Construction equipment is highly visible across the Midland Commons development. One of the most eye catching projects currently under construction is taking place in a lot under construction in the parking lot near the Publix shopping center near the western perimeter of the development.
The new development will soon house two new restaurants. The restaurants will include Panera Bread, which currently operates two locations in Columbus and First Watch, which operates a single location in Columbus. The new joined structure will be located at 6875 Ray Wright Way Columbus.
Panera Bread, which currently has locations at 6301 Whitesville Road and Columbus and 3228 Macon Road in Columbus will soon have their third location in the Midland Commons development. The company has more than 2,000 locations nationally and is a casual style bakery and cafe.
First Watch has a single location currently operating at 2528 Weems Road in Columbus. The store opened their doors in August of 2016 and has remained in operation since. The new location in Midland Commons will be the second location in the Chattahoochee Valley for the company.
In addition Peachtree Immediate Care will soon open a new location at a recently constructed outparcel space on the property. The company currently operates three locations in Columbus and recently opened a new location in Phenix City.
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This recently completed outparcel space in Midland Commons will soon house a new location of Peachtree Immediate Care. |
On a property next to Peachtree Immediate Care, Panda Express is expected to begin construction of a new nearly 2,700 square foot free standing location at 6830 Midland Commons Blvd. The location will be the second location for the California based company in Columbus. There is currently a location on Whittlesey Blvd near Columbus Park Crossing. The new location will feature seating for 52 patrons in is expected to break ground soon.
The Midland Commons development has transitioned a former textile mill into a massive mixed used development in its first phase. The development has allowed for the expansion of some existing national and local retails in the Columbus market and the introduction of a few new comers to the Fountain City.
Midland Commons has announced several other retailers that will locate to the 88-acre development in the near future. Those are just part of the first phase of the project. Phase two of the development includes more than 20 acres that have not been developed as of yet and no retailers have been confirmed for that phase of the development as of yet. Dirt continues to move as growth continues.
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Future location of Panera Bread and First Watch at Midland Commons. |
The Booker T. Washington Apartments sat in an area between Veterans Parkway and 6th Street. The property was demolished in 2015 with plans for revitalization to the area located across from the Columbus Civic Center and South Commons. The first phase of the redevelopment consisted of the Columbus Commons Apartment, located at 500 5th Avenue. The property consists of 106 units with a unique Victorian and Italian-inspired design. The property opened in 2017.
Further South on the property the area has sat vacant since the demolition of the Booker T. Washington Apartments. Plans are now moving forward with the next phase of the project as the BTW South Senior Development is set to be built. The new apartments will be located at 450 5th Avenue in Columbus in an area between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue.
Plans for the building include the construction of a new three story building that will feature 90 housing units. The housing units will be designated as housing for seniors of specified ages and incomes. The new building will feature a combination of unit types by bedroom size and floor plan variations.
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A new three story senior apartment building is heading to the 400 block of 5th Avenue near Downtown Columbus. |
The Housing Authority of Columbus Georgia owned the property of the previous Booker T. Washington Housing community. The Housing Authority determined that the need of low-income families and the broader community could be met by demolishing the former BTW apartments and creating a new, mixed-income community which led to the the efforts that began more than a decade ago to revitalize the Booker T. Washington Apartments and continues to see development today.
The new Booker T. Washington Senior Development is expected to take around 16 months to complete construction. The property will feature several resident amenities to include a leasing office, wellness center, theater, community room, courtyard, outdoor grill stations and pavilions.
The project is just the latest in a number of projects taking place in the area. The new Synovus Park baseball stadium is currently under construction across the street in the South Commons area and is seen as a gateway to open the door for revitalization in the area.
Old Town Marketplace makes up 67,448 square feet of retail space located on Veterans Parkway near Northside High School in Columbus. The center is anchored by a Publix grocery store that takes up 48,000 square feet according to Columbia Properties, that company that developed the shopping center near the Old Town development a planned community located across Veterans Parkway from the Old Town Marketplace development.
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Work is underway on a new outparcel strip shopping center at Old Town Marketplace that will include a new buffet style restaurant called Red Bowl. |
In recent months the anchor Publix has been joined by other retailers that include Starbucks, Guthries, Great Clips, and others. In recent weeks the development has seen the opening of a new south of the border style restaurant called Monarca Mexican Restaurant. The center also saw the opening of a new UPS Store location.
More retailers are on the way to the center. A new Little Caesars pizza location will open in the center on December 15, 2024. Work is ongoing on a new outparcel restaurant called Red Bowl which will feature a Mongolian style buffet.
Additional retail is expected in the area but no officials names have been released at this time for the new upcoming tenants.
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A new Little Ceasars location will open its doors in the Old Town Marketplace later this month. A nearby UPS Store recently opened its doors at the same shopping plaza. |
A new HomeGoods store will open at 5550 Whittlesey Blvd Suite 700 at the end of this month. The HomeGoods location becomes the first location for the retailer in the city of Columbus and the second in the Chattahoochee Valley. HomeGoods opened a store in Auburn in 2022 in the Flint Crossing Shopping Center on Opelika Road across from Auburn Mall.
