Proposal from The Druker Company
The Vision and The Program

The Program

Retail

After meeting with student leaders, university staff and conducting an informative market survey and focus group with students from varied backgrounds and school class levels (see Appendix B for a summary of the results), a number of common themes began to emerge relating to the retail component of University Gateway Center.

First, the large student body is composed of numerous constituencies, each of whom have unique retail wants and needs. University Gateway Center must create choices to meet those varying needs. Second, a safe and secure retail environment is a crucial ingredient to the success of University Gateway Center. Third, the retail tenant mix should have local representation, incorporating some existing High Street tenants, if possible. Fourth, University Gateway Center should become a destination for students, faculty, staff and others living in the area. Fifth, prices generally should be moderate. Sixth, many agree that desirable tenant categories include a sit-down full service restaurant, a movie theatre, a 24-hour diner, a fitness center and a grocery store. Last, students at O.S.U. are mobile, the majority of whom have automobiles; accordingly, they indicated the need to have generous, affordable, convenient, and secure parking.

Responding to the input which our development team has gathered, our proposed retail program is multifaceted‹both diverse and inclusive‹creating varied options which will appeal to a broad spectrum of O.S.U. undergraduate, graduate and professional students, faculty and staff, as well as nearby residents and visitors to University Gateway Center.

Consisting of approximately 240,500 square feet of retail and entertainment space, University Gateway Center will include "food, fashion and fun", as well as various service and convenience oriented tenants (see the illustrative site plan in Urban Design and Architecture section). By way of example, our intention is to have tenants range from large (e.g., a bookstore cafe, a sports bar and a green grocer) to small (e.g., a Middle Eastern restaurant, a bank outlet and a bike shop), from national tenants (e.g., Sundance Cinema, Colorado and Johnny Rockets) to local tenants (e.g., a Cameron Mitchell sit-down restaurant, Skully¹s, Panini¹s and a Bank One branch). A number of tenants will create exciting two level spaces (e.g., the bookstore and its café, the sports bar and the fitness center).

Emphasis will be placed on a tenant mix that will attract people both during the day and the evening, as well as when students are away on holiday and during the summer months. The retail shops, restaurants and entertainment uses, along with the residences and office spaces discussed later, will complement and reinforce each other in a positive way.

While we fully expect a significant portion of the market will arrive on foot, a number of customers also will come by car. Parking in a secure, well-lit garage, those customers will access the retail and entertainment outlets through University Way, an appealing urban walkway and gathering place, lined on either side with smaller retail shops, serving as an inviting pedestrian connection to High Street.

In addition to its attractive landscaping and glass enclosed restaurant seating which opens to the air in warm weather, University Way will be home to the Around Town kiosk which, with its information regarding arts and entertainment in Columbus, tickets to events at O.S.U. and around town, and variety of newspapers and magazines, will become an important focal point for University Gateway Center.

The retail and entertainment venues will enhance their identity through vibrant signage, both storefront and projecting signs, as well as multi-colored awnings. In addition to the food outlets on University Way, a number of the restaurants will offer outdoor seating, further activating the sidewalk and adding to the urban flavor of University Gateway Center.

We have spoken with a number of tenants, both national and local, to gauge interest in leasing space within our proposed development; moreover, we have solicited letters indicating preliminary interest from a sampling of tenants (please refer to Retail Tenant Letters of Interest in Appendix A).

Anchors

Although our proposed retail mix has no one anchor, conceptually, we feel a number of "mini" anchors are critical, given the location somewhat south of the existing "center of gravity" at 15th Avenue and High Street, and in order to attract customers from the north and west campus, as well as other visitors, to University Gateway Center. Our proposed "mini" anchors include the following:

Cinema
The multi-screen theatre, consisting of approximately 30,000 square feet on two levels, would serve as the southern-most anchor to the retail component, its identity being reinforced with a highly visible marquee. The multi-level complex would exhibit a mix of films, including arts, foreign and quality commercial films. The product would fill a niche in between the more cutting edge films exhibited at the Wexner Center and the mass-market commercial films exhibited at Lenox Town Center. We have had conversations with both Sundance Cinema and Drexel Theatres concerning the University Gateway Center (please see letter from Sundance Cinema in Appendix A).

