Dublin City Schools eyes purchasing office space

District, Cardinal Health exploring possible deal

Dublin City Schools could purchase part of Cardinal Health’s headquarters for education purposes — like a fourth high school.

The school district and the Dublinbased pharmaceuticals manufacturer have agreed in a letter of intent to see whether it makes sense for the district to buy Cardinal’s west campus headquarters building, located at 7200 Cardinal Place in Dublin, according to a

Monday news release.

Built in 2007, the three-story, 247,000-square-foot building sits on more than 31 acres and is less than a half-mile from Emerald Campus and Dublin Coffman High School, according to the release.

The non-binding letter of intent grants Dublin City Schools over a year to evaluate the suitability of the building for educational purposes.

Dublin Superintendent John Marschhausen expressed optimism about the purchase, highlighting “the myriad of possibilities the building presents.”

“The ample space and acreage of Cardinal Health West, as well as the centralized location, provide flexibility for how it could be utilized,” Marschhausen said in a statement. “Additionally, converting office space leverages pre-existing infrastructure and amenities, which reduces costs and provides significant savings for our taxpayers.”

While the exact use of the building remains undetermined, one possibility is its conversion into a fourth high school, according to the release. As the district continues to grow and will require more space by 2030, the acquisition of Cardinal Health West could possibly address that need.

This wouldn’t be the district’s first foray into converting office space to an academic setting. In 2017, the district purchased the vacant Verizon building on Emerald Parkway for $9.4 million, according to the release. The total cost, including the building conversion, was $21 million — approximately half of what it would have been to build new at that time.

Cardinal Health’s Dublin headquarters comprises an east and west campus. The company will retain its east campus, at 7000 Cardinal Place, where it will consolidate its corporate headquarters, the release said.

Cardinal Health could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

Marschhausen said the district’s “foremost priority will be to ensure that any plans for the building are driven by community input and feedback.” @Colebehr_report Cbehrens@dispatch.com