A Sign of the Times

A newly released U.S. Census Bureau report offers insight into how the state is faring in terms of population growth. Columbus remains one of the 15 most populous cities in the country with a population of just over 913,000 as of last year. Between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, Columbus added roughly 5,000 residents. Athens, Ohio, however, made the list of the fastest-growing cities in the country, with an 8.6% population growth rate. In Ohio, Washington Township which is located in Montgomery County south of Dayton, was the fastest-growing. Akron, Hamilton, Green Township and Colerain Township also experienced population growth between July 2022 to July 2023. Canton and Parma suffered the steepest population declines in the state over that same period.?

In Columbus, the flight-to-quality continues to define who the winners and losers are in the office market. Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, which recently announced its departure from the aging KeyBank Building, shared that it plans to move to the Grange Insurance building in the Brewery District. Andy Dutcher, executive vice president at NAI Ohio Equities and the broker in charge of the Grange listings, said the building has everything office tenants are looking for, including a 1,000-space attached parking garage, an on-site cafeteria and outdoor space. “The building has all the ingredients from an amenity standpoint,” said Dutcher. “We’re proud of our building and the dynamic, innovative environment it provides for our associates and tenants,” said Doreen DeLaney Crawley, Grange’s COO. Tenants continue to search for amenity-rich buildings surrounded by walkable areas, especially drawn to buildings the landlord also occupies, demonstrating a level of investment in the building.

The charter school, Heart of Ohio Classical Academy, will spend $4 million renovating a Dublin-area office building and converting it into a school. The school will open this fall in the building located at 4650 Lakehurst Court, which formerly housed Qwest Communications. It will be the school’s first location. The four-story building was built in 1990. A recent report found that roughly 1.1 million square feet of office space is currently being converted, and an additional 1.7 million square feet is being planned. Of those, 22% are converting office into educational uses.

ODW Logistics is preparing to open a second distribution center near Rickenbacker International Airport. The logistics provider will add a 930,000-square-foot facility to its new 6920 Schieser Farms Road campus. The new facility will bring the company’s warehouse space footprint in the region to 5 million square feet. The new distribution center will allow ODW to ship more freight on fewer trucks using updated technology and maximizing the warehouse’s space, which lowers the cost per unit. The company’s distribution campus still has the capacity to build three more buildings, said ODW CEO John Ness.