A state program dedicated to demolishing vacant and blighted structures will be utilized to finally tear down Westland Mall.
Last week, Governor Mike DeWine announced the latest group of properties that would be demolished as a part of the Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program.
The program, which was created in 2021 and is administered by the Ohio Department of Development, has awarded a total of $150 million towards projects in all 88 counties.
The funds to demolish Westland Mall were awarded to the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation, Franklin County’s land bank agency.
A description of the project included in a press release put out by the Governor’s office stated that “following demolition, developers plan to construct a mixed-use project on the site,” although no further information was included.
There has been no news concerning a redevelopment plan for the area since 2019, when Plaza Properties acquired the former Sears store, bringing the entire 80-plus acre site under the control of the local company.
Although the mall’s parking lot was used as a drive-in concert venue in 2020 and 2021, the buildings have remained vacant and boarded up.
Franklin County officials and neighborhood advocates have grown frustrated over the years with the lack of progress at the site.
Four other projects in Franklin County were awarded demolition funds via the state program:
- 2215-2295 Parsons Ave. – the former Buckeye Steel/Columbus Castings site, which is being redeveloped into a light-industrial complex.
- 3700 Riverside Drive – the Golden Bear shopping center in Upper Arlington, where a mixed-use development is planned.
- 4882 Trabue Road – an industrial site near the intersection of I-270 and I-70.
- East Broad Street and Hamilton Road – the remaining Woodcliff Condos in Whitehall will be demolished to make way for a 50-acre mixed-use development.
Additional Reading: Eastland Mall Closing Permanently
All photos by Susan Post (taken in 2021).