In Bella Vista and Queen Village, Bainbridge Street has seen some changes of late. Most recently, developers have come on the scene with plans to build seven new homes with parking at 711-15 Bainbridge St., a surface parking lot that extends to 7th Street. This lot is actually right across the street from a proposal we covered last week for a new mixed-use building on the southeast corner of 7th & Kater.
The developers appeared last month before the Bella Vista Neighbors Association and received a letter of non-opposition from the community group. There was some token architectural feedback offered, but nothing life-changing. The project was approved by the ZBA two weeks ago so look for the parking lot to shut down sooner rather than later.
This project is on the same block as the project replacing Klinghoffer Carpets buildings, of which four have been built so far. Just a couple blocks away, 5th & Bainbridge is currently seeing a ton of action. On the northwest corner, work is actively moving to transform a series of formerly separate buildings into a boutique hotel. Across the street from the future hotel, Whetstone Tavern, from the Brauhaus Schmitz people, looks like it's getting close. Just a bit to the south, another recent project we covered, the Fabric Lofts conversion, is moving along nicely and will eventually house a cafe on the first floor. And if the Friends of Bainbridge Green get their way, the strip of green space along Bainbridge Street between 3rd and 5th Streets will soon possess a much more vibrant park atmosphere.
For a three block span, that's a ton of projects, and the stakeholders are taking different approaches. We're seeing homes, new businesses, an adaptive reuse, and a group of people trying to improve their public space. Held against the general crapitude of South Street just a block to the north, it's truly a wonder to behold.