Business & Development

Business & Development / Business Guide

Introduction | Economic Development Insight | Business Survey

Economic Development Insight

History and Overview of Economic Development in Upper Arlington

- Economic Development History
- Economic Development Goals Mirror Community's Wishes
- Economic Development Incentives
- Recent Highlights/Achievements
- 2003 Highlights
- 2004 Highlights
- Testimonials

Some Economic Development Highlights

Upper Arlington citizens are well aware of the challenges our beautiful community faces by the very nature of its makeup. We have worked hard to achieve and retain such a beautiful residential community, but realize the consequences of having so few commercial districts, and how this limits income tax revenues to help support our quality of life.

While economic development efforts in Upper Arlington face a series of complexities and challenges, our efforts have already met with much success.

Community Reinvestment Area
One geographic area in the northwest portion of our community in particular has proven extremely successful.

In the mid-1990s, the City of Upper Arlington annexed property west of Sawmill Road and north of Henderson Road. The property was zoned commercial in order to facilitate high-income-tax-generating office development. Subsequent commercial development began with the Horizons Companies’ purchase and conversion of the former DeSantis residence into corporate offices and multi-media production studios. As part of this agreement, a new road, Horizons Drive, was installed from Riverside Drive into the property, allowing for additional office development to occur.

Growth and development in this area, even in the soft economy, have been consistent. The Horizons Plat, as it is known today, bounded by Tarrington Woods and Riverside Drive, now consists of seven developable parcels, four of which are built out or currently in the process of development.

The developed projects include:
- Horizons, located in the former stable and barn area of the DeSantis property.
- Professional Planning Consultants (PPC), which purchased the former DeSantis residence.- Riverside-Henderson, LLC constructed a 30,000 square foot office building on Horizons Drive, now home to ADVEST, Cambridge Publishing, United Collection Bureau, and Wells Fargo.
- Arlington Falls, LLC has begun to develop an office park on the piece closest to the Riverside Drive, Henderson Road corner. This development will ultimately consist of 68,000 square feet of office “condominiums,” allowing smaller businesses to purchase their own space, an opportunity that should prove an attractive and marketable product for this community.
- Horizons Drive was constructed in the late 1990s as part of the original incentive agreement with Horizons Companies. An access road extending Horizon’s Drive to Henderson Road will be constructed early 2005, enhancing safety and the marketability of this site. This project is being funded through Tax Increment Financing.

Current payroll projections attributed to these projects exceed $17 million per year.

Other Highlights
Further east, the rewards of commercial development are already being reaped:
- The Orthopedic Center of Excellence had its grand opening celebration in May 2003. The Center is fully operational. Already, the facility is contributing substantially to the City’s income tax revenues.
- A professional/medical building adjacent to this facility is now home to Merrill Lynch, America’s Urgent Care, Ohio Plastic Surgeons, and Ohio Cosmetic Dentists.

The combined projected payroll for these developments exceeds $14 million per year.

The Shops on Lane Avenue renovations have made significant progress, with close to 30 establishments open for business and more to come. The City applauds the property owners and management for moving forward with such an extensive renovation project, and would especially like to recognize those merchants who stayed open for business throughout the transformation.

Sunny 95 has expanded its facility, as its parent company brings another radio station into UA. One option under consideration by Saga Communications was relocating to another community to meet its expansion needs, but the City was pleased when it chose to remain in Upper Arlington. This project represents $3 million in retained payroll, with more than $1.8 million additional anticipated payroll once the expansion is complete.

Many of these projects clearly show what can be achieved given the right set of circumstances, the support of City Council and our community, and the necessary incentives to facilitate investment in our commercial districts. Upper Arlington’s strong sense of community pride, its high quality of life, excellent schools and City services, and convenient location do make it a desirable community in which to do business.

Matt Shad
Deputy City Manager-Economic Development
City Manager's Office
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221
Phone: 614-583-5046
www.ua-ohio.net