Quality of Life

Les Wexner Honored with McCoy Community Service Award at the New Albany Community Foundation’s Remarkable Evening Benefit

December 20th, 2018

 PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING HISTORIANS JOSEPH ELLIS, JON MEACHAM AND DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN VISIT NEW ALBANY FOR REMARKABLE EVENING 

Highlights:

  • Leslie H. Wexner honored with McCoy Community Service Award Bob
  • Schottenstein & Jeri Block with M/I Homes Foundation gift $500,000 to the Leslie H. Wexner Jefferson Series Fund 
  • Remarkable Evening hits milestone surpassing $25 million from donors through the benefit 

NEW ALBANY, OHIO (December 20, 2018) – A capacity audience of 464 guests attended 

The New Albany Community Foundation’s 16th annual Remarkable Evening benefit hosted by Abigail and Les Wexner at their New Albany home on the evening of November 28th. The event featured a panel discussion with three Pulitzer Prize-winning historians, Joseph Ellis, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham, moderated by David Gergen, Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and CNN senior political analyst. 

Funds raised from the event support the Foundation’s annual grantmaking to area not-for-profit organizations and to build Foundation endowments. Funds raised also support The Jefferson Series, an ongoing Foundation lecture series that features an impressive lineup of distinguished diplomats, experts on foreign policy, national security, health, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, journalists and historians. In addition to community lectures, Jefferson Series speakers have interacted with over 12,500 students representing over 20 school districts across central Ohio. 

It was announced during this year’s benefit that Foundation donors have contributed a total of over $25 million to community initiatives through Remarkable Evening events. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded over $12 million in grants in support of lifelong learning, arts and culture, health and wellness and the environment. 

These grants are made possible through the support of generous donors and sponsors who contribute annually through Remarkable Evening or have established endowments at the Foundation. Contributions have also helped make possible transformational projects like the New 2 

Albany Branch Library, the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts and the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany. The Foundation presently is raising money to build the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater. 

Lead sponsors for this year’s Remarkable Evening included American Electric Power, The Berend Family and Joint Implant Surgeons Orthopedics, Huntington, Justice, The New Albany Company and Nickolas Savko & Sons, Inc. 

Several significant announcements were made during the evening: 

Leslie H. Wexner received the 2018 Jeanne and John G. McCoy Community Service Award 

The Jeanne and John G. McCoy Community Service Award was established by the Foundation in 2004 to recognize citizens who have made a significant impact on the community through their leadership, contributions and community service. Through their remarkable philanthropy in New Albany and central Ohio, Jeanne and John G. McCoy embodied the spirit of this award and were the first to be honored with the distinction in 2004 when it was established in their name. 

Leslie H. Wexner has been engaged in community betterment throughout his life. As Bob Schottenstein stated in announcing Wexner as the McCoy Award honoree that evening, “With his relentless focus and drive to constantly aim higher, Les found a way to harness development for the common good. New Albany is a reflection of and personifies his uncommon commitment to lifelong learning, leadership, and an informed citizenry.” 

Wexner accepted the award paying tribute to his longtime friend and Columbus civic leader, John G. McCoy. An active resident of New Albany until his passing in 2010, John McCoy and his wife Jeanne were among the first residents to move to New Albany as the community began its transformation in the late 1990s. In 2006, McCoy made a $2 million gift announcement at Remarkable Evening that enabled the construction of what was later named the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts in the heart of New Albany. 

In accepting the award, Les Wexner said, “My friend John had a great impact on how I view community. Years ago, he told me, ‘You should think about tithing in time and in resource. You should think about giving some of your time and energy to the community.’ His mentoring and coaching was transformative to me. I take this opportunity to memorialize John G. and his generous contributions to our community. He was a spectacular person and a great friend.”

