Work is scheduled to start later this year on the long-planned redevelopment of the North Market parking lot. A spokesperson for one of the project’s developers, Rockbridge, confirmed the timeline, saying that “building construction begins late 2022 and will continue through 2025.” The city will begin infrastructure work on the site this summer.
A press release sent out this morning by Rockbridge and co-developer the Edwards Companies also revealed the name of the development – The Merchant Building – and included new renderings of the project.
“The Merchant Building branding is a way for us to honor the legacy of all the merchants who through their grit, determination, and perseverance made the North Market what it is today,” said Rockbridge CEO Jim Merkel, in a statement.
The project received votes of approval from the Historic Resources Commission and the Downtown Commission late last year, bringing to a close a process started nearly six years ago, when the city first solicited proposals for redeveloping the lot.
The final design calls for a a 31-story tower that will incorporate an 18,000-square-foot North Market expansion, 174 residential units, 65,000 square feet of office space, a 162-room hotel and a 350-space parking garage, as well as additional bar, restaurant, and retail space.
“This project has always been about protecting the future of the North Market,” said Rick Harrison Wolfe, the market’s Executive Director and CEO. “But there would be no North Market without the long legacy of individual merchants who give so much to supporting the cultural and economic health of our city. The Merchant Building name is a fitting tribute to their stories.”
The project was not one of the three Columbus developments chosen in March to receive the state’s new Transformational Mixed-Use Development tax credits, although a second round of the program recently opened, with an application deadline in July.
The design team for the Merchant Building includes architect NBBJ, interior design firm AvroKO, Studio 4D, branding firm Swoon, and Makeready.
