| Leasing team
promotes Gateway retail plan
Campus Partners and its leasing team will complement its local retail recruitment
efforts for the South Campus Gateway with the national presentation of the project at the
annual International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) spring convention in Las Vegas on
May 18-20. Campus Partners, master developer of the Gateway project, has retained
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to lead Gateway’s retail leasing efforts. Locally
based CEG Development of Dublin has teamed with JLL in taking Gateway to prospective
commercial tenants. JLL also provides overall development management services for
the Gateway project.
Gateway’s presence at the convention marks a formal launch of the project’s
merchandising plan by the project’s new leasing team. The plan seeks to blend
approximately 35 to 40 entertainment, food, retail, and service tenants in the Gateway
development. The tenants will represent a strategic mix of local, regional, and
national businesses. A new scale model of the Gateway development will be at the
ICSC convention as a leasing tool in the Jones Lang LaSalle display.
Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners, explains that the ICSC convention marks
Gateway’s kick-off of commercial leasing efforts at the national level.
“This is where the team makes and solidifies its contacts with potential
tenants everyone from small, new concept restaurants to the larger, more established
retailers. We’re looking for businesses we believe will be the best fit for the
community of students, university employees, local residents, visitors and High Street in
the University District.” He also noted that, apart from the ICSC convention,
Jones Lang LaSalle has brought key urban retailing team members to Columbus to help
identify and assist local tenants for Gateway.
The Gateway development includes the construction of 540,000 square feet of retail,
residential, and office space in four buildings, as well as a five-level, 1,200-car
parking garage. The retail plan proposes a distinctive blend of entertainment, goods
and services on the first floor of each of the four buildings and on the second floor of
two buildings. Among the entertainment uses being pursued are a six- or seven-screen
cinema, music club, and dining and beverage establishments 24-hour diner, sports
bar, coffee shop, brew pub, ethnic and fine dining that will provide a lively
environment.
Campus Partners has already signed a lease with Barnes & Noble College Bookstores to
anchor Gateway with a 50,000-square-foot university bookstore on the first two floors of a
five-story building on the southeast corner of East 11th Avenue and High
Street. Barnes & Noble College Bookstores currently operates The Ohio State
University Bookstore and Long’s Bookstore and plans to combine those existing
operations at Gateway. The selection of merchants also is likely to include
clothing, accessories, gifts, apartment furnishings, and convenience and service
retailers, such as a grocer, bank, and hair salon.
Campus Partners plans to construct about 175 residential units in a combination of studio,
one- and two-bedroom and loft-style apartments in the upper four floors of two buildings
and town-homes along the north and south sides of the parking garage. The housing
will respond to the demand for housing from graduate students and young professionals who
want to live close to Ohio State. Campus Partners also will incorporate at least
70,000 square feet of office space in the upper three floors of the building which will
house the bookstore. The office space will be leased to Ohio State and will bring
several hundred university employees to Gateway on a daily basis.
Method assists with Gateway marketing
Campus Partners employed Method, a local marketing firm with extensive retail
experience, to develop marketing materials for the ICSC meeting and follow-up.
Method undertook extensive analysis related to the positioning and branding of the project
to both prospective tenants and target customer groups. The firm also conducted a
series of focus groups, including students, university employees and neighborhood
residents, to further test the project’s name, branding and marketing concepts.
As a result, the name, logo and marketing materials have been defined, with the name
“South Campus Gateway” having been finally selected for the project.
The New York Times published an extensive story on April 30 about Campus
Partners’ initiatives in the University District with a particular focus on the
Gateway project. The reporter, Terry Pristin, who covers commercial real estate for
the Times, conducted numerous interviews in Columbus and wrote a very comprehensive
overview of the efforts in the University District.
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Public improvements begin on
Gateway site
Construction of the phase one public improvements on and adjacent to the Gateway site
began on May 2. Columbus City Council last month authorized funding for the project
which 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, which are estimated to cost nearly $4 million, are scheduled to be
completed this fall. Construction of new buildings is planned to begin immediately
thereafter. Under this schedule, South Campus Gateway will open Aug. 1, 2005.
