Heath’s downtown ‘Central Park’ district to span 300 acres, $218 million

HEATH, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Developers are in the final stages of planning on a decades-long effort to build a downtown district for the city of Heath, a $218 million project that will develop 300 acres with residential buildings, a community pool, restaurants, parks and more.

Plans call for the sweeping development to be named “Central Park,” with phase one built on 48 acres near Indian Mound Mall and including four mixed-use buildings, a community center and eight multi-family residential buildings totaling 424 units.

Amenities in this phase will include a clubhouse with a community pool, volleyball courts, green space and recreational trail access. In addition, the mixed-use buildings would be home to 42,000 square feet of commercial retail space expected to be occupied by shops, offices, restaurants and breweries.

The district’s second phase would sprawl 24 buildings, including 21 multi-family residential buildings, two restaurants and a senior living facility. Townhomes and single-family homes are also planned, bringing the total number of housing units planned for Central Park to 1,836.

Heath is one of several central Ohio communities aiming to develop a new downtown district, like Plain City’s new public square development that will feature a historic railroad depot . The depot will be dismantled and shipped to the village from Upper Arlington in June before opening to the public in early 2025 as the first phase of the larger public square project.

In Powell, COhatch has been recruited to be one of the main developers tasked with transforming a section of the city’s downtown district at North Liberty and East Olentangy streets. Plans call for the redevelopment to begin this spring with the demolition of a former office building at 50 E. Olentangy St., a 0.63-acre site where COhatch will then construct a 13,900-square-foot location.

COhatch is also redeveloping several historic homes and constructing a 15,000-square-foot building along the Scioto River in Dublin to launch a “one-of-a-kind co-working and entrepreneurship community.” Once completed, the company said the renovated buildings will be home to private offices, meeting spaces, individual company retreat homes, bars and restaurants, indoor and outdoor event spaces, and more for year-round use and entertainment.

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