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Commission approves 8‑story mixed-use building on Elmwood between Marion and Bull Street
Summary
An eight-story mixed-use building with about 288 rental units, roughly 19,000 square feet of commercial space and a 376-space parking garage won Planning Commission approval subject to staff comments; developers highlighted pedestrian and bicycle connections and said they are working to bury overhead power lines.
The Columbia City Planning Commission approved a major site plan (SPlan-2025-0004) for an eight-story commercial and residential building on Elmwood Avenue between Marion Street and Bull Street that will contain about 288 rental units, approximately 19,000 square feet of retail and office space and a parking garage with 376 spaces.
John Wofford, partner at Astral Development, said the project is intended to add housing options for young professionals and to help connect the Bull Street District to downtown. "I truly believe that this corner right here is the catalyst for connecting the Bull Street District to Main Street and really improving the overall walkability of downtown," Wofford said. Ryan Trimble of Axiom Architecture described massing strategies, two stepped sections along Elmwood, courtyard amenities on level four and a rooftop lounge and terrace.
The developer said the project provides roughly 3,760 parking spaces in the garage—(transcript states 376 spaces in the parking garage) and 9 on-street angled spaces on Marion; staff noted the site required no minimum parking but the applicant is providing 376 garage spaces and 57 visitor spaces. The project team said the traffic impact study was reviewed and approved by the city traffic engineer and that they are coordinating with Dominion to try to bury existing power lines running along the site.
Public comment included support from Matt Kennel of the Main Street District, who praised the applicant’s attention to connectivity, and a question from Jim Daniel about overflow parking and unit mix. The applicant said the largest unit type is three bedrooms but the unit mix skews toward studios and one-bedrooms and that the project provides about 1.1 parking spaces per unit and an additional 57 first-floor spaces that could serve visitors or overflow.
The commission approved the site plan conditioned on addressing all staff comments and meeting site plan standards. The motion passed on a voice vote.
