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The Dispatch wrote
Plans percolating for Arena District
Thursday, May 15, 2008
BY MIKE PRAMIK
The final development phase of the Arena District is in the works, a $280 million expansion that would make the Downtown neighborhood a billion-dollar venture.
Nationwide Realty Investors, the district’s developer, wants to build a 220-unit apartment complex north of Nationwide Arena, just south of a site that could become an 85,000-squarefoot Giant Eagle store. More development would follow, including additional offices and stores, said Brian Ellis, president of Nationwide Realty.
Details of the Giant Eagle property also have yet to be hammered out, but the store would go up at the northeast corner of Neil and Vine. It’s the same site that Whole Foods had targeted for a supermarket as part of a Casto mixed-use center. That deal, which would have included stores and condos, fell apart when Whole Foods pulled out.
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if the put a GE gas station I’d be happy. Maybe some competition for the most over priced BP ever. Losing the old GE on Neil would not be a idea either. It sucks.
This sounds great, and I loved that it might start later this year.
So does this mean that they’d close the Giant Eagle at Neil & Buttles? Those sites seem awfully close together, though there were two Krogers in Charlottesville about that far apart (and with very much the same situation: close together in physical distance but separated psychologically by a limited-access highway).
I like the way Giant Eagle thinks. Get the liquor permit first, figure out all the rest of the details later.
Let’s face it, the current Giant Eagle on Neil blows.
If we can’t have a Whole Foods, fine, but will they please put in a LARGE organic section?
Or at least an international aisle? Where can a guy get tahini within 5 miles of downtown?
did you read the whole thing? :P
Boring said the store probably would necessitate the closure of Giant Eagle’s store at 777 Neil Ave., which at 30,000 square feet is far smaller than the company’s current prototypes. Boring also thinks that the Giant Eagle would compete with Kroger stores in the Short North and Brewery District.
More questions:
What will this do to North Market?
What replaces the VV Giant Eagle? As in, what goes in to fill the gap?
Damn. This is a long time in the works…
Here’s a post from two and a half years ago:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3338
I think adding more residential units and additional retail space around the North Market will most likely drive more traffic to the market. The NM is a very specialized space that I don’t think will compete directly with Giant Eagle. People already complain that the NM is not a place they go to for the staples like milk, eggs, bread, etc. They go there for specialized items or specialized prepared foods.
There are plenty of places all over Central Ohio where a Giant Eagle, Kroger, Meijer, WalMart, and Target can all co-exist within very close proximity to each other. I don’t forsee moving the Giant Eagle from Neil & Buttles to Neil & Vine being a problem for the North Market.
Or at least an international aisle? Where can a guy get tahini within 5 miles of downtown?
Giant Eagle in GV on Whittier
Cross your fingers and repeat after me, “Trader Joe’s…Trader Joe’s…” I’ll still happily give my business to North Market vendors, but dammit, I want some better frozen food options without having to drive to Easton.
Hah! Stopped just before the end. Touche. It did seem a bit close. I’m surprised to see that the Neil Ave. Giant Eagle is that much smaller that the company prototype, though. It didn’t seem that small to me.
Or at least an international aisle? Where can a guy get tahini within 5 miles of downtown?
I’ve seen tahini at World Market in the Lennox center. Actually, I need to go pick some up so I can make hummus. :)
the current GE on Neil blows. The space would be great for a trader joes/whole foods.
I want the get-go!
Just keep it urban (in design) and I’ll be happy.
I think a Trader Joes would be perfect. I can sort of see why North Market didn’t want a Whole Foods since Whole Foods has a ton of hot prepared meals you can get. That is kind of North Market’s thing. I really still think they both would survive with the population density growing in that area. Also, I wonder if they plan on keeping the Apt’s looking like Arena Crossing or not.
Here are some comments I received from neighbors of VV.
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I’m not going towards concerts and games for a gallon of milk. I love the luxurary of shopping down the block. And, if I have to drive to a grocery, I’ll go elsewhere out of protest. Maybe it’s time we, the neighborhood, not shop for a day or a week to show GE how much business we’re willing to take elsewhere.
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This makes no sense except for the developers. So we will loose the current neighborhood grocery so that all the business from the empty downtown condos will have a place to shop. More apt and empty condos along with baseball traffic and the event traffic does not make me want to get in the car and drive to the store at $4 a gal. I’ve lived in on Neil in Victorian Village for almost 28 years and one of the pleasures was the ability to walk to the grocery store. I always say when you have a good thing why not ruin it.
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Their plans better include a colossal parking garage…
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Hi Deb! Yeah, what my sources are telling me is that GE will most likely move toward the Arena District and be replaced with a WHole Foods – the size of our GE is too small for them and they’ve tried to acquire the whole Neil Ave. facility. The size of a Whole Foods fits better in the space provided by the current GE.
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Problem with all of this is that Whole Foods is lot more expensive than GE.
PEACE,…LOVE,…and BOBBY VINTON!
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Well ain’t that just great. I just got air in my bike tires, too. Maybe I’ll just sneek on the senior’s bus at Thurber and ride with them.
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Thanks for the link. Some good conversation going on about it here:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14180
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I have a feeling this will be a hot topic at the next North Market Board Meeting. Can’t wait to hear the debate!
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I am really bummed. I like walking across the street to get my groceries.
I’m a bit surprised that GE is abandoning the Neil and Buttles location. Its a pretty good spot to be in. I had kinda held out hope that that would have partnered with a developer to reconfigure that lot that they were on.
Imagine pushing the store out to the front of the lot along the sidewalk and adding residential units and parking above. The CVS, bank, noodles, spinelli’s, haircut place, and video store could be accomadated on site as well.
I always thought that site was underutilized.
I hope that the site gets some sort of mixed use development on it. I think it would be a great spot for commerce and some mixed rental/condo housing units.
where’s the good thing? :?
Wow, this GE isn’t moving more than 2 blocks away and these people are totally up in arms about it. You’ve got to be kidding me. I agree that we need to make the Neil/Goodale exit a bit more pedestrian friendly but that’s it. And I love the person who wants others to boycott the store. What…..people within 2 blocks? So maybe 80 or so. Hate to tell you but there are a lot more people that live in the completely full Arena Crossing Apts that WILL be using the store. Not to mention the 220 new Apts going in. So go ahead and boycott, you’ll only be hurting yourself.