An independent evaluation of the Eagle Crest housing project won’t happen.

City Council members defeated a request for the independent study of the low-income housing project during Monday’s meeting. The project aims to create a building with 40 units of senior housing — 35 one bedroom and five two bedrooms, as well as a variety of amenities. It will be open to those 62 and older and will carry income requirements.

Robert Carlson, vice president of the Warren County Historical Society, read an email submitted by David Winans asking for the city to hire an outside entity to do a study on the impact of low-income housing referring to the Eagle Crest Project.

“There was a lot of underhanded, shady kind of stuff going on,” said city resident Ron Peterson. “We need an independent person or company to do an actual study.”

Council member Wendy McCain addressed her concern about preserving the “historical charm” of the city and “threatens the forward progress being made in our downtown … toward economic recovery.”

Mayor Dave Wortman said further delays would hurt the city. He later voted against the study along with Council members Maurice Cashman, Danielle Flasher, Jared Villella and Phil Gilbert.

“This is putting the city’s interests in serious jeopardy,” Wortman said. “The issue that we are talking about is preferential treatment.”

Hudson Companies’ Ron McCall and Kelly Coey joined the meeting via Zoom and discussed the issues involved with the city pulling out of the project six years after the Hudson Company began the process of obtaining all of the permits and funding.

Flasher asked Coey for clarification “if there is a viable secondary location, can it be moved.”

Coey answered stating that “all funding and permits are tied to the specific location.”

McCall responded, “The horse has left the barn, all the permits have been issued. The project has been awarded, we’re moving toward a closing. This is not the time to consider whether or not there should be a project.”

McCain made the motion to hire an independent consulting firm, with Councilman John Barbera supporting it. The motion failed, 5-2.

City Council members voted to support the project in May 2022. Since then there have been several calls for the council to pull its support and for Hudson Companies to look for another site for the project.