Long-awaited plans to build a hotel, apartment building and parking garage near Ohio State University are at last moving forward, according to an application submitted to the city of Columbus.
Campus Partners, the university’s development branch, submitted a rezoning application to the city Oct. 17 for “University Square Hotel,” nearly 2.5 acres of land at the northeast corner of Pearl Alley and East 15th Avenue. The project is to be taken on by local developer Crawford Hoying, as confirmed by a joint statement from Campus Partners and the developer to The Dispatch.
The project is expected to have 145 hotel rooms, 120 apartments and a 430-space parking garage, plus dining options on the ground floor and rooftop, according to the statement. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026.
“A signature hotel with new parking options has been an important element of the plan for the University Square development from the beginning,” the statement reads. “The applications submitted to the City are the first steps in bringing this vision to reality.”
Seen in 2021, workers install pavers on the area that is now the pedestrian plaza of University Square, located on the northeast corner of East 15th Avenue and North High Street. Campus Partners and local developer Crawford Hoying are moving forward with the latest phase of University Square — a hotel, parking garage and apartment complex to be located on the northeast corner of Pearl Alley and East 15th.
University Square, located on the east side of High Street near 15th Avenue, was unveiled in 2021 as “the front door of the university,” per prior Dispatch reporting. First conceptualized in 2013 as “15th and High,” the finished development is expected to total 9 acres with at least six buildings, plus a pedestrian plaza at the northeast corner of North High and East 15th.
The first building, opened in 2021 as University Square North, set aside several floors for Ohio State’s Office of Advancement, which now occupies floors three through five of the 100,000-square-foot, five-story structure north of East 15th. The second floor is now home to event venue Vitria on the Square, and the first to restaurant Barrio Tacos.
On the south side of East 15th is University Square South, another five-story, 100,000-square-foot sister building that opened in 2022. Ohio State’s Office of Academic Affairs has offices there, in addition to ground-floor dining like Smashburger and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Smashburger, located on the ground floor of University Square South, came to the area in 2023, as seen above.
The hotel and parking garage have been in the works for years, with construction on the garage initially expected as early as 2021 and construction on the hotel site as early as 2022. Campus Partners didn’t immediately respond to The Dispatch’s request for clarification on what caused the delays.
“University Square has been transformed into a vibrant and active area adjacent to The Ohio State University at 15th Avenue and High Street,” the statement from Campus Partners and Crawford Hoying reads. “It serves as a meeting place for neighbors, students, faculty, staff, and guests. With the addition of a hotel on 2.5 acres east of Pearl Alley, University Square will be able to welcome even more visitors to the city and the University.”
Campus Partners is also known for near-campus projects like the Gateway University District, a mixed-use development that includes the Gateway movie theater, a campus bookstore, student housing, office spaces and more.
The plaza at University Square opened at 15th Avenue and North High Street in 2021.
Now that the rezoning application has been submitted, the proposal will be presented to the University Area Commission, which will give a recommnedation to Columbus City Council. The commission did not respond to The Dispatch’s request for comment in time for publication.
If approved by council, the building’s design will then need to be agreed to by the University Impact District Review Board.
Plans remain up in the air for what is expected to be the last piece of University Square, located on the northeast corner of North High and 14th Avenue. The site, just west of the WOSU Public Media building, is intended to be a 150,000-square-foot office and retail building, The Dispatch previously reported.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Campus Partners submits plans for hotel, parking and apartments at OSU