Past recipients of The McCoy Award include: 

2004 Jeanne & John G. McCoy 

2005 Janet Atwater 

2006 Dr. Ralph Johnson 

2007 Bill Resch 

2008 Don Cameron 

2009 Dr. Phil Heit 

2010 The Ryan Family 

2011 Tiney McComb 

2012 Bob Schottenstein 

2013 John W. Kessler 

2014 Jackie & Ken Krebs 

2015 Jennie & Mark Wilson 

2016 Cindy & Keith Berend 

2017 Barbara & Al Siemer 

Bob Schottenstein and Jeri Block together with M/I Homes Foundation make a generous gift to the Leslie H. Wexner Jefferson Series Fund 

The New Albany Community Foundation announced a contribution of $500,000 from Bob Schottenstein and Jeri Block together with M/I Homes Foundation to the Leslie H. Wexner Jefferson Series Fund. The fund was established by Wexner’s friends to support in perpetuity the lecture series. The gift represents the single largest gift to the fund, which has now reached $1.7 million. 

More than 12,500 students have participated in Jefferson Series student lectures 

The New Albany Community Foundation announced that as of November of 2018, more than 12,500 students have participated in the Jefferson Series student lectures, representing over 25 schools across Central Ohio. Now in its sixth season of hosting an array of speakers including entrepreneurs, best-selling authors, journalists, historians and more, The Jefferson Series opened its 2018-2019 season in September with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. 

Additionally, it was announced that the October National Security Town Hall featuring General Michael Hayden, Stephen Hadley and Samantha Power and moderated by CNN Host, Columnist and Global Expert Fareed Zakaria, reached more than 25 million people around the world when it was broadcast on Fareed Zakaria GPS. 

On January 15, actress and mental health advocate Glenn Close will speak at the Jefferson Series and then a new program in May will feature Jeffrey Toobin and Noah Feldman. This program marks the debut of a special series focusing on civil discourse and debate, envisioned by the Derrow Family. 

The remaining Jefferson Series lectures are as follows: 

SOLD OUT – January 15 – Glenn Close 

SOLD OUT – May 1 – Noah Feldman & Jeffrey Toobin 4 

*All remaining Jefferson Series forums are now sold out. If you are interested in attending either event, click here to have your name added to the waitlist. Those on the waitlist will be contacted in the order received if tickets become available. 

The New Albany Community Foundation and its donors are working together to build an extraordinary community. The Foundation develops collaborative partnerships and invests in transformational projects that benefit all residents and contribute to the greater good: developing a community of life-long learners, creating culture of wellness, enriching the community through the arts and supporting a sustainable environment. By championing forward-thinking initiatives, the Foundation and its donors have already had a significant positive impact. 

Ohio Magazine has named New Albany as one of its 2018-19 Best Hometowns

August 13th, 2018

New Albany, OH selected as one of Ohio’s Best Hometowns

NEW ALBANY, OHIO – New Albany, Ohio is honored to be recognized as one of Ohio’s best hometowns by Ohio Magazine.

Ohio Magazine annually recognizes hometowns for this award based on community spirit, education, entertainment, health and safety, business environment, and culture and heritage. New Albany is being recognized for the 2018-2019 year along with four other communities in Ohio: Cambridge, Findlay, Media and Troy.

New Albany’s unique focus on four core community values: lifelong learning, culture and the arts; health and wellness; and sustainability; made an impact on the Ohio Magazine selection committee. As a Best Hometown finalist, Ohio Magazine visited New Albany in June. “They were very interested in learning more about how New Albany embraces education, culture, leisure and health,” said Cherie Nelson, Executive Director of the New Albany Chamber, about the site visit.

Gems of the community including New Albany’s 200-acre school learning campus, the McCoy Center for the Arts and the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany were toured along with New Albany’s leisure trails, shops and restaurants.

“We pride ourselves on having a community that is aspirational,” Mayor Sloan Spalding shared, “and very strategic and thoughtful about our growth.” The ideals of New Albany drive a strong sense of civic pride and community service that runs deep within New Albany. As a master planned community, New Albany is particularly fortunate to have cohesion and collaboration of the many community groups, businesses and public partnerships that make it a special place to live, work and visit.

As part of the site visit, City of New Albany Director of Administrative Services, Adrienne Joly shared plans to transform the Rose Run Creek and corridor, overgrown with brush and invasive species, into New Albany’s central park, a civic asset to foster connections among people and with the environment. When complete in late 2019, Rose Run Park will include a bridge and promenade connecting the school campus to Market Square, dedicated bike lanes and walking trails, nature walks along the Rose Run corridor, a library garden, a bike hub, and safer pedestrian access for students.

