Board committee discusses updates on 15th + High and Arts District projects

Amanda Parrish
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 03:39:33 +0000
Campus, News, 15 + High, 15 + High project, arts district, Arts District project, Board, board of trustees, Campus Partners, college road, high street, Master Planning and Facilities committee, ohio state, ohio state university, osu, pearl alley

The Master Planning and Facilities Committee discussed new renderings of the 15th and High area project on Thursday. Credit: Courtesy of Campus Partners

The Master Planning and Facilities Committee met Thursday and discussed updates for ongoing and future construction projects, including the 15th + High and Arts District.

According to Board of Trustees documents, the Arts District in total is budgeted to cost $160 million, using university funds, to renovate the School of Music building and a new Department of Theater building.

Keith Myers, vice president of planning and real estate, said there will be new spaces for students inside of the buildings.

“There’s a lot of subtle moves here,” Myers said. “[The new student spaces] will be really nice because In the academic core, it’s sometimes hard to find those spaces.”

The project will extend Annie and John Glenn Avenue from College Road to High Street and make modifications to College Road, according to the documents.

The project is expected to begin May 2019 and be completed August 2021. According to the documents, the project has design development underway and is on time and on budget.

The 15th + High project run by Campus Partners — ?a private nonprofit corporation that works on community planning in the Ohio State campus area — has no set cost estimate.

Myers said the project — which began in 2013 — will be anchored by a hotel, a 500-car parking garage with a large multi-use building and retail spaces along Pearl Alley to create a “cooler, hipper space” than what people are familiar with.

“The interesting thing about this rendering is it shows the magnitude of the project.” Myers said. “It stretches all the way from 14th [Avenue] all the way up to 17th [Avenue]. It’s a major remaking of High Street on the east side.”

The project will also include the new WOSU headquarters that will be located at 14th Avenue and Pearl Alley.

Timothy Smucker, Board vice chair, said these projects will have a significant impact on branding at Ohio State.

“This all about the culture here and that’s about the branding,” Smucker said.