Five years after it purchased the former Greyhound bus terminal at 111 East Town Street downtown, the Central Ohio Transit Authority is launching a study to figure out how to best use the roughly 2.5-acre property.
"I think there is a lot of interest in finding out what is going to happen with that site because it has been gated up for quite some time and we really are excited to see how we can use that best for the public," said COTA spokesperson Jeff Pullin.
Pullin said that COTA and Downtown Columbus, Inc. will use a $900,000 Build America Bureau grant to hire a transit-oriented development advisor and preliminary architecture and engineering services. Those consultants will evaluate how to redevelop the site with transit in mind.
Pullin said that the way transit is incorporated into the plan will depend on the outcome of the study, which is set to begin later this year.
The property is a few blocks away from COTA's planned West Broad Street Bus Rapid Transit corridor.
Columbus Real Estate expert Rob Vogt, a partner with Vogt Strategic Insights, said that the downtown area does need a transit center.
"You probably can't beat this location with its proximity to the Columbus Commons and the State House. It's really well-located for that," Vogt said. "It seems like it would be a bit of a waste of a site, though, to just have it simply as a transit point for COTA buses."
Vogt said he hopes that the site is used, at least in part, for mixed-use, mixed-income development or affordable housing.
He said downtown Columbus doesn't need any more high-end apartments or single-use office buildings.
"I think it's going to take a creative use on that site because right now we probably have more excess land undeveloped than we have a need for it at this point," Vogt said.
Vogt expects that COTA will demolish the old bus terminal and rebuild.
Results of COTA's study are expected in mid to late 2027.
