FOR RELEASE:  Friday, May 2, 2003

CITY PROJECT PREPARES SITE FOR GATEWAY DEVELOPMENT

Public Infrastructure Improvements Begin at South Campus Gateway Site

Columbus, OH— Construction work begins on High Street today, signifying a large step toward groundbreaking on the South Campus Gateway project later this year.

Columbus City Council last month authorized funding for the phase one public improvements for the Gateway site and the adjacent neighborhood.  The project includes the installation and separation of storm and sanitary sewers, utility line relocation, the replacement of a water main, and the widening of High Street.  This construction will involve the temporary closing of several area streets.  The phase one improvements are scheduled to be completed by November 2003 and are estimated to cost nearly $4 million.

“The construction work along High Street for this city project will create some inconvenience for motorists,” said Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment.  “The work, however, will dramatically upgrade some very old public infrastructure and is a prerequisite for the construction of the Gateway buildings.   The city is utilizing the Gateway construction as an opportunity to improve water and sewer services for the residents and businesses in that area.”

Part of the phase one plan includes replacement of the existing water main to improve water service for area residents and businesses.  The separation of the storm and sanitary sewer systems in this area will also help the neighborhood, providing better drainage to a flood-prone area.

Acting on behalf of the city, Campus Partners has hired H.R. Gray & Associates as construction

manager on the public improvements project and is responsible for the overall coordination and oversight.  Complete General Construction is general contractor on the project.

Campus Partners, a non-profit urban redevelopment corporation, is the developer of the South Campus Gateway project.  This development includes the construction of 540,000 square feet of retail, residential, and office space in four buildings, as well as a five-story, 1,200-car parking garage. The project will be constructed on approximately seven acres located at High Street and 11^th Avenue.  Construction of the Gateway project is expected to begin later in 2003 and completion is scheduled for August 2005.

The second phase of public improvements, including the installation of items such as mast-arms for traffic signals, new sidewalks and decorative street lighting, will be done as the Gateway buildings are being completed.

Ohio State created Campus Partners as a non-profit community development corporation in 1995 to spearhead the revitalization of the urban neighborhoods around its Columbus campus.  Campus Partners works in collaboration with the city, community agencies, neighborhood leaders and the university itself.