Mellander sees 2009 finish for downtown project
CHAMPAIGN – Work on the historic Metropolitan Building in downtown Champaign has been going on for months, and developer Jeff Mellander hopes it’ll be ready for occupancy in early 2009.
The three-story building at the southwest corner of Church and Neil streets is being renovated for loft apartments, with 12 units planned for the upper two stories.
When finished, the building will have three three-bedroom units, two two-bedroom units and seven one-bedroom units.
“I’m expecting that the one-bedroom units will start at about $1,000 (a month) and go up from there,” Mellander said. “Two-bedroom units will probably start at $1,400, and three-bedroom units will likely be around $2,000.”
All the units will have their own laundry facilities, and two of the one-bedroom units will have separate office/library spaces. The one- and two-bedroom units will range from 875 to 1,200 square feet, while the three-bedroom, three-bathroom units will range from 1,530 to 2,115 square feet.
Entrance to the apartments will be from the Church Street side, with an elevator tower and stair tower to be installed on the west. There will also be an outdoor courtyard and rooftop patio.
The first-floor space, now occupied by The Estate Sale antiques and decor store, will be renovated as well.
“I don’t have any tenant lined up yet,” Mellander said. “I’m open to office or retail, and I’m steering away from a restaurant or bar.”
The main reason: The corner location doesn’t lend itself to garbage pickup or food-supply deliveries, and it doesn’t have parking out front.
The Estate Sale is leasing its space on a month-to-month basis, but eventually plans to relocate to the former offices of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District at 710 N. Neil St., C.
On March 18, the city council approved giving Metro Building LLC three Redevelopment Incentive Program grants totaling $225,000 for redevelopment of the Metropolitan Building complex at 219 and 223 N. Neil St. as well as the adjacent building at 109 W. Church St.. Members of the limited-liability company are Mellander, Robert Ballsrud and George A. Grubb.
Mellander estimates the entire project will cost “in excess of $3 million.”
Although Mellander, a former architectural student, did some of the schematic designs for the project, he recruited Kim Smith of Smith/Burgett Architects, Urbana, for the architectural work. Also involved in the project has been Savoy-based Wickersheimer Engineers.
The building’s third story, vacant for about 50 years, has a 16-foot ceiling, so it will accommodate lofts hanging from the building’s trusses. The trusses and joists are exposed, as are the interior brick walls, a characteristic Mellander thinks will prove popular with tenants.
Mellander has been involved in the renovation of several other downtown buildings, including those housing Radio Maria, Carmon’s and Jennifer North. He’s also been involved in the renovation of seven cottages in Saugatuck, Mich., making major renovations to one cottage per year.
“This is my idea of a good time,” Mellander said of his passion for restoring downtown buildings.