Rock-climbing facility planned for Hilliard

Hilliard site as a possible location for the facility.

Roberts said Vertical Adventures now operates three Columbus facilities: The Training Center, which opened in 1994 at 6295 Busch Blvd.; Vertical Adventures, which opened in 2014 at 6513 Kingsmill Court; and Chambers Purely Boulders, which opened a few months ago at 1165 Chambers Road.

Branding still must be determined for the potential Hilliard location, but it would not be called Vertical Adventures, Roberts said.

“We are deep in discussions with the city and the developer on the project,” he said. “It’s still very early, but we hope to be open late in 2019 or early in 2020.”

Legislation approving a ground lease — which did not identify the lessee — was introduced Nov. 26 to Hilliard City Council’s economic and entrepreneurial committee and forwarded to the full City Council for the first of three readings Dec. 10.

A ccording to the agreement of the proposed 20-year lease, the tenant would pay Hilliard, the landowner, $7,680 a year for the first five years with a 5 percent increase in each subsequent five-year period.

Construction of the facility would further the city’s goals of providing recreational facilities to its residents and would create a regional draw from surrounding communities, according to the authorizing legislation.

The site under consideration is part of the former Grener property the city purchased from the Hilliard City Schools.

The district agreed at the end of 2014 to sell the 103.5 acres to Hilliard for $4 million.