Long-awaited Dublin Road project to include a hotel, offices, senior living center, stores, fitness center and about 800 residences

Work is scheduled to begin this summer on Grandview Crossing, the 56-acre development at Grandview Avenue and Dublin Road that's been on the drawing board more than seven years.

Wagenbrenner Development will start work on the first phase of the $300-million project in June or July, said Eric Wagenbrenner, vice president of the development company.

When completed, Grandview Crossing is expected to include 800 apartments and condominiums (including some affordable units), a 180-unit senior living facility, a 120-room hotel, a 3-acre park, more than 250,000 square feet of offices, a fitness center, a parking garage and about 100,000 square feet of retail space, including multiple restaurants.

The first phase will include the senior facility, the hotel, a 125,000-square-foot office building, a garage with more than 675 spaces, 315 apartments in four buildings and more than 25,000 square feet of retail space. That phase is expected to be completed late next spring or early summer, with the entire development completed within five years, Wagenbrenner said.

No tenants have been announced, although the YMCA of Central Ohio has discussed building a Y in the development.

Wagenbrenner said he expects the primary audience for Grandview Crossing to be millennials and senior citizens but he hopes the project will be a spark for the entire Dublin Road area.

"I think it will really be an injection for that whole corridor," he said. "I think you'll see a lot of renovations to existing buildings as well as new development along that corridor with the size of this particular development."

The project was years in the making in part because it once contained a quarry and an unregulated landfill that had to be cleaned up.

"It's wonderful that we're taking a brownfield and turning it into something that is fit for human habitation," said Greta Kearns, Grandview Heights City Council president.

Wagenbrenner acquired the land in 2012, and originally planned an all-commercial project with no housing. In 2012, the state awarded a $3 million Clean Ohio Revitalization grant to clean the property.

"It's been a long time coming,” Wagenbrenner said.

Wagenbrenner hopes to receive the final clearance from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency after resubmitting a no further action in the next 60 days, allowing work to begin.

"We've been working hand-in-hand with the EPA so we're looking forward to finally getting it started and getting it development," Wagenbrenner said.

Grandview Crossing is split between Columbus and Grandview, both of which have granted tax abatements for the development. As part of the agreement with the city of Columbus, 10 percent of percent of the apartments will be priced for renters making no more than 100 percent of the area median income and an additional 10 percent will be priced to renters making up to 80 percent of median income.

A majority of the residential buildings will be in the Columbus portion of Grandview Crossing, according to a preliminary site map.

Eleven residential buildings, two office buildings, two parking garages, one fitness center, three commercial/retail buildings and three residential/commercial/retail buildings are on the Columbus portion of the site. The hotel, senior living facility, three commercial/retail buildings and one residential/commercial/retail building are on the Grandview side of the project.

The project will be built around a few existing Dublin Road businesses including La Vie Nail Spa, Camp Bow Wow and Gerber Collision and Glass.

Wagenbrenner’s partners on the large project include Columbus-based Gallas Zadeh Development, Carter Bean Architects, Columbus Architecture Group, E.P. Ferris & Associates, New Avenue Architecture + Engineering, POD Design and Corna Kokosing.

mhenry@dispatch.com

@megankhenry