26-02-2025
Demolition of Columbus buildings for 24-story tower delayed
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The demolition of four Downtown buildings to make way for a new mixed-use tower is temporarily on hold.
Columbus' Downtown Commission voted on Tuesday to table Bluestone Brothers Development's request for approval to bulldoze several single-story buildings on the southeast corner of East Rich and South Fourth streets. After demolition, Bluestone Brothers is planning to construct a 24-story, 504,000-square-foot tower called 'The Estrella.'
Thrive Companies to transform former junkyard into mixed-use development
While commission members spoke in favor of the proposal, they were reluctant to grant demolition approval given Bluestone Brothers has yet to finalize The Estrella's design and engineering plans. Now, the development company has 30 days to submit those plans before the commission again reviews the demolition request during an April meeting.
Bluestone Brothers has previously said demolition would take place this spring. If the development company receives approval in April, it expects bulldozing to last three to four months before construction begins on the tower in early 2026.
Costing about $122 million, The Estrella aims to 'add to the revitalization of the Fourth Street district corridor' with 277 residential units, two commercial spaces spanning more than 45,000 square feet, and a parking garage with 322 spaces.
Bluestone Brothers' previous proposal for the project called for the demolition of several-story buildings home to several businesses, including Dirty Frank's, 16-Bit and the former Red Velvet Cafe. Since then, Bluestone has altered the project to keep those storefronts in place and axed plans for a five-story commercial building that was going to take the existing businesses' space.
Thrive Companies to transform former junkyard into mixed-use development
The Estrella was awarded a $4.5 million tax credit in January from Ohio's Transformational Mixed-Use Development Program, along with eight other Buckeye State developments. Those recipients include another Downtown project tasked with transforming Capitol Square by redeveloping or replacing underutilized buildings and surface parking lots.
A mixed-use development being built on the former Germain Amphitheater site near Polaris Fashion Place can also now move forward with additional phases after also receiving a tax credit from the mixed-use program.
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