Millennial Tower — Rendering via Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates.

The Columbus skyline is set to become a little bit taller and a little more contemporary in design in 2018. Local developer Arshot Investment Corporation announced today plans to construct a new 25-story 400,000 square foot building at the southwest intersection of Front Street and Rich Street in the RiverSouth district in Downtown Columbus.

The new building — which is being dubbed “Millennial Tower” — is being called a “technology-centric” mixed-use building that will house 180,000 square feet of office space, 40,000 square feet of retail space that tentatively includes a grocery store, a 600-space parking garage, and both for-rent apartments and for-sale condominiums geared toward Millennials.

“We have experienced a paradigmatic shift in the market,” said Arshot principal Bill Schottenstein in a press release issued this morning. “Young professionals are actively seeking ‘live-work-play’ environments and these creative-minded professionals are gravitating towards urban, walkable environments that are active and transit-friendly, with open and collaborative work spaces and residences in close proximity to great parks and restaurants. Millennial Tower will be the first building in Downtown Columbus to fully embrace and integrate these concepts, and it will be a bold and visually stunning addition to the Columbus Skyline.”

Schottenstein told Columbus Underground on the phone this afternoon that the vision for Millennial Tower first materialized several years ago following the announcement of The Scioto Mile, Columbus Commons and other Downtown greenspace improvements.

“The Scioto Mile as well as the Greenways project really set this thing off, so I have to hand it to Guy Worley and his entire crew, the architects at MKSK and everyone else involved,” stated Schottenstein. “We also have been excited about Borror and Lifestyle Communities going ahead with their projects nearby, because we wanted to know what else would be going on there in the immediate vicinity. Having that density is crucial to making this a successful project, and making a successful RiverSouth.”

The master planning and execution of the RiverSouth plan have largely been orchestrated by the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (CDDC) and Capitol South. President and CEO Guy Worley told Columbus Underground on the phone this afternoon that the Millennial Tower is another great addition to that sub-section of Downtown, and that he’s thrilled to see the private investment coming from Arshot, and validating the investments made by the City of Columbus.

“I remember about eight or nine years ago when RiverSouth was nothing but abandoned buildings and empty parking lots,” recalled Worley. “But we’ve putting public and private efforts together which have been the catalyst for creating a great neighborhood. We’re learning every day that more Millennials want to live and work Downtown, and so do empty nesters — and it’s great to have another skyscraper coming Downtown.”

Schottenstein’s long-term vision for the area dates back even further than the RiverSouth plans set in place in 2002 and updated in 2010. His firm first acquired the land where the new building will sit back in the 1980s, and they developed the office building next door, which faces Bicentennial Park. While that older office building reflects a more subdued brick design, Schottenstein wanted to create something bolder for Millennial Tower, and tapped the architects at Atlanta-based Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates to complete that vision.

“The paradigm in office space has changed — they want more glass, higher ceilings, more open-space and outdoor terrace areas — so that drives toward a certain architecture style,” he explained. “In my mind, this is ‘millennial architecture’. This building will be highly visible, and being non-symmetrical, it will look different from all angles. That kind of visual interest is important.”

One of the most visually striking portions of the building will be wrap-around signage that will mix LED displays with painted graphics, which will not only make the building stand out, but will also conceal the parking deck floors. The building will also feature a 24-hour fitness facility, an outdoor pool, a dog park, a gaming lounge, dry cleaning service, bike storage and electric vehicle charging stations.

Representatives from Arshot will present the building to the Downtown Commission for conceptual review sometime in the next several months, with plans to break ground in early 2017 for a completion in late 2018.

“We’re looking at a 16-18 month construction timeline,” said Schottenstein. “We wanted to announce it now though, since we have some national retail tenants lining up, and we want to make other retail tenants aware of the project, so that if they have any interest, they can contact us about it.”

Stay tuned to Columbus Underground for more updates on this development.

EDIT: This story was updated at 1:55pm and 4:25pm on May 10th with additional information.

Renderings via Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates.