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Plan for Tech Corridor to Be Unveiled: ?Milestone' is Result of City Council's $138,000 Study

Posted on: Monday, 15 May 2006, 15:03 CDT

By Mike Pramik, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

May 15--One of the architects of North Carolina's Research Triangle will present a master plan to Columbus City Council today for a research-and-technology corridor that could help boost central Ohio's high-tech reputation.

John L. Atkins of O'Brien/Atkins Associates will discuss the results of a study that council commissioned of the design firm that caters to technology-related clients.

Atkins said the 8-mile corridor, bounded by COSI Columbus to the south and Riverside Methodist Hospital to the north, potentially could become a destination point for companies in life sciences or technology.

The council commissioned the $138,000 study in July.

"What we're doing (Monday) evening is a milestone, not a conclusion," said Atkins, president and chief executive of the North Carolina firm.

OSU President Karen A. Holbrook and Battelle Chief Executive Carl Kohrt are scheduled to speak at the policy forum, which will replace the council's regular weekly meeting. It will begin at 5 p.m. at COSI and is open to the public.

"This is absolutely the right thing for the city to do," Kohrt said. "It is what I hope will prove to be an outstanding collaborative effort."

The concept will attempt to unite educational and research organizations, including Ohio State University and Battelle, with local governments, businesses, hospitals and other related entities. Atkins said the area already is rich in agriculture, computing technology, medicine and the physical sciences.

The Rt. 315 corridor covers 10,000 acres where more than 50,000 people already work. The report states that another 350 acres are available for development and gives some basic recommendations on how to proceed to develop them.

The master plan also includes these recommendations and observations:

-- Six areas are suited to development, including areas along Kenny Road, Lane Avenue and Kinnear Road, where the nonprofit group SciTech is located.

-- Local governments should create incentive packages to encourage new investment.

-- A master developer should be hired.

-- It's vital to begin marketing the concept both inside and outside the region.

Council President Matt Habash said it's important that representatives of Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington and Clinton Township have participated in the corridor plan because it stresses collaboration. The report did not state who should run the operation or how much money would be needed to promote it.

The economic impact of the idea, including the number or type of new jobs that can expect to be created, also was not specified.

"We're looking at this as the backbone of an effort for all of central Ohio," Councilwoman Mary Jo Hudson said. "We need to think bigger."

David Powell, president of Compete Columbus, said it's important that the project has someone overseeing it. Compete Columbus was formed in September by the Columbus Partnership and the Columbus Chamber to promote the formation of industry clusters in central Ohio.

"This has got to be somebody's job day in and day out," Powell said

mpramik@dispatch.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

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NASDAQ-SMALL:COSI,

Source: The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio

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