Battelle has taken the first steps in a process that could lead to the development of nearly 20 acres of land between West Fifth Avenue and West Third Avenue in Harrison West. The parcel in question – which sits just east of the Olentangy River – is currently the site of a large surface parking lot, a warehouse constructed in the late 1980’s, and a one-story daycare center. It also contains significant green space, including a large park-like section north of Third and a smaller swath on the south side of Fifth, east of Perry Street.
An article last week on the Harrison West Society’s website revealed that Battelle had reached out the the neighborhood group to discuss their plans for the land.
Patrick Jarvis, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Battelle, laid out the general timeline of what he stressed was still a high-level, conceptual discussion; following the initial conversations with the Harrison West Society, as well as further talks with the City of Columbus, Battelle has issued a Request for Qualifications, with the goal of selecting, “within the next couple of months, a partner or partners to help us on this journey.”
Jarvis left open a wide range of possibilities for the land, including single-family, multi-family and mixed-use commercial uses, and said that different developers could potentially be selected to build different parts of the project.
The key question, he said, is “what kind of plans they bring to maximize what is really a special parcel – you’ve got the river, the bike path, quality new development to the south – and to make sure it blends in and looks like a natural part of the neighborhood.”
Jarvis said the idea to develop the land sprung out of an internal visioning process that looked at the future needs of Battelle’s main campus.
“We recognized that the land is just not being used to its potential; look at great development and renovation happening – in the Short North, Arena District, Harrison West, the campus area, and on the other side of the Olentangy – we want something that works for us, for the city, and for the neighborhood…since we have every intention of staying here for the long haul.”
Funds from the sale of the land could be used to modernize and update their core campus, most of which is located between Fifth Avenue and King Avenue. Structured parking to replace the loss of the surface lots could potentially be built on top of an existing below-grade parking garage.
“We’re exploring options,” added Jarvis. “That’s why we contacted Harrison West Society – we’re not developers, and instead of talking to developers first, we wanted to make sure key stakeholders knew what we were considering.”
Tim Price, who serves as president of the Harrison West Society, said it was too early for the organization to have an official stand on the potential development. He added, though, that the group has had preliminary discussions with the city about the possibility of purchasing – or otherwise preserving in some way – the green space along Third Avenue.
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