Outlet Malls and Exits - Sunbury vs. Jeffersonville (Columbus, Cincinnati: hotels, construction)

[wrightflyer]

Well, the outlet mall near Sunbury is set to open 06-24! Expect lots of traffic going up I-71 to US36. That should be an even better exit to take, especially at Christmas.

https://www.tangeroutlet.com/columbus

Which begs a few questions...

Why did Tanger, who owns Jeffersonville, decide to build a second outlet mall for the Columbus metro?

At least with Jeffersonville, you could grab Cincinnati and Dayton. I suspect Simon opening the Premium Outlets in Monroe, off I-75, had something to do with it. Why drive from Dayton or especially Cincinnati to a farm field outlet, when you could easily go to one right off I-75 in the middle of the sprawl that is Cincinnati-Dayton? My guess is Tanger decided to at least hedge and build a new mall just north of Columbus to capture the northern half of the state (minus parts of NE Ohio, which uses Aurora, I'd assume). Tanger also took over Jeffersonville after Simon purchased its original management company. In the process, anti-trust regulators told Simon they had to sell one of the two (Monroe or Jeffersonville). Tanger bought what Simon sold.

The new location in Sunbury doesn't seem quite as large as Jeffersonville. But many of Sunbury's stores can be found at Jeffersonville. How long do people think Jeffersonville II will last with Sunbury open?

As a side note, the current Jeffersonville is the second incarnation of an outlet mall in that vicinity. Jeffersonville I is an exit north and is basically empty, minus a slot parlor and a gun-sales warehouse.

Finally, will I-71 ever get another exit for Delaware County, particularly between US36 and Polaris/Gemini? That would probably alleviate some of the congestion around those two/three exits at rush hour (and Christmas-peak). They have developed much of the land already between the two, so I doubt it would open a floodgate of large amounts of new sprawl. I thought I remember discussion on this when I first started at OSU, though it soon died as the economy went south in '08.

[Fletchman]

Delaware County really needs a new East-West thoroughfare. U.S. 36 is going to be maxed out.

I think "Sunbury Parkway" may be an attempt, but they really need a highway that goes from U.S. 42, passing south of Delaware, all the way east across I-71 to Sunbury.

[Weaubleau]

I thought outlet malls were things of the past. I am surprised that a new one is opening anywhere.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by Weaubleau

I thought outlet malls were things of the past. I am surprised that a new one is opening anywhere.

They've (meaning Simon, Tanger and General Growth), have been focusing mostly on outlet mall development since the recession ended. It hasn't ever really slowed down, but probably more like cannibalized other, smaller and older outlet malls.

As for general, indoor-style malls a la the 60's-90's, those have gone by the wayside. Since the success of Easton and other similar outdoor centers over the last 10-15 years, that has been the prevailing trend in large scale shopping center development, alongside the power centers (aka big box meccas).

Any good class A indoor malls have been renovated over the last decade or so as well. It is the mid-market malls that will struggle with online and big box retailers. Small market malls that have nearby competition will also be hurting or are hurting. Think River Valley in Lancaster and Indian Mound in Newark. Those will be suffering the greatest since Columbus's offerings are so close. Ohio Valley Mall outside Wheeling, WV, and malls like the one in Warren, OH (East-something???) will be better off, despite smaller markets because there isn't as convenient of an alternative.

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

Ohio Valley Mall outside Wheeling, WV, and malls like the one in Warren, OH (East-something???) will be better off, despite smaller markets because there isn't as convenient of an alternative.

Haven't you heard of this place called ... Pittsburgh?

Originally Posted by Fletchman

Delaware County really needs a new East-West thoroughfare. U.S. 36 is going to be maxed out.

Somebody needs to bite the bullet and build freeway between I-71 and u.s. 23, North of Delaware. Better to bite the bullet now while there is still vacant land available instead of after everything is built out.

[ibagli]

Originally Posted by PerryMason614

Somebody needs to bite the bullet and build freeway between I-71 and u.s. 23, North of Delaware. Better to bite the bullet now while there is still vacant land available instead of after everything is built out.

There were plans for that once, but unfortunately they seem to have been abandoned when Ohio decided not to participate in the I-73 project.

[Sruckus]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

Ohio Valley Mall outside Wheeling, WV, and malls like the one in Warren, OH (East-something???) will be better off, despite smaller markets because there isn't as convenient of an alternative.

Good 'ol Eastwood Mall. A wonderful example of sprawl and they keep building hotels because who doesn't want to get a room at a boring third-rate mall?

[PerryMason614]

I just checked the map. Beavercreek is actually closer to Jeffersonville than it is to the Mason outlet mall by a couple of miles. That means if you are into outlet mall shopping they can still rely on people shopping from South Columbus and the Eastern Dayton suburbs.

U.s. 35 is virtually all freeway so it's not like taking I-75 is more convenient or anything.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by PerryMason614

Haven't you heard of this place called ... Pittsburgh?



Somebody needs to bite the bullet and build freeway between I-71 and u.s. 23, North of Delaware. Better to bite the bullet now while there is still vacant land available instead of after everything is built out.

I never can tell how long it takes to drive over all those hills!

As far as the exit, I saw something on the Columbus Underground site with mock-ups and plans for an interchange just south of the outlet mall with a redirect of US-36. Eventually, an extension from the new exit could go further east, designated as Sunbury Parkway.

http://www.columbusunderground.com/n...o-open-in-2020

On another note for this Polaris style interchange south of the outlet mall, if the developer is having to foot the bill for the new interchange, why wasn't it built before or (here's a no-brainer!) during the construction of the outlet mall itself? Not 3-6 years down the road?

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by PerryMason614

I just checked the map. Beavercreek is actually closer to Jeffersonville than it is to the Mason outlet mall by a couple of miles. That means if you are into outlet mall shopping they can still rely on people shopping from South Columbus and the Eastern Dayton suburbs.

U.s. 35 is virtually all freeway so it's not like taking I-75 is more convenient or anything.

True. But Beavercreek is only a small portion of the total Dayton metro population. I assume it would be perhaps a little easier for people north of US35 in northern portions of Dayton or its northern suburbs to travel to Jeffersonville.

However, for anyone south of Dayton, especially inside Montgomery County (think Centerville, West Carrollton, Miamisburg and Springboro), it would be much simpler to jump on I-75 and high-tail it to Monroe. It is only 5 exits south of Austin Landing. 6 exits from the I-75/675 interchange.