Arshot Investment Corporation, a local real estate company, has been working for more than two years on an exciting economic development plan to convert the shuttered Cooper Stadium site on Mound Street into a multi-purpose complex tentatively named Cooper Park.

Cooper Park is a $30 million to $40 million project that will be anchored by the Center for Automotive Research & Technology, a cutting-edge R&D facility that will serve as the proving ground for new automotive technologies and, in partnership with selected colleges and universities, train our next generation of mechanics and engineers.

A key element for success of the Center for Automotive Research & Technology is the creation of a paved half-mile track surface.  This will allow teams of automotive engineers to evaluate and refine new vehicle designs and fuel systems.  The track may also be used for the test driving of new hybrid and electric vehicles by consumers.  The Center for Automotive Research & Technology at Cooper Park will put Columbus and all of Ohio at the forefront of efforts to reinvent the U.S. auto industry.

Another exciting facet of Cooper Park is a sports and entertainment attraction with a hotel, conference center, exhibition spaces and several casual, sit-down restaurants.  This portion of the complex will host a wide variety of events such as auto races, auto shows, action sports, concerts, rodeos, community festivals and trade shows.  

Auto racing at Cooper Park will be limited by the noise emission levels of participating vehicles and will not include any drag racing.  Working with a nationally-recognized acoustical expert, Arshot’s plans call for the entire track facility at Cooper Park to be surrounded by 35ft. walls built with state-of-the-art materials designed for maximum sound absorption.

Construction of Cooper Park will preserve much of the current stadium, including more than 8,000 grandstand seats, the luxury boxes and the former “Captain’s Club,” maintaining a valuable piece of the site’s heritage and finding re-use for a structure that would otherwise be headed for the landfill.  Most importantly, the project’s various uses are expected to create over 300 permanent full- and part-time jobs, ranging from entry-level positions to those requiring advanced degrees.

Arshot is working closely with the city’s sanctioned neighborhood group – the Southwest Area Commission – to develop a Good Neighbor Agreement which addresses operational logistics of the facility.  It is anticipated that this agreement will provide for the creation of a not-for-profit community foundation to benefit the surrounding neighborhoods.  The foundation will receive funds from a surcharge on each ticket sold for public events at the facility.

Please be sure to check back soon for more up-to-date information about Cooper Park.  In the meantime, for more information, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .