COLUMBUS, Ind. — Subway’s downtown location is looking to end its lease at The Commons.
The Columbus Redevelopment Commission approved a motion Wednesday for redevelopment officials to begin discussions to terminate or amend Subway’s lease. Due to its master lease agreement with The Commons, the commission has the authority to lease facilities in the space, said commission attorney Stan Gamso.
George Estep, of Estep and Co., which owns the Subway in The Commons, has asked the commission to consider ending the lease and working toward an “organized closure and departure.”
“He’s indicated to us that the Subway facility he has in The Commons mall has been marginal at best,” Gamso said. “… With this pandemic that we’ve been living with, it’s gotten worse.”
Last March, The Commons closed its doors due to COVID-19. The space is still mostly closed to the public (except for private rental events). Its two interior tenants, Orange Leaf and Subway, have no exterior entrances and have been closed since March also.
These two businesses were among six restaurants who, as tenants of the city, were given a 100% rent abatement from April to July. The redevelopment commission later approved a resolution in July to provide Orange Leaf and Subway with continued 100% rent abatement until The Commons reopens.
Redevelopment director Heather Pope noted that while the rent relief provided some help, Subway has other expenses to manage. Despite being closed, the business has had to keep paying costs such as insurance, property taxes and utilities, she said.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.