Live Like a Local

July 25th, 2018

Top of the List: Here are the fastest-growing cities in Central Ohio

February 2nd, 2018

Think Central Ohio is growing like gangbusters? U.S. Census data bears out that perception.

In a comparison of 2000 Census counts and 2016 population estimates, 24 of the 25 cities in Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties have grown.

Three have more than doubled in population.

View the slideshow at Columbus Business First »

First Look: Event center for weddings, business conferences opens in New Albany

December 18th, 2017

A new event center is opening its doors in New Albany.

The Estate at New Albany, a 15,000-square-foot event venue, opened its doors for business this month at 5216 Forest Dr. The venue is the third for the Brooks family, which owns the Brookshire venue is near Lewis Center and WatersEdge Event & Conference Center in Hilliard.

“We’re already seeing a lot of interest in reserving the space,” owner John Brooks told me.

The venue features open meeting areas with a large central event room and several side areas, including two suites for a bride and groom, outdoor patios and technology for business gatherings and working events. The interior was designed by Lisa Coleman of 6 Design.

The largest room, which is 4,500 square foot, can accommodate as many as 375 guests. The 1,900 square feet of meeting rooms can seat as many as 210.

Brooks said he expects a 50-50 mix of corporate and family events. Between weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events, the two standing venues are booked well into 2019 with an increasing number of events being held during the week.

Corporate events and weddings have increased thanks to in-house catering, event planning and other services that allow for all-in-one packages. All-day weddings – ceremony, dinner and reception – and multi-day retreats for companies are doable, Brooks said.

“This used to be a spring and summer business, but it seems like people are getting married all year long anymore,” he said.

Brooks’ wife, Joy, founded the wedding planning business that eventually expanded into wedding venues. The couple’s three children and grandchildren are active in the venue management, catering and event planning operations.

The project cost Brookshire Banquet LLC about $5 million to build out, including about $900,000 to buy the land earlier this year. Westerville’s Kleingers Group was the civil engineer, Feher Architecture LLC of Columbus was the architect and Equity Construction Solutions built the venue.

By Tristan Navera
View photo gallery at Columbus Business First »

Doc steps up to plate to establish Miracle League

October 30th, 2017

For Dr. Kevin Klingele, watching a Miracle League baseball game is an opportunity to see children in a setting that lets them escape for a little while from a normal routine of doctor visits and therapy.

“You see the joy on these kids’ faces,” Klingele said.

As chief of orthopedics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Klingele said, he was introduced to the Miracle League program through the children he has treated.

After visiting Miracle Leagues in Dublin and Grove City, Klingele was motivated to bring one to New Albany, an area that makes sense for the program because of the city’s focus on wellness and its sizeable Special Olympics organization, he said.

To prepare the community for the new organization, Klingele is planning an awareness event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the New Albany High School softball field. The event will include an exhibition baseball game with team members and their buddies, followed by refreshments at Wexner Community Park.

The goal of Miracle Leagues, Klingele said, is to provide opportunities for children with physical or mental disabilities to do something they otherwise typically wouldn’t be able to do — in this case, play baseball. Each nonprofit league has a special outdoor field with a surface that can accommodate wheelchairs and children with special needs, he said. Children are teamed up with teens and young people who serve as buddies during the game.

Although some Miracle Leagues have groups for youth and adults, New Albany’s league will start with a youth league, Klingele said.

Klingele, who serves as chairman of the board for the Miracle League of New Albany, said fundraising is nearly at the halfway mark to move ahead with constructing a field there. The goal is to have the nearly $600,000 field ready for its opening pitch in fall 2018, he said.

Tom Rubey, director of development for the New Albany Co., said the baseball field would be on about 6 acres off Swickard Woods Boulevard. Rubey also serves as a member on the Miracle League of New Albany’s board.

The site originally was part of 45 acres the New Albany Co. had donated to the city, Plain Township and the New Albany-Plain Local School District, Rubey said. The area now includes a district school building, the township swimming pool and New Albany High School baseball and softball diamonds.

The open 6 acres, which is city land, sit between the school building and the pool, Rubey said.

City Manager Joe Stefanov said the city is planning to lease the land to the New Albany-Plain Local Joint Park District, which in turn would sublease to the Miracle League. City Council members would have to approve a resolution authorizing him to sign a lease agreement, Stefanov said. That resolution could be on council’s next agenda Nov. 7.

