This past week, demolition crews made swift progress at the former Shelby’s building which had been sitting vacant for over a year. This demolition is the first step to, hopefully, make way for the twin tower 18th and Glenarm Condos. Here are a couple of photos showing the project site with only a dirt patch left from the former building.
Moving in closer, you can see that Shelby’s did not take up much of the entire lot. A fence is around the dirt patch but the parking lot remains open at this time.
On the permitting side, a Formal Site Development Plan was filed back in March, along with some right-of-way dedication permits in June, presumably for the recent demolition. With the uncertainty in the markets at the moment, it’s hard to say when this project will begin but we hope this demolition is a sign that things are still moving forward.
I think this is too bad. Small properties like this tend to be taken by local small businesses. And they add character.
A 1900 sq. ft. single story building with no architectural merit, like Shelby’s, would have a hard time surviving in a rural downtown. The land alone is worth $9 million dollars, so buying this without redeveloping simply doesn’t make sense economically. I look forward to when I can walk from my home in Uptown to downtown without having to trek through 3 solid blocks of open parking. The fact that the new homes will be for sale should help bring more life to this part of downtown.
Shelby’s was a good dive in a cute building but it will be better to see this whole parcel developed. Might be worth it to have a bar on the premises.