Dublin City Council Approves Bridge Pointe Land Purchase
Dublin City Council approved a real estate purchase and lease agreements with Crawford Hoying LTD for a portion of Bridge Pointe shopping center, currently under purchase contract by Crawford Hoying, located at the northeast corner of Riverside Drive and State Route 161. The purchase agreement with the City provides the City of Dublin the opportunity to acquire the land needed for right-of-way for future Bridge Street District infrastructure projects and road improvements, including a new roundabout and relocation of Riverside Drive.
Once the shopping center is purchased, Crawford Hoying has agreed to immediately sell and transfer to the City 3.812 acres of the overall 10.994-acre site for future right-of-way for the purchase price of $3,327,000. The City will lease the land back to Crawford Hoying for $1 per year which will allow the new owner to continue to operate the shopping center until infrastructure improvements move forward, and/or it chooses to redevelop the site.
The timing of the Riverside Drive road and intersection improvements is not known. City Council will need to program the projects as part of the City’s five-year Capital Improvements Program. The purchase and proposed development is within Dublin’s Bridge Street District.
Dublin City Council passed the ordinance by emergency action which makes it effective upon passage. Emergency action was necessary in order to have the closing on the shopping center take place as scheduled.
Edwards Communities submits application to kick off redevelopment of Dublin Village Center
Local developer Edwards Communities Development Company LLC plans to construct an 324-unit apartment building as part of the first phase of redevelopment of the Dublin Village Center shopping center. The project is the first Bridge Street District project of this scale to be filed with the City.
According to application filed, the proposal includes the following:
- 324 one and two-bedroom apartment units (70% are one bedroom units)
- An urban building architecture form
- A “podium” parking garage, which is a parking structure that occupies the building’s ground floor with two and three stories of apartments built on top of the garage. The podium parking garage greatly reduces the need for surface parking and promotes a denser, more urban form of development;
- Approximately .5-acres of publicly accessible open space and 1.6 acres of private open space within the building’s courtyards; and
- New public streets providing access to the site from Sawmill Road, Village Parkway, and Tuller Road.
The building and site plans were reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission at their May 16 meeting. The Commission commented on the overall quality of the project, its general consistency with the Bridge Street District vision, and discussed design considerations related to the proposed architecture and the provision of open spaces and bicycle facilities.
Following the Commission’s approval of the concept plans for the project, the applicant may proceed to filing applications for Development Plan and Site Plan Review, which require review and determination by the City’s Administrative Review Team prior to building permitting, planned to begin later this year.
More information regarding the Edwards project application is available here: https://dublinohiousa.gov/art/13-031/
Local developer Crawford Hoying LTD is seeking to enter into a purchase agreement with the City of Dublin for a portion of the property it currently has under purchase contract, located at the northeast corner of Riverside Drive and State Route 161, known as the Bridge Pointe shopping center. The purchase agreement with the City provides the City of Dublin the opportunity to acquire the land needed for right-of-way for future Bridge Street District infrastructure projects and road improvements, including a new roundabout and relocation of Riverside Drive.
Once the center is purchased, Crawford Hoying has agreed to immediately sell and transfer to the City 3.812 acres of the overall 10.994-acre site for future right-of-way for the purchase price of $3,345,000. The City will lease the land back to Crawford Hoying for $1 per year which will allow the new owner to continue to operate the shopping center until infrastructure improvements move forward, and/or it chooses to redevelop the site.
The timing of the road improvements is not known. City Council will need to program the projects as part of the City’s five-year Capital Improvements Program.
Dublin City Council reviewed Ordinance 38-13 which includes the real estate purchase and lease agreements at the May 6, 2013 Council meeting. Council will take action on the Ordinance at the May 20, 2013 Council meeting.
See story in May 3 Business First http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2013/05/03/dublin-buys-shopping-center-land-for.html?ana=twt
Emerging Design Framework – Scioto River Area Redevelopment
- At the 2013 State of the City Address, exciting concepts for the Scioto River area were unveiled to the public following three months of study, coordination with private development interests, and concept development by the consultant team, MKSK. The Historic District and the Scioto River corridor are currently the heart of the Dublin community, and opportunities to enhance the public realm with a new riverside park, relocated Riverside Drive, and pedestrian bridge will inform the City’s capital planning efforts beginning spring 2013.
- At the second Joint Work Session of City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 4, 2013, the consultant team presented refined concepts for the urban design framework, including the riverfront park, relocation of Riverside Drive, and an iconic pedestrian bridge, along with the considerations informing the concepts. Discussion included the relationships of potential public investments and their catalyzing impact on adjacent private development. Early cost and private investment estimates were also presented.
- A Joint Work Session of City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission was held on January 17, 2013. The purpose of the meeting was to understand the potential development sites within the Scioto River corridor of the Bridge Street District and the key assets in the area, and discuss the issues that will inform the urban design framework. Key issues included the riverside park configuration and alignment of Riverside Drive, pedestrian bridge landing points, and the idea of expanding the community’s civic core beyond the Historic District to include both the east and west sides of the Scioto River.
- In late December 2012, Crawford Hoying Ltd. purchased the 39,650 square-foot five-story office building located at 94 North High Street in the Historic District for $2.65 million for. The developer has been in discussion with the City of Dublin exploring potential redevelopment of the site for a mixed use development including restaurant, retail, office, and multifamily housing that aligns with the Bridge Street District rezoning and vision plan. At the present time, Crawford Hoying has not filed any development plans with the City and is operating as the property management company for 94 North High Street.
- In January 2013, the City of Dublin purchased 12.3 acres along Riverside Dr. including the former Digger & Finch site and the Golf Center of Dublin driving range for $3.5 million. The purchase is part of an emerging urban design plan to redevelop the east side of the Scioto River and relocate Riverside Drive to provide space for a new park between the road and the river.
- As part of the MKSK Scioto River Corridor Urban Design Framework , the project consultant team is exploring designs for the Riverside Dr./S.R. 161 intersection, building on studies previously conducted by American Structurepoint. Design objectives include maximizing safe traffic flow along these regional roadways while preserving the bypass lane underneath the Bridge Street bridge and enhancing pedestrian connectivity across the Scioto River. A final intersection design has not been selected at this time.
- The City of Dublin and the Columbus Metropolitan Library are discussing plans for a new Dublin Branch within the Bridge Street District.
- Bridge Pointe Plaza is a potential redevelopment site as it anchors the intersection of S.R. 161 and Riverside Drive – a primary gateway to the Bridge Street District.
Other Bridge Street District Updates
- In January 2013, AMC Entertainment Inc. announced plans for an $8 million upgrade renovation to AMC Dublin Village in Dublin Village Center, including dine-in service, upgraded seating and possibly a bar/lounge. AMC was approved for a liquor license by Dublin City Council in December 2012. Dublin Village Center owner Stavroff Interests Ltd. has extended the lease of the theater as part of the renovation deal, and will improve landscaping and dedicated parking spots around it. No further exterior building renovations are planned at this time, although the City remains in discussions with the owner and other interested development entities about possible phased redevelopment of the shopping center consistent with the Bridge Street District vision plan.
