Columbus officials broke ground Monday, October 19, on a new $18 million police substation at Easton Town Center, moving ahead with a project city leaders say is needed to serve one of the region’s busiest commercial districts. Mayor Andrew Ginther joined other city officials for the groundbreaking at 3395 Easton Way, where the new facility will be built to replace an aging substation that police say the division has outgrown.
The new substation will replace police substation 6 at 5030 Elry Road, a building Chief Elaine Bryant described as about 50 years old. Bryant said substations built decades ago no longer reflect how policing works today and are not efficient for officers or residents. The Easton location will serve Zone 1 officers who cover northeast portions of the city, placing them in a more central spot for the neighborhoods and businesses they patrol.
Ginther said the city must proceed despite a tight budget because Easton is a crucial economic hub that generates income tax, property tax and sales tax revenue. He said the city must protect its collective investment, describing Easton as one of the largest job centers outside downtown Columbus and a place that continues to grow, create jobs and draw visitors who spend money in the area.
Bryant said the design of the new building is intended to make it easier for officers to work closely with the community, with space where people can meet comfortably. She noted that vehicle break-ins and thefts, a frequent problem at Easton and at many retail areas, have been declining thanks to work by Columbus police and Easton’s private security. City leaders said a visible substation on Easton Way may also help deter large disturbances and rowdy behavior that have occasionally drawn headlines at the center.
The project has been in the works for several years. Easton Town Center offered the city almost four acres of land on Easton Way for free if the city agreed to build a substation there, an offer Ginther called extraordinary and praised as a private partner recognizing a community need. Ginther first announced plans for the substation as part of his 2025 capital budget proposal, which at the time set aside $14 million for the project.
The groundbreaking came the same day Columbus City Council held a hearing on police and fire overtime spending, underscoring the city’s budget pressures. Even so, officials argued the substation is a long-term investment, pointing to Easton’s role in the regional economy and the need for modern facilities on a growing northeast side.
Construction will now move forward at the Easton Way site, and a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said the substation is expected to open sometime in 2028. Once it opens, Zone 1 officers will relocate from the Elry Road building to the new facility, giving police a permanent, prominent base inside one of Columbus’s most visited destinations and, city leaders hope, a stronger connection with the residents, workers and shoppers around it.
Photo: DrBob317, CC BY