Kingsdale's Evening Gap and the Grille Moving In Next Door

The city's own one-year report says Upper Arlington's Bob Crane Community Center at 3200 Tremont Road logged 435,639 member visits in its first full year. That works out to about 1,220 visits a day, and the count leaves out program attendees, rental guests and OSU Wexner Medical Center client visits. The space next door at 3150 Tremont has sat empty since Houlihan's closed at the start of the year. A new restaurant is now being built there, and if things go to plan, it opens this winter.

Taken together, the two addresses show how Kingsdale has changed. The pull at this end of Tremont Road now starts with a public building, and the first new restaurant to commit to the strip is moving in right beside it.

The building that changed the foot traffic

The center was built big. When NBC4 reported its opening plans in early 2025, it described five floors and more than 165,000 square feet. Inside are an indoor pool, three gymnasiums, a track, an e-sports room, classrooms, an outdoor terrace, an art gallery and a senior lounge.

In late April, Parks & Recreation staff gave City Council an update with these figures:

• 12,545 active paid monthly memberships as of March 31, 2026, with 11,060 of them held by Upper Arlington residents.
• 13,156 day passes sold during the first year.
• 13,460 indoor program enrollments, up 43% from 9,408 in the 12 months before.
• 1,198 classes held, a 64% jump in indoor programming.
• January 2, 2026 was the busiest day since opening.

The class mix also shows who comes and when. Older Adult Fitness & Wellness had 3,193 enrollments and Older Adult Enrichment had 3,177. Those two led every other category by a wide margin. Adult Fitness & Wellness came third at 1,002. In year one the city added indoor swim lessons, aqua aerobics, TRX, walking and running clubs, pickleball and ballet.

The city framed the numbers this way: "For anyone concerned that the Community Center would not be a wise investment for the City, the results tell a compelling story of a long-held community need that, once fulfilled, has been embraced by residents." That's the city's own read on its own project. Still, a steady 1,220 visits a day changes the traffic around a shopping center.

What Kingsdale already offers for a quick stop

The Kingsdale shopping center around the community center is built for errands and casual meals. Its current tenants include Market District, MCL Restaurant & Bakery, First Watch, Chipotle, Tikka Masala Indian Grill & Bar, Bitty & Beau's Coffee Shop and Orange Leaf Yogurt. Between them you can get breakfast, groceries, a cafeteria lunch, a quick bowl or a cup of coffee after a swim.

Houlihan's used to cover a different need. The Columbus Dispatch reported that it closed at 3150 Tremont Road after its lease expired December 31. NBC4 noted it had been there more than a decade. For most of 2026, then, Kingsdale has had plenty of daytime traffic and no full-service bar and grille to keep people around after dark.

The Arlington Grille, as described so far

Cleveland-based NCR Ventures is taking over the space. The group was founded by Rick Doody, who also co-owns Lindey's in German Village and founded the Brio and Bravo restaurant group before selling it. In Columbus, NCR also runs Bar Italia at Easton.

When 614Now previewed the project in June, Tony Ciuprinckas, NCR Ventures' Director of Executive Support, made a point of connecting the new restaurant to the old one:

"Houlihan's was such an institution in the area, and we're leaning into that. The concept we're putting in, Arlington Grille, is paying homage to the city. We want to be as connected as we can to the community."

According to that report, the dining room will be "intimate, moody even," with natural wood, forest green details, brown leather booths and dim lighting. A year-round patio will have string lights and an outdoor fireplace. NCR has already tested the menu at Cedar Creek Grille and 17 River Grille, two of its Northeast Ohio restaurants. At lunch, expect sushi rolls, dips, deviled eggs, Caesar and Cobb salads, French onion soup, lobster bisque, sandwiches, burgers, chicken and salmon. Dinner adds house specialties such as Idaho rainbow trout, pork chops, steak frites and barbecue ribs. Ciuprinckas summed it up as "a neighborhood grille that offers an upscale approach to dining," with food that is "extremely straightforward."

What's confirmed and what's still pending

As of mid-October, no opening date has been announced, and the public record looks like this.

Put together, the evidence points to a November or December opening. The restaurant's website is the most direct place to check for updates.

The community center is already busy after dark

The community center has started filling Kingsdale's evenings ahead of the restaurant. The city's calendar for the next two months includes several evening events at 3200 Tremont:

• Saturday, November 14, 6 to 10 p.m. The city's Navratri & Diwali Celebration in the center's Event Center.
• Thursday, November 19, 6 to 8 p.m. Spoken Verse: A Poetry and Art Experience.
• November 13 through December 11. Santa's Mailbox at the center.

Daytime programs run alongside them this month: a Blood Pressure Check & CPR Practice on October 15, the CARES Helpdesk on October 21 and First Responder Day on October 28. If the grille opens on its projected schedule, the Diwali celebration and the poetry night could be among the first evenings when both buildings at this end of Kingsdale are open at the same time.

Further down Tremont Road

At the south end of Tremont Road, the city is weighing a separate change. City Council is considering Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas, or DORAs, at certain commercial districts, and Tremont Center is one of them. Within a DORA, Ohio law lets patrons buy a drink from a qualifying bar or restaurant, carry it out and keep drinking it inside the defined boundary. Tremont Center's dining lineup includes Chef-O-Nette, Littleton's Market, Moretti's, The Original Goodie Shop and HobNob Pizza.

The proposal is still at an early stage. The city's October 7 notice doesn't name any district besides Tremont Center, and it doesn't set hours, cup rules or a vote date. The Economic Development team is holding a community meeting at 6 p.m. this Wednesday, October 14, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 2151 Dorset Road. The goal is to explain how a DORA would work and hear what residents think.

The same stretch of road has other dates coming up. The Friends of the Library book sale runs November 8 through 15 in the atrium of the Tremont Road Branch, and the public sale opens at 1 p.m. on November 8. The library is also asking for feedback on accessibility changes at that branch, including a possible move of its Research Department to the first floor.

Dates to know along Tremont Road

If you own near Kingsdale and want to know how the community center, the incoming grille and the DORA discussion figure into your home's value, the team at Cam Taylor Realtors follows this corridor closely and can give you a clear, local read. Get Your Free Home Valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.