As Gahanna City Council considers a proposed $100-million redevelopment of the eastern suburb’s Creekside District, developers and city officials are sharing more details on the plan that could bring more housing and restaurants, a hotel, co-working space and a parking garage along Mill and North High streets.
During an Oct. 13 committee meeting, council members dug into the details on a development agreement with two Columbus-based companies — developer Connect Real Estate and private investment firm Benson Capital — and the Gahanna Community Improvement Corporation. If approved, the agreement would usher in a two-phased redevelopment of vacant and blighted properties along the two streets.
City officials and developers are still finalizing the development agreement and told council members they hope to have it done by the end of the week. Council members will discuss the proposal again at an Oct. 27 committee meeting, but they do not have a date set yet for a vote.
In the first phase, developers are planning to buy 10 properties from the CIC — three parcels on the west side of Mill Street (U.S. 62) just north of the existing Creekside building and the other seven on the east side between Carpenter Road and Walnut Street back to Wilson Alley.
On the west side of Mill Street, the properties involved going south from Carpenter Road are a single-story warehouse-type building at 169 Mill St.; a two-story building that was formerly occupied by the Keating (Law) Firm and the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau at 170 Mill St.; and a one-story commercial building at 153-155 Mill St., located adjacent to The Residences at Creekside development.
On the east side of Mill Street, the buildings that would be involved going north from Walnut Street to Carpenter Road are: a two-story office commercial building at 130 Mill St. and the parking lot in front of it; a former lodge converted to commercial and office space at 136 Mill St., a self-service car wash at 151-153 Mill St., and an office building at 170 Mill St. at the corner of Mill and Carpenter Road. North Street heading west from North High Street would dead-end at Wilson Alley, and Lodge Alley from Mill Street to Wilson Alley between the car wash property and 136 Mill St. would be eliminated.
The developers are planning two buildings — a seven-story and a six-story — on either side of Mill Street that would hold a mix of 263 apartments, a 55-70 bed hotel, two restaurants, a co-working space and a parking garage.
Bob Lamb, executive vice president of development for Connect Real Estate, said the first phase would be done in two parts. Developers would begin construction with the building on the west side of Mill Street, which will hold apartments, and the parking garage on the east side to provide parking spaces for the apartments. Once they complete the garage, Lamb said, developers would start the construction of the west side building, which will include more apartments, two restaurants, the hotel and co-working space.
Council members asked numerous questions about parking spaces because the project’s second phase would see townhomes developed on three parcels that are currently a city-owned parking lot at Town and North High streets across North High from Marlow’s Cheesesteaks.
Council members raised concerns over whether the public could use the garage, or if it would only be for apartment residents, hotel guests and those dining at the restaurants.
Lamb said that without the final garage design, he couldn’t specify the exact number of parking spaces the garage will have.
“What we have 100% agreed to in the development agreement is that we will be self-parked fully for any uses on our site, and currently the size and scope of the garage will provide for additional parking that would be available,” he said. He added that the developers don’t intend to charge for that parking if people are visiting retail establishments.
Besides the project from Connect Real Estate and Benson Capital, the city is also proposing an overhaul of the Creekside District’s central plaza as part of a flood mitigation project.
Delaware County and eastern Columbus suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Developers reveal more details on proposed $100 million Gahanna Creekside redevelopment
Reporting by Maria DeVito, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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