Latest news with #RayRay
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Downtown population, employment up in 2024 as $1 billion in projects underway
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Downtown's population and workforce continued to rebound in 2024 as nearly 29 million visits fueled an increase in hotel occupancy and $174 million worth of projects wrapped construction. A new report by the Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts found that Downtown's population rose from 12,000 to about 12,500 last year. The annual report, gauging the vitality of Columbus, said Downtown's office vacancy rate decreased in the last quarter of 2024 to 22.3%, coinciding with an increase in workers from about 88,000 in 2023 to more than 92,000. Ohio State to give LeBron James an honorary degree Downtown's post-pandemic recovery in hospitality also continued as hotel occupancy reached 58.1%, up from 54.3% in 2023 and 49.1% in 2022. The report said there were 5.2 million unique visitors to Downtown in 2024 who made a combined 28.6 million visits, a million more than in the previous year. Columbus' bump came as 13 projects totaling $174 million completed construction in 2024, including the $56 million Astor Park office building near Field, a $60 million apartment building named The Madison on North High Street, a $15 million renovation of the Scioto Mile Fountain, and a $4 million BalletMet expansion. Downtown also saw 10 new businesses open their doors last year, including a French bistro at the corner of Gay and High streets and the neighboring first Ohio location for a South Carolina seafood restaurant. The city continued its small business initiative that saw several move into the area, like Black Kahawa Coffee and Three Bites Bakery on Broad Street. The Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts hope $1 billion worth of projects under construction will continue fueling Downtown growth. The report said an increase of about 1,000 housing units a year could yield a Downtown population of 14,100 by the end of 2025, 16,400 in 2026 and 17,100 in 2027. Ray Ray's Hog Pit to open new location in former Wizard of Za shop Projects under construction include the $430 million Merchant Tower being built on the North Market's former parking lot, a $107 million conversion of Continental Centre into housing, and an Astor Park residential building with nearly 450 units. The report noted there are $2.3 billion worth of projects that are being proposed, like the $573 million Capital Square Renaissance project revamping underutilized buildings and surface parking lots, the $290 million second phase of The Peninsula, a $122 million apartment building with a grocer, and the $100 million Capital Line project building a two-mile pathway through the heart of Downtown. View the full Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts report below. 2024-State-of-Downtown-ReportDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ray Ray's Hog Pit to open new location in former Wizard of Za shop
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ray Ray's Hog Pit, a fleet of barbecue eateries featured on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,' is trading one of its food trucks for a new central Ohio storefront inside the space previously home to Wizard of Za. The brand's longtime food truck parked outside Ace of Cups is shuttering to make way for a new brick-and-mortar location inside a shared space with sushi chain Fusian at 4214 N. High St. in the Clintonville neighborhood. Fusian was most recently roommates with Wizard of Za, a pizzeria whose Sicilian-style pies garnered a month-long wait during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trapper Johns Livery reopens with new owner after 2024 closure Closed in January, Wizard of Za was created by Youngstown native Spencer Saylor, who sold his pizza through his Instagram in 2020 and later collaborated with Paceline Restaurants, the owner of Fusian, to move into the Clintonville store. Paceline acquired the Wizard of Za brand in 2022 and expanded with a second location in Dayton that closed last year. Ray Ray's Clintonville move comes after the brand opened its first full-service restaurant inside a historic Marion building on May 13. Although Ray Ray's is known for food trucks and walk-up eateries, the Marion restaurant marks the brand's first foray into full-service dining. Watch a previous report on the Marion restaurant in the video player above. The barbecue fleet is currently home to several other central Ohio eateries, like the food truck parked outside Aardvark Wine & Beer in Linworth. The brand also operates a walk-up window at Land-Grant Brewing in Franklinton, a drive-thru in Westerville, and a casual dine-in and pick-up location in Granville. $250 million facility opens down the road from Intel in New Albany, creating 225 jobs Ray Ray's Reload, one of the brand's renovated food trucks, was parked outside The Bottle Shop in Victorian Village for most of 2024 before moving in November to Hoof Hearted Brewery in the Short North. Chef and Ray Ray's owner James Anderson was featured on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' in 2017, praised for his 'succulent smoked offerings' at the 'one-of-a-kind' barbecue truck. During the episode, Guy Fieri tried Ray Ray's Mangalitsa Brat Burger and St. Louis Spare Ribs. Ray Ray's new Clintonville shop will open in June. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
