New Downtown Restaurant

[GatorShane]

I read in the TU this morning that the owners of the Super Food Truck plan to open a restaurant at 11 E. Forsyth. That is where the Starbucks used to be. More Good news. All of these baby steps are starting to add up.

[ben says]

Thanks for posting

[AuditoreEnterprise]

I read in the TU this morning that the owners of the Super Food Truck plan to open a restaurant at 11 E. Forsyth. That is where the Starbucks used to be. More Good news. All of these baby steps are starting to add up.

This is one of the spaces I was fighting for. I would take the article with a grain of salt until it gets going because he is having some major issues so we shall see. One being the grease trap size required by W won't fit under as its only a half basement. I will be interested to see how it pans out

[AuditoreEnterprise]

Just to clarify what I want by half basement is the floor to ceiling size is 4ft

[edjax]

^^Have you checked the building across from Carling for any of your endeavors?  Seems like if Trio happens and Courtyard goes in that will be prime spot.

[AuditoreEnterprise]

^^Have you checked the building across from Carling for any of your endeavors?  Seems like if Trio happens and Courtyard goes in that will be prime spot.

At one spark there was a group looking to put like a food garden bazaar type deal with a garden. The building you are talking about is supposed to have the space for a rooftop garden. So I am meeting with them next week to possibly bring a police substation and maybe a grocery type store if they are willing to try a rooftop garden instead of the one they looked at

[I-10east]

All of these baby steps are starting to add up.

Thanks for the info. I've been seeing these DT baby steps for quite a while now. Hopefully the constant talk of 'DT still not progressing' will eventually cease.

[IrvAdams]

I would think this is a excellent time to invest in DT real estate, it would be fun to rehab a loft apartment or clear, clean and revitalize a small warehouse, etc. - both fun and profitable. We have rental property on the Southside, but if we were looking I would certainly consider DT as a good investment.

Someone posted an interesting comment in one of the forums the other day. He was lamenting that all the available apartments coming on-line were too finished and modern, and thereby too expensive for someone starting out. He was interested in one of those large-city warehouse lofts you see in movies that are basically just cleared open living spaces.

[thelakelander]

I'm in the middle of permitting a two-story live/work space in Springfield that will be open and raw in nature. My hope is that it is done by mid/late summer. This the type of theme (polished concrete floors, open floor plan, exposed ductwork, exposed block in certain places, floating modern stairwell, etc.) I'm shooting for:

[IrvAdams]

^ Reasonable rents? Part of this poster's issue was that finished, modern apartments were a bit pricey for the young struggling artist types, etc.

[fieldafm]

I would take the article with a grain of salt until it gets going because he is having some major issues so we shall see.

You would be incorrect by classifying the situation as having 'major issues'.

[thelakelander]

^ Reasonable rents? Part of this poster's issue was that finished, modern apartments were a bit pricey for the young struggling artist types, etc.

Depends on what's considered reasonable? For me, reasonable is based on a balance of area comps and amount of money needed to obtain a CO. Given the area comps, I'm tentatively shooting for somewhere around $1/sf. That might be a little more than a struggling artist wants to pay but it's a new product. The poster may want to seek something that isn't new, modern. Something that a little rough around the edges that they can put some sweat equity into improving a bit to fit their tastes.

[thelakelander]

I read in the TU this morning that the owners of the Super Food Truck plan to open a restaurant at 11 E. Forsyth. That is where the Starbucks used to be. More Good news. All of these baby steps are starting to add up.

I'm looking forward to seeing Super Food open this space back up. Downtown appears to be proceeding on the right path. There's a level of excitement in the air that I haven't noticed locally since the years leading up to the Super Bowl.  The key will be for us to find ways to facilitate this growth and not methods to become obstacles to movements, uses and creativity that may not be considered traditional.

[IrvAdams]

^ Reasonable rents? Part of this poster's issue was that finished, modern apartments were a bit pricey for the young struggling artist types, etc.

Depends on what's considered reasonable? For me, reasonable is based on a balance of area comps and amount of money needed to obtain a CO. Given the area comps, I'm tentatively shooting for somewhere around $1/sf. That might be a little more than a struggling artist wants to pay but it's a new product. The poster may want to seek something that isn't new, modern. Something that a little rough around the edges that they can put some sweat equity into improving a bit to fit their tastes.

That rate sounds reasonable to me. It's what I get for our SS rentals, and they're not new.

[fieldafm]

The key will be for us to find ways to facilitate this growth and not methods to become obstacles to movements, uses and creativity that may not be considered traditional.

100% agree. COJ needs to be a facilitator, not a gatekeeper.