Grocer
The retail tenants need to draw customers during the day and the night. A grocery store will act as a draw performing that function, as well as satisfying the need voiced by a number of students living off campus for a more convenient and safe place to buy groceries. At approximately 28,000 square feet, the merchandizing mix would be somewhat targeted with a strong "grab and go", deli and bakery section. We have had preliminary discussions with Big Bear, Aldi and Whole Foods to date.

Bookstore
A dynamic bookstore is a natural for any university-oriented retail setting. Of course, it needs to complement the existing, principally textbook-book selling venues on and around the campus. At two levels and approximately 29,000 square feet, we would envision a bookstore with an emphasis on "trade books" found on the New York Times best seller¹s list and other related items such as music, videos, etc. In our scheme, a cafe with outdoor seating would operate on the ground level in conjunction with the bookstore. Our intention would be to have the cafe tables hard wired to the university computer network in order to have the bookstore and its cafe become a gathering place for students and to better accommodate their needs. We have had preliminary discussions with Borders Books and Café regarding this bookstore/cafe concept. (Please see letter from Borders Books in Appendix A.)

Fitness Center
A fitness center at approximately 19,000 square feet would generate activity on the second level overlooking High Street and create pedestrian flow to and from University Gateway Center. Given its size and more focused marketing approach, the fitness center and juice bar would serve a somewhat different market than Larkins Hall and should be attractive to south campus students, and also staff, graduate and professional students.

Food
While no food use in and of itself constitutes an anchor, the combination of diverse food offerings will provide a considerable draw. The food outlets would be intended to form an alternative to the widely available fast food in the Ohio Union and on High Street. Our proposal would include, by way of example, a bar and grille, 24-hour diner, sports bar, salad café and ethnic food, a bakery and coffee bar. Discussions to date have been with Cameron Mitchell for the grille, Lettuce Entertain You for the sports bar, Au Bon Pain, Café 56 and Johnny Rocket¹s, Panini¹s and Skully¹s, among others.

Student Services
It should also be noted that the student services component of the office space within University Gateway Center (discussed later) will be an important draw, effectively becoming a mini-anchor for the retail, as well.

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Existing and Local Tenants

We feel that the best community oriented urban shopping venues typically include strong local merchants. Unique local operators with a well-defined tradition and merchandizing point of view will help to differentiate University Gateway Center from Lenox Town Center and City Center. Independent local proprietors tend to know and understand their merchandise and to be on a first name basis with their customers. Of course, the overall tenant mix, credit, and balance of national and local tenants will be required to meet lender underwriting criteria. Many of the existing tenants within the development area have shown themselves to be viable over a period of many years, in spite of being located in a less than desirable retail environment. We are open to including existing and local tenants who have proven track records of successful operations and whose merchandizing concept fits within the context of a new development. To that end, we have initiated preliminary discussions with Panini¹s, Skully¹s, Firdous, Cycle Tech and Avalon and are having discussions with other local and regional tenants, as well. (Please see letters from Panini¹s and Skully¹s in Appendix A.)

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Office

Locating a significant block of university office operations within the University Gateway Center is important for two reasons. First, it underscores The University¹s ongoing commitment to High Street and to University Gateway Center. Secondly, university office space, especially Student Services, creates a favorable pattern of student traffic flow to and from University Gateway Center area, helping to establish the complex as an important destination which will ensure its future success.

Our proposal contains approximately 90,000 square feet of office space on levels two­four of the portion of the development on the west side of High Street. It should be noted that we have shown office space which exceeds the 75,000 square foot requirement set forth in the Request for Proposals. The excess consists of Student Services which we see as a separate area of the office space on the second level of the west side development accessed with its own dedicated lobby and canopy on the ground level (through the architecturally significant facade of the former Chinese Laundry building). We would propose that Student Services consist of all office operations where students do business (e.g. Admissions and Financial Aid, the Registrar, Student Employment, Bursar, Student Housing and Human Resources, etc.). Other possible considerations include student government offices and The Welcome Center. This highly trafficked section of the office space with its own separate identity and easy access to and from the street, will in effect become a mini anchor for the development.

