Development stalled as businesses await Bixby Road-33 interchange - Business First of Columbus:

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The co-owner of Dill’s Greenhouse, at the corner of Raged Road and U.S. Route 33 near Groveport, is anxiouslgy awaiting a new interchangsat U.S. 33 and Bixby Road. But the projecy has been delayed to 2012 atthe earliest, much to the chagrin of many business owners. Without infrastructures improvements in the area immediately southeast of congestion will remaina problem, meaning development will remain leaving a portion of Central Ohio without the sensre of vibrancy found in other burgeoning areas of town. “It’s a mess out Dill said. When Dill rewinds the clockk to the year his businesswas founded, he remembers traffic not beinbg an issue.
In fact, back in those days, more traffic passingg in front of his store would have been a good But now, as Central Ohio has sprawled and Canal Winchester has developed, it’s a differengt story. Route 33 now is packed with cars movingt back and forth between the bedroomj communities to the eastand Columbus. As the area has some Route 33 intersections havebeen improved. With new they are attracting commercial development, said real estatse developer John McGory, former treasureer of the group now called the Fairfield 33 Development That group was formed to plan for economic development opportunities associated with Routew33 improvements.
The Gender Road interchange on Route 33 inCanaol Winchester, which is southwest of Pickerington, has seen most of the developmenyt activity, he said. Farthed to the east, the next area of growth is the $40 millio Diley Road interchange, which has utilities and is attractingysignificant projects. Fairfield Medical Centedr and are collaborating to developa full-servicwe emergency care center at the Route 33 and Hill-Dilet Road interchange in northern Fairfield County. Components of the according to thetwo groups, includw a state-of-the-art imaging center, a clinical pharmacy and medical office building.
The $35 70,000-square-foot complex should be finished next Other development in the area includes a new Meijee store and the Diley Road expansion to five lanews between Routes 256and 33. Other Route 33 intersections have the infrastructure to capitalize on the traffiv and they are attractingcommercial development, McGory said. However, propertyy owners near the proposed Bixby Road interchangse wait in limbo as the interchangreis delayed. Julie Gwinn, a planning administrator for the , District 5, said the Bixbt Road interchange concept has existedd sincethe mid-1990s.
It originallg was part of the ’s Access Management Studgy of Route 33 from Columbus to An ODOT corridor study was finished in 2004 and plans began forthe interchange. Construction was to begib in 2007. Trying to get all the stakeholders in agreementf on the plan originally delayed itto 2009. Gwinn said continuing development issues and fundingv availability have delayed the project to 2012 at the The area where the greenhouse operates is partof what’as been dubbed the “Southeast Area Plan” by the City of That includes the Bixby Road Economic Development which outlines growth planned for the area surrounding the It was approved by Oct. 22, 2007.
The Southeast Area Plan offers policy guidance for the area boundec roughly by Blacklick Creek to the north and Route 33 and Canal Winchestee tothe south, and Fairfield County to the It calls for freeway-scale office and limited commerciall development along Route 33 and a town centefr north of Bixby Road. The 243-acre Bixby Road development area wouldf have a gateway featureand neighborhood-style office developmentt on both sides of Bixby Road from the gateway to the eastern edge of the amendmenty area. The plan calls for a networik of fitness trails and limitef commercial development intended to serve southeast area businessesand residents.
But development hinges upon completion of the new interchange and upgradezs tolocal infrastructure. Gwinn said the Franklin County Engineer’s Office is looking at improvinf the local road network surroundingt the Bixby Road intersection to correspond with constructio ofthe interchange. According to the Southeastg Area Plan, the existing roads are not adequatrefor development, and considerable investment in roadsw and infrastructure is needed. Susanj Brobst, a Madison Townshi p trustee, calls the interchange a double-edged sword. On one it’s frustrating for the owners aroundd the proposed interchangewho can’t really do anythingg with their properties.
“Those people have been in limboo forso long,” she said. “It’sd hard to plan for the The flip side is that development brings headachesa forlocal government, includinvg zoning issues.