One of Easton Town Center's developers is in talks to develop the United Methodist Children's Home property in the heart of Worthington, according to an update on the land from the city of Worthington.
The update suggests that the 40-acre site on High Street just north of downtown Worthington may see some activity, after years of discussion.
According to the city, Yaromir Steiner, the CEO of Steiner + Associates, has discussed the site with the children's home and Lifestyle Communities.
Three years ago, Lifestyle submitted a plan to build houses, apartments and offices on the property. Even though the proposal mirrored what the city wanted on the site, Lifestyle did not pursue the plan after considerable community opposition.
Instead, OhioHealth announced plans to build a medical office on the eastern edge of the property, along High Street, and the United Methodist Church said it would retain the conference center on the property, leaving 37 acres undeveloped.
The announcement from Worthington said Steiner's "talks are in the preliminary stages and no proposal has been received. Steiner is also meeting with representatives from Worthington Alliance for Responsible Development (WARD) and other community members to collect input and discuss possibilities for the property."
While Steiner is best known as a developer of "lifestyle" communities such as Easton Town Center, it has also played a key role in developing residences, mostly as part of larger mixed-use developments.
Lifestyle Communities could be reached for comment. A representative of Steiner's office referred questions to the company's publicist, who could not be reached for comment.