In the event The University indicates the need for more than 75,000 square feet of university operations office space or additional Student Services office space, our office plan is flexible and can accommodate additional space by, for example, the addition of a fifth floor to the proposed building.

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Residential

The residential component of the development is designed to accommodate approximately 150 market rate units catering primarily to the university population who can afford market rents, including undergraduate students, graduate and professional students, the many international students and recent graduates choosing to live in close proximity to The University.

The mix of units, ranging in size from 500 to 1,200 square feet, will be varied and will include predominantly 1 and 1.5 bedroom apartments (the later having a separate study/computer area) along with studios and split two bedroom units. We will offer traditional flats, as well as a number of loft type units overlooking High Street and two level townhouse units creating a residential edge on 9th and 11th Avenues. While the townhouses will be walk-up, the flats and lofts over High Street will be accessed from two separately dedicated residential lobbies with elevators on 11th Avenue. The High Street units on the third, forth and fifth levels conform to the traditional Main Street notion of residential stacked on commercial and create a distinctly urban flavor.

The residential design and management will place emphasis on security and privacy and offer a number of amenities which are appealing to the market. Easy access to ample parking in a secure garage will be available. The residents will be proximate to the fitness center. It is our intention to have the units "smart wired" with a tie-in to the university computer network, and a common room will be available for studying, meetings and social functions. Many apartments will have either terraces or balconies.

The addition of this significant residential component to University Gateway Center will help satisfy market demand, reinforce the residential character of the area and establish a captive market for the retail space below.

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Parking

In the course of our many discussions with The Ohio State University students and administrators, as well as area residents and business people, the need to provide ample, affordable and secure parking in close proximity to the University Gateway Center development has been repeatedly stressed. Consistent with the urban design principles promulgated for this urban, multi-story, mixed use development, we have assumed that the parking for the complex will be structured (with the exception of metered parking spaces reintroduced along High Street).

Two parking garages are proposed‹one 130 car garage located one level below grade within the retail/office building located between 10th and 11th Avenues on the west side of High Street, and a second parking structure totaling 940 spaces serving the cinemas, retail/restaurant space and the residences in the two mixed use buildings on the east side of High Street. This larger garage would be located between 11th and 9th Avenues. In sizing both garages, we have used parking ratios consistent with those set forth in the Request for Proposals.

The majority of the west side office and retail building¹s garage likely would be used principally by The Ohio State University employees working in the Student Services and other office space to be leased by O.S.U. Visitors to that office space, together with restaurant and retail shops patrons, also would be afforded use of that garage. If The University would prefer, other parking solutions on nearby University-owned land could be explored as alternatives to this proposed arrangement.

Parking in the other structure on the east side of High Street would be provided on one level below grade, two levels above grade and the structure¹s roof. To diminish the visual impact of this parking structure, each of the three elevations of the structure facing the adjacent neighborhood is planned to be buffered. Two story, walk-up townhouses would wrap the northerly and southerly edges of the parking structure on 9th and 11th Avenues, respectively, presenting a residential edge to the adjacent homes and apartment buildings. The easterly elevation of the structure facing the back yards of a handful of adjacent properties would be softened with trees and other landscaping. The roof parking will be screened by an architectural parapet.

Automobile access to and egress from the parking structure would be off a widened Pearl Street, mitigating the impact of entering and exiting vehicles on the traffic flow of 9th and 11th Avenues. The principal pedestrian access to and from the garage would be at the eastern end of the planned new University Way (see illustrative site plan) and would direct visitors to the shops, bars, and restaurants facing onto University Way and to High Street beyond. That portion of Pearl Street which intersects University Way would be open for service and delivery traffic in the early morning, but would be closed by utilizing decorative bollards and chain to provide exclusive pedestrian access between the garage and University Way during the retail and restaurant businesses¹ regular hours of operation.

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Table of Contents

	The Druker Company
	The Vision and the Program
	Urban Design and Architecture
	The Development Team
	Commitment to Community Involvement
	Economic Development/Job Initiative Strategy
	Ingredients for Success/Recommendations
	Evaluation Form