Columbus Coated Fabrics, is the name of a recently abandoned manufacturing facility located in Columbus, Ohio. The factory was dedicated to the manufacture of vinyl coated cloth products during and subsequent to World War II. The complex lay untouched after finally ceasing operations in June of 2001, and in 2003, during the initial planning stages of its demolition, suffered extensive damages resulting from a chemical fire.

The City of Columbus took title to the 17.4-acre “brownfield” site known as the Columbus Coated Fabrics property in December 2006 after nearly two years of discussions among Campus Partners, a non-profit urban redevelopment organization; the former owner of the property, Decorative Surfaces International (DSI); and a bankruptcy court in the state of Delaware.

DSI ceased manufacturing on the site in 2001 and entered bankruptcy in 2002. The site has been used for industrial purposes, most recently for the production of plastic coated wall coverings, for more than a century. In the last five years, the property has been plagued by illegal salvaging, vandalism, fires and other public safety problems.

Campus Partners is under contract with the City of Columbus to manage the asbestos removal and demolition of the existing buildings on the site. Champion Environmental Services was selected in February 2007 to conduct the asbestos removal and demolition, which began in April and is scheduled to be concluded by August 2007.

The city submitted an application on April 2, 2007, for $3 million from the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) to remove contamination from the Columbus Coated Fabrics site in the Weinland Park neighborhood of the University District. The Ohio Department of Development administers CORF and is expected to announce grant recipients in July 2007. If the city receives a CORF grant, the removal of contaminated soil and other clean up on the site likely would be done in 2008.

The city’s CORF application is available for public review through May 22, 2007, at the Northside Branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library, 1423 N. High St. In addition, a public meeting to discuss the application will be held on May 22, 2007, at 6 p.m. at the Northside Branch.

Campus Partners has an agreement with the City of Columbus under which Campus Partners will acquire the Columbus Coated Fabrics property once a development agreement is executed with city and other conditions are met. Campus Partners would pay the city for half of the city's investment in the acquisition of the property and demolition of the buildings.

In turn, Campus Partners has worked with Wagenbrenner Development Company of Columbus on plans to redevelop the Columbus Coated Fabrics property and an adjacent four acres now under contract to Campus Partners. Wagenbrenner proposes to build about 500 units of homes and apartments with approximately 1.5 acres of greenspace and a community center. The proposal grew from the recommendations in the Weinland Park Neighborhood Plan adopted by Columbus City Council in 2006.

Columbus Oil Cloth

Opening its doors in 1901 as Columbus Oil Cloth