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Developers pitch 1.3M‑sq‑ft warehouse site; council cautious pending job and utility details
Summary
Ambrose Property Group sought preliminary guidance about annexing roughly 180 acres (mostly in Franklin County) for a potential 1,300,000‑square‑foot warehouse that a confidential "Project Roosevelt" user may occupy; council said it needs job, wage and utility details before committing to annexation into Commercial Point.
Developers under contract for the Kirschner parcels presented a preliminary plan and asked Commercial Point whether the village would consider annexing approximately 180 acres, most of which lies in Franklin County. The developer said a Fortune 500 user, under the working name "Project Roosevelt," has shortlisted the site; the user could be interested in a 1,300,000‑square‑foot warehouse but the developer said it could not yet disclose jobs, wages or the user's identity because of a confidentiality agreement.
Why it matters: If realized, a building of this scale would add major industrial tax base and potential employment but also increase demands on utilities, roads and county coordination because much of the land is in a different county.
Developer presentation - The developer (Ambrose Property Group) said the site is roughly 182 acres and that the parcel is largely in Franklin County; the northern route into Columbus would be more complicated for utilities than annexing into Commercial Point, which the developer said offered a clearer path to services. - The developer said a potential user could be a Fortune 500 company and that talks are preliminary; details on expected jobs and wage levels were not yet available because of an NDA. The developer asked if the village would be open to annexation in light of a possible user.
Council questions and concerns Councilors said the proposal contained too many unknowns to enable an immediate positive decision. Primary concerns included: - County boundary and service complexity: the parcel spans Pickaway and Franklin counties, which raises different inspection, tax and service jurisdictions. - Utilities: Councilors and staff discussed whether existing water and sewer capacity is sufficient and noted that parts of the adjacent Crabtree area currently lack sewer service; clearer utility plans were requested. - Jobs and fiscal benefit: Councilors asked for a threshold of jobs/wage levels that would make the annexation attractive; one councilor suggested 450-plus good‑paying jobs would be in the ballpark of interest, but the council did not set a formal threshold.
Next steps The developer said they expect a counter‑response from the user within roughly 30 days and hoped to provide more specific job and wage data at that time. Council asked the developer to return with more concrete employment numbers and utility plans before the village would consider annexation. Several councilors said they may prefer the property remain with Franklin County if utility and jurisdictional complications prove too large.
Ending No annexation or formal action occurred. Developers will return with more detail about the user, jobs and utility needs before the village considers a formal annexation petition.
