COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Columbus City Council vote last night authorizing the sale of a small strip of city land to Kroger brings the grocer one step closer to a major renovation of its store at East Seventh Avenue and High Street, and in the process, an invigoration of the area that surrounds it.
The stretch of High Street between the Short North and the University District has lagged behind its neighbors to the north and south in recent business development. But several mixed-use developments are opening or on the verge of opening, bringing new retail opportunities and residential units to the area.
Kroger plans to convert the store into a community centerpiece, but a company spokesperson said the grocer still is not ready to say exactly when that will happen.
"If they make it into a nicer Kroger, they redevelop it, put stores here, it will be good for them. And it will bring a lot more people into the area, " said Darryl Mendelson, owner of nearby business Monkey's Retreat.
Mendelson's business will soon face a rent increase as a result of the development, but he says the promise of more business should make up for it.
Not everybody is ready to celebrate, though. Rich Hansen lives off Summit Street behind Kroger. He said in order for the neighborhood to succeed in the future, residents will have to focus beyond High Street.
"You come a block over and you're on High street, and it's like, 'Alright.' And you go a block over, and you're like, 'Oh, man,"' Hansen said. "I've got like three bullet holes in my door. My roommate was
walking home the other day and a guy got shot and he had to plug up his bullet hole with his own t-shirt."
"Right now we feel completely safe, but when it gets dusk and then nighttime, it gets a little sketchy," said recent OSU graduate Sara Ferre.
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