Dublin Life

Rebirth

Muirfield Square reinvents itself as a vital office park

By: Emily Gibb

The Muirfield area might be best known for stunning houses and high-caliber golf, but tucked away in the middle of it all is a working community also contributing to the area’s foundation.

“(Muirfield Square) is a thriving economic center inside Dublin, most specifically Muirfield Village,” says Bill Cseplo, owner of Muirfield Village Office Suites and a Muirfield Square Owners Association member.

That hasn’t always been the case. Built in the 1980s as retail space – with tenants including a restaurant and grocery store – the area was developed 10 or 12 years before there were enough people living in the area to support the establishments, Cseplo says.

In 1981, Muirfield Village had 30 homes. Now it has more than 2,350. The square has since shifted from retail space to an office park, with various tenants working in medical care to pet care to financial care. There are currently 170 employees in the location, and eight owners occupy space in the center’s nine buildings.

Partially hidden from the street because of the surrounding trees and small hill, many residents are not aware of these businesses, says Linda Moran, MSOA member and vice president of human resources at Meeder Financial.

Now that new life has moved in, employers hope to spread the word about their services and the economic value they contribute.

“In the summer of 2009, building owners developed the Muirfield Square Owners Association to help highlight what is available,” Cseplo says.

Part of the challenge is changing the perception residents have that it is a “dead shopping center,” Moran says.
In order to reintroduce the center to the city, members are planning to launch a Web site in early 2010, increase advertising exposure and participate in community events. While more people discover what’s behind the grassy barrier between Muirfield Drive and Muirfield Square, the MSOA will continue working to strategies to gain support.

“We really do add to the community and we want people to know that,” Moran says.

Emily Gibb is a contributing writer for Dublin Life.