Last night, at the Bella Vista Town Watch Zoning Meeting, representatives from South Realty LLC presented a plan to demolish the existing structure and build new buildings at 640-42 South St. The project includes the rear section of the lot, which is currently off-street parking on Kater St.

We kind of miss RockDaShirt. That place was cool.

Nothing too exciting here

The developers are seeking a number of zoning variances. They wish to turn the single lot into three separate lots, with 2 four-story houses with garages on Kater St. and a new four-story building fronting South St. with commercial space on the first floor and two apartments above. This project is still in the planning stages, so no potential commercial tenants were discussed at the meeting. With the some vacancy on this part of South St., we imagine the developers will have their work cut out for them finding a good commercial tenant, but we couldn’t imagine a new building on this block of South St. without a commercial space. Also, we’re not sure that the BVTW or South St./Headhouse would allow it.

These renderings are very preliminary

BVTW and near neighbors seemed generally agreeable to the buildings, though a number of small changes were requested relating to height, setbacks, roof decks, and interior layout. The developer will likely be coming back to the neighborhood next month with a modified plan, taking those requests into account, and we’ll be sure to update with any new information as it becomes available.