photo credit: Malak Chahboub
The City of Columbus, which is the 14th most populous city in the United States with a population of over 900,000 people, according to census.gov, is an area of constant change and development. Several major projects are underway to encourage growth for the people of Columbus and work to improve the experience of the city.
One major project aimed at connecting Downtown Columbus is The Capital Line. This pathway, reserved for pedestrians and bikers, is two miles long and connects various important locations in the downtown area such as the Ohio Statehouse, Columbus Commons, COSI, the National Veterans Memorial and many other businesses and communities, according to downtowncolumbus.com.
“The focus is to be able to use this as a safe walkway, to walk on foot or by bike, and people can go to the gym, they can go grab a cup of coffee or they can go to the office. It really creates a more dense community and makes it feel like a much more vibrant city space,” Hinal Pujara said. Pujara is the Senior Communications Coordinator for Downtown Columbus, Inc. which is the organization that is developing the Capital Line.
This project aims to create a unique space for the residents of Columbus to utilize in their daily lives and to improve their work and social lives as well.
“The Capital Line was inspired by other cities that have done something similar as well, and so I think it’s going to be a really great testament to the economic prosperity that it will bring, just because along the Capital Line not only will we have more residences and parking spaces, but will also have local businesses which demonstrates the amount of economic growth and really captures that urban, cultural richness,” Pujara said.
The North Market, established in 1876, is one of the most well-known historic locations in Columbus and will soon get an expansion that will be a part of a large, new neighboring building. Construction of this new tower, which is named The Merchant Building, began in 2023 and was developed to house a “live-work-play environment”, according to merchantbuildingoffice.com.
“The Merchant Building will significantly enhance the North Market by directly connecting to its historic space and expanding it by an additional 18,000 square feet. This expansion will introduce new and unique merchants, event spaces and outdoor areas, further enriching the market’s role as a cultural and culinary hub. The Merchant Building will also honor and preserve the rich history of the last hundred years of merchants that have made the North Market into what we know today,” Matt Gregory said. Gregory is the Executive Managing Director for NAI Ohio Equities.
This 32-story building, set to finish in 2026, is expected to be the tallest building built in Columbus since 1990. It will include amenities such as restaurants, a large event space, fitness facilities, spas, bars, residential units, a large parking garage and 206 luxury boutique hotel rooms, according to merchantbuildingoffice.com.
“The building’s refined industrial design, panoramic views of downtown Columbus, and direct access to the historic North Market further distinguishes it as a one-of-a-kind mixed-use development,” Gregory said.
Along with such a growing population comes the need for more access to important services such as medical care. All four Columbus hospital systems will be seeing major additions to their campuses, such as OhioHealth’s new cancer center and Nationwide Children’s new impatient tower and research facilities, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
“To my understanding, it’s a complete overhaul of facilities, which makes a huge impact on how patients feel when they’re walking into the hospital and can really change their care and their outlook on their care,” Neil Hariths said, who is a medical student at OSU.
One notable medical build is the upcoming Ohio State Wexner Medical Center inpatient hospital. This new, 1.9 million square foot addition to the campus is Ohio State’s single largest project ever built and has been under construction since 2020, according to buildingthefuture.osu.edu. It is expected to open in 2026.
“With better facilities comes more opportunities, more patients that we can learn from, and as a teaching hospital those opportunities are going to directly translate to students who volunteer, work and learn in the hospital,” Hariths said.
The City of Columbus continues to make efforts to improve the city and build community, grow businesses and increase access to important resources for its citizens.
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