Developer proposes overhaul of Dublin Village shopping center, adding apartments

The owners of Dublin Village are proposing major changes to the shopping center, west of Sawmill Road and south of Interstate 270.

The owners of Dublin Village are proposing major changes to the 35-year-old Sawmill Road strip center that has sputtered a bit over the years.

Under a plan submitted to the city of Dublin, Stavroff Land and Development is proposing making over the 54-acre center by adding adding two apartment buildings on the northwest corner of the property, at Village Parkway and Tuller Road.

The apartments would be the first of a multi-phase redevelopment of the center, all designed to better connect the center to the rest of the city's Bridge Street District and allow more of its parking lots to be developed.

"The timing is right to make a move," said Matt Stavroff, owner of Stavroff Land and Development. "Now's the time to transform all or part of this site."

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The 442,000-square-foot center, anchored by AMC Dublin Village 18, thrived for many years with tenants that included Michaels, Phar-Mor, Jo-Ann Fabrics and DSW, but started struggling after the turn of the century.

A developer has proposed major chances to Dublin Village, the 35-year-old shopping center on the west side of Sawmill Road south of Interstate 270.

"Dublin Village began to decline rapidly in the early 2000s due to the drastic oversupply of retail real estate, a lack of visibility and awkward access from the primary thoroughfares (and) a decrease in demand due to online shopping," Stavroff said in a note to the city.

After buying the center in 2009, Stavroff stabilized its occupancy.

Starting with a major renovation of the AMC theater in 2013, Stavroff filled the space with a mix of fitness and sports tenants. In addition to the AMC theater, major tenants now include Big Sandy's, Billiard's Plus, Maninno's Grand Slam USA, Trading Places, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, First Federal Lakewood, Revelry Tavern, The Golf Room, Go-Yoga and Throw Nation.

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"The movie theater renovation was the deal that breathed new life into Dublin Village," Stavroff said.

Stavroff recently renovated the center's only vacancy, a 40,000-square-foot corner space once occupied by Phar-Mor, into office space with a new entrance.

Tenants say they are pleased with the location and traffic.

"They've done a good job getting people in here," said Billiard's Plus manager Sarah Hoffman. "We do well here; it's a very sportsy-themed center."

But Stavroff said the center is due for an update, and for a major change in its layout, which is dominated by parking lots. Dublin Village occupies the eastern edge of the city's Bridge Street District, a specially zoned area that also includes Bridge Park to the west.

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"We have an old-style layout," said Stavroff. "It's an under-utilized piece of real estate. We've got 50 acres and lots of surface parking."

Stavroff's plan calls for two new seven-story apartment buildings north of the AMC Theatre, containing a total of 278 apartments above two levels of covered parking. The height exceeds the zoning limit of 4½ stories, and would require a variance.

Four rows of townhouses around the apartments would create a city-like streetscape and bring the total number of residences to 292.

"Doing a Class A apartment project will bring more life into Dublin Village," Stavroff said. "We need younger people living here."

Matt Stavroff, left, president of Stavroff Land Development, and his son, Seve, showcase the former Phar-Mor space in Dublin Village that the company recently renovated.

In addition to the apartment buildings, Stavroff is proposing several road changes designed to improve access to the center. The biggest change would extend John Shields Parkway through the center, ultimately connecting with Sawmill Road.

The plan also calls for extending McCune Avenue through the center from the west.

The city approved a similar plan in 2013 that called for apartments and extending John Shields Parkway.

Dublin city officials were not available for comment, but in a report on Stavroff's plan, city staff said extending John Shields Parkway and McCune Avenue "is consistent" with the city's Bridge Street plans.

Stavroff hopes adding residences and changing the center's traffic patterns will drive development of the rest of the center.

"There's going to be a lot of stuff going on," he said.

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dublin Village shopping center on Sawmill Road could see big changes