Monroe Center/Cherry Street

Time frame:
1998 – current

Key moments:

• Opportunity to be involved early on in the changing landscape of downtown GR

• Value engineering and conservation were embedded from the start

• Required adaptability to navigate multiple layers of historic district requirements

• Collaborated with The Dwelling Place to provide health checks and placement of Morton residents

• Realized this was the start of something bigger; took a risk on this project and haven’t looked back

Challenge:
When tackling urban renewal projects, it’s important to utilize existing infrastructure whenever possible – and to recognize the limits of what exists. It was an exciting moment to step away from opening up greenfields and focusing on conservation and sustainability.

Our approach:
Beyond bringing neglected and vacant buildings back to life, our goals were to create spaces and places for people to gather and build community, and deliver beauty, dignity, and builds that are representative of – and good for – everyone.

Success factors:
A lot of the foundational elements were already present in both of these central business district (CBD) projects, they needed the vision and long-term support of a team willing to believe in, and invest, in the area.

Key characteristics of the project

• Revitalized vacant buildings

• Developed greenfields

• Conserved energy by capitalizing on what existed

• Built relationships with the city, and investors

• Personally invested, committed for the long run as both a builder and an owner’s rep

• Economic benefits to the community, jobs