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A new development plan application was submitted to the City of Upper Arlington last night for a proposed mixed-use development for a recently approved “community entertainment district” located along Lane Avenue. The proposal calls for a new 118-room Cambria Suites hotel, 106 luxury apartments, 13,000 square feet of office space and 13,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space.
The new development would sit directly across the street from the recently renovated Shops on Lane Avenue development that houses multiple retail and restaurant destinations, and will soon have a newly rebuilt and expanded Whole Foods store.
“This is the kind of mixed-use development that fits in well with the City’s long-term goal of maximizing our commercial districts,” said Upper Arlington Deputy City Manager of Economic Development, Matthew Shad. “The project would also generate substantial income, bed and property tax revenue to enhance city services and schools.”
There has been quite a bit of discussion about the development already, with some nearby residents voicing concerns over additional liquor permits being granted for the area, as well as major changes to parking and traffic patterns. To read more of the ongoing discussion, click here: Upper Arlingon Entertainment District / Parking Issues on Lane Avenue.
The hotel is positioned on the site much better than I had anticipated. Looks decent.
I agree. Not incredibly wow’ed by the architecture, but I think it should fit nicely in UA. They also said they submitted this at the last second, so I assume some of the architectural details will be resolved prior to construction.
I need help placing this. What’s in the space now?
So, does this mean they’ll be demolishing the houses/church that sit across the street from the shops on lave ave?
rdmeeker – here’s a map from a Dispatch article a few months back:
Essentially, there’s a church property and a few single family homes, I imagine all of which will be razed.
From that map, it appears they would be raising the houses/church on the North side of Lane Ave to construct the entertainment district.
Looks like Grandview Yard. Not too bad I suppose for an uptight innurb that otherwise wants to pretend that it’s still 1950.
I agree. The architecture is a little too “safe”. However, this will hopefully encourage more development in this area that will be a little more architecturally “risky” :)
I’m also curious how much retail space is available in the two buildings shown. It looks like the entire first floor of both buildings is dedicated retail space, but I assume most will go towards lobby, etc.
Yeah, 13,000 square feet isn’t a whole lot. I would think there could be some good demand for retail development with lots of other fairly significant anchors already existing right across the street. Retail begets more retail, right? ;)
Happy to see this area densifying though. Upper Arlington needs a “Downtown”.
Since this is supposed to be an “entertainment” district, they may want to include more retail space. I would hope that the setback is enough to allow for sidewalk seating. Grandview Ave. is a good model to follow in terms of bringing the life inside the buildings to the outside. I think, not only in my opinion but most, that if one were to walk/drive down Lane and see people sitting and socializing outside, it would come off as a much more happening place. The energy kind of draws you in.
I just don’t understand why everything everyone is trying to build these days is just SO UGLY. Are we giving our architects only math classes and no artistic ones or what? Gag. Seriously. Why make a hotel look like a nondescript office building? I have no desires to spend a hundred bucks to stay in an office building. Make it pretty, for the love of eyeballs. Even just a little bit.
The setback is great, but they have to compensate their normal crap design (goes for most hotel chains not just this one) for the fact that people will be walking and driving by much slower than if they were just at a highway exit. 60mph design doesn’t cut it when you’re on a street like this.
I wish we could see more of the supposed retail space, not just this big lame hotel.
Ameya, I agree. However, the generation that is currently making the decision on projects such as these like corporate office design for some reason. I’d like to see this project take on a little more OSU South Gateway/West Coast look, but I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. I agree, the image shown is pretty bland/Easton-ish.
I also agree but I’m thinking most developers are giving up design elements in order to save money in these tough times. When it comes to the bottom line, unfortunately the more decorative small details get the axe. It’s very frustrating for me because I like the small details you only really notice in pre 1930′s ish architecture. Those small details go a long way. Like I said before though, they can give the buildings a bit of life by bringing the patrons outside into the pedestrian realm and creating some visible activity.
Wow, M+A Architects is on a roll this month! MoJoe Lounge, Bob Evans HQ, the Luxury Apartments on Goodale, and now this?! Incidentally, hotels like Cambria are prototype designs that are trimmed down to be as cost-effective as possible. I’d be more interested in the rest of the project that will be designed from the ground up.
I agree also that this and many new buildings in Columbus are very non-descript and all look the same as the boxes in the Arena District. I love the Arena District, but the buildings there along with the new Hilton are all pretty boxy.
Also, I don’t think the somewhat lower-cost Cambria Suites brand is a good match for the fancy, rich Upper Arlington. I’m not against it at all, but I’d think that the status conscious UA might want a fancier hotel.
People who live in UA aren’t going to be staying in the hotel. I imagine the hotel is going after the demographic of visitors to OSU, who probably are visiting parents or game-day sleepovers. Probably not people looking for a five-star stay.
If it’s supposed to have retail, where are the windows and doors for the shops?
In order to make this a true Entertainment District, we need a streetcar going from UA to OSU’s campus……….
Coincidentally, I always thought a streetcar on High Street, coupled with one on 5th Avenue and Lane Avenue would be great streetcar corridors branching off the main High Street line.
I don’t see one happening on Lane anytime soon, although I would love to see one on W. 5th Ave. It is a pretty dense corridor with room for more density and walkability. Also, it is due for a major facelift. Although, any type of construction would be tough seeing as how narrow the road is and the amount of traffic it handles. It would be quite the headache but still needs to happen sooner or later.