One Washington Place Project In Batavia Terminated By Developer

BATAVIA, IL — Development of One Washington Place, a mixed-use development that was planned to be built in downtown Batavia in 2022, has ceased.

City officials announced Thursday that Geneva-based developer Shodeen Group terminated the project on Wednesday. The group cited the inflationary economy, market instability and supply chain disruptions as reasons for the decision.

The property — a mix of luxury apartments and retail space — was set for groundbreaking in January. After more than five years "of struggles to bring the project online," shortages and the cost for materials became "insurmountable obstacles to moving forward," Batavia officials said in a news release.

A six-level building, One Washington Place would have been home to 186 luxury apartments spanning four floors and 330 parking spaces on two levels of a garage to be accessed from State Street. To be built at the corner of Wilson and Washington streets, the property was going to provide more than 14,000 square feet of commercial space and 2,370 square feet to offices.

The space, formerly First Baptist Church, was purchased by the city of Batavia in 2005 ahead of an Illinois Department of Transportation project that was supposed to fix Route 25. But after the project couldn't begin due to elevation issues, the city tried selling the space and eventually began discussing a potential project with Shodeen, according to the project history of One Washington Place.

Under the previous timeline, the property was estimated to open to residents and retailers in June 2023.

Going forward, the city's news release said the property will be marketed for similar opportunities that will add new living and retail spaces to downtown Batavia.