The Dispatch wrote Retailers check out from Brice
Sunday, February 17, 2008
BY MIKE PRAMIK
As Columbus and its suburbs sprawl beyond the Outerbelt, the trend suggests that it’s only a matter of time before a once-bustling shopping district falls victim to the next hot spot.
The newest victim: Brice Road north and south of I-70.
Once the East Side’s busiest shopping corridor, it is now marked by a growing number of empty storefronts and acres of barren asphalt — and more key tenants are on the way out.
Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman said he’s aware of the problems at Brice, which he called a poorly designed corridor victimized by the whims of the retail trade. He said the city can help, but Brice will have to wait its turn. Columbus has committed nearly $30 million to fixing the Northland area, which suffered from the closure of Northland Mall in 2002.
Next in line are W. Broad Street, Parsons Avenue and the Far West Side, where the closing of major employers such as Delphi Corp. and Techneglas Inc. have hurt. Westland Mall, once one of the biggest retail centers in central Ohio, has been a shell of its former self since the opening of the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in 1997.
Related Stories:
– City will buy ailing City Center mall for $2.88 million
– Council approves South Side Plan amendment
– Far West Side revival plotted to reverse decline
– Stores, office space, homes part of mix for Northland
– Immigrant entrepreneurs revamping Morse Road