Campus Partners seeks overhaul of 15th & High area

Daniel Bendtsen
Fri, 27 Feb 2015 22:39:41 +0000
Area, Campus, Campus Partners, Columbus, high street, ohio state, the o

Campus Partners aims to rezone and “transform” 9 acres located around the intersection of 15th Avenue and High Street.

The corporation is planning to rezone the area, currently split between commercial and residential zones, into a “commercial planned district,” Campus Partners president Amanda Hoffsis said Friday.

That rezoning would allow for more freedom in planning, including a parking garage to serve the whole region and allow mixed use of buildings for retail, residential and office locations.

All property owners within the area outlined for rezoning have signed onto the plan. Hoffsis said the rezoning process, expected to last through the end of the summer, will reveal what actions Campus Partners is allowed to take.

The community will have an opportunity to be involved in the public rezoning process, according to a press release, which added that “plans envision a high-quality pedestrian environment and a dynamic public square framed by buildings with active first-floor uses.”

Hoffsis said she envisions a “really beautiful public square that you would find anywhere in Europe.”

That public square would be located on the area occupied by buildings which currently house The O Patio & Pub and Jimmy John’s.

Toos Under High, a bar located in the area, confirmed in a Tuesday tweet that it would be closing.

“We had a great run…Couldn’t have done it without you guys,” the bar tweeted from its account.

The square is planned to be flanked by a hotel and parking garage, as well as shops and apartments.

Campus Partners doesn’t own that property, but Hoffsis said her company is “currently working on” it for the future.

If rezoning is approved, developments would begin independently of Campus Partners when property owners secure financing to contract construction. Because Campus Partners will not be the developers, there is no timeline for rollout of the different projects.

Campus Partners, formed in 1995, is a private community planning corporation that works to revitalize OSU’s off-campus neighborhoods, especially the Weinland Park area.

The announcement comes about a week after the university also put out a request for proposals on a project to revamp the OSU arts district opposite that intersection.

That project aims to create a plaza near the Wexner Center for the Arts and move the theater department near High Street, and also includes plans for renovations to Weigel Hall, Mershon Auditorium and the Wex.

While Hoffsis said she believes the two plans will complement one another, she described the timing as a “happy coincidence” and said both plans have moved forward independently of one another.