An ambitious proposal from Schottenstein Real Estate Group calls for transforming over 20 acres of vacant land next to the Arena District into a mixed use development featuring apartments, condominiums, retail and multiple hotels.
“We’ve been working on assembling the parcels for a long time,” said Managing Partner Corey Schottenstein. “Now that we have both of them, we’re able to go public with some of our preliminary thoughts for what is obviously a great location.”
The land, tucked away among a tangle of freeway ramps and railroad tracks, is located to the west and north of Huntington Park and Express Live.
“We definitely see this site as being a destination spot,” said Schottenstein, “we want to make it kind of its own district within the district.”
One parcel, shaped like a triangle, would be accessible from West Nationwide Boulevard, while the other one sits at the southwest corner of Neil Avenue and Vine Street. The two parcels are separated by railroad tracks, but the preliminary site plan shows that they would be connected by an at-grade crossing as well as an elevated pedestrian walkway.
The triangular parcel would hold a ten to 12-story condominium building, a 12 to 15-story apartment tower, and a seven-story parking garage. North of the tracks would be a dozen mid-rise buildings, including a two-story grocery store, two hotels, a conference center and several apartment buildings with ground-floor retail.
Schottenstein said the vision for that portion of the development is “a boutique restaurant and shopping row, with rooftop entertainment, nightlife, all very high-end…the overall vibe would be hip and trendy, and unlike anything else in Columbus.”
He stressed that the plans at this point are preliminary and it may be some time before the project, which is being called Grand Central, is submitted to the Downtown Commission. Revisions to the design will likely be made as architects are hired and details of the conceptual plans are ironed out.
Schottenstein Real Estate Group also plans to bring on a joint venture partner for the project, and is currently in talks with a number of different developers.
The level of interest from national developers in the project has been strong, as has interest from potential tenants, according to Schottenstein.
“It’s very exciting, and really shows how much Columbus has grown,” he said. “Several big name national chains have reached out to us already…that’s a really good sign that Columbus is ready to enter that big-city status, and we think this project will help take it to that next level.”