Three firms hoping to guide the city through defining the future of FairOaks Mall and Donner Center completed presentations to a FairOaks Community Development Corp. Design Committee, whose members will chose one this morning to recommend for the contract.
The FairOaks Community Development Corp. Proposal Evaluation Team, a four-member subgroup of the design committee, is expected to recommend one of the three firms to the rest of the design committee at 8 a.m. today at the old J. Nicole Store space at the mall.
Representatives from each of the three firms — MKSK, SmithGroup and RATIO — gave two-hour-long presentations Wednesday and Thursday about how the FairOaks Mall could be transformed into a community wellness, recreation and sports tourism complex.
The presentations focused on the firms’ experience with similar projects, their approach to the project and how they would incorporate public input. Dozens of people attended the interviews, which were held at the mall.
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The role of the chosen company will be to help the city test the feasibility of proposed ideas, conduct a market analysis and engage with the community to help the city decide what kinds of facilities should be built, said Jeff Bergman, city/county planning director who serves on the committee.
“What we’re looking for from (the chosen firm) is what I would call a master plan for the property,” Bergman said. “We’re hoping that they’re going to work with our steering lcommittee and the community to come up with a program to see what kinds of pieces we want to see at (FairOaks Mall) and over at (the Donner Center). How do those pieces fit together and is there an importance, down the road, to what order those pieces come to be developed?”
The city may hire a different firm to design specific facilities and possibly another firm to build the facilities, Bergman said.
Officials from all three companies, as well as design committee members, emphasized that the information presented during the interview sessions included initial ideas — no specific designs for any facilities have been drawn up. Officials from all three companies said they would seek public input on what should be done at FairOaks Mall and the Donner Center.
Officials from the first company that presented — RATIO, an Indianapolis-based architectural firm — said they might consider recommending that developers “peel back the roof” on portions of the mall to build alleys or corridors between indoor and outdoor facilities. The company’s presenters also estimated that around six to seven acres of the property’s 20 acres of parking could be repurposed for other uses.
RATIO officials said it would expect that it could conduct a market analysis, test the feasibility of proposed ideas for the project and make final recommendations to the city over the course of nine months.
MKSK, a collective of landscape architects based in Columbus, Ohio, was the next firm to present. MKSK focused on community health and wellness and engaging with the public and local educational institutions, including potential field sessions for students at the Indiana University J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program and outreach with K-12 students and involving them in focus group sessions.
MKSK representatives said it could deliver recommendations to the city over the course of eight to nine months.
The last group to present was SmithGroup, an architectural, engineering and planning firm headquartered in Detroit. SmithGroup representatives said they would do a quantitative market analysis on demand for different types of facilities, conduct outreach through focus group and phone calls to incorporate public input. SmithGroup officials said the firm could deliver its recommendations to the city over a six-month period.
After each presentation, the committee asked the three firms questions, including about how they would balance input from different stakeholders, incorporate the architectural heritage of Columbus into their work and how this project fits into their current workload.
After the committee finished each interview, the public was permitted to ask the committee questions and make comments. Among the comments from the public were requests to include space for a community theater, volleyball facilities and building a mental health and substance abuse facility on the mall lot.
On Dec. 14, the city finalized the purchase of the 35.36-acre mall property at 25th Street and Central Avenue for $5.9 million. The city put up approximately $4 million, or 75 percent of the property’s appraised value.
Columbus Regional Health contributed $1.3 million, or 25 percent of the appraised value. Additionally, the Heritage Fund — The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County committed to providing $450,000, which is the difference between the selling price and the appraised value.
The impetus behind the purchase is to transform FairOaks Mall into a community wellness and sports tourism complex. Multiple uses for the FairOaks Mall property have been discussed.
The property could include an indoor recreation center and an air-supported dome facility for indoor softball, soccer, volleyball or other sports. Connectivity with Hamilton Community Center & Ice Arena, the Lincoln Park Softball Complex, the People Trail and Columbus Regional Hospital are being considered.
Also being considered are indoor soccer competition fields surrounded by a track, indoor softball fields, room for indoor hardwood court sports such as basketball and volleyball and also a space for fitness and indoor recreation. The city also hopes to to move its parks and recreation department offices from the aging Donner Center to the mall site as part of the project.
The potential uses for the property also go beyond sports. Wellness activities and classes, including nutrition and cooking classes have been discussed. Columbus Regional Health is partnering with the city and hopes to provide some programming on the mall site. Food and restaurant services could also be provided on the mall property.
“This is step one,” said Mark Levett, president of the Columbus Parks Board, who also serves on the design committee. “We’re just trying to plan how to utilize this space. We’re not doing architecture yet.”
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The FairOaks Community Development Corp. Proposal Evaluation Team, a four-member subgroup of the design committee, is expected to recommend one of the three firms to the rest of the design committee today at 8 a.m. at the old J. Nicole Store space at FairOaks Mall.
The design committee will then formulate a recommendation for the FairOaks Community Development Corp. board, the panel that is charged with giving final approval on the firm. The board will consider the design committee’s recommendation, if any, at its April 30 meeting, which will be at 1 p.m. at the former J Nicole Store space.
If a firm is approved, the Columbus City Council will consider how to appropriate funds to pay for the city’s portion of the costs at the council’s May 21 meeting.
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