“Columbus isn”t over-built — it”s under-demolished.”
That”s according to Mark Castleberry, of Castle Properties, who made several suggestions about bettering the city, including flattening and reusing some buildings, at the Columbus Rotary Club luncheon Tuesday.
Right now, the market “doesn”t show well” when company representatives come through town, although it has improved, he said.
He said two of the main criteria long-term investors look at when they come to Columbus is, how does the city look and how are others in our industry doing.
To improve the city”s look and make room for new development, multiple vacant buildings should be destroyed, he said.
Revenue generation, which is generally good in Columbus, will grow as the economy improves, bringing in more businesses, he said.
“I think we”ll see new businesses coming to Columbus, new construction,” he said.
“From Castle Property”s microlevel,” he said later, “we”re feeling pretty good about things — not jumping up and down, but still feeling pretty good.”
One of the new construction projects, the Moore”s Creek Crossing hotel and restaurant project off 18th Avenue North, just east of U.S. Highway 82, is his.
The new Columbus Fairfield Inn & Suites is set for a soft opening at the end of this month and the nearby Logan”s Roadhouse is on track to open in August, he told the club.
The project will eventually feature a Marriott Courtyard next to the Fairfield Inn & Suites, and possibly two additional restaurants, which he declined to name.
Although the two restaurants haven”t fully committed, they are deep into the process, Castleberry said.
“We feel pretty good that we”ll have some other announcements coming down the line,” he added.
Chick-fil-A, IHOP and Olive Garden representatives have reportedly made inquiries about locating in the city.
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