NEWS

Columbus, Ohio, like other major markets across the country, is seeing its fair share of mixed-use development, according to Brian Ellis, president of Nationwide Realty Investors (NRI).

“Across the country there has been a really strong movement toward mixed-use projects that provide opportunities to live, work and play in one single, holistic environment,” he says. “And that’s certainly true of Columbus.”

The Nationwide Arena District, a master-planned development by NRI, is a strong example of integrating office space, which you would expect downtown, with residential space, entertainment and restaurants, says Ellis.

“Now that we’ve broken ground on the residential project, we’re getting to the point where we can turn the Arena District into a neighbor-hood, and it really strengthens all the different components of this development. “The Nationwide Arena District is a half billion dollar, 95-acre development, anchored by the privately funded Nationwide Arena, the home of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets. The office component of the District has proved extremely popular, with only a couple of decent-sized spaces left to lease, according to Ellis. With American Electric Power and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority already on board, the District signed leases this year with Don M. Casto Organization, one of Columbus’ longest-tenured real estate development firms, and Main Street and Main Inc., who will open a 6,000-square-foot restaurant, called the Bamboo Club.