Joe McCormick, future owner and developer of the building at 640 N. Henry St., and Randy Bruce, a partner in the Knothe & Bruce architecture firm, presented revised renovation plans for the current home of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at a neighborhood meeting Wednesday.
The plan would transform the building into an apartment complex.
The new apartment complex will still house the fraternity. There will be priority for frat members to lease rooms first, and half of the lower level would be designated specifically for fraternity functions.
However, there will also be apartments available for other students to lease in the complex, and the other half of the lower level would be for other residents to use.
The new design consists of a range of one- to five-bedroom apartments and can hold up to 41 tenants. According to McCormick, pricing will start at around $550 per bedroom.
In addition to a small parking lot and trash area, there will also be a rooftop deck implemented in the design.
There were concerns about it being used at inconsiderate hours. It was agreed regulations should be implemented to avoid noise complaints and other disturbances.
""I can't see many positive uses of that deck at 3:30 a.m.,"" President of the State-Langdon Neighborhood Association Scott Resnick said.
Plans were also made for the city engineering department to conduct a thorough review on the construction project to prevent negative impacts on the environment, especially because the building is a waterfront property.
Construction is expected to start in the summer or early fall and is expected to last for six months.
""A huge advantage is that half of the project is already up,"" McCormick said, as the foundation is already in place. ""Enclosing the building will be pretty painless compared to a new construction.""
Overall, the attendee's approval rating of the revised proposal was significantly higher than the original.
""This is a much better plan than we previously saw,"" Resnick said.
