It can be a challenge to find a sizable piece of land to develop in Worthington that isn’t already spoken for or tied up in litigation as the city’s former United Methodist Children’s Home (now owned by Lifestyle Communities) has been.
Developer Crawford Hoying has found one, 17 acres, and is hoping that the city’s Municipal Planning Commission considers tentative plans to redevelop 1970s-era buildings at its July 9 meeting.
“This is kind of their preliminary discuss with the commission,” said David McCorkle, the city’s economic development director. “A project of this size is unlikely to have everything answered to be approved in one meeting. And we want residents to weigh in.”
The plan is to replace the office buildings with hotel, office, commercial and residential space.
“I think most folks feel that this is the best use for this kind of development, abutting the Outerbelt,” he said.
Crawford Hoying is the developer of Bridge Park in Dublin, considered one of the region’s most successful entertainment and commercial attractions.
So comparisons will naturally be made between the Dublin success and the land west of North High Street along the northern edge of the city, not far from the Olentangy River and Worthington’s multi-use path.
“I think this is a significant opportunity for the city … if we can take office inventory that is 50-plus years old and start to have it produce additional revenue,” McCorkle said.
The developer hopes the planning commission can approve the project his year. But first a traffic study will be needed as well as several public meetings to gather feedback.
And three of the buildings currently have tenants, whose leases the company will honor, according to Crawford Hoying.
The developer already operates The Heights at Worthington Place, adjacent to the struggling mall called The Shops at Worthington Place.
Purchased in October, the property includes three office buildings (400, 450 and 500 W. Wilson Bridge Road) that collectively sold for $7.7 million, according to the Franklin County Auditor’s website.
Two other buildings (250 Old Wilson Bridge Road and 300 W. Wilson Bridge Road) sold for $10.8 million.
“Exactly 52% of the city’s income tax collections come from this corridor,” both east and west of North High Street, said McCorkle. “This could be a catalytic development to bookend the corridor.”
The buildings have been underutilized for many years, said David Robinson, a former city councilman. “And we were powerless to get them to sell,” he said of the previous owners. “They were not doing anything with them.”
Neither McCorkle nor Robinson, who still is active in land use and other city issues, have heard any opposition to the proposed development.
Growth and developer reporter Dean Narciso can be reached at dnarciso@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bridge Park developer eyes mixed-use project at underused Worthington offices
Reporting by Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
