August 29, 2025 • 7 mins
Doug Buchanan of Columbus Business First has a look at local business news
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, I'm a Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone line.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
As we do every Friday, at this time, we check
in with our friends from Columbus Business First dot com
Mark Summerson. The day off, we talked to the top
Dog editor in chief, Doug Buchanan. And you're at a
breakfast this morning, Doug, thanks for making time for.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Us, No problem. I just got out to a lovely day.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
In the short North beautiful. What's for breakfast this morning?
Anything good?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Eggs? You know, same standards up. Yeah, it was very good.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
That's very good.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
A couple of stories I want to get from you
this morning, including the YMCA could be coming back to
downtown Columbus.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Yeah, this is great news. The YMCA, the downtown why
has been closed for about five years now, the one
on Longstreet and that historic building there. Now Columbus State
is partnering with the y for a proposal to put
a new downtown YMCA on the Columbus State campus. So
saw a couple of issues.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
We you know, the.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Community at large get to downtown YMCA again. So that's
good for anybody who lives and works downtown and for
Columbus State. You know there they have a lot of
adult adult students. They have a lot of people with kids,
and you know, they this will have a drop in
childcare center and a drop in wellness center. So they
look at it as making it easier for their students
(01:13):
to complete their degrees and get a job. So, you know,
for them, it's a it's a bit of a workforce initiative,
and you know, not for nothing. It takes out another
surface parking lot in Columbus and puts it to better use.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
So a lot of positives for this one, and they've
been gone, what do you say, for five years?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Five years? Yeah, So local developer water Cooper is turning
the historic one on Long Street into one hundred and
twenty community exact number. It's turning it into apartments. So
that building, which is a you know, it's a historic structure.
So that'll be good when that opens because we'll get
much needed housing downtown and then we'll get a much
(01:51):
more modern and an up to date why YMCA facility
for everybody else.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yes, Doug Buchannan Columbus Business First, if the YMCA is
coming back to downtown, the other story you have is
AEP is considering moving out of downtown.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, so you know, they they've been in that tower
since the eighties and the building is aging and needing investment,
and they're just not sure whether they're committed to that
building enough to put all the money into it that
would require it, you know, to come back up. So, yes,
they know they're exploring their options, which you know, to
(02:30):
a certain level, means they're looking around for incentives for
from the different communities around Central Ohio who would certainly
love to have an employer the size of AEP moving
their operations there. Initially, when we heard that that they
were considering this, we were concerned that they might be
even considering moving out of town altogether and go to
(02:52):
Texas or somewhere. But so far they're saying that they're
going to stay in Central Ohio, but just not sure
about downtown. And uh, the City of Columbus has they
they've recently started a downtown office modernization incentive, so there
are grants available from the City of Columbus now so
that they can compete with maybe what some of the
(03:13):
suburbs are going to offer. But so far, uh, you know,
that's that's still in process and we'll just have to
wait and see. It would Uh, you know, it obviously
be a pretty major blow to downtown to have all
those hundreds of workers moving somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Could they stay downtown just to a different building, a
different facility.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, theoretically, but I have a hard time believing that
if you're going to abandon one downtown office building that
you would go into another one. That's just not the
trend of where companies and uh you know, are are doing.
You want to be in these resource rich environments, they said,
where where people have lots of things to do around them.
And so that's why you're seeing successes with places like
(03:55):
Bridge Park and Easton uh and uh, you know, in
the in the downtown build you really have to have
a reason that you want to be downtown to stay
in them.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Doug, I saw your story on the redevelopment of the
Golden Bear Shopping Center in Upper Arlington.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
That whole project's been paused.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, so you know, the redevelopment is still an aspirational
goal for that site. They tore it down in twenty
twenty three. This is the Golden Bear Shopping Center and
up around Tentner Riverside Drive there and it's been you know,
a dirt a dirt lot for for a couple of
years now, and the developer had, you know, lots of
legitimate excuses for why the you know, the project hadn't
(04:34):
developed so far. But recently they bought the Rby's that
was next door to that site, and so they're going
to add it into the plan. But that requires now
revamping the whole, uh, the whole plan that they were
going to do, so the process is now starting all
over again. So I would not expect any anything to
(04:56):
go vertical on that site for quite some time because
they're gonna have to redraw everything and then has to
go through all the approvals again. So it will it
will be a while.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
It's the patented Doug Buchanan, Columbus business first restaurant speed Round. Doug,
and I feel like you can't drive through central Ohio
without either seeing a Sheets or a Chick fil A.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And it's been exploding.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And Chick fil A has announced more new locations in
central Ohio.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, like you mean, I mean Sheet has been on
absolute territs is crazy for a few years now, and
Chick fil A is actually I think they've opened five
in the last couple of years, giving them fifteen around
town now and yeah, five more they've announced Whitehall, Hilliard, Marysville. Sorry,
(05:43):
I don't remember the list off the toime I had,
but you know, just sprinkling them around the community. And
you know, Chick fil A is a very very popular
fast food restaurant. They do a lot of business, and
so the fact that they see even more potential in
central Ohio is good.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
I do want to point out one prominent one in
Worthington at the old Buka to Beppo site. Uh, that
is still on on track, even though that Buka de
Beppo has also been closed for a while. But that
that Chick fil A is not expected to open at
least for another year. Uh. But but nonetheless, if you
like Chick fil A, within a couple of years, you're
gonna have many, many or more options around town.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, you've got Whitehall, Marysville, Lancaster, Hilliard, and then one
down in Athens for the upcoming chick fil as. Yeah,
and then a sturfry and salad chain is new to Columbus.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Where are they and what are they about?
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah? So this is a honey grow. It's I put
this in there because sweet Green is probably the best
known example of this style of food, just like healthy
bowls uh and uh and surfries and uh. You know
Sweet Green opened in the Short North. That's I mean,
that's a big national brand. A lot of people know. Uh.
And they also announced that they were going into downtown
(06:59):
double and so now you have this other chain that's very,
very similar. It's going to go up on Morse Road.
So far, that's the only one that they've announced. But
these out of town companies generally don't come into town
for just one so I think you can expect to
see more of those if that's your thing.
All right, I'm a Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone line.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
As we do every Friday, at this time, we check
in with our friends from Columbus Business First dot com
Mark Summerson. The day off, we talked to the top
Dog editor in chief, Doug Buchanan. And you're at a
breakfast this morning, Doug, thanks for making time for.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Us, No problem. I just got out to a lovely day.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
In the short North beautiful. What's for breakfast this morning?
Anything good?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Eggs? You know, same standards up. Yeah, it was very good.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
That's very good.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
A couple of stories I want to get from you
this morning, including the YMCA could be coming back to
downtown Columbus.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Yeah, this is great news. The YMCA, the downtown why
has been closed for about five years now, the one
on Longstreet and that historic building there. Now Columbus State
is partnering with the y for a proposal to put
a new downtown YMCA on the Columbus State campus. So
saw a couple of issues.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
We you know, the.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Community at large get to downtown YMCA again. So that's
good for anybody who lives and works downtown and for
Columbus State. You know there they have a lot of
adult adult students. They have a lot of people with kids,
and you know, they this will have a drop in
childcare center and a drop in wellness center. So they
look at it as making it easier for their students
(01:13):
to complete their degrees and get a job. So, you know,
for them, it's a it's a bit of a workforce initiative,
and you know, not for nothing. It takes out another
surface parking lot in Columbus and puts it to better use.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
So a lot of positives for this one, and they've
been gone, what do you say, for five years?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Five years? Yeah, So local developer water Cooper is turning
the historic one on Long Street into one hundred and
twenty community exact number. It's turning it into apartments. So
that building, which is a you know, it's a historic structure.
So that'll be good when that opens because we'll get
much needed housing downtown and then we'll get a much
(01:51):
more modern and an up to date why YMCA facility
for everybody else.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yes, Doug Buchannan Columbus Business First, if the YMCA is
coming back to downtown, the other story you have is
AEP is considering moving out of downtown.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, so you know, they they've been in that tower
since the eighties and the building is aging and needing investment,
and they're just not sure whether they're committed to that
building enough to put all the money into it that
would require it, you know, to come back up. So, yes,
they know they're exploring their options, which you know, to
(02:30):
a certain level, means they're looking around for incentives for
from the different communities around Central Ohio who would certainly
love to have an employer the size of AEP moving
their operations there. Initially, when we heard that that they
were considering this, we were concerned that they might be
even considering moving out of town altogether and go to
(02:52):
Texas or somewhere. But so far they're saying that they're
going to stay in Central Ohio, but just not sure
about downtown. And uh, the City of Columbus has they
they've recently started a downtown office modernization incentive, so there
are grants available from the City of Columbus now so
that they can compete with maybe what some of the
(03:13):
suburbs are going to offer. But so far, uh, you know,
that's that's still in process and we'll just have to
wait and see. It would Uh, you know, it obviously
be a pretty major blow to downtown to have all
those hundreds of workers moving somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Could they stay downtown just to a different building, a
different facility.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Yeah, theoretically, but I have a hard time believing that
if you're going to abandon one downtown office building that
you would go into another one. That's just not the
trend of where companies and uh you know, are are doing.
You want to be in these resource rich environments, they said,
where where people have lots of things to do around them.
And so that's why you're seeing successes with places like
(03:55):
Bridge Park and Easton uh and uh, you know, in
the in the downtown build you really have to have
a reason that you want to be downtown to stay
in them.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Doug, I saw your story on the redevelopment of the
Golden Bear Shopping Center in Upper Arlington.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
That whole project's been paused.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, so you know, the redevelopment is still an aspirational
goal for that site. They tore it down in twenty
twenty three. This is the Golden Bear Shopping Center and
up around Tentner Riverside Drive there and it's been you know,
a dirt a dirt lot for for a couple of
years now, and the developer had, you know, lots of
legitimate excuses for why the you know, the project hadn't
(04:34):
developed so far. But recently they bought the Rby's that
was next door to that site, and so they're going
to add it into the plan. But that requires now
revamping the whole, uh, the whole plan that they were
going to do, so the process is now starting all
over again. So I would not expect any anything to
(04:56):
go vertical on that site for quite some time because
they're gonna have to redraw everything and then has to
go through all the approvals again. So it will it
will be a while.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
It's the patented Doug Buchanan, Columbus business first restaurant speed Round. Doug,
and I feel like you can't drive through central Ohio
without either seeing a Sheets or a Chick fil A.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And it's been exploding.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And Chick fil A has announced more new locations in
central Ohio.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, like you mean, I mean Sheet has been on
absolute territs is crazy for a few years now, and
Chick fil A is actually I think they've opened five
in the last couple of years, giving them fifteen around
town now and yeah, five more they've announced Whitehall, Hilliard, Marysville. Sorry,
(05:43):
I don't remember the list off the toime I had,
but you know, just sprinkling them around the community. And
you know, Chick fil A is a very very popular
fast food restaurant. They do a lot of business, and
so the fact that they see even more potential in
central Ohio is good.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
I do want to point out one prominent one in
Worthington at the old Buka to Beppo site. Uh, that
is still on on track, even though that Buka de
Beppo has also been closed for a while. But that
that Chick fil A is not expected to open at
least for another year. Uh. But but nonetheless, if you
like Chick fil A, within a couple of years, you're
gonna have many, many or more options around town.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, you've got Whitehall, Marysville, Lancaster, Hilliard, and then one
down in Athens for the upcoming chick fil as. Yeah,
and then a sturfry and salad chain is new to Columbus.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Where are they and what are they about?
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah? So this is a honey grow. It's I put
this in there because sweet Green is probably the best
known example of this style of food, just like healthy
bowls uh and uh and surfries and uh. You know
Sweet Green opened in the Short North. That's I mean,
that's a big national brand. A lot of people know. Uh.
And they also announced that they were going into downtown
(06:59):
double and so now you have this other chain that's very,
very similar. It's going to go up on Morse Road.
So far, that's the only one that they've announced. But
these out of town companies generally don't come into town
for just one so I think you can expect to
see more of those if that's your thing.
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