Mid-Ohio Food Collective and the City of Columbus plan to turn an abandoned shopping center into a 67,000-square-foot resource center with food, city services and more.

Columbus plans to invest $4 million in city funds into the project that would transform a former Kroger store on Refugee Road in the Eastland Area – into the MOFC’s Eastland Prosperity Center.

The Kroger, which was the area’s main grocery store, closed in May 2022, leaving many residents without easy access to food.

“Hunger remains at record levels across many communities and our data shows the Eastland area has the greatest unmet need in all of central Ohio,” said Mid-Ohio Food Collective President and CEO Matt Habash.

Both eviction and infant mortality rates in the Eastland area are among the highest in Franklin County, according to MOFC.

The new center is expected to open in 2026. Renderings show a dedicated entrance to a Mid-Ohio fresh food market and a larger entrance to the main facility, which is set to include a community health center. Services and programs like the Far East Neighborhood Pride Center and a WIC (women, infants and children) nutrition program are set to be located in the building.

“The Eastland Prosperity Center will help transform the area from a human services desert into a healthier community with opportunity for all,” said Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther.

MOFC anticipates the center will serve more than 100,000 people each year.

Construction on the center is set to begin in 2025 and is estimated to cost $13.5 million. The city’s $4 million investment is the largest single contribution to the project so far. City funding will come from the capital budget and proposed Community Development Block Grant funds.