Is the 6th and Washington proposal dead?

It seems as though a developer’s request to ask the city for nearly 40% of the cost to build an apartment building with retail space on green space located between 6th and 7th on the west side of Washington Street is dead. At least for now.

The proposal was supposed to come before the city’s Redevelopment Commission on August 21, but it wasn’t on the agenda. No word has been heard of the proposal since. An agreement must be made between the developer and the Redevelopment Commission before the matter can come before the city council for a vote.

So, unless the matter comes up before that entity, it’s dead.

Cummins owns the property. The same developer that is building The Taylor – a 200-unit apartment complex on 2nd St. – had wanted to buy the property and build a 57-unit apartment complex there. These units will likely be market-rate, $1,500+ in rent.

If Cummins wishes to sell to a developer that’s going to put high-end apartments in, that’s its business. But in the housing climate the city sees itself in right now, I don’t think Columbus residents need to pay a developer 40 percent of the cost to do it. It would be different if we didn’t already have The Cole downtown and The Taylor on its way to satisfy that market.