A large mixed-use development could be coming to the 16-acre parcel that holds a Kohl’s store and parking lot at 3360 Olentangy River Road, although movement on the project is not likely any time soon.
Local developer Crawford Hoying closed on the parcel in August, paying Kimco Columbus just over $13 million for it. Principal Bob Hoying said that they are currently “working on some preliminary plans to redevelop it.”
He stressed that, while they view the acquisition as a bet on the development potential of the site, it also works in the short term because Kohl’s is a quality anchor tenant.
“It’s great real estate, and that stretch is a great corridor,” he said. “We have great tenants there that we’re working with, but at some point, when the stars align, it will be a great project.”
As for what uses might be appropriate for property, which abuts the Olentangy River and sits just south of North Broadway, Hoying did not appear to rule anything out at this point.
“It’s a big site, and fits well with some of the recent developments we’ve done,” he said. “We’re looking at all of our options — it’d be a mixture of uses, could be a hotel, maybe residential, maybe retail, maybe office.”
A development concept for the site — part of a larger re-imagining of the intersection of North Broadway, SR 315 and Olentangy River Road — was recently included in a presentation for the city’s Connect Columbus initiative.
The city’s Olentangy West Plan, which was adopted in 2013, recommends regional-scale, mixed-use development for the site.