The plan to convert the 11-story Bollinger Tower from affordable senior housing to a hotel will be getting its first review from the Italian Village Commission tomorrow.
Submitted renderings show new windows and a fresh coat of paint on the building. They also show a name — Cambria Hotel and Suites, although Michael Schiff of project developer Schiff Capital said that there is still a chance that could change.
“The exact flag has not been 100 percent finalized, there are numerous people interested,” said Schiff. “The goal is to do a very cool, hip, urban hotel that will be finished beautifully, but also at a price point that will be accommodating to a wide range of people.”
In other words, the new hotel — which could accommodate as many as 190 rooms — will not be directly competing with The Joseph down the street, which serves the very top of the upscale hotel market in Columbus.
A submitted site plan shows room for a coffee shop or pub on the first floor with significant outdoor seating, although most of the green space in front of the building would be retained as public space.
“Our goal is to be a good neighbor, preserve the green space out front, because our sense is that’s what neighbors want,” said Schiff.
Schiff said he is optimistic that a contract to buy the building from the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) will be signed soon. He added that language is being inserted into the contract to ensure that there is plenty of time to find new homes for current residents.
“We’re very sensitive to the existing tenants, as is CMHA,” he said. “We want to make sure that people are accommodated, are treated fairly, have plenty of time, and are happy with where they go next.”
When news of the building’s sale first broke, CMHA president and CEO Charles Hillman said that the deal would “fulfill our long-term strategy to expand CMHA’s capacity to assist more residents,” adding that “residents will receive portable housing vouchers enabling them to live in apartments of their choice in neighborhoods of their choice.”
Schiff Capital is partnering with David Kass of Continental Real Estate and Conchord Hospitality Group on the deal.
Rendering via Schiff Capital / Design by Meyers+Associates Architecture.