Recreational Synergy

Community center promises centralized UA recreation offerings

By Brandon Klein

For years, the Upper Arlington community has voiced its need for a centralized community center. Now, after incredible efforts by the city and community, the Upper Arlington Community Center is going to be a reality.

After the landmark vote from residents in May, work is now underway to develop a community center at the Kingsdale Shopping Center. The nearly 96,000-square-foot development will offer several amenities including a swimming pool, gym and multi-purpose spaces for events and programming.

“With all of the programming (the parks and recreation department) puts on, it’s amazing that they don’t have one central location,” says Emma Speight, community affairs director for the city of Upper Arlington. “It’s going to be a huge transformation for the community.”

Much of the programming is currently spread throughout Upper Arlington and beyond. For instance, the center for older adults is housed in five buildings built in the 1950s, but those facilities are now outdated, city officials say.

Parks and recreation staff celebrates the passage of the May 5 ballot item in front of the old Macy’s building where the new community center will be housed.

Community Center Specs

Though the plans are still being finalized, the Upper Arlington Community Center will contain between five and seven stories. Here are some preliminary building specifications according to the Community Center Feasibility Task Force’s feasibility study.

First floor: Entry, pools and some below-grade parking.

Second floor: Fitness and group space.

Third and fourth floors: Three gyms, lockers, a game room, an adventure play area and a running track.

Fifth and sixth floors: Older adult space, event space, meeting rooms, demonstration kitchen, large outdoor terrace and office space.

Upper Arlington teens don’t have a city-organized space to gather whatsoever. So, says City Manager Steve Schoeny, they have made do with places like the lounge on the second floor of Giant Eagle after school. For other recreational activities, residents have to leave Upper Arlington to take advantage of facilities like the downtown Columbus YMCA.

“People are driving all over to participate,” Speight says. “There’s no synergy as a result of that.”

The community center will provide designated spaces for older adults and teens, and programming for all demographics throughout the entire facility.

A Study in Gold

The latest push for a community center traces back to the 2018 comprehensive plan for the parks department. The city and the Community Center Feasibility Task Force completed an 18-month study process and found that about 80 percent of the community were in support of the new development. Kroger originally owned the Macy’s property in the Kingsdale Shopping Center, but it sat vacant for about six years. Local legislation that fined vacant properties with code violations incentivized Kroger to sell the property to Continental Real Estate Companies, which is managing the community center project.

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