It’s not entirely clear what Cornerstone Government Affairs will be doing for the Columbus Redevelopment Authority, but it won’t be acting as its lobbyist.
The Columbus Redevelopment Authority board voted Thursday to hire Cornerstone Government Affairs, a Washington D.C.-based lobbying firm, to pursue additional funding for its Burns Bottom redevelopment project.
An Oxford-based real estate developer has backed out of a contract to develop the Burns Bottom project after having the property under contract for approximately seven months.
When the Columbus Redevelopment Authority received approval in the spring for $3 million from the state legislature for water, sewer and broadband infrastructure, things appeared to be looking up for the eight-plus year effort to redevelop Burns Bottom near downtown.
This spring, on a night like any other, Hollyhocks owner Gloria Herriott was fast asleep in her loft apartment above her downtown store when she felt something smack her in the head. She lifted the covers to find a bat hanging from the ceiling fan.