Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I Love the Smell of Sawdust in the Morning

Sitework is boring. Don’t get me wrong, sidewalks are cool, but the majority of the work is underground, it’s messy, it’s loud and after months and millions of dollars – it’s almost done.

What has been exciting are the RiverWalk and Marina, something I can really sink my feet into. Now that the rails are going up and the parts and pieces are falling into place I find myself spending more and more time on the site enjoying the sights and sounds.

The framing crews for the RiverWalk have done an incredible job on what is now a ginormouos new addition to our City’s RiverFront. We are tracking for a late September delivery to the City – just in time for RiverFest.

Now that much of the day-to-day management with regard to the infrastructure is winding down the shift toward marketing has become the primary focus.

We will begin leasing and selling slips later this month. It’s been hard to get a gauge on the local demand, as we all know, not much has been happening in the market so using data from the last 6 months is hopefully not an accurate indicator for the next 6…

Another major focus is finding an equity partner or lender for the Marina House. This 3 level building is the next major step in further creating a vibrant (and viable) place Downtown on the River. The Marina House includes the Club Room for the Marina but also 11 residences ranging from 600 SF to as much as 1400 SF and pricing from the low $200’s to the mid $400’s. We are talking with a few sources and hope to announce a start date later this Fall.
Finally, the idea of a RiverFront Park on our site continues to gain momentum. I believe the City is very interested in building a Downtown Park and recognizes the long term opportunity. We were fortunate enough to have Charleston, SC’s mayor, Joe Riley, speak at a Power Breakfast on July 20th where the most often repeated quote since his
presentation has been, “put the public space on the most valuable property.” Look for an updated post with two conceptual park layouts provided by area architects and land planners.




I love giving tours of the site. Anytime you are interested in learning more about the project just give me a call or send an
email.





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