AM, VintageLife said:

Yeah, they didn’t do a great job with arena district in making it something great outside of game days. It’s always boring and empty when I drive through. It needs more residents and more commercial space.

Game days or outside of the 9-5 jobs. If you go down Nationwide Blvd after 5pm on a Wednesday without a single event going on you can literally walk down the middle of the road. 

10 minutes ago, KyleofColumbus said:

 

Game days or outside of the 9-5 jobs. If you go down Nationwide Blvd after 5pm on a Wednesday without a single event going on you can literally walk down the middle of the road. 

Yep, it’s a pretty boring area that has insane potential that nationwide just squanders. I get it’s called the arena district, but stuff can thrive there outside of game days. 

The fact that the Short North was going through its renaissance at the same point the AD was being built out has really held the AD back from reaching is full potential. Astor Park being built out and potential pedestrian bridge connecting the AD to the Peninsula could really help the AD turn the corner though. 

 

I also think adding a few hotels down around Huntington Park and LDC could really make restaurants/bars/retail much more viable. I would love to see a hotel on one of the surface lots south of LDC and another one south of Huntington Park between Hannover and Neil. 

 

I think the AD is still only about half of what it will eventually be, so I definitely don't think all hope is lost. 

From a developmental perspective, as a neighborhood, I don't think that Arena District isn't far from the vibrancy we're talking about. Plenty of restaurants/bars (Brothers gets packed!), North Market, Kemba LIVE, I can see plenty of reasons for going there than just the sports...I guess it just needs more residents. Also despite being a couple blocks away...Nationwide Boulevard Arena District can have a completely different feel and energy than North Market area Arena District.

I agree. It's not that it wasn't built to potential or that Nationwide is wasting anything. The commercial space is there. The plazas are there. The walkability (except Neil) and ample parking are there. The residential is there. The offices are there. The people aren't. The people are the ones choosing to go elsewhere outside of game days. Even with a fully built out Arena District with more of all of the above, it still might be dead outside of game days. Kind of the same with brewery. It seems like the Short North and now Franklinton kind of suck up alot of that mass draw to some of the other hubs of activity. 

 

It's more about the pattern of behavior than what has been built. The AD was also an early adopter of such a concept. Other than some legacy stadiums in cities, building an arena and basement stadium not *entirely* surrounded by parking lots was a newer idea then.  

Edited September 29, 20231 yr by DTCL11

I won’t disagree that the stadiums aren’t incredible and that they did an amazing job with those. There are also still a ton of empty/underused buildings in the area that could be torn down and something great built there. Hopefully it continues to add density and if so, the vibrancy will come. It is a shame that Neil is so wide and kind of throws a wrench into the experience a bit. 

16 minutes ago, VintageLife said:

I won’t disagree that the stadiums aren’t incredible and that they did an amazing job with those. There are also still a ton of empty/underused buildings in the area that could be torn down and something great built there. Hopefully it continues to add density and if so, the vibrancy will come. It is a shame that Neil is so wide and kind of throws a wrench into the experience a bit. 

Neil can use better traffic management and a road diet for sure. Obivously we need capacity for game days - maybe COTA could offer shuttle services though on high demand times to use satellite parking and disperse of the traffic more? Just a thought...

5 hours ago, cbussoccer said:

 

 

I think the AD is still only about half of what it will eventually be, so I definitely don't think all hope is lost. 

I hope you’re right but I wish we would see some more proposals for the AD. I feel like the only area downtown that is more underutilized is the a Brewery District

Nationwide Realty Investors to start construction on Arena District apartments soon

 

Nationwide Realty Investors will start construction on the latest addition to the Arena District next week.

 

The development arm of the Columbus-based insurance and financial services giant plans a 124-unit, five-story apartment building at the northwest corner of Vine and Kilbourne streets.

 

The building will complete the redevelopment of the city block today home to an office building and parking garage completed in 2021.

 

Twenty years ago, what today is the Arena District was a sea of parking lots. NRI has invested more than $2 billion in the neighborhood in the years since.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/11/08/220-vinearena-district-apartments-natonwide-realty.html

 

18 minutes ago, ColDayMan said:

Nationwide Realty Investors to start construction on Arena District apartments soon

 

Nationwide Realty Investors will start construction on the latest addition to the Arena District next week.

 

The development arm of the Columbus-based insurance and financial services giant plans a 124-unit, five-story apartment building at the northwest corner of Vine and Kilbourne streets.

