What’s coming next for Ohio State’s Carmenton innovation district

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Ohio State University introduced its next stage of development for West Campus, initiating a partnership with a not-for-profit corporation to develop 63 acres of the university's innovation district.

The Master Planning and Facilities board committee met Tuesday and approved an agreement with the university-affiliated Science and Technology Campus Corporation (SciTech). If approved by the full Board of Trustees, SciTech would develop 18% of the innovation district, named Carmenton, a 350-acre portion of West Campus designed to attract businesses, grow the community, and build research centers.

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SciTech provides research and development opportunities for high-tech companies with support from Ohio State, Columbus and Ohio. Its board of directors is made up of university and community leaders, and it was founded in 1996 to help develop a research hub on West Campus.

According to documents, the partnership would allow SciTech to lease 13 acres for 40 years and sublease two vertical development parcels to Tishman Speyer Properties for a mixed-use development. According to the agreement, the project may include residential buildings, retail and parking and would be next to the Pelotonia Research Center and Energy Advancement and Innovation Center.

The remaining 50 acres would also partner with Tishman, and the two entities would work together to build and sublease the space for the next 10 years. Tishman Speyer is the global real estate company behind large collaborative mixed-use projects including the Pittsburgh Steelers' Hazelwood Green sports complex and Harvard University's Enterprise Research Campus.

Representatives said Ohio State aims to combine green spaces, entertainment spaces, dining, residential areas, and innovative research facilities to make Carmenton a pedestrian-friendly campus and Columbus hub.

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"This agreement between Ohio State, SciTech and Tishman Speyer is the next step in the creation of an innovation district unlike any other," Amanda Hoffsis, president of SciTech, said. "We have very high expectations for Carmenton and its long-term impact on the city of Columbus, the state of Ohio and the region."

SciTech has already developed parts of Carmenton, including the Kinnear Road corridor. The corridor boasts a semiconductor in a class 100 cleanroom, the third cleanest classified environment on Earth, and one of the top five scanning microscope centers in the world.

Although the facilities committee voted in favor, the plan awaits full approval. The proposals will be discussed again Wednesday during the Finance and Investment board committee, and voted on in the full Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 20.