The City of Columbus, in partnership with CRH, is excited to announce the next steps in the development of the Fair Oaks Mall property. The health, wellness, and recreation-focused campus has been renamed NexusPark.

The NexusPark campus will include an indoor sports fieldhouse, Columbus Parks administrative, activity and community spaces, retail and restaurants, and CRH medical and wellness offices. Development of this property is a transformational opportunity for this area of the city as it gives us an avenue to enhance indoor and year-round recreation and sports programming in the community. This will increase opportunities not only for our local residents but for our sports tourism economy.

Area Development:  Located in a key economic area of the city, the property was purchased by the City of Columbus and CRH in late 2018. The mall site is strategically located to house the Columbus Parks and Recreation headquarters, consolidate comprehensive healthcare services for CRH, support economic reinvestment in the area, create a place for complementary community organizations and businesses to flourish, and locate an indoor sports fieldhouse in proximity with other Parks amenities.

Fieldhouse:  In 2017, a need for a new indoor sports complex was identified in the Columbus Parks and Recreation Master Plan.  Subsequent meetings during the mall property masterplan process highlighted the public’s desire for a facility that could be used by local residents and also attract sports tourism dollars.

The City’s development team has talked with over 30 interested stakeholders including local sports teams, secondary and post-secondary schools, club teams, local businesses, and organizations to quantify the usage and needs around a pre-engineered indoor sports facility. Team members have also benchmarked other facilities in Indiana and neighboring states

Phases of Project:

 City of Columbus: This project has been divided into two current phases. (Donner Center renovation will not be part of the first phases as the work at the Fair Oaks property needs to be completed prior to renovation at Donner Center).

1. Phase 1A: Indoor Sports Fieldhouse:

Funding for 1A: Use Local Income Tax (LIT) Lease-Purchase bond – which will have no effect on property taxes.  Note: We will also be submitting this project under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) for an economic development grant.

2. Phase 1B: Parks Dept. Administrative, Programmable, and Support Spaces – This space will encompass the administrative offices, fitness areas, and locker rooms, activity spaces, etc. which were identified during the MKSK master plan process, by city and CRH staff, stakeholders, and the public.

Funding for 1B: Use Park (property tax backed) bonds – part for the Parks Administration space and part will be used for Donner Center renovation at a future date.

NEXT STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD: 

1. Board of Public Works and Safety – on June 1, approve the contracts for the Architect and Construction Manager to begin design and development work in June 2021.
2. City Council – On June 1 and June 15, approve appropriations to pay for the Architect and Construction Manager using General Fund Reserves; once LIT and Park bonds are sold appropriated funds will be returned to the General Fund Reserves.

 TENTATIVE PROJECT SCHEDULE for both the Fieldhouse and Parks Administrative Space to run concurrently:

Design Development:                         June-October 2021

Construction Bidding:                        Spring 2022

Groundbreaking:                                 Early summer 2022

Project completion:                            Summer/Fall 2023