Huntington Bank announced plans today to transform the former Meijer at 5555 Cleveland Avenue into office space for up to 1,600 employees. The Columbus-based company also announced its intention to target $300 million in loans to low-to-moderate income neighborhoods over the next five years, focusing on the Linden and Northland areas.
“We’re stepping up to help transform an important area because we believe in helping small businesses grow and families prosper,” said Huntington CEO Stephen D. Steinour, in a statement. “The city has been an outstanding partner and we’re proud to support the Mayor’s vision to revitalize key growth neighborhoods.”
Some of the employees for the new office building will be moving from office space at 2361 Morse Road and 7575 Huntington Park Drive, both of which will be vacated. Overall, the bank is committing to bringing 1,000 new jobs to the City of Columbus by 2024, and will be pursuing city tax incentives based on that level of growth.
The estimated cost of turning the 210,000 square-foot, former big box store into an office campus is $18.3 million. The new development, which has been named the Huntington Gateway Center, is scheduled to open in mid-2017. It sits just south of State Route 161, on the west side of Cleveland Avenue.
Amenities planned for the new campus include an open floor plan and onsite dining and fitness facilities.
A hub for COTA’s new CMAX Bus Rapid Transit line, called the Northland Transit Center, has long been planned for the site. The new line will connect Polaris and downtown with limited-stop service featuring new, specially-branded buses and features like traffic signal prioritization.
Also announced today was a partnership with the city’s Smart Columbus initiative to install an electric vehicle charging station on the site.
