Coatesville council last night approved the sale of the vacant lot next to the Cultural Society in downtown Coatesville to developers who plan to build a four-story apartment building they hope will attract local artists.

C Wave Solutions will pay $110,000 for the lot at 129-133 E. Lincoln Highway. The Coatesville Redevelopment Authority (RDA) originally purchased the property for $108,000 from the Coatesville Cultural Society and in February 2005 approved bids of $69,900 to demolish three, boarded-up buildings on the site.

Kadar Mohammad, the managing general partner of C. Wave Solutions LLC, said construction of the 30,000 square-foot building should be underway by March 2009. Total cost for the project is estimated at $5.8 million.

The top three floors will house 24 apartments and the first floor will be retail space. The project will provide moderately-priced, live-work housing opportunities to local artists, according to a summary of the project presented in January to the RDA. But last night, when questioned by Council Member Robin Scott, Mohammed said fair housing laws present him from limiting the rentals to just artists.

Council Member Ed Simpson, who voted against the sale, said he was concerned about creating more rental properties in the city when more owner-occupied housing is needed.

"Your point is well taken," answered City Manager Harry Walker, adding there are 1,100 new housing starts planned for the city, the largest being Brandywine View will almost 600 townhouses planned. Carl Chetty, he said, is still planning to go forward with seven condominium towers for downtown Coatesville.

The Artist Housing Project, he said, "Will bring a new breed of person into Coatesville."

The four-story building is to be owned by the Coatesville Arts Partnership, a partnership between C Wave Solutions, the RDA, and a local non-profit cultural arts organization, according to the proposal submitted to the RDA. The managing general partner will be C. Wave Solutions, a real estate partnership of Crystal Thomas, a Coatesville realtor, Jeffrey Cruse, a Philadelphia-based developer, and Mohammad.

The building will feature 8 apartments per floor: one two bedroom, two bath; four large one bedroom; and three small one-bedoom; and will rent for $1,100, $875 and $750 per month, respectively. Retail space on the first floor will rent for $30 per square foot.

When the RDA originally purchased the property it was with belief that TR White Inc., a West Chester firm, would build two, five-story apartment buildings on the site as part of the city's then $700 million revitalization plan. Those plans fell through shortly after White failed to acquire what was then the Tarlecky tract now owned by Iacobucci Homes and the proposed site for Brandywine View.