Bridge becomes retail destination

Following the example of famous old bridges in Europe, a developer in Columbus, Ohio, has lined a bridge near downtown Columbus with rows of buildings containing stores, cafes, and restaurants. The “Cap at Union Station,” as some call the project, was constructed at the instigation of Jack Lucks, a partner in Continental Real Estate Companies. Nearly two-thirds of the approximately 27,000 sq. ft. of shops on the bridge, which carries North High Street over Interstate 670, is now occupied, and “our tenants seem to be doing very, very well,” says Lucks. As a civic gesture rather than a moneymaking endeavor, locally based Continental spent $7.2 million to build two decks — one along each side of the bridge. The concrete structures provide a depth of about 55 feet for shops on one side and about 65 feet on the other side. Continental had the additions styled to resemble Union Station, a railroad terminal that once stood at that location. Tenants include a Chinese restaurant, a men’s clothier, a coffee purveyor and wine bar, and an ice cream store, with a steakhouse soon to move in. On-street parking, sidewalks, and patios for outdoor seating help give the bridge the character of a welcoming, even grand, city street. The opportunity to turn a standard bridge into something more like the Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon in Bath, England, arose almost a decade ago when the Ohio Department of Transportation announced its intention to add lanes to I-670. The adjoining neighborhoods, such as Short North, near Ohio State University, “went berserk” about the proposed road expansion, Lucks says. So he came forward with the bridge-of-shops idea, which he says has “healed the fabric from downtown to Short North.” Continental acquired air rights to construct the project, and after three years will pay the city 10 percent of the net rental income. The municipality paid for $325,000 of utility installations and gave Continental a 100 percent real estate tax abatement for 10 years. Formally called Union Station Place, “it was a pain in the neck” for the Department of Transportation during the design and construction phases, according to Lucks, but once completed, it became a public relations coup for the much-criticized agency. u