The new HomeGoods store will fill a 25,000 square foot void left in the massive Columbus Park Crossing shopping center after Bed Bath and Beyond closed their doors last year. Plans for the store began in late winter and work has been on going at the store over the spring and summer months.
According to HomeGoods the new Columbus store will open on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. A grand opening will be held between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Details surrounding the grand opening celebration have not yet been released.
While HomeGoods is new to the Columbus market the parent company TJX has a strong showing across the Columbus market and currently operates two TJ Maxx stores in Columbus and one Marshalls store.
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HomeGoods will open this new store on Whittlesey Blvd in Columbus in late October. |
The Columbus Park Crossing Shopping Center has seen an influx of new retailers in recent months. This includes the opening of a new Floors & Decor store, which was also a new addition to the Columbus market. That retailer opened their doors in late June. The location became the 13th location in Georgia for the Atlanta based company. A 14th location is currently under construction in Austell, Georgia in southern Cobb County. The center also saw the addition of a second Columbus Spencer's location and Nothing Bundt Cakes opened their doors last year. A number of new businesses are in the works for areas around Columbus Park Crossing currently.
HomeGoods is a welcome addition to the Columbus market as local consumers have been pushing for new retailers to enter that market that are not presently in operation in the city. HomeGoods will welcome its Columbus area shoppers on October 30, 2024.
Salt Life currently operates a store on Broadway in Uptown Columbus. The company also has offices located on Sixth Avenue in Columbus. The retail store at 1104 Broadway in Columbus is one of 28 stores that have been announced for closure as of Tuesday morning. 15 of those closing stores are located in the State of Florida.
Despite closing their physical locations the company will make a shift to a liquidation and e-commerce business model. Liquidation sales began at the companies 28 stores on September 20, 2024. According to the Salt Life website gift cards will be accepted through the close of business on October 20, 2024.
Salt Life, founded in 2003 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and was owned by Delta Apparel Inc., which filed for bankruptcy this past summer.
For more information on the locations closing and liquidation sale please visit The Salt Life website.
The Columbus Park Crossing shopping area consists of more than 700,000 square feet of retail space, comprised mostly of large national retailers the center has long been an anchor for attracting new retailers to the Columbus market. Recent additions to the center have brought new retailers to the Fountain City and others are on the way. Here is a quick look at some of the changes that have recently taken place at Columbus Park Crossing.
HOMEGOODS
The former Bed Bath and Beyond store located at 5555 Whittlesey Blvd Suite 1400 closed their doors last year as the chain closed all stores nationwide. Over the past several months the building sat quiet, but a new retailer to the market was brewing quietly since the late winter months. Homegoods, a nationwide home décor retailer is currently renovating more than 25,000 square feet for the stores first location in Columbus. Homegoods opened a store on Opelika Road in Auburn in 2022, marking the first location for the chain in the region.
The parent company of Homegoods TJX currently has a strong presence in Columbus with two Columbus locations. One is located in Cross Country Plaza on Macon Road near Midtown and the other is in the Columbus Park Crossing South Shopping Center located along Whittlesey Blvd. The company also operates a Marshall's store in Columbus Park Crossing.
Residents of Columbus and nearby communities are excited to see the addition of Homegoods to the local market. It is one of many retailers that local residents have been hoping would come to the Fountain City. An opening date for the new location has not yet been made public.
FLOORS & DECOR
Homegoods is not the only home improvement and decoration store to come to Columbus. Atlanta-based Floors & Decor opened a new location in the former Sears building at the shopping center. The new store becomes the first location in the Columbus market and becomes the 14th location in Georgia. The store opened its doors in late June bring more than four dozen new jobs with it to the Columbus area.
Prior to the opening Jesse Hull, the store Chief Executive Merchant said in a press release, “We’re thrilled to announce our newest store location in Columbus,” said Hull. “For more than two decades, Floor & Decor has had the opportunity to serve professionals and homeowners throughout the nation, and we are excited to expand our footprint in the Columbus market with this new location. We look forward to becoming part of the community and welcoming our newest neighbors into our store and making their renovation journeys easier, inspired and more affordable.”
RED LOBSTER
Red Lobster has been a staple in an outparcel space near the intersection of Adams Farm Drive and Whittlesey Blvd in Columbus Park Crossing for nearly two decades. As the company faced financial challenges and was going through bankruptcy procedures it was revealed that the location at 2679 Adams Farm Drive may have been on the chopping block in early June. However the company has exited Chapter 11 and is back stronger than ever after shuttering more than 100 locations nationwide. The Columbus Park Crossing location was spared and is here to stay at the shopping center. The company also operates a location on 13th Street near Midtown Columbus that is also remaining open.
CONN'S HOMEPLUS
While some companies have been able to able to fare well, others have not been as lucky. Texas-based Conn's HomePlus, which opened a store in the former Toy's R Us/Babies R Us location in Columbus Park Crossing is presently in the process of liquidating its inventory from the store. The company is shuttering all operations nationwide. There has been no word on any new retailer that may fill the void left by the exit of Conn's.