Dave Wharton, director of recreation and parks with the joint parks district and member of the Miracle League board, said the parks district could assist with custodial services at the baseball field because Wexner Pavilion is nearby.

“I think this would be a wonderful opportunity for us to be a part of,” Wharton said.

By Sarah Sole
From This Week Community News

City prioritizes infrastructure with Rose Run, trails, roads

January 2nd, 2017

New Albany residents can expect potential traffic delays near Dublin-Granville Road and Market and Main streets during the summer months of 2018, according to city leaders.

New Albany’s project to refashion the Rose Run creek corridor near the city’s center should take 18 to 24 months to complete, said Adrienne Joly, director of administrative services.

It is representative of multiple initiatives that, though varied in scope and covering such infrastructure as roads and leisure trails, should improve residents’ quality of life, said city spokesman Scott McAfee.

More leisure trails will encourage physical activity, he said, and infrastructure development will promote business activity. The New Albany International Business Park ultimately supports residents through the income-tax revenue it generates, he said.

Rose Run corridor

City leaders should select a construction manager for the Rose Run project during the first three months of 2018 and the project should begin by late spring or early summer, Joly said.

Closure of Dublin-Granville Road from Fodor Road/Market Street to Main Street will be limited to the summer months to minimize disruption for the New Albany-Plain Local School District, she said.

Rose Run flows mostly parallel to Dublin-Granville Road through New Albany until it meets Rocky Fork Creek in the New Albany Country Club grounds, not far west of Greensward and Harlem roads.

Project details include reducing Dublin-Granville in width, although the road will remain two lanes. A 34-foot bridge and promenade will connect the district campus to the New Albany branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and Market Square.

Although a 5-mile bicycle-trail loop ultimately is planned, the first phase of the project will create a half-mile segment from Fodor Road to Main Street to the east, Joly said. The final version of the loop will feature a bike path and an adjoining walkway.

Also included in the project will be the addition of a children’s natural play area to Rose Run Park and the rerouting of the leisure trail near Rose Run to travel underneath the bridge.

Trails and infrastructure

City leaders plan to update the master plan for its 36 miles of leisure trails this year, Joly said. The plan has not been updated since 2006, Joly said.

New Albany City Council members have allocated $1.8 million for new leisure trails — a considerable amount above the typical allocation of $400,000, she said. The city will try to close gaps in trails for greater connectivity, she said.

As city leaders look to create better thoroughfares for recreation, they also are trying to ensure proper infrastructure is ready for new parts of the New Albany International Business Park.

With the Mink Road-state Route 161 interchange and the extension of Innovation Campus Way complete, more than 170 acres in the business park is available for commercial development, said Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany’s community-development director.

As a $26 million Beech Road construction project begins, the land on the west side of the road will be attractive to developers because infrastructure will be in place, she said.

City leaders hope to have the first phase of utility work completed in March and the road improvements completed in August, Chrysler said. The second phase of utilities should be finished by February 2019.

The project targets Beech Road from Smith’s Mill Road south to Morse Road, Chrysler said, and it includes trails and dedicated bicycle paths.

North of the intersection with Morse Road for about 500 feet, Beech Road will be two lanes with no median, city engineer Mike Barker said. For the next 3,000 feet northbound, the road will be two lanes with a center median, he said. From there to the intersection with Smith’s Mill, Beech will be a four-lane road with a center median, he said.

The project will be funded by tax-increment-financing-district revenue from the new Facebook data-center complex; the city also received a 1 percent interest loan from the Ohio Water Development Authority.

A TIF is an economic-development mechanism available to local governments to finance public-infrastructure improvements and, in certain circumstances, residential rehabilitation, according to the Ohio Development Services Agency.

A TIF locks in the taxable worth of real property at the value it holds at the time the authorizing legislation is approved, diverting resulting incremental revenue to designated uses, such as funding necessary improvements or infrastructure to support a new development.

Revenue that exceeds the locked-in valuation of the land is diverted from the entities that typically receive property-tax revenue, including school districts, parks districts, libraries and fire departments.

In 2017, the city created 1,000 jobs in the community in the fourth quarter alone, Chrysler said.

