On February 6, District 8 Councilmember Cindy Bass hosted a second community meeting with developer Anthony Fullard of West Powelton Development (WPD) and architect Daryn Edwards of Cicada Architecture. Only 100 persons were in attendance at the tightly controlled meeting, where Ms Bass read to the developer about 20 questions that some attendees had posed on their registration forms.
Mr Fullard, owner of WPD, presented his plans, which are wide-ranging and depend on many factors. He stated that they will probably result in the relocation of the 14th Police District, possibly into the Town Hall building itself.
The plan involves first constructing an apartment building behind Town Hall with 39 one-bedroom units. Mr Fullard suggested that this building could be elevated, with parking available at ground level.
After completing the apartment building, the developer would move on to renovating the historically designated Town Hall. Mr Fullard’s many ideas for this include event space(s), AirBnB units, permanent rental units, rental office spaces, and city department office spaces, possibly including space for the 14th District Police.
Mr Fullard mentioned that he expected that his apartments would include about 50% low income/affordable housing. He estimated that renovating Town Hall might cost about $10-12 million.
Mr Fullard stated that the PIDC, which owns the property, has required him to do the following: commission a Feasibility Study to assess the building’s current condition; draw up a Commercial Corridor Market Assessment; complete a Historical Assessment to ensure that the rehabilitation of the building meets the requirements of the Historical Design and Review Board; conduct an Environmental and Engineering Assessment; and, finally, meet with the community to garner their support.
Ms Bass promised a 3rd community meeting in March.
If you were not able to attend this meeting, WCGN’s Town Hall Task Force encourages you to watch a recording of the presentation here.
