Interior demolition on the 210 Wayne Ave. facility picked up over the summer and is nearly complete, and the $8 million adaptive-reuse project has entered full construction mode, officials said.
“Our concept for the entire space we control is for it to be a seamless extension of the Oregon District, with a mix of uses, including housing, retail, commercial, entertainment,” said Barry Alberts, managing partner of the consulting arm of the Kentucky-based developer City Properties Group.
Crews are currently working on renovating and rehabbing the Weustoff and Getz Co. property, which consists of two connected buildings. The original storefront glass, which is covered up, will be restored. New windows will be installed.
The courtyard will be opened up and uncovered to serve as a walkway through the development, connecting two restaurant spaces, developers said.
Part of the ground level will be converted into the Troll Pub Under the Bridge, which will be the second location of a popular Louisville, Ky., eatery and bar. The Troll pub will have a large outdoor space, featuring covered and open parts.
The project will create 40 loft-style housing units that have brick walls and urban character, and some will have original breadboard ceiling beams, high ceilings and exposed trusses, said Alberts. The facility’s chimney stack will remain.
The first apartments hopefully will open the spring, Alberts said, and the pub likely will open in the summer or fall of next year.
The project is finally moving forward rapidly, officials said, after the developer’s original timeline proved overly optimistic.
City Properties Group officially was awarded $1.9 million in state historic tax credits for the project in December 2014.
The Weustoff and Getz rehab is part of a larger plan to convert a variety of vacant and underutilized properties into new uses that create a high-density area featuring living, commercial and retail spaces, city officials said.
City Properties Group plans to invest at least $30 million to create the mixed-use Oregon East, and the firm’s multi-phase redevelopment plan achieves some of Greater Downtown Plan’s objectives, including connecting Wayne Avenue with other successful pockets of businesses and housing, city officials said.
What’s next after 210 Wayne Ave. is unclear because the development plan will evolve as projects are finished, said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.
But downtown Dayton has a strong residential market and that is ripe for development and there will be a variety of project opportunities, she said.
“We’re in the early phases of the project,” she said.
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