Developer to help revitalize Wynnton

Renovations to existing shops to start in 6 months

BY ANDREA V. HERNANDEZ

Midtown Columbus residents will be seeing new and improved retail stores and restaurants in their neighborhood -- a boost to the area's revitalization efforts.

In about six months, Wynnton Road's Wynnton Building will start to undergo renovations meant to improve existing businesses and bring in national chains.

The project -- brainchild of Orlando-based architect and real estate developer Dave Froelich -- is expected to be completed in three years.

Teresa Tomlinson, executive director of MidTown Inc., which is working to revive that area of the city, said the development fits well with the group's Wynnton Road Corridor Revitalization Plan.

"I think it may well be the first catalyst to start the corridor's revitalization," she said.

Phase one of the plan aims to improve Wynnton Road from Peacock Avenue to Hilton Avenue through better pedestrian, vehicular and transit facilities.

Improving the area's streetscape with brick-stamped crosswalks, street trees and lights and wider sidewalks, specifically, will provide for a more pedestrian-friendly area, Tomlinson said.

"This is so important because it creates an environment that makes people feel the can go to one or more different shops by just parking and strolling up the street," she said.

Froelich said he plans to keep all existing retailers intact, which include Jenie's Bridals & Formals and Blue J Barber Shop.

"The majority of the space will be local brands," he said. "That's still what I want to keep. If I don't keep that, I won't have a Columbus location. And I want to have a Columbus location."

Office tenants may be moved around, he said.

The project will also add about eight or nine national retail stores and restaurants. Froelich said he hopes to attract businesses such as Chipotle, Starbucks, Panera and White House Black Market.

Froelich also plans to add a route linking Wynnton Road to the 45,000-square-foot building's parking lot.

The developer said he looked at property elsewhere, including in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.

What attracted him to the 2.6-acre Columbus property, for one, was its regional strengths -- namely the Kia plant's imminent arrival, as well as the expansion of Fort Benning.

The presence of a specific neighborhood advocacy group -- MidTown Columbus Inc. -- and city efforts to clean up the area also convinced him the property had potential.

"It made me say, this piece of property is a sleeper," he said. "What you have to look at as an investor is what you pay for, and what your appreciation could be... In this case, I believe it's much more valuable than what I paid. That's because I believe the property's going up."

MidTown Inc. recently invested $50,000 to have expert transportation engineers create a vehicular- and pedestrian-friendly redesign for Wynnton Road.

Tomlinson said the the redesign and Froelich's development are "not contingent upon one another, but fully compatible."

Better landscaping will also add value to the property Froelich is developing, Tomlinson said.

"The fact that Dave Froelich came is just icing on the cake," she said.

Froelich has had more than 25 years of experience in design, project management and real estate development. He has worked on various projects, including all three CityWalk projects for Universal Studios in Orlando, Los Angeles and Osaka, Japan.

"It's a fantastic thing that someone of his caliber is interested in Columbus," Tomlinson said.