COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dublin will soon acquire nearly 250 acres of land off Cosgray Road in the West Innovation District with plans to turn some of it into a “premier sports destination.”
10TV’s Angela An spoke with Dublin City Manager Megan O’Callaghan who says the land acquisition will further the city’s long-term vision.
In total, 243 acres of land will be acquired, encompassing Carter Farms, Shepherd Excavating and SportsOhio. The deal is valued at $44.6 million and the city is expected to close on the land in about a month, O’Callaghan said.
As part of the plan, Dublin plans to focus less on housing and business development and more on transportation, infrastructure and recreational needs.
O’Callaghan said one of the City Council’s visionary goals is that Dublin be a destination of choice.
“This acquisition allows us to leverage our existing Darree Fields as well as SportsOhio to further accomplish or further establish Dublin as a premier sports location,” she said.
The city plans to accomplish its goal of becoming a premier sports destination by hosting various recreational sports, events and tournaments and attracting investors and visitors from all over the country.
As part of the city’s management agreement with SportsOhio that is under negotiation, SportsOhio will continue to manage facilities in a manner that's "generally consistent with how it's currently being operated."
“We know that it's important that [the SportsOhio complex] continue operating for the time being, and then that gives the city some time to better understand the current operations,” O’Callghan said. “We're going to assess any immediate maintenance needs. We're going to identify a timeline for transitioning operations and also identify any potential capital improvements [or] budgetary impacts. But long term, we do foresee potentially partnering with a sports management company to manage the operations of that sports complex.”
In addition to the recreational plans, the city continues to explore the possibility of a passenger rail station.
Land was acquired a few years ago along the railroad track, and when combined with the additional new land, O’Callaghan says they’re excited with what that could bring.
The city says the Carter Farms parcels provide a prime location for the development of a future passenger rail station. There is currently a west Dublin passenger rail station study underway to explore the possibility of the project.
O’Callaghan said the owner of Shepherd Excavating has an opportunity to lease back the land their business is on for a number of years to provide them time to relocate their construction company. The city will then look at that land as part of the overall planning efforts for the SportsOhio and Darree Sports Complex.