Proposed Downtown skyscraper adds hotel
Work could begin this fall on Millennial Tower, the tallest skyscraper to be built in Columbus in more than 25 years. It’s now destined to grow by three floors from 25 to 28 stories as a hotel as been added to the project.
The Downtown Development Commission on Tuesday heard details about the expansion plan from the developer, Arshot Investment Corp.
“We held up a bit while working out the hotel situation,” said Arshot President William Schottenstein, who announced the tower more than a year ago.
“We now expect to break ground later this year.”
The hotel would occupy three floors of the 330-foot building, proposed for an empty lot on the southwest corner of Front and Rich streets Downtown.
In addition to the hotel, the building would include two floors of retail, six floors of parking, five floors of offices, eight floors of apartments and three floors of condominiums. In all, 138 residences are planned,
Schottenstein said.
A conference center, fitness center, outdoor pool and game lounge are among other building amenities.
Schottenstein said he is encouraged by retail and office interest in the project. Even though Downtown’s office vacancy rate is high, he said the design of the space is attracting prospects.
“This building is a different paradigm than the rest of market, much higher floor-to-floor space, floorto-ceiling glass, open floor plates, and exterior terraces for all office floors with outdoor space large enough to hold board meetings,” he said.
Downtown commissioners took no action on the proposal, but did not object to the additional floors. Schottenstein and the commission continue to debate one of the building’s most distinctive features: a video screen wrapping around several floors.
“They still feel it’s too large, so we will revamp that again,” Schottenstein said.
Commission Chairman Stephen Wittmann said “concerns involved the size and the scale of the video screen and whether there should be a video screen at all in that location.”
Wittmann said the tower remains in the concept stage.
“I think it’s a nice project. I’d like to see it happen,” he added. “But we’re not at the approval stage.”
Schottenstein estimated the building would take 18 or 19 months to complete.
The Millennial Tower would be the tallest building erected Downtown since the 33-story William Green building opened in 1990 at Spring and High streets. (The Miranova residential tower, which opened in 2001, is also 27 stories, although it is several feet shorter than the proposed Millennial Tower.)
At least three other new high-rises have been mentioned for the center city. A pair of Columbus developers have proposed a 35-story tower on the North Market site and two 30-story buildings are included in a conceptual vision for a mixed-used development in Franklinton.