 

The building will complete the redevelopment of the city block today home to an office building and parking garage completed in 2021.

 

Twenty years ago, what today is the Arena District was a sea of parking lots. NRI has invested more than $2 billion in the neighborhood in the years since.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/11/08/220-vinearena-district-apartments-natonwide-realty.html

 

Glad to see some comments on Reddit calling this project out for the height and lack of retail space. 

It'd be nice to see more projects announced from NRI in the AD

 

After these apartments, there's really nothing else they have (publicly) on the drawing board

 

16 minutes ago, NW24HX said:

It'd be nice to see more projects announced from NRI in the AD

 

After these apartments, there's really nothing else they have (publicly) on the drawing board

 

I’m fine with that. Let them come up with new designs and better builds. That area needs height and it very clearly sells, so the commission needs to push them for height. 

39 minutes ago, VintageLife said:

I’m fine with that. Let them come up with new designs and better builds. That area needs height and it very clearly sells, so the commission needs to push them for height. 

You won't get height. Economically it makes 0 sense.

38 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

You won't get height. Economically it makes 0 sense.

I’m not talking 20 stories. They need to be adding some 10-12 in this mix. It will work economically because they can make them condo units and sell them for a ton like the other condos they built. 

53 minutes ago, columbus17 said:

You won't get height. Economically it makes 0 sense.

 

Because they'll literally lose money, or more because they won't make as much as they want? 

10 hours ago, jonoh81 said:

 

Because they'll literally lose money, or more because they won't make as much as they want? 

Probably a bit of both. Once you get above 75' it becomes a high rise triggering more elevators and structural costs. The developer will fell the need to construct more parking (even though it is not required in the downtown district) because they feel they cannot fill the building without parking. It's a Catch 22 - parking is expensive to build and drives up rents but if you don't build parking you might not rent the building. If the developer can't get a return on the SF rent with the additional cost they won't go higher. Aesthetically it makes sense to go taller here - views of downtown and Goodale Park. The height would help visually diminish the scale of 670. But those don't make sense financially.

 

I read a lot of "taller, taller, taller" on the board but I don't think that is necessary. Paris is mostly 5-7 story buildings with a density of 52,000 people per square mile (Columbus is a paltry 4,100/sq mile overall with some areas like 43201 around 11,000/sq mile). I would rather see continued infill with the eventual phase out of the need for built-in parking over time.

40 minutes ago, Pablo said:

Paris is mostly 5-7 story buildings with a density of 52,000 people per square mile (Columbus is a paltry 4,100/sq mile overall with some areas like 43201 around 11,000/sq mile)

If Columbus had that density, I would be fine with it. It will never happen here so we need a little bit of height to make things exciting. I’m not even asking super talls, I could care less about those. We just need some more 10-15 story buildings spread between areas.  

1 hour ago, VintageLife said:

If Columbus had that density, I would be fine with it. It will never happen here so we need a little bit of height to make things exciting. I’m not even asking super talls, I could care less about those. We just need some more 10-15 story buildings spread between areas.  

Would love to see an influx of 10-15 story buildings with ground-level retail and integrated parking on levels 2-5 like is going up all over Nashville.

6 hours ago, Pablo said:

Probably a bit of both. Once you get above 75' it becomes a high rise triggering more elevators and structural costs. The developer will fell the need to construct more parking (even though it is not required in the downtown district) because they feel they cannot fill the building without parking. It's a Catch 22 - parking is expensive to build and drives up rents but if you don't build parking you might not rent the building. If the developer can't get a return on the SF rent with the additional cost they won't go higher. Aesthetically it makes sense to go taller here - views of downtown and Goodale Park. The height would help visually diminish the scale of 670. But those don't make sense financially.

 

I read a lot of "taller, taller, taller" on the board but I don't think that is necessary. Paris is mostly 5-7 story buildings with a density of 52,000 people per square mile (Columbus is a paltry 4,100/sq mile overall with some areas like 43201 around 11,000/sq mile). I would rather see continued infill with the eventual phase out of the need for built-in parking over time.

 

My main thing isn't height, it's density and maximizing site potential as much as possible. Sometimes that means height, sometimes it doesn't. 

27 minutes ago, jonoh81 said:

 

My main thing isn't height, it's density and maximizing site potential as much as possible. Sometimes that means height, sometimes it doesn't. 

That’s how I feel. There is nothing wrong with a 5 story, as long as that 5 story does a good job of maximizing the site and has some retail or ground floor activation of some king.