Panel outlines strategy to reactivate downtown Columbus ground-floor retail

At a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum in downtown Columbus, a panel of city and private-sector leaders on Monday discussed efforts to revive downtown retail by activating ground-floor commercial spaces, expanding residential amenities and improving public infrastructure.

Columbus City Council member Nicholas Bankston said the conversation about “retail” in downtown is really about activating the ground-floor commercial layer: “When we talk about retail and particularly in a place like downtown, really what we're talking about is ground floor commercial activity,” he said, adding that experiential, local and unique offerings are more resilient than traditional big-box retail.

The panel described a multi-part approach to boost foot traffic and make retail sustainable. Amy Taylor, president of Downtown Columbus Incorporated, outlined the city’s Ground Floor Growth program, a curated pairing of landlords and small tenants that combines lease support, city grants and technical assistance. “We’ve approved five tenants,” Taylor said, and named businesses in the first wave: 3 Bites Bakery; Black Kahwa Coffee (recently opened at Broad and High); Quality Wellness on Long and Gay; Evolvery (clothing) slated for Q1 2025; and a home‑goods store expected in Q2 2025. Taylor said the city is participating in leases and providing grant support to help tenants through the early years when turnover is most likely.

Jimmy Merkel, CEO and cofounder of Rockbridge, emphasized the role of “place making” and destinations that draw people downtown. Citing his firm’s Junto hotel on the peninsula as an example, Merkel said developers must create reasons for people to visit: “what we do is we try to create experiences where people want to be.” He also gave a brief construction update on the Merchant Building, saying the project “is up 10 stories” and that the team expects completion around the end of 2026.

Panelists identified several recurring barriers to retail success downtown: insufficient residential rooftops in some areas, parking behavior and perceptions, low tree canopy and streetscape amenities, and financing gaps for small or new merchants. Bankston and others said office-worker foot traffic alone is unlikely to revive traditional retail; residents and visitors are key customers.

On mobility and public infrastructure, panelists said the Capital Line project is intended to connect nodes of activity across downtown. Taylor said phase 1 is through schematic design, with breaking ground planned for “next year” and an anticipated opening in late 2026 or early 2027. The panel also discussed leveraging publicly owned parking garages and improving pedestrian safety and lighting as parts of an accessibility and mobility strategy.

Panelists and audience members raised equity and affordability concerns. City and nonprofit speakers said some downtown housing projects include affordable units—examples named by panelists included Topiary Park Crossing (described as 100% affordable) and a YMCA-related project with units down to 30% area median income—and that the city and nonprofit developers are seeking a mix of price points and unit types. The council member’s office described a pilot capacity-building grant of up to $5,000 to help small businesses purchase equipment or fixtures; the program is intended to be scaled.

Speakers also urged coordinated support for new merchants beyond direct subsidy: technical assistance (accounting, HR, permitting), standardized points of contact for entrepreneurs, and marketing guidance such as social-media tactics. Kim Knights and Derek Pannell of the Columbus Empowerment Center were named as partners providing technical assistance to Ground Floor Growth participants.

Panelists pointed to recent placemaking and programming successes as evidence the approach can work. The panel noted a winter festival and other events that drew large downtown crowds; they said programming and hospitality—hotels, restaurants and public art—help convert visitors into regular patrons. Jeff Edwards and other local landlords were cited as early partners who recruited investment along corridors such as Gay and High streets.

Panelists and audience members did not propose new ordinances or citywide mandates during the discussion; rather, they described existing programs (Ground Floor Growth), planned infrastructure (Capital Line), private development activity (Merchant Building, Junto) and grant/pilot initiatives being expanded or adapted. A city-managed leasing process was mentioned for the recently vacated Milestone restaurant parcel along the riverfront; panelists said the city intends to pursue a request-for-proposals process in coordination with Finance and Management and Recreation and Parks.

Looking ahead, panelists said continued public‑private coordination, tree canopy and streetscape investment, targeted lease support and small-business technical assistance will be essential to turning nodes of activity into long-term retail destinations. Taylor said the next phase of the Ground Floor Growth program would be announced in January, and Merkel and other developers urged sustained investment to attract outside capital.

While the panel highlighted progress on specific corridors and named tenant commitments, several audience members called for clearer, larger-scale cash grant programs and more visible outreach to historically underserved entrepreneurs. Panelists said those needs are being addressed through a mix of city grants, low-interest lending programs at the state level and nonprofit technical assistance, but acknowledged the work remains ongoing.

Panelists closed by stressing that downtown retail vitality is linked to housing, tourism and jobs: a stronger downtown “pumps blood” to neighborhoods across the city, in the words of one speaker, making downtown success a regional economic priority.