The largest component of the revitalization of Southtown is moving ahead.
The SoGro Apartment complex, situated on the east side of Kingshighway at Bancroft, is in the bidding phase. A full plan set has been uploaded to the SLDC Planroom for the first phase of the development. The first phase is made up of three apartment buildings (totaling 178 apartments), a pool deck, and associated parking. Future phases will include two more apartment buildings (bringing the grand total up to 346 apartments) and additional parking.
Designed to create a new street wall on Kingshighway, the complex is generally laid out in a suburban fashion with surfaces parking lots making up most of the land that this will be built on. But the creation of a new street wall here is seen as a plus as the recent development patterns on this stretch of Kingshighway have been entirely suburban in their design. The SoGro will replace the former St. Mary Magdalen sports fields, an auto plaza (demolished) and an old Armory building.
A small retail space is planned at the entrance to the development from Kingshighway. The architect remains Humphreys and Partners, but the design has been revised to look more mature. The buildings be clad in a brick veneer, cement block, fiber cement panels, shingles and siding. Impact Strategies, based on the bid page, will be Impact Strategies. The developer is Cornerstone SoGro LLC, an entity affiliated with John Clancy. Mr. Clancy recently redeveloped the old Shop N' Save Plaza on Chippewa into a Planet Fitness and other businesses.
The project was awarded a 20 year tax abatement with 15 years being at 95% and 5 years being at 90%. Last year, the project cost was estimated at $72.2 Million but due to recent inflation, it is unclear how much the overall cost has increased. A start date has yet to be announced.