The Columbus Park Crossing shopping development remains one of the most visited shopping destinations in Columbus. Last year the development added several new tenants including a second location of Spencer's and Nothing Bundt Cakes. In addition there have been several new developments to pop up near the shopping center including a new Dave's Hot Chicken location under construction.
While Columbus Park Crossing is just one of a handful of shopping destinations seeing growth across Columbus it remains one of the most visited.
Last week signs appeared outside of a property at 5279 Whittlesey Blvd in Columbus announcing Dave's Hot Chicken would be coming soon. The location was previously housed Atlanta-based Willy's Mexicana Cantina. The location closed its doors several months ago and had been opened in Columbus since 2016.
Dave's Hot Chicken is a start-up founded in a parking lot by three friends in California in 2017. The friends all of whom were in their 20s scraped together $900 to have their grand opening with folding tables and a portable fryer in a parking lot in East Hollywood. Word of mouth helped the company grow through social media and a reporter came along from a Los Angeles area publication and surged the companies popularity as the company has now expanded to several states.
In the summer of 2023 it was reported that Dave's Hot Chicken had planned to bring at least eight locations to the Greater Atlanta area as well as one to Athens as demand for the company was growing in the Peach State.
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Dave's Hot Chicken plans to open a new location in the former Willy's Mexicana Cantina location near Columbus Park Crossing. |
Building permits show a permit was filed with the City of Columbus to make building alterations for the new Dave's Hot Chicken at 5279 Whittlesey Blvd in August of 2024. The exact nature of the building alterations have not been revealed at this time.
Dave's Hot Chicken is just one of a handful of new restaurants that is heading to the area near the Columbus Park Crossing development. Stay tuned with The Chattahoochee Voice for updates on this development and others heading to the Fountain City.
The data shows that tourism in Columbus is big business and that visitor spending makes a significant contribution to the local economy. The spending by visitors to the Columbus area found this offers a significant positive impact on jobs, payroll and tax savings for residents.
According to the research hospitality jobs in Columbus total 4,491 and provide an estimated payroll of over $151 million annually. This economic impact generates roughly $26 million in lodging sales tax in Columbus alone. Those generated funds provide public services for citizens in Columbus on a daily basis and the study shows that without the impact of tourism revenue residents in Columbus would have to pay around an additional $639 in taxes annually to maintain the same level of services they currently enjoy.
"Thanks to Dr. (Benjamin) Blair and the staff at CSU's Butler Center for Business and Economic Research, their annual impact analysis allows VisitColumbusGA to not only track specific travel and tourism numbers, but to report on the impact tourism has on Columbus," stated Peter Bowden, President/CEO of VisitColumbusGA. "These are new dollars to the community, advancing the quality of life in the community."
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The Columbus Riverfront and its attractions have placed Columbus on an international stage for tourism. |
Visitors to Columbus come to the city for various reasons including, business, conferences, conventions, meetings, touring local attractions, or for visiting family and friends. The communities close tie to Fort Moore also drive a number of tourist to the city.
The Columbus community is on track to continue seeing growth in the tourism field as both public and private investment continues to transform the city. Columbus has recently seen the addition of several new hotels including the the new AC Marriott Hotel and Hotel Indigo in downtown. The new City Mills Boutique Hotel located just north of Downtown in the City Village area. As well as a new Holiday Inn Express that recently opened on Warm Springs Road near Columbus State University.
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Festivals such as the Tri-City Latino Festival bring visitors from around the region and other destinations annually. |
Columbus continued investment in convention space and sports venues including the Golden Park transformation currently underway will only further drive more dollars into the city. The Whitewater project on the Chattahoochee has spun millions of dollars into local businesses annually and has put the city on the international stage for competitions.
The growth of tourism in Columbus seems to be on track for the city to continue to reap benefits from in the future.
Officials with Hooters have announced the closure of 41 locations across the country citing "tough economic conditions" that include rising labor and food costs as reasons for the downsizing of locations. Of the locations that are slated to close some have already closed with some closing their doors over this past weekend with employees reporting little notice of the closures.
Hooters currently operates about 300 restaurants nationwide with 20 of those locations spread around Georgia. The number has now dropped to 16 after the company has announced closures of underperforming locations in Hiram, Brunswick, Macon, and Atlanta. The Columbus location was spared from the closure list that has been released.
In addition to their Georgia locations, Hooters operates eight locations in Alabama with two scheduled to close. Those include locations in Homewood and Huntsville. The closures of Hooters location spans across 14 states with the largest concentration centering in Texas where 16 locations are closing.
Hooters becomes the latest business to announce a downsizing of their stores amid economic troubles. Just weeks ago Red Lobster, which currently operates two locations in Columbus with one possibly facing closure announced the closure of 90 locations across the country.
Despite the 41 location closures Hooters remains committed to the communities they serve. In a statement the company stated, ""We look forward to continuing to serve our guests at home, on the go and at our restaurants here in the U.S. and around the globe."