THE RIDGES
As the Master Developers of the Ridges site, Community Building Partners and Buckeye Hills Regional Council are continually collaborating with valuable stakeholders – including Ohio University, the City of Athens, and Athens County, along with a team of planners, engineers, attorneys, and market analysts – to develop and implement an economically viable strategy to reactivate The Ridges in Athens, Ohio. This plan builds off the valuable work developed by the Ridges Framework Plan and will advance those objectives.
THE RIDGES — ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT
acres of natural Appalachia
Contribution to GDP ($)
sq ft of commercial space
construction jobs created
new units of housing
Create. Connect. Preserve.
The Ridges is an approximately 700-acre property sitting across the Hocking River from Ohio University’s campus core in Athens. The property was originally opened in the late 1800s as the Athens Lunatic Asylum, and the vacant property was transferred to Ohio University by the state in 1993. Many of the historic buildings at The Ridges have been renovated for a variety of uses by the University, including classrooms, research labs, cultural facilities and more.
Ohio University partnered with The Ridges Community Development LLC, made up of Buckeye Hills Regional Council and Community Building Partners, to create and implement The Ridges Development Strategy with the goal of continued rehabilitation and preservation of the property, including the incredible historic buildings. The Ridges Development Strategy sets out to move The Ridges Framework Plan, approved in 2015, to implementation and create mixed use space that will benefit the larger community, leveraging an external investment strategy.
The Ridges Development Strategy sets out to move The Ridges Framework Plan, approved in 2015, to implementation and create mixed use space that will benefit the larger community, leveraging an external investment strategy. The overall vision for new development is to compliment the university’s use and introduce living space with a variety of housing types, and a mixed-use center.
The development plan as determined by the University and Developers and guided by the Ridges New Community Authority:
- Integrates a variety of development types including
- Senior housing
- Artisan live-work units
- Market rate homeownership
- Affordable homeownership
- Owner occupied business opportunities
- Renewable energy
- Select Retail Development
- Utilizes innovative public and private financing tools
- Requires no financial obligation from the City, County or University
The Strategy leverages investment from private developers over a 7-10+ year time horizon to reactivate the Ridges as an asset to the larger Southeast Ohio region. Over time, the vision for the property includes both historic renovation of existing structures at the Ridges as well as new residential and commercial development across the site. The RNCA and The Ridges Community Development, LLC intends to deliver 700+ new units of housing and approximately 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The majority of the 700 acre site, an estimated 75% of it, is being placed into a conservation easement to ensure community hiking, birdwatching, and other recreational activities remain.
Historic preservation and environmental conservation are central themes of the reactivation strategy. We have an economically viable plan to rehabilitate and restore every one of the historic buildings on the Kirkbride campus. This reactivation of the Kirkbride campus will be supported with gentle residential development surrounding the historic campus – all on less than 100 acres. This allows over 600 acres of land to be preserved for environmental conservation, active recreation, and ongoing research at Ohio University’s Land Lab.
In addition to preserving and repurposing buildings on the Kirkbride campus, the strategy also preserves over 600 acres from development for educational and recreational uses. All of the highlighted land on the map will be untouched by development.
Buckeye Hills Regional Council and Community Building Partners are the master developers of The Ridges, and have developed this strategy in close coordination with key project partners identified below.
Ohio University will continue to be an anchor user at The Ridges moving forward. OU’s Voinovich School, located at the Ridges, will be a key partner in studying the development and replicating successful economic strategies in communities across the Appalachian region.
ZoneCo is a national leader in crafting clear, consistent, user-friendly, equitable, resilient, and defensible zoning regulations that promote your community’s vision. At the Ridges, ZoneCo provided zoning recommendations that allow for the seamless integration and development of new infill development alongside the historic redevelopment of the Ridges.
The National Land Advisory Group, established in 1987, is a multi-faceted corporation engaged in the market research and consulting of various real estate activities. National Land Advisory Group supplies consulting services to real estate and finance professionals and state housing agencies through conducting market feasibility studies. At the Ridges, the National Land Advisory Group established the viability to repurpose the site for a variety of users, including family housing, senior-housing, and artisan-live work communities.
OHM Advisors are an interdisciplinary firm of 600 professionals across planning, engineering, and landscape architecture. At the Ridges, OHM Advisors provided both civil engineering and land capacity analysis. The team identified costs associated with upgrading existing infrastructure serving the Kirkbride Campus and the infrastructure cost associated with the limited new development proposed at the Ridges. Their planners also assessed limited infill sites at the Ridges to identify opportunities for new housing that align with the market study and will support the ongoing investment at the Kirkbride Campus.
An innovative feature to finance this long-term development is the creation of a New Community Authority to guide the overall stewardship, rehabilitation, and preservation of The Ridges.
The New Community Authority will help complement the development of 27 acres of currently unused land and the redevelopment of 21 historic buildings on the Ridges’ property.
This strategy relieves the University, the City of Athens, and Athens County from taking on financial liabilities beyond those specific engagements that may be of interest to any or all these entities. The New Community Authority can engage with multiple developers, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to catalyze individually financed investments that complement the master development plan. The RCNA is a separate public body led by a board of trustees— appointed by the master developer, the City of Athens, and the community —who is tasked with aligning infrastructure, development, and community benefit for this site without placing new financial obligations on local governments.
The Ridges Framework Plan addressed the current state of The Ridges land and buildings, investigated potential uses and adaptability, identified global issues bearing on access and integration with the rest of campus, and outlined financial strategies to realize the potential of this resource. The plan is sensitive to the significance of The Ridges as a community and regional asset.
The analysis described was informed by the history of this complex, previous studies, and new collection of data and ideas. Significant input to the process from both campus and community was provided by the Ridges Master Planning Committee and its subcommittees, the Ridges Advisory Committee, and the public, through meetings and workshops.
Sign up for Email Updates:
The Ridges in the News
