Why did construction stop on an Easton apartment complex?

It's one of the strangest — and most noticeable — construction mysteries in town.

Why did work abruptly stop on a seven-story apartment complex at Easton Town Center, leaving about 100 concrete columns standing for years with no hint of construction?

Easton announced the apartments in 2018 as part of a $500-million expansion on the north end of the shopping center. Early the following year, the city approved plans for the site, owned by Easton Apartments, linked to The Georgetown Co., a partner in Easton.

More:Easton lands several new tenants, including some new to Ohio

The project, estimated at $80 million, was to occupy a 3.5-acre site bounded by Stelzer Road on the east, Easton Loop on the north, Worth Avenue on the south and Brighton Rose Way on the west.

Plans called for a seven-story building housing 342 apartments on floors three through seven, above two levels of parking. The project was to also include nine two-story townhomes on Brighton Rose Way, retail space on the corner of Brighton Rose Way and Brighton Rose Square, and a café.

In early 2020, shortly before the COVID pandemic, building permits for the foundation were issued to Columbus builder Daimler Group, which was constructing the complex for The Georgetown Co. Daimler announced that it had started on the project, called Easton Urban District Apartments, showing an interior image showed a beautiful two-story lobby with sofas, TVs, high tops and foosball tables.

Work got under way in 2020 as contractors erected concrete piers for the first floor "podium" level.

Then something happened. Even before all the columns were erected, work stopped, leaving a Stonehenge-like park in place of the apartments.

Meanwhile, construction continued all around the north end of Easton with stores, restaurants and offices.

More:Five things you might not know about Easton Town Center's opening

Contractors applied for foundation and plumbing permits in January 2022, suggesting that work would resume, but those permits expired in April of that year with no change.

Today, four years after construction stopped, no one's saying what happened.

In response to a Dispatch query, Easton replied in an email that "Easton is always evolving. Our plans still call for the addition of multi-family residential in that area. We do not have an updated timeline to provide at this time."

A representative of Daimler referred questions to Georgetown, which did not respond.

The city could require the piers to be removed if someone complains about them, said Tony Celebrezze, deputy director of the city's Building and Zoning department.

Otherwise, contractors "could submit new building plans which would have to include either the removal of the piers or a design professional stating the piers have not deteriorated and can be used to hold up a structure," Celebrezze said.

"Beyond that we have nothing to specify why they stopped building."

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@JimWeiker