City officials are considering hiring a consultant to determine how to bring a hotel and conference center to the Second Street corridor downtown.
Columbus Redevelopment Commission members heard details Monday from city redevelopment director Heather Pope about a proposal from Hunden Strategic Partners, based in Chicago, to complete the study.
The analysis would look at Columbus as a whole and whether 10 acres of city-owned land at Second and Lafayette streets can support a hotel and conference center, Pope said.
Cost of the $36,000 proposal from Hunden Strategic Partners is likely to be shared between the city and the Columbus Area Visitors Center, which has verbally agreed to pick up some of the expense. A formal cost-sharing agreement has yet to be developed between the city and the visitors center, Pope said.
The city purchased roughly a half-acre of land at 711 Second St. in February 2017 for $300,000 from Robert Cseszko, who owned Bob’s Car Wash at that location. The car wash has since been razed by the city.
Second Street development has been on the city’s radar since 2015, when former Mayor Kristen Brown’s administration sent out a Request for Proposal seeking ideas on development of the property. At that time, city officials realized the car wash property would have to be purchased to allow developers to freely design on all 10 acres of available property.
Two firms, Altera Development, a part of Avison Young of Dallas, and RealAmerica of Fishers, brought proposals to the city after expressing an interest in developing the acreage three years ago.
Altera Development had proposed a seven-story, mixed-used building with retail space on the ground floor and townhomes on the upper floors. RealAmerica also provided examples of several apartment buildings it had developed in other communities.
Commission member Robert Abrams said he supports a feasibility study being done now because it could provide ideas about what to do with the Second Street property.
“It’s a prime property and we think we have a need here in the community (for a conference center),” Abrams said.
A hotel and conference center in Columbus would help boost the city’s hotel occupancy rate, which is at 63 percent year-round, said Karen Niverson, executive director of the Columbus Area Visitors Center.
“Once that average occupancy goes up, you’ll see a lot more developers interested,” Niverson said.
The former Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, 2480 W. Jonathon Moore Pike, was torn down this year.
Niverson said having the city add a hotel and conference center could have a significant economic impact, and that the Second Street location is a potential good fit for such a site.
“The community would benefit more from having a location that’s close to restaurants and shops,” she said. “People spend more money in a walkable environment.”
In addition, Niverson said having a hotel and conference center could also support the Columbus Riverfront project, which proposes several overlooks of the East Fork White River, connections to the People Trail system and an in-water recreation park.
“I’m very confident that we’ll see a conference hotel at some point,” Niverson said. “The longer our community goes without a conference center, the less event planners will think of us.”
Once the city enters into a formal contract with Hunden Strategic Partners, the feasibility study is expected to take six weeks to complete, Pope said. The firm also offered an optional second phase to assist with the developer-selection process, but Pope said no decision has been made yet on that portion of the agreement.
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April: Hunden Strategic Partners, based in Chicago, offers proposal tied to feasibility study for a hotel and conference center in Columbus. The cost of the $36,000 study will be shared between the city and the Columbus Area Visitors Center.
May: Columbus Redevelopment Commission is expected to sign agreement for the feasibility study that will look at Columbus as a whole and the need for a hotel and conference center, along with an evaluation of 10 acres of city-owned land at Second and Lafayette Streets and whether it can support a hotel and conference center. If approved, the study is expected to take six weeks to complete.
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