Although this city construction project will create some inconvenience for motorists, the
work will dramatically upgrade some very old public infrastructure and is a prerequisite
for the construction of the Gateway buildings. The city is using 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. The separation of the storm and
sanitary sewer systems will provide 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, responsible for the overall coordination and
oversight. Complete General Construction is general contractor on the project.
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.
City bodies recommend Gateway rezoning
The application for the rezoning of the Gateway development site has been filed with
the City of Columbus. The University Area Commission, the University Area Review
Board, and the Columbus Development Commission have all recommended approval of the
proposed rezoning of the site as a Planned Commercial Development (PCD) District.
The University Area Review Board also has held its initial design review of the project,
pursuant to its recently expanded authority under the city’s High Street design
review guidelines.
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OCCH closes on Broad Street Portfolio
In accordance with the vision laid out within the Broad Street Portfolio restructuring
plan proposed by Campus Partners, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) closed on
the acquisition of the complex Broad Street Portfolio over the course of a week in late
April. This housing has been consolidated under a new non-profit ownership structure
Community Properties of Ohio. The management company, Broad Street
Management, Inc., has been acquired, renamed Community Properties of Ohio Management
Services, LLC, and new leadership has been installed.
OCCH views the acquisition of the real
estate as the first step toward realizing the goals of the Community Properties
initiative: rehabilitating, de-concentrating and preserving the housing, while connecting
residents with needed social services and community resources. OCCH will work with
Community Housing Network, Columbus Housing Partnership and the Columbus Metropolitan
Housing Authority on renovation and management of the housing. Over the next four
years, units within the portfolio will be combined into smaller transactions and
rehabilitated in phases. The total investment in this housing is estimated to be $60
million.
OCCH plans to establish a community
advisory board for the Community Properties initiative. In addition, OCCH has
contracted with Edward Howard & Company to develop a communications and community
relations program. OCCH expects to announce more details of the acquisition of this
housing later in May, including the naming of a construction manager to oversee the start
of renovation late this summer.
At its annual statewide Partners Luncheon for organizations and businesses in the
affordable housing industry, OCCH presented Campus Partners with a “2003 Award of
Excellence” for its foresight in developing an alternate plan for the acquisition and
renovation of the Broad Street Portfolio.
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City officials and OSU president support SID
Mayor Coleman, President Holbrook,
Development Director Barbash and Councilwoman O’Shaughnessy signed a letter to all
owners of property within the proposed University Uptown Special Improvement District
(SID). The letter, mailed at the end of April, outlines the benefits of the SID and
urges property owners to give careful consideration to signing the petition to create the
SID. “A SID is a very powerful tool for property owners to collectively enhance
the quality of their environment and to improve the value of their real estate
investments,” the letter reads.
The SID steering committee is focusing on six or seven key property owners. If three
or four of them sign, the petition effort will reach its goal.
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Update on public safety issues
The university, two area property
owners and the University Area Crime Stoppers program have joined other organizations to
pledge $34,000 in a reward fund for information leading to the arrest of a person or
persons responsible for the fire at 64 E. 17th Ave. on April 13. The fire, which
Columbus police and fire investigators have concluded was arson, killed two Ohio State and
three Ohio University students.
Stakeholders in the University District
are working with police to reduce the threat of riots in the predominantly student
neighborhood this spring. A major test was the weekend of April 25-27 with the
spring football game, a possible Chitfest, and the African American Heritage Festival.
Columbus Police banned parking on East 11th, Chittenden, East 12th and East 13th
avenues for the weekend. Ohio State permitted residents of those streets to park
their vehicles in the Ohio Union Parking Garage without charge. The weekend passed
without major incident.
At the meeting of the University Area Safety Committee on April 9, committee members
explained their efforts to prevent riots. Jennifer Klein distributed materials from
Residence Life which outlined its initiatives. Representatives of Undergraduate
Student Government had gone door-to-door on Chittenden Avenue. Residents of
Chittenden Avenue were being invited to a community meeting. The University
Inter-Faith Association planned to be on the streets on April 26. USG was sponsoring
a spring sports fest late on April 26. Barbara Rich and Karen Donnelly discussed
Student Affairs’ initiatives and late-night programming. Community Ambassadors were
planning a picnic on Norwich Avenue on April 30. Dwayne Todd reported that the
president of the Columbus College of Art and Design had sent a letter encouraging proper
behavior to all CCAD students living in the 43201 zip code. No CCAD students are
known to live on Chittenden Avenue.
