The city plan commission has approved a request to rezone 11.12 acres in downtown Columbus in preparation for a future hotel conference center.
The commission approved a request from the Columbus Redevelopment Commission for the rezoning, which affects property on the south side of Second Street, east of Lafayette Avenue, and include 703 Second St., 711 Second St., 801 Second St. and 867 Second St.
“They (the commission) see this as the site of a future conference hotel or a multi-family or some other project that’s consistent with Envision Columbus,” said city-county planning director Jeff Bergman.
The meeting, held virtually, included a question about whether “traffic calming measures” or crosswalks would be included, as the roadway is State Road 46 and controlled by the state.
“It is the state’s road, and they control it,” said plan commission member Russ Poling. “They have the ultimate decision power. I can tell you that we’re working right now on a study on Second and Third Street in anticipation of that development taking place. What we’re looking at is a possibility of changing one-way to two-way operation on both streets. And INDOT has been very cooperative with us on that up to this point, and they’ve been meeting with us. And so I’m confident that if there are changes to be made, they’ll be reasonable with us on those.”
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As previously reported by the Republic, Columbus is working with Bartholomew County in a land swap that will result in the city’s new hotel and conference center being placed on a county-owned block surrounded by Second, Franklin, Third and Lafayette streets.
With the exception of the Bartholomew County Court Services building on the northwest corner, the entire block currently serves as a parking lot.
The proposed hotel/conference center is a major component of the city’s 2018 Envision Columbus downtown strategic development plan. It has been described as a road map for the future of the commercial area of downtown Columbus and its neighboring residential areas and parks.
Last November, the Columbus Redevelopment Commission voted to approve a recommendation that the locally-based Sprague Hotel Developers develop the hotel/conference center.
The city has also engaged the services of Flaherty & Collins to work with Sprague on the development that will include:
A branded 140+ guest room hotel
9,000 square foot ballroom and conference space
A three-meal restaurant, roof-top dining and entertainment venue
A parking garage
Meanwhile, developers who plan to install mixed-use retail space and multi-family housing along South Second Street have indicated they are ready to move ahead.
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