By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
Proposals are in place to bring more warehouses as well as a fueling center with a convenience store to Groveport.
4500 S. Hamilton Road site
The Pizzuti Companies wants to build two warehouses on 44.4 acres at 4500 S. Hamilton Road. One warehouse would be 324,000 square feet and the other would be 252,000 square feet.
“The land is located between the AEP buildings and the former K-Mart warehouse and it also goes behind the AEP buildings,” said Groveport Building Official Stephen Moore, who added it is not yet known what companies would occupy the warehouses once they are built.
“There is a prospect for one of the buildings, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it at this time,” said Groveport Development Director Jeff Green. “Because the buildings are considered ‘spec’ buildings, we wouldn’t have projected income tax revenue figures at this time.”
Green said the property has a 15 year property tax abatement.
Last year Groveport City Council approved the city’s Gateway Corridor Plan, which addresses redevelopment along two of the main roadway corridors into the town: the Hamilton Road corridor between U.S. 33 and Bixby Road; and the Groveport Road corridor from State Route 317 west to Swisher Road.
The Gateway Corridor Plan cited potential uses that included an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 square feet of building space on the 44.4 acre 4500 S. Hamilton Road site.
When asked how The Pizzuti Companies’ proposal fits in with the city’s vision for the Gateway Corridor Plan in the Hamilton Road corridor, Green said, “The developers are taking great pains with landscaping, buffers and other site features to create a more attractive and less industrial appearance. Given the fact that these buildings will be situated between other similar structures, it will be compatible.”
If the two warehouses are built, traffic going in and out of the development would use the traffic signal at State Route 317 and Higgins/Director’s Boulevard.
When asked if this traffic signal be upgraded to handle the traffic, Green said, “Yes. The company is required to do a traffic study which will help to determine the scope of improvements required for that intersection.”
The Gateway Corridor Plan also calls for repurposing the neighboring former K-Mart warehouse. However, Green said the future of the former K-Mart warehouse is not known at this time.
“That building has a couple things working against it,” said Green. “One, it is an older building without the heights, etc., of the new warehouse facilities; and two, the building and the land are each separately owned, which makes it a challenge to market.”
Green said that elsewhere in the city there are currently two vacant warehouse properties, both newly constructed.
2400 Rohr Road site
A developer has submitted plans to build a fuel center and convenience store – a Thornton’s – on 32.4 acres at 2400 Rohr Road at the northeast corner of Alum Creek Drive and Rohr Road.
“They are proposing a fueling center with a convenience store and quick serve restaurant,” said Moore. “They also show two proposed warehouses at the north end of the site. One is proposed to be 157,500 square feet the other is proposed to be 195,000 square feet. No building has been proposed on the 1.43 acre outlot. No other businesses are known at this time.”
Green said there is a 15 year property tax abatement on this property. He added he is not able to determine how much income tax revenue the city could expect from this type of development at this point.
“The service station/convenience store adds more services to the Rickenbacker/Alum Creek corridor area and the warehouses offer additional tax revenue from a property that has sat vacant for many years,” said Green.
Discussion of both plans
The city’s planning and zoning commission will discuss both the proposed 4500 S. Hamilton Road development as well as the 2400 Rohr Road development at its May 6 meeting at 6 p.m. in the municipal building, 655 Blacklick St.
