The latest plan for the redevelopment of the Golden Bear shopping center. Rendering by M+A Architects.

A plan to build a mixed-use development at the site of the Golden Bear shopping center in Upper Arlington received a vote of approval from the city’s Board of Zoning & Planning last night.

First proposed in the fall of 2018, plans for the development have been revised several times. The latest design calls for a five-story building containing ground-level retail, second-floor office space and 79 condominiums on the upper floors. In addition to 81 parking spaces available in surface lots, a 217-space parking garage located behind the main building will provide parking for the project.

The new development will sit just south of the existing McDonald’s restaurant at the corner of Fishinger Road and Riverside Drive. Also remaining in place will be a 130-foot tall cell tower that sits on the southern edge of the 1960s-era shopping center.

A view of the Golden Bear project looking southeast. Rendering by M+A Architects.

There is also news about a second large-scale development proposed for the suburb. Changes have been made to the design of Arlington Gateway, a mixed-use project which has had an even longer history of revisions and updates since it was first proposed in February of 2016.

The new design, which did not require a new vote from the zoning board, utilizes different materials while shifting the tallest portion of the building to the east and rearranging the parking configuration.

Located at the southeast corner of Lane Avenue and North Star Road, the project will now hold 225 residential units (up from 220) and 864 parking spaces (up from 843). There will be about a seven percent decrease in retail square footage, while the overall amount of office space was reduced by about two percent. The height of the office tower was also reduced, from nearly 152 feet to 144 feet.

Justin Milam, Planning Officer for the City of Upper Arlington, said that the changes were presented to the Board of Zoning and Planning and were generally well-received.

“(The) Board…was really pleased with the revisions,” he said, “believing they have made a really good project even better.”

Arcadia Development is spearheading the Golden Bear project, and is working with Continental Real Estate Companies on the Arlington Gateway development.

The new design of Arlington Gateway, at the corner of Lane Avenue and North Star Road. Rendering by M+A Architects.

The office tower portion of Arlington Gateway. Rendering by M+A Architects.