“It doesn’t appear that we will have any less success in 2018 than we did in 2017,” she said.

By Sarah Sole
From This Week News

New Albany named top suburb in the nation

October 24th, 2015

New Albany is the best suburb in America — or at least Business Insider, a business-focused website, has put the Columbus suburb on top of its annual list of the “Best 50 Suburbs in America.”

“It speaks to the strength and beauty of our community,” said New Albany spokesman Scott McAfee.

Business Insider cites the 21-minute commute to Columbus, good schools, low crime, recreational and cultural activities, housing affordability and homeownership rates for the ranking.

Four other Columbus suburbs also made the list — Powell, No. 12; Dublin, No. 16; Upper Arlington, No. 26; and Bexley, No. 35.

“It really goes to show how great a place the Columbus region is to live and to work,” McAfee said. “The really interesting thing is that if you look at these five communities, we’re all different.”

In addition to the schools, 30 miles of walking trails and low crime rate, he said many people don’t realize what a job generator the suburb is, with 13,000 people working in a city with fewer than 9,000 residents.

“We’re an aspiration community,” McAfee said. “What’s great personally about working for the city is that the city’s appointed and elected officials are trying to find ways to make things better.”

Things that help New Albany stand out include the presence of Abercrombie & Fitch’s headquarters, a major Discover Card operation and the planned Amazon data center, said Cherie Nelson, executive director of the New Albany Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s always s been a great place to live, and now it’s a great place to work,’’ she said.

Business Insider looked at data on nearly 300 suburbs, focusing on cities with populations of between 5,000 and 100,000 people within about 25 miles of the nearest metro area.

“Our list was dominated by the Midwest, or more specifically, by Ohio suburbs,” the website says. “This is likely due to several factors, most notably a reasonable cost of living.”

Besides the five Columbus suburbs, two Cincinnati suburbs and an Akron suburb made the list.

“It says a lot about the Midwest with great communities and great suburbs people want to move to,” said Megan Canavan, spokeswoman for No. 12 Powell.

By Mark Williams
The Columbus Dispatch

Methodist ElderCare plans $35M senior campus near New Albany

April 17th, 2015

Methodist ElderCare Services hopes to break ground this summer on a $35 million first phase of Wesley Woods, the third retirement community for the organization and its first new campus in 17 years.

Columbus-based Methodist ElderCare has a letter of intent to buy 38 undeveloped acres at the southeast corner of Dublin-Granville and Hamilton roads in Columbus. It will make the purchase from New Albany Co.

The first phase of construction would include eight villa-style residences, a 10-unit hospice center set in the woods and a three-story building with assisted living, independent apartments, a unit for those with memory loss and a one-story nursing home wing.

The goal is to open in late 2017, and future phases could add up to 24 villas.

“We’re a good fit with New Albany – it’s a first-class place,” CEO Margaret Carmany told Columbus Business First. “We were looking everywhere, had done market studies. This was the strongest market available in our opinion … particularly for younger seniors looking for luxury.”

Fitting into Wesley network
The 45-year-old nonprofit organization is working with Akron-based First Merit Bank on a $35 million issue of bank-backed tax-exempt bonds; the financing could include other banks. Besides the borrowing, a lot must happen before breaking ground, including site engineering and building permits from the city and Ohio Department of Health clearance to open a nursing home.

Then there was the matter of endangered bats: Trees on the site had to be removed so the bats would seek different nesting sites this spring.

Westerville-based Corna Kokosing Construction Co. is lead contractor. The designer is Columbus-based Ph7 Architects, a specialist in senior housing.

An affiliate of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, Methodist ElderCare opened Wesley Glen Retirement Community in Clintonville in 1969 and built Wesley Ridge in Reynoldsburg in 1998 with independent apartments, adding assisted living capabilities three years later. It also operates a hospice and home health service.

The organization recorded a small surplus on $37 million in revenue last year, Carmany said.

Both Wesley communities have expanded, including a nursing home added at Wesley Ridge and pool and wellness center that opened at Wesley Glen in 2012. The $35 million bond issue will include $3.5 million to add a wellness center at the Reynoldsburg campus this year; Wesley Woods eventually would add one, she said.

