"The western part of the site, what we call Lot 7, the soil is horrible," Aaron Boyle told the Columbus plan commission in July. "The fill is tremendous. I'm not sure there's an economical way to do it." Boyle is a principal at Midland Atlantic Properties, the developer that now owns the long-empty former Clarion Hotel and Conference Center property at 2480 W. Jonathan Moore Pike. That same week he announced the first tenants anyone in Tipton Lakes has heard named for that site in years.
His quote explains the whole site better than the tenant list does. Since the hotel came down, every plan for this ground has run into the same trouble: soil, drainage and access to the road. The plan that finally got approved is built around those limits. What west-side drivers will see over the next stretch is a series of separate projects filling in one at a time, each with its own review, more than a single grand opening.
Fifty-Four Years as a Hotel, Nine as a Field
The building opened in 1963 as a Holiday Inn. It closed on July 10, 2017, with a sheriff's auction coming up. Columbus Regional Health owned the property after that. The Republic has reported the 2017 purchase price as $4.25 million. Demolition started late in 2017. By early February 2018 the building was still coming down, and the contractor expected the site to be cleared by the end of March.
From there the site sat through a string of plans:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 2017 | Clarion closes; CRH takes ownership |
| Late 2017 to early 2018 | Hotel demolished |
| May 2021 | CRH announces a mixed-use plan with more than $90 million in investment |
| March 2022 | Development partner Clearpath Services exits; CRH holds onto only its medical-facility idea |
| March 2024 | CRH reaches a preliminary agreement to sell |
| Dec. 22, 2025 | Midland Atlantic buys the property for $5.5 million |
| July 2026 | Plan commission approves seven commercial lots on 20.73 acres |
| Sept. 2026 | City awards the Carr Hill Road extension contract |
What the 2021 Plan Asked of This Ground
The vision CRH announced in May 2021 was big. It called for more than 550,000 square feet of mixed-use space, including a CRH outpatient facility of roughly 36,000 square feet, a hotel, a small grocer, retail, restaurants, apartments, an interpretive center and a trail connection. A 2022 environmental application put numbers on it: about 220 apartments and a 100-room hotel. It also described an "interpretive welcome center, an architectural monument that evokes the proud tradition of Columbus' iconic, historic church spires."
By March 2022, Clearpath Services of Bloomington had not been able to finalize the wider plan, and its relationship with CRH ended. CRH said it would build the medical facility on its own, but The Republic reported this summer that "nothing ever came of it."
City officials have given their own explanation for why the site stayed empty so long. They point to challenges tied to infrastructure and flooding. A plan with apartments, a hotel and a grocery store has to solve all of those problems across the whole parcel at once. Midland's plan splits the land into pieces, so the easier lots can move first and the hardest one can wait.
Seven Lots, Three Names
Midland's approved plan divides the 20.73 acres into seven commercial lots and one common area. Four of those lots face Jonathan Moore Pike, which The Republic calls one of the crucial "gateways" into downtown Columbus. As of the July approval, the lots break down like this:
- Chick-fil-A: deal reached; the second location in Columbus
- Wawa: deal reached; the first location in Columbus
- Crew Carwash: deal reached; the second location in Columbus
- Three more lots: in talks, with nothing committed
- Lot 7: the western parcel, which Boyle described as close to undevelopable because of soil, fill and flooding
On the open lots, Boyle said, "We're talking to other quick service restaurants, other types of retailers and restaurants. We don't have those deals committed yet." None of the three named tenants has a public construction start or opening date. The Republic's most recent site story, from Sept. 5, covers road access, not groundbreaking.
The Road That Has to Come First
Before any car can turn into a drive-thru, the site needs a back door. The Indiana Department of Transportation required the developer to get access to Johnson Boulevard. To provide it, the city is extending the northern end of Carr Hill Road to the west.
The Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety gave the contract to Walls Excavating LLC for $290,305.65, paid for with state READI 2.0 money the city received for the project. City Engineer Andrew Beckort said the new road will run between 350 and 400 feet. Back in July, the city had set aside about $500,000 in READI 2.0 funds for this work, so the winning bid came in well under that figure.
One detail from that same meeting shows how busy west-side roadwork is about to get. The board also approved up to $35,000 for Strand Associates to provide 200 hours of construction observation. Beckort said that with the overlay project and other road work underway, his engineering staff doesn't have time to oversee it.
Every Lot Gets Its Own Hearing
The site sits inside the Columbus Front Door Overlay Zoning District. That means the plan commission reviews each lot on its own as it comes forward. The July vote approved the site development plan, and the development of each lot, including the Chick-fil-A, Wawa and Crew Carwash lots, is subject to the commission's discretion as it comes online.
The approval itself showed how closely the commission watches this gateway. Members spent more than an hour on signage alone. Midland offered to give up almost half the signage the zoning ordinance allows. In exchange it asked for a couple of shared signs that would otherwise not be permitted, plus some other sign-related concessions. The commission also granted waivers covering site access and signage. Planners, commissioners and the developer had been working through these details for the previous seven months.
For anyone who drives Jonathan Moore Pike every day, the practical effect is that each lot gets its own public hearing. Each hearing is the point where a tenant's look, signs and driveway get settled, and where a new name for one of the three open lots would first become public.
Wawa Is Running on a Statewide Clock
Wawa's arrival depends on a company schedule as much as a local one. In a May 30, 2025 release, Wawa said its first three Indiana stores were open and five more were expected by the end of that year. It projected 8 to 12 new Indiana stores a year after that, for 60 over six years. When Wawa first laid out its Indiana plan in 2023, Columbus was not among the first 15 contracted locations. Neither Wawa nor the local coverage has given a Columbus opening date.
The Rest of the West-Side Drive
The Clarion site isn't the only road work on the west side this season. In early September, the city awarded Dave O'Mara Contractor a $1,875,854 overlay contract covering 25 street segments and just under five miles of road. Work starts this fall, and the estimated completion date is June 18, 2027. Three segments near Tipton Lakes are on the list:
- Tupelo Drive East, from Goeller Boulevard to its end, gets the heaviest treatment, a 100% patch.
- Harrison Road, from Ridge Road and Tipton Lakes Boulevard to Kinney Lane, gets lighter patching.
- Goeller Court, from Colorado Street to its end, also gets lighter patching.
Farther out, INDOT's $12.8 million State Road 46 pavement replacement is set for downtown, along Second and Third streets, State Street and Lindsey Street. It is planned in six phases, from fall 2027 through fall 2029, with closures and detours to be announced as the work moves along. That's the route west-side drivers take into downtown, so it lines up roughly with the years when the Clarion lots should be filling in.
Meanwhile, the Pike has already picked up one new business. Tribal Blend Cat Cafe opened in April at 4210 W. Jonathan Moore Pike. Owner Clarence Simms pairs coffee with a room of adoptable cats, run with the Bartholomew County Humane Society. The cafe's calendar lists events into November 2026.
On the old Clarion site, the next sign of progress will be construction on Carr Hill Road. After that, the commission will review each tenant's lot, starting with the three that have deals.
If you'd like to talk through how the changes along Jonathan Moore Pike fit into your plans for a Tipton Lakes home, Christopher Braun follows these west-side projects closely and would be glad to meet. Schedule a private tour or consultation whenever it suits you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
