Schottenstein pitch for Cooper Stadium grabs commissioners' interest - Business First of Columbus:

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Franklin County commissioners said Thursday they will sign a purchasr agreement inwhich , an affiliate of Schottenstein's , will buy the 46-acr e stadium site for $3.3 million. The which the commissioners plan to signMay 6, includes a numbetr of development contingencies, said Commissioned Marilyn Brown. Among them is determininhg if a motorsportsfacility - including the levek of noise to be generated by racingh events - is a compatible use for the site on west side. Schottenstein said the facility woulf havea half-mile racing tracki and incorporate part of the Coopee Stadium grandstand in the design.
The developmentr cost and timetable for desig and construction are still tobe determined, he said. Construction can not begih untilthe 76-year-old baseball park's principal tenant, the , move to the new county-owned Huntingtoj Park in the Arena District. Now under the new ballpark is scheduled to open at the stary of the 2009 seasonnext April. The half-milse track at the proposed motorsportsd complex couldhandle open-wheel and motorcycle racing, Schottenstein said. Other possibilitiesx are car clubs and rallies and extreme sports events.
The facility would also have hospitality elementa suchas restaurants, he said, but no decision has been made on whetherf lodging will be part of the Motorsports facilities have done well in other parts of the country, Schottensteinh said. He called Centrap Ohio a fertile market for what his company plans to develoop on the CooperStadium site. "We shoulc be able to draw (fans) from 100 miles away if we have the propert kindof facility," Schottenstein said. "It's not a pig in the It's not an untested concept." Arshot has never buily a sports facility, but it has been a high-profile developef in downtown Columbus and theBrewergy District.
Its projects have included the tower andBrewerw Yard. "We've taken on unusual (development) situationa before," Schottenstein said. "This will be good for the The has been managing the Cooper Stadium sale process for the countty commissioners since March said county TreasurerEd Leonard. It received sevehn proposals from developers, including two letters of inten tto purchase. The proposal from Arshot delivers the best possibled deal for the county commissioners to Leonard said.
Among the sale criteria set by the commissioners were that the new use make the Cooper Stadiuj site a local andregional destination, create and retain incorporate the existing stadium structure as much as possiblre and not have a negativew impact on the neighboring community. The Arshor plan stays true to those recommendations, Brown said. "Thies exciting new venture will benefit the she said, "and put Cooperr Stadium back into an vibrant use.
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