Someday, St. John Arena will go
The newest big proposal for how the Ohio State University campus should grow shows new classrooms, labs and a very large green space on the 20 acres where St. John Arena and its parking lots now sit.
But don't look for the old arena's big silver box to come down any time soon.
In the last major plan, a 2010 document called the
One University Framework, planners envisioned moving the entire agricultural campus from its current site west of the Olentangy River to the St. John site, to be nearer to the campus’ academic core. Since then, College of Agriculture officials have decided to stay put. Still, today’s planners assure that the day will come when St. John comes down. They see additional classrooms and labs on the eastern part of the site and acres of athletic fields on the rest.
“Eventually, without question, that building will reach the end of its useful life,” said Keith Myers, associate vice president of planning and real estate, who has led the 15-month process to develop the new plan, called Framework 2.0.
OSU President Michael V. Drake rolled out the latest plan in his “state of the university” address to the University Senate on Thursday. The plan doesn’t include a schedule for any project. “It is just that: a framework,” Drake said. “It enables us but doesn’t bind us.”
Myers stressed that plans are meant to evolve as conditions change. “Planning’s not episodic; it’s continuous,” he said. “You don’t do a plan for 20 years, finish it and start over.”
The 2010 plan led to several major projects in recent years, including the new Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, new North Campus residence and dining halls and the replacement of four outdated science laboratories with the new Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry building.
At the time, planners didn’t expect to increase the overall net amount of learning space. But since then, enrollment increased and the Discovery Themes research initiative added faculty members and set greater research goals, said Jay Kasey, senior vice president of administration and planning. Ohio State also wants to create a more-impressive entry to the campus at 15th Avenue and N. High Street.
That meant some additional changes from the 2010 plan:
Within what is considered the “academic core,” roughly bounded by Woodruff Avenue, N. High Street, 12th Avenue and Neil Avenue, about 1 million square feet of additional classroom and lab space could be added.
For the area dubbed the Mid-West Academic Core, south of Woody Hayes Drive and between the Olentangy River and Rt. 315, plans call for an interdisciplinary “research corridor.” The 2010 plan made few changes to that area.
Other highlights of Framework 2.0 include:
An arts district and university gateway at 15th Avenue and High Streets, which will include extensive renovation of Mershon Auditorium and relocation of the theater department. The university already is working with private developers and the city of Columbus to coordinate redevelopment of the east side of High Street around 15th. This could include some classrooms or university offices on the east side of High Street.
A pedestrian plaza would extend east and west of High Street. Realigning 15th Avenue to line up with the main walkway of the Oval would provide “a spectacular visual corridor from High Street to the Thompson Library,” Drake said. The eastern end of that corridor could be anchored by a boutique hotel similar in design to the library.
Relocation of Cannon Drive, plus extension of some east- west streets, to improve traffic circulation through campus. Extending Annie and John Glenn Avenue could mean a new bridge over the Olentangy River. In the athletic district, Irving Schottenstein Drive could be extended to run from Kenny to Olentangy River roads.
The plan does not say when or where new family-student housing will be built. Part of Buckeye Village, the current family housing complex, is to be torn down for new athletic facilities, and officials have said the complex eventually will be replaced. Tenants of Buckeye Village have expressed impatience at the lack of a timeline.
Alex Shumate, chairman of the university Board of Trustees, said Ohio State’s massive amount of construction activity couldn’t be carried out without a plan. “We make sure we have a north star,” he said. “That helps guide every interim planning process along the way.”