The FairOaks Community Development Corp. and design firm MKSK are planning the next public input meeting on the FairOaks Mall project.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday across from the former J Nicole Store space at FairOaks Mall and is open to the public.
Mary Ferdon, executive director of administration and community development for the city of Columbus, and Jim Bickel, president and CEO of Columbus Regional Health, are expected to give brief welcome presentations during the meeting, said Tom Brosey, a consultant hired by the city for the mall project.
Afterward, design firm MKSK is expected to lead the rest of the meeting and hold open-house style activities for local residents to view conceptual drawings and write down comments, Brosey said.
“People will now see some concepts,” Brosey said. “The first two meetings were about the process and how MKSK was going about the process. On Tuesday night, the public will start to see the result of that process.”
By concepts, Brosey said he was referring preliminary proposed locations for certain types of facilities on the mall property, such as recreational and sports facilities, Columbus Parks and Recreation offices, hospital facilities, how streets might be different around the mall, among other items.
Brosey, however, cautioned that these are not detailed architectural renderings or set in stone, but rather just a broad indication of what kinds of facilities might be on the property and where they might be located relative to each other.
“It’s the first time at a public meeting that we’ve shown (the concepts),” Brosey said.
On May 28, the FairOaks Community Development Corp. Board, an eight-member board that includes Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and Columbus Regional Health CEO Jim Bickel, unanimously approved a $212,200 contract with MKSK to lead the process of re-purposing the FairOaks Mall into a community wellness, recreation and sports center, as well as exploring new potential uses for the Donner Center and connectivity with the surrounding areas.
According to the terms of the contract, the city will pay 75 percent of the fees associated with the FairOaks Mall site, or $137,498, while CRH will put up the remaining 25 percent, or $45,833.
The city also will pay $28,869 for project fees associated with the Donner Center. CRH will not be contributing funds for fees related to Donner Center.
Additionally, the FairOaks Community Development Corp. Design Committee will hold a public meeting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday at the J. Nicole Store space at FairOaks Mall, Brosey said.
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What: Public input session for the FairOaks Mall project
Where: Across from the former J Nicole Store space at FairOaks Mall, located at 2380 25th St.
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
For: Open to the public
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