At the safety committee meeting on May 14, committee members noted that the combined
efforts of all of the stakeholders appears to have helped hold weekend parties in check.
The new Community Ambassadors program has met with a good response. Dr. Ted
Grace, director of the university’s Student Health Services, described the
university’s preparation for dealing with the new illness, SARS. Up-to-date
information on SARS is available on the Student Health Services’ web site.
Pasquale Grado, executive director of the University Community Business Association,
reported that there are now 12 liquor permits for High Street establishments between
Hudson and Dodridge streets. The area is emerging as a new entertainment
center. Mr. Grado also said a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle on High Street
near Frambes Avenue. He suggested that a clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk should
be created on High Street at Frambes because of the heavy pedestrian traffic from the
north campus residence halls.
The University Area Safety Committee will
not meet in June, July and August unless called by the co-chairs. The next regularly
scheduled meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 10.
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Task force considers new area for code enforcement
Andy Baumann, code enforcement
supervisor, told the University District Code Enforcement Task Force on April 8 that the
systematic exterior code enforcement inspections of the area from East 15th to East 18th
Avenue have been completed. The task force discussed a new area. Mary Riley
will discuss the matter with homeowners between East 18th and Lane avenues and will talk
further with Mr. Baumann. The task force later in the meeting also discussed the
possibility of applying the systematic approach in the area south of West 11th Avenue and
west of High Street.
Task force members also discussed the recommendations from the city planning class that
had studied code enforcement issues during winter quarter. In reviewing the
recommendations, the apparent consensus of the task force was to put an initial focus on
the problems of couches on porches and cars parked on lawns. Pasquale Grado, task
force chair, suggested that a representative from the City Attorney’s office be
invited to attend the next meeting.
At the task force meeting on May 13, Mr.
Baumann noted that a few homeowners in the area from Woodruff to Lane avenues objected to
the systematic exterior code enforcement. As a result, the task force decided to
consider the area south of West 11th Avenue between High Street and Neil Avenue. Mr.
Baumann agreed to look at the level of homeownership in that south campus area.
Pasquale Grado reported seeing a major
problem with rats west of Neil Avenue between Lane and Dodridge. The rats apparently
are burrowing under metal dumpsters which are not placed on concrete pads. The rats
may be entering the dumpsters through drain holes. The problem will be placed on the
agenda for the next meeting.
The task force’s next meeting will be Tuesday, June 10, at 2 p.m. in the
Northwood-High Building, 2231 N. High St.
Back to the top
Students meet with Gateway retail consultants
Two senior executives with Jones Lang
LaSalle met with members of the Campus Partners Student Advisory Board and business
students on April 21 in the Frank Hale Black Cultural Center to discuss progress on the
South Campus Gateway project and career opportunities in development and real estate.
Herman Bulls, CEO, Public Institutions, and executive advisor to the Gateway
project, and Cubie Dawson, who oversees urban retailing, offered insight on the
Gateway’s retail plan. They also offered practical advice and answered
questions about the education and experience needed to succeed in real estate development.
Bob Welanetz, consultant from Atlanta with
Jones Lang LaSalle on the Gateway retail plan, met with the student advisory board on May
13 to give the students a preview of the retail plan and leasing strategy that Campus
Partners and Jones Lang LaSalle will take to the International Council of Shopping Centers
conference.
In campus balloting last month, Mike
Goodman was elected as president of Undergraduate Student Government. He will take
office later this month. The search has begun for Mr. Goodman’s successor as
the undergraduate student representative on the Campus Partners Board of Trustees.
Mr. Goodman’s term expires June 30, 2003. Information about the position was
disseminated in a Lantern advertisement, a Lantern news story, Buckeye Net
News and various e-mail lists.
Fourteen applications for the position were received by the deadline of May 9. Mr.
Goodman is chairing the selection committee that will review the applications, interview
applicants and make recommendations to the full board. The term of the new student
representative will run from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2005.
Meeting on refuse collection and street sweeping
The Campus Partners Public Service Committee will hold its next meeting on Wednesday,
June 4, at the Northwood-High Building, 2231 N. High St. Committee members will
focus on street sweeping at 1:30 p.m. and refuse collection at 2:30 p.m. |
