The FairOaks Community Development Corp. Board approved a contract with a design firm selected to help define the future of FairOaks Mall and Donner Center.
The eight-member board, which includes Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and Columbus Regional Health CEO Jim Bickel, on Tuesday unanimously approved a $212,200 contract with design firm MKSK.
On April 30, the board selected the firm to lead the process of transforming the FairOaks Mall into a community wellness and sports tourism complex, as well as exploring new potential uses for Donner Center.
“What we’re interested in doing is trying to understand what the community would like to see from this facility and then how we accommodate the community’s wishes with what we know already exists here,” Lienhoop said. “We know that we’re going to have a portion will remain retail, and we’ll have a portion (that is) health care. We want to bring the Donner Park offices or some of the Donner activities up here. How do we coordinate all of that and address some of the community’s issues as well. I liken it to a jigsaw puzzle that doesn’t have straight edges … We think it will take several months and a lot of meetings to do that.”
MKSK is a collective of architects, urban designers and planners with studios in Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis and West Lafayette; Detroit, Michigan; Greenville, South Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio. MKSK was one of three firms that the FairOaks Community Development Corp. Design Committee invited for public, in-person interviews on April 17 and 18.
Overall, the city would be responsible for $166,367 of the $212,200 in fees for the contract, according to figures provided by Tom Brosey, a former Cummins Inc. executive the city hired as a project consultant. CRH would contribute the remaining $45,833.
Approximately 75 percent of the fees associated with the Fair Oaks Mall site, or $137,498, would be paid for by the city, with CRH putting up the remaining 25 percent, or $45,833. The fees for the Donner Center total $28,869. CRH would not be contributing funds, at least at this point, for fees related to Donner Center.
Next, the Columbus City Council will decide how to appropriate funds for the contract during its June 4 and June 18 meetings. Additionally, the Columbus Parks Board will hold a meeting at 2 p.m. Friday at Columbus City Hall to discuss funding for the project.
The entirety of the city’s portion would come from Columbus Parks and Recreation’s general fund cash reserve, which is primarily funded by property tax proceeds, said Pam Harrell, director of business services at Columbus Parks and Recreation.
According to the contract, MKSK and its subcontractors, Perkins+Will, Greenstreet Ltd. and Moss Construction Cost Management, will “provide analyses, alternatives, recommendations and conceptual plans” for indoor and outdoors spaces at the FairOaks Mall site and Donner Center, as well as their connectivity with the surrounding area, including the People Trail, Hamilton Center, Lincoln Park, Columbus Regional Hospital, among others. The design firm and its subcontractors will also look at potential for development, public infrastructure upgrades, improved parking and other “enhancements” in the mid-town area of Columbus.
Additionally, under the terms of the contract, the design firm and its subcontractors would engage with public and private stakeholders, including city and CRH officials, the FairOaks design team, as well as members of the public, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. students and other stakeholders.
“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback, and a lot of people are extremely interested (in the project),” said Mark Levett, president of the Columbus Parks Board and member of the FairOaks Community Development Corp. Design Committee, which recommended that the board approve the contract. “I think we’re in the front end of the curve of repurposing malls, especially for recreational and hospital use.”
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2 p.m. Friday –The Columbus Parks Board will meet at Columbus City Hall to discuss project funding.
6 p.m. June 4 and June 18 — The Columbus City Council will consider how to appropriate funds for the contract.
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