Senior living wave
The expansion comes amid a burst of retirement construction after a long lull during the recession:
Michigan-based Granger Group is going through permitting with New Albany for a $35 million, 15-acre campus with independent living villas and assisted living residences at 227 E. Main St.

Upper Arlington-based National Church Residences is planning a Westerville community and also is considering Worthington.

Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services is adding a second luxury apartment high-rise for seniors at its Westminster-Thurber campus on the edge of downtown Columbus.

Friendship Village of Dublin recently added villas and is adding apartments in an upcoming expansion.

“Continuing care retirement communities are the future for senior living,” Carmany said. “People like to move in before they need the continuum of care, but they want to know (it) will be there if they need it.

“The boomer population is starting to retire and retirement communities are different than they used to be.”

Entry fees and rents are expected to be enough to repay the bonds, Carmany said, and won’t affect the budgets of Wesley Glen or Wesley Ridge.

“It’s a good move. It’s a good long-term strategy,” she said. “We’re in a sound financial position or we wouldn’t be doing it.”

By Carrie Ghose
Columbus Business First

SmartRide part of plan to add amenities

September 16th, 2014

The new COTA park-and-ride facility on Forest Drive is one component of SmartRide New Albany, a new initiative which includes shuttle service to and from companies in area business parks.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority’s park-and-ride facility and SmartRide New Albany shuttle service to New Albany’s business parks have been up and running since Sept. 2.

COTA is running six buses from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. from downtown Columbus and the Easton transit center to the park-and-ride facility on Forest Drive.

Joseph Stefanov, New Albany’s city manager, said the buses not only are bringing workers into the city, but they also are transporting New Albany residents to other places.

The shuttles, meanwhile, are meant to maximize transportation options for local employees.

New Albany is paying PSI of Columbus $140,000 through the end of 2014 to operate three SmartRide shuttles to and from the business parks.

The contract with PSI runs through the end of 2015 but the annual payment could change if the city decided to purchase its own shuttles, for example.

The shuttle service is free with a paid COTA fare, which is $2.75 one way or $5.50 for two rides, if paid in advance. Monthly unlimited COTA trips are $85 for adults.

The shuttles operate from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:15 to 5:30 p.m.

Westbound shuttles follow Walton Parkway and New Albany Road, with stops at Aetna and iQor, Discover Financial Services, CVG, the Water’s Edge campus, the New Albany Signature office building and Tween Brands.

Shuttles running east follow Smith’s Mill Road, with stops at the Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bob Evans headquarters and to several businesses in what is now known as the New Albany International Personal Care and Beauty Campus: the Knowlton Development Corp., Sonoco Plastics, Axium Plastics, Vee Pak and Accel.

Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany’s community-development director, said the name was changed to include the word international after city officials realized many companies are exporting items, others have their international headquarters in New Albany and many foreign companies have a regional headquarters or the only United States location on the campus.

“It seemed OK to market ours as a place where international businesses could locate,” Chrysler said.

In addition, Forest Drive and Woodcrest Way, both east of Johnstown Road in New Albany, have other new additions in the works, including the city’s second hotel, a Hampton Inn, being built north of the Courtyard by Marriott on Woodcrest Way.

Stefanov said the Hampton Inn could be open in 2015.

The planning commission was expected Sept. 14 to review plans for a Turkey Hill gas station at the southeast corner of Johnstown Road and Woodcrest Way. Richard Roggenkamp, vice president of First Intercontinental Realty Corp., said the store will have 10 gasoline pumps and a car wash on two acres.

Chrysler said the land east of Johnstown Road was identified in the 2006 version of the city’s strategic plan as a key part of the business parks.

Stefanov said the New Albany Road East corridor developed first because it was close to many residential areas.

He said development of eastern New Albany might have been delayed by the recession but many businesses have located in the International Personal Care and Beauty Campus in the past few years.

Chrysler said businesses require retail amenities for their employees but there has to be a certain number of employees to frequent retail sites before businesses want to build.

She said the city has those employees now. An estimated 13,000 people will be working in the business parks by the end of 2014 and 14,000 by the end of 2015.

The city’s calculations include campuses on the east and west sides of the city, north of state Route 161, and State Farm Insurance and the EMH&T engineering company, both of which are in Columbus on New Albany Road East.

She said the latter two businesses were included because city officials consider them part of a business region that the city shares with Columbus.

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