Spring start eyed for Golden Bear center
UA site to include offices, condos, restaurants
The reconstruction of the Golden Bear Shopping Center in Upper Arlington into offices, condos and restaurants is expected to begin this spring, according to the developer of the project.
After many stops and starts since the redevelopment of the center was proposed in November 2018, Arcadia Development of Ohio Managing Partner Scott Patton believes the project will commence in a matter of months.
“We're really excited to get this project started this year,” Patton said. “The plan is to start in the April-may time frame.”
Patton plans to replace the 56-yearold single-story strip center on Fishinger Road and Riverside Drive with the five-story mixed-use building.
Should the project break ground this spring, it would mark the culmination of several years of planning by Patton.
The redevelopment stalled in recent years, after Patton in 2020 unsuccessfully lobbied the Upper Arlington Board of Zoning and Planning and Upper Arlington City Council to reduce the office component of the project to 22,000 square feet, and later proposed to reduce it 10,000 square feet.
Now, Arcadia is moving forward with plans BZAP originally approved in August 2019 that call for a five-story, 199,847-square-foot building featuring
25,000 square feet of first-floor restaurant and retail space, 26,000 square feet of second-floor office space and 76 condominiums on the top three floors.
“Many years of hard work are coming to fruition,” Patton said. “You’re looking at an existing site that is at the end of its real-estate lifecycle. It’s not being used for its best use.”
Upper Arlington officials haven’t said much about the project since November, when Justin Milam, the city’s senior planner, said the city was “working to address BZAP approval conditions and city requirements.”
Contacted by Thisweek Tri-village News this week, Economic Development Director Joe Henderson responded, “We don’t have any updates or additional comments on the Golden Bear Center redevelopment project since the last time we talked (Nov. 5).”
Patton said the project will take 24 months to complete.
He said there are no confirmed tenants, but the project will yield two “really nice anchor restaurant spots” on the building’s first floor that will have outdoor patios.
Patton said there also will be outdoor courtyards with a swimming pool, as well as a fitness center, an indoor-outdoor clubhouse, “great amenity space to complement the luxury condos” and a parking garage.
Additionally, he said, the project will result in upgrades to the local stormwater system, the creation of new green space, and an estimated $3.9 million in income-tax revenue to the city in the development’s first decade. nellis@thisweeknews.com @Thisweeknate