Site offers potential for Prairie Township
The vacant lots outside Prairie Township’s government building are unsightly, filled with heaps of stones, tall patches of uncut grass and dandelions.
Most people likely pay little attention to the nearly acres, which have sat vacant since the 1980s. But township Administrator Tracy Hatmaker gazes at them often, seeing limitless possibilities for development.
But what exactly will go there is in the hands of developers, who are encouraged to submit project proposals to the Prairie Township Community Improvement Corp. at 23 Maple Avenue in Columbus by 4 p.m. May 29.
“I’d hate for my imagination to limit the possibilities, because there is no limit,” Hatmaker said when asked about his vision for the site. “I’m excited to see what the
creative minds of the development community can come up with.”
He says the three lots at W. Broad Street and Pasadena Avenue will be a crucial part of Prairie Township’s efforts to revitalize its main corridor. It’s the largest undeveloped site in the township.
The first step for improving W. Broad Street, which Hatmaker referred to as the township’s “Main Street,” was a new, solid foundation — nearly $10 million in infrastructure improvements that occurred over the past two years. Improvements included street repairs and new crosswalks, bike lanes, curbs, streetlights and landscaping.
For more than a decade, the area sat mostly unchanged, including a three-block stretch of what was once the tiny, nowdefunct village of New Rome, dissolved into Prairie Township in 2004.
To remain competitive, township officials know strategic planning and redevelopment are key. That’s especially important for central Ohio townships, which face the constant threat of land being squeezed out by annexation into Columbus and its suburbs.
Hatmaker believes Prairie Township can offer suburban services as strong as Hilliard to its north and Grove City to its south. One example, he said, is the township’s $10 million community center that opened in 2015.
The township of about 17,000 people is uniquely positioned, as it’s the only one along Columbus’ outer ring that does not surround a major suburban city.
It ushered in some of the area’s first suburban housing from 1910-20, in small settlements connected to Columbus through interurban streetcar lines. It experienced a surge of growth in the ’50s and ’60s, including cutting-edge commercial development along West Broad Street and one of the largest apartment complexes in the United States at the time. Most of those structures still stand.
“This area may have been the Polaris of its time, but people need change,” said Brian Higgins, principal of Columbus’ Arch City Development LLC and a consultant for the -acre project along Pasadena Avenue.
For example, before the recent infrastructure repairs, the area wasn’t pedestrian-friendly, a current development trend, Higgins said.
Township officials hope to help businesses secure grants to upgrade aging facilities, while also filling in the gaps along the corridor with new development that is dense and walkable. The Prairie Township Community Improvement Corp., founded in 2010, will guide that process and attract investment. Hatmaker is a member of the corporation’s nine-person board.
The three lots considered for development near the government building are owned by GFT LLC, according to the Franklin County Auditor’s Office. The Prairie Township Community Improvement Corp. has them under contract and will work with the winning development team to close on the land, Higgins said. One lot is currently zoned for residential uses and the other two are zoned for commercial uses but the zoning is adaptable.
After a project is selected, construction should begin next year, Hatmaker said. lane restrictions for widening and improvement project. Completion: fall4. Interstate 71 between Stringtown Road and Rt. 665: lane restrictions for widening. Completion: summer
lane restrictions for road improvements. Completion: June lane restrictions for intersection improvement. Completion: summer reduced to southbound-only traffic for road reconstruction and improvements. Completion: summer lane restrictions for road improvements. Completion: spring reduced to southbound-only traffic for roadway improvements. Completion: spring 2018 evening and overnight lane and ramp restrictions for widening and improvement project. Completion: fall
various weekend closures for bridge repair. Completion: April 30
various restrictions for widening, railroad bridge replacement and patching. Completion: late 2017
closed for widening and improvement. Completion: fall
southboundtraffic for roadway widening. Completion: November
closed for stabilization work. Completion: May 8 lane restrictions in place for widening and improvements. Completion: fall 2018
closed for a sewer project. Completion: late May
reconstruction and widening with lane restrictions, variable speed limit restrictions and weekend and evening ramp closures. Completion: fall 2018