A Franklin County judge hasruled that cleanup of the former Golden Bear shopping center sitein Upper Arlington can continue, saying the development company did not prove its case for a temporary restraining order against the city.
Arcadia Development, which uses the entity Golden Bear Development LLC for the project at the site,sued the city on April 23, contending that efforts to use a private contractor to perform cleanup work could cause damage to the work being done on the property, located near theintersection of Riverside Drive and Fishinger Road.
Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Karen Phipps ruled on April 27 that Golden Bear Development had not proven its case for a temporary restraining order blocking the work by the private contractor. Phipps ruled that the developer's request for a preliminary injunction be referred to a magistrate for a hearing, which is scheduled for June 1.
Construction and development work on the property have been ongoing since 2018.
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Upper Arlington and city residents have expressed concern about the site after the developers changed their plans following the demolition of the former shopping center in 2023.
Arcadia's building permits expired in October 2025. The day after the permit expirations, Upper Arlington issued notice of violations of the city's property maintenance code to the developer, court records say. The city gave the developers until Jan. 6 to remedy some of the property code violations, and until April 6 for others that may be impacted by winter weather.
In March, the lawsuit states, the city published a bid opportunity for private contracting work on the site, including leveling the site to its original grade, reseeding with grass, and adding a gravel path. Upper Arlington entered into an agreement for more than $100,000 of work on April 16.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached atbbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch:Developer can't pause Upper Arlington work at Golden Bear site, judge rules
