The City of Gahanna and the Gahanna Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) are pleased to announce that the CIC has entered into an agreement to purchase more than four acres of property in the City’s Creekside District to support future redevelopment.
“The Creekside District is the heart of our downtown and the heart of Gahanna,” said Gahanna Mayor Laurie Jadwin. “Ensuring the vibrancy of the Creekside area is critical to our city’s future success – both for the quality of life of our residents and the economic success of our small businesses. This agreement is the next critical step in reimagining the downtown area that our residents and businesses both need and deserve.”
The City engaged MA Design in July 2021 to develop an overall master plan that would guide redevelopment within the District. With the overarching goal of promoting vibrancy in the downtown area, the plan identified key parcels for acquisition as well as concepts for projects that would be best suited for the area. With its mission of supporting development initiatives of the City, the CIC then went to work to secure critical parcels. The CIC now is working with a local development partner to pursue a large mixed-use development for the District that would include retail, restaurants, experiential and hospitality businesses as well as housing.
“The work of MA Design has provided the CIC with a roadmap of not only what could work best, but what strategic properties are needed to bring this vision to reality,” said Betty Collins, President of the CIC. “We appreciate the local partnerships this agreement brings forward, and we look forward to helping to bring this vision to reality.”
The agreement to acquire several parcels from Gahanna-based Homestead Development Company and MJM Investments is expected to close by the end of the year. A separate agreement to purchase property currently owned by locally based Schneider Properties will close by mid-2023.
“A community’s economic health is often judged by the vibrancy of its downtown,” said Nathan A. Strum, the City’s Director of Economic Development. “This project, when fully built out, not only will promote vibrancy, but will offer a uniquely Gahanna experience for residents and visitors alike.”
In June, the City’s Department of Economic Development hosted a town hall meeting to discuss the overall vision for the Creekside District and collect additional public feedback on the underlying strategy. The video of that meeting can be found HERE. More opportunities for public discussion and engagement will be held in 2023.
About the Gahanna CIC: The Gahanna Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) is a not-for-profit organization formed by the City of Gahanna to promote industrial, economic, commercial and civic development – as well as business attraction, retention and expansion – in the City. The CIC focuses its efforts on providing land bank services for strategic land acquisition and investigates land consolidation opportunities to maximize redevelopment opportunities available.
