Hmm...here are my thoughts on this...
I have to say I really like how the building looks. It's certainly much more interesting than any other building we have downtownI would say. I am not a fan of the big parking garage and I would that it rather it faced Van Buren but I can see why they went the way they did.
They really should of kept the parking garage to just half of the block, leaving the other half for future development. To get the amount of parking they want though, that would of meant a taller parking structure which would have meant more money. I know we all want them to build less parking but I can guarantee that potential companies looking at this building will want parking and probably the more, the better.
The Van Buren vs Monroe frontage I think has to do with two things, the address and the surrounding area. Look at the aerial image...if the building faced VB, it would face a car repair shop along with surface parking on three sides. I'm just guessing but this wouldn't be very attractive to potential companies. As for the address...do you guys remember what 1CPE did? They changed their address from E. Van Buren St. to N. Central Ave.
This developer might feel the same, that having an address of 200 W. Van Buren St. may not ring quite right with people and therefore they are electing to place the building on Monroe. It's petty, and just a guess, but it could be one of the reasons behind it.
I know we all wish that we had these builders that cared about the city and not just their product that unfortunately that isn't the case it seems. These builders are doing this to make money, they build the building, sell it, lease it whatever and move on. They aren't doing this for the good of the city.
Back to the building itself, the Fact Sheet PDF off their site says the building will be 13' floor to floor slab height, and it looks to be 22 floors, but the lobby is a bit taller so probably in the 295'-300' range for the height.