COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Despite the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and its business closures, there are companies executing a vision to open premises in 2021, or break ground on long-term projects.
1. 1487 Brewery, Marysville
Even though 2020 was a tragic year for the restaurant industry, owners at 1487 Brewery ploughed ahead with plans for their authentic German beer garden in Plain City. After a soft opening in 2020, the facility will come into its own in 2021 with an on-site brewery, full kitchen and robust menu.
2. Sheetz, multiple locations in Columbus
Sheetz plans to put in more than a dozen locations in the Columbus area in 2021, and broke ground on the first two in Delaware and Alum Creek in September. The company intends to continue the pace of a dozen new Sheetz a year through 2025 in the Columbus area. Each Sheetz is expected to employ 30 people, mostly full time.
3. Austen & Company, 1530 South High Street
Austen & Company on South High Street has already endured shut-downs, plus the slowness of the City of Columbus for approvals. Even so, they have high hopes for their business fully opening in 2021: part venue with poetry readings and book clubs, plus bar, art gallery, and coffee-and-tea shop.
4. The Scioto Peninsula
The first phase of the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation’s $500 million transformation of the Scioto Peninsula began in September, 2020. The 27 acre redevelopment will take 10 years, and add commercial and residential real estate, community greenspaces, and connected trails to create a new urban district.
5. The Southgate Corporation
This speculative development for $8.9 million at 33 Innovation Park will consist of 84,000 square feet of industrial and R&D space along with a pad-ready site that can accommodate a building of up to 112,000 square feet. The building is due to open in the final quarter of 2021.
6. Wexner Medical center, inpatient hospital
Wexner Medical Center announced plans for the largest single facilities project ever undertaken at The Ohio State University with a new $1.8 billion, 1.9 million square foot inpatient hospital scheduled to open in early 2026.
7. Phoenix Theater takes over the Lennox AMC
Phoenix Theatres Entertainment, LLC re-opened the Lennox Town Center 24 Theatre in Columbus, OH. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, Phoenix Theatres Entertainment is the world’s largest movie theatre management company. They currently manage or own 144 screens at 14 locations in 11 states. They are privately owned and were founded in 2001.
8. Andelyn Biosciences
Andelyn Biosciences, an affiliate company of Nationwide Children’s Hospital that manufactures gene therapy products for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, has broken ground on its new site located at 1250 Arthur E. Adams Dr. in The Ohio State University’s Innovation District. Opening in 2022, it will be central Ohio’s first commercial-scale Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) production facility devoted to gene therapies.
9. Schumacher Place, near German Village
Although details are still being finalized, Giant Eagle closed at Schumacher place in January 2021, and The Pizzuti Corporation intends to develop the site with a mixture of residential and retail units.
10. Wizard of Za teams up with Fusian
This speakeasy-style Clintonville pizza business has a wait list of four to six weeks for its Sicilian comfort pies. But the Wizard of Za will soon to come out of hiding and operate from a brick-and-mortar establishment, thanks to a partnership with sushi-and-ramen chain Fusian. In the meantime, updates are at @wizardofza on Instagram, an account with 20k followers. And — if you can wait several weeks before your first bite — order that pizza now.
