David Watkins' plans to replace a 1938 strip of Fondren businesses on North State Street with his Whitney Place development are on hold after more than 300 residents signed a petition against demolition of the strip.
"With the petition and some feedