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    Reynoldsburg Kmart Site One Piece of Larger Redevelopment

    The redevelopment of a former Kmart location in Reynoldsburg is being surrounded by a much larger endeavor that will give the area a much-needed facelift.  

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    The former site of the big-box store, located at the southeast corner of Brice Road and East Main Street,  will soon rise up as a new, 14-acre mixed-use development. 

    From Big Box to Big Development

    The Kmart itself, located at 1284 Brice Rd., was demolished on August 28, 2021. The site is now in the engineering review phase, which means the design of the structure is nearing completion. Ground is slated to be broken on June 16, 2023. 

    Leading the Kmart site project is the Christian and Missionary Alliance, a religious organization that formerly called Colorado home. They have 23,000 churches worldwide, including 2,000 in the U.S.

    The Alliance relocated to Reynoldsburg from Colorado Springs, Colorado, in late 2021 through early 2022. Only a few remote staff members remain in the Centennial State. The organization’s leaders are also acting as master developers for the entire project, known as “One Alliance Place.”

    “We made the decision to trade the amazing views of Pike’s Peak for the significant vision of a new expression of our work here in Reynoldsburg,” John Stumbo, the organization’s president, wrote in a statement. “The welcome of the city has been nothing but encouraging, the vision for our future continues to sharpen, and our hope for a solid, long-term engagement with this city that benefits all has been confirmed. We feel rightly situated for our future.”

    One Alliance Place site plan - Rendering courtesy of OHM Advisors
    One Alliance Place site plan – Rendering courtesy of OHM Advisors

    The First Phase

    The first phase has already been given the green light by the city’s planning and zoning board. It incorporates the construction of a four-story, 130,000 square-foot building and a separate structured parking deck.

    That building will include a 500-seat event center, a dozen meeting rooms, a coffee shop, inline retail spaces, office space for the Alliance staff, additional leasable office space and an active public plaza greenspace, along with a multi-story parking garage. Phase One is expected to be completed in early 2025.

    The details of subsequent phases are still being ironed out and have yet to go through their approval processes. 

    “They gave us conceptually what they’re talking about,” Eric Meyer, Reynoldburg’s development director, revealed. “They’re talking about potentially some multi-family units, a hotel and additional restaurants.”

    “I think everybody’s excited that there’s a coffee shop that everyone will be able to use on this side of town,” he added. “Also, this isn’t part of Phase One, but there’s an out lot next to it that is intended to be a restaurant. Everyone is telling me what restaurant I should get them to put there. Obviously, I don’t control that.”

    The former Kmart site in Reynoldsburg - Photo by Susan Post
    The former Kmart site in Reynoldsburg – Photo by Susan Post
    The former Kmart site in Reynoldsburg - Photo by Susan Post
    The former Kmart site in Reynoldsburg – Photo by Susan Post

    Renewing Reynoldsburg

    Meyer said the project is the first piece of a much larger redevelopment for the city. Other projects that are not associated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance include a new park and a new library, along with a COTA BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) stop.

    A 13-mile stretch of East Main Street was identified as a BRT route in the city’s larger LinkUs plan, which aims to build new transit corridors and greatly expand the region’s transportation options.

    “One of those is the Brice and Main stop,” Meyer said of the planned BRT stop. “We’re at the end of the line for the east-west corridor.” 

    A vote on the LinkUs initiative is planned for the fall of 2024. A long-term project, the BRT line likely won’t be completed until 2030.

    A map showing the proximity of several new projects in Reynoldsburg
    A map showing the proximity of several new projects in Reynoldsburg

    However, Reynoldsburg residents will see other improvements in the area as soon as next year.

    Brice Park is being developed as a partnership between Reynoldsburg and Columbus leaders and will be across the street from the former Kmart site.   

    “They’re paying the capital dollars for it, and we’re operating the park and going to build it,” Meyer said of the $2.5 million project, which is slated to open in 2024. 

    The new Reynoldsburg branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library, which is being built on the site of the previous location at 1402 Brice Rd., is at the south end of the Kmart plaza. The new library is already under construction and will nearly double the branch’s square footage, from 19,800 to 37,5000 square feet. It is also schedule to open to the public in 2024.

    Additionally, Reynoldsburg leaders submitted to the federal government for a $24 million RAISE grant, which is intended to pay for new bike paths, walking paths, tree lawns, underground utilities, and amenities for the residents to build connectivity. The bike paths will run from Main and Brice all the way to Livingston and Brice.

    “It’s really a city-changing and corridor-changing project with all of these things going on and playing off of each other,” he said. 

    The entire Brice and Main corridor, which abuts Columbus, has not seen much investment in the past. 

    “Now we’re really trying to make up for that in a cognizant way while respecting all the residents,” Meyer said. “I think it’s about re-presenting Reynoldsburg to the region and showing what we’ve been up to.”

    For more information, visit reynoldsburg.gov.

    Rendering of the Brice Road BRT station - Visual courtesy AECOM
    Rendering of the Brice Road BRT station – Visual courtesy AECOM
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    Chris Alexis
    Chris Alexishttps://www.columbusunderground.com/
    Chris Alexis is a freelance writer for Columbus Underground. He has been crafting pieces since he could put pencil to paper and fingertips to keyboards. His work runs the gamut, including award-winning news articles, web articles (he also writes for Us Weekly), and helping a former NFL executive grow his international speaking career. He graduated (twice!) from The Ohio State University, with degrees in communications and journalism. He’s also a huge movie buff (of all genres) and loves spending time with his wife and kids.
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