A $566 Million Plan to Reinvent Tuttle Mall

Local News

There's a park on Hard Road named after a Polish general who helped America win its independence. But there's a pretty interesting reason why his name ended up here in Dublin.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a military engineer who served in George Washington's Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. His work included designing defenses at West Point, helping protect one of America's most strategically important military positions.

And here's the Dublin connection. As a reward for his service, Kosciuszko was granted approximately 500 acres of land along the Scioto River, including property that's now part of our city. He never actually settled here, but more than 200 years later, his name lives on at Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park.

This Sunday, the Dublin Historical Society is hosting a talk by Dr. Chris Hariasz, president of the Kosciuszko Foundation's Ohio chapter, about the general's remarkable life and his connection to Dublin.

The presentation takes place tomorrow from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Dublin library and includes time for questions. If you enjoy discovering the stories behind some of Dublin's familiar places, this sounds like a particularly interesting one.

You can register for the free event here.

Local News

Imagine walking into Dublin Coffman High School and finding food from Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iran, Japan, Mexico, and Ukraine, all prepared and shared by your fellow students.

That's pretty much what happened this week, when hundreds of students gathered for the school's annual Taste of Coffman, organized by the Multicultural Club.

But there's a lot more to this event than trying food from around the world.

Each student who brought a dish also created a display with photos and information about their family's heritage. So alongside sampling everything from Venezuelan arepas to Ukrainian sugar bread, students could learn about the cultures and traditions behind the food.

For some students, it was a chance to share traditions they've grown up with. For others, it was an opportunity to try something unfamiliar and learn a little about where their classmates come from.

And that's a pretty nice idea for a school event. Good food, interesting conversations, and a chance for students to get to know one another a little better. You can read more about it and see more photos here.

Local News

Just a few weeks ago, we were wondering what might become of Tuttle Mall, with only 36 businesses left and no clear plans for its future. Well, now someone has come forward with a pretty ambitious idea.

And we're not talking about adding a few new stores.

Ben Jay, a former Ohio State athletics executive, is proposing a $566 million transformation of the mall into an entirely new neighborhood, complete with 1,000 to 1,600 homes, shops, restaurants, parks, and even a school.

But here's what makes the proposal particularly interesting.

Instead of tearing everything down, Jay wants to reuse much of what's already there. The former Sears could become a school and learning center, JCPenney could turn into an indoor sports complex, and much of the enormous parking area could make way for housing, green spaces, and walking paths. Macy's and Scene75 would remain.

And there's another encouraging development. The mall's owners told 10TV they share the vision and would welcome the opportunity to work with the City of Columbus to explore it further.

Of course, there's a long way to go. This is still one man's proposal, not an approved project. There's no financing agreement, and the city hasn't committed to moving forward.

But after years of watching Tuttle slowly empty out, it's fascinating to imagine what those 82 acres could become.

And perhaps the biggest question is whether the people who own the property, the city, and potential investors can actually come together to make something like this happen.

You can see the renderings and read more about the proposal on 10TV.