The concept rendering of the future Target Store coming in 2018. Credit: Courtesy of Target
Target’s red bullseye will soon be displayed on the corner of East 16th Avenue and North High Street as construction on the retailer’s “urban” off-campus store progresses.
The retailer will be in a mixed-use building with popular fast-food restaurant Chick-fil-A and Huntington Bank underneath the new apartment complex, “The Wellington.” The building and stores are expected to open just before Autumn Semester 2018.
Target began opening its “flexible-format” locations, which are smaller in size and item selection than its typical stores, in order to cater to the needs of urban areas where it previously couldn’t.
The off-campus store will be approximately 28,000 square feet, which is significantly smaller than the average 100,000-square-foot Target stores, said Ryan Szymanski, president of Edwards Companies, the project’s developer.
The items offered will be marketed toward the needs of the residents in the area, Szymanski said, meaning there won’t be a kids’ clothing section.
Items at the Target will include fresh groceries, grab-and-go items, salads, snacks and frozen food. It also will sell dorm and apartment essentials. There also will be a CVS pharmacy and a Starbucks inside the store.
Szymanksi said there is approximately 12,000 square feet left to be rented in the building’s available retail space, and the company is in the process of looking at different proposals for those spots.
As of September 2016, Target operated 23 “flexible-format” stores and planned to open 18 more between 2017 and 2018, he said.
“Growth on college campuses and in urban markets is a priority for Target. We’re able to serve more guests by adding flexible-format stores near top universities across the country, including the quick-trip shopping experience we’ll provide in 2018 to The Ohio State University Columbus campus,” Mark Schindele, senior vice president for Target, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to open our first flexible-format store in Franklin County and to join the Buckeye community.”
The Wellington apartment complex will house 449 students and offer fully furnished units with one to four bedrooms, with private bathrooms for each room. The complex will have a clubhouse, movie theater, fitness center and study rooms.
For residents, there will be underground parking. For customers, there will be meter parking and some on-street parking.
“The project is ahead of schedule and we’re excited to continue leasing and get people moved in [The Wellington] next summer,” Syzmanski said. “We think that the location and retail amenities will be second to none in this market.”
