Vacant Olde Towne East Lot Teed Up For $23M Mercy On Main Makeover

A long-empty stretch of East Main Street in Olde Towne East could be headed for a major glow-up, with a Cincinnati developer pitching a $23 million, five-story apartment building that would trade a vacant lot for new rental housing just outside downtown Columbus.

The project, called Mercy on Main, is planned for roughly 65 apartments with ground-floor space aimed at serving neighborhood needs near the Children's Hospital and transit. Developer Chinedum Ndukwe says the proposal is meant to add density and more affordable options within walking distance of downtown, putting one more sizable housing project on the Near East Side board.

According to Columbus Business First, Ndukwe, who runs Cincinnati-based Kingsley + Co., is pursuing the roughly $23 million Mercy on Main development and is naming the project after a family member. The outlet reports that the budget covers a five-story structure with about 65 units and that the developer has already started early outreach with city staff, positioning Mercy on Main among several recent multi-family proposals reshaping the Near East Side.

As reported by Columbus Underground, the site sits at 907–917 E. Main St., and renderings show a building that would fill most of the roughly half-acre parcel, with a small parking area tucked behind it. Columbus Underground also notes that Mercy on Main was among the projects awarded 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits in the recent OHFA round, a key piece of financing that would steer the apartments toward affordable rent levels. The site is located along the planned East Main Bus Rapid Transit corridor and within blocks of the Near East Transit Center, lining the development up with future high-frequency transit service.

Timeline and neighborhood response

"Best case scenario, I'd love to close on it this year or the first part of 2027 at the latest," Ndukwe told Columbus Underground. He and his team have held early conversations with the Near East Area Commission and the Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association, which he described as generally positive. From here, the to-do list includes city permitting, final design work, and lining up the remaining soft financing before any shovels hit the ground.

What to watch

Because Mercy on Main is pursuing tax-credit financing and city incentives, neighbors should expect a stretch of formal filings and community meetings before anything starts rising on East Main. Columbus Business First reports that Kingsley + Co. has worked in the region before and views this as a timely chance to add affordable units close to downtown. Residents and neighborhood groups will likely be sifting through design packets and permit applications in the coming months as Mercy on Main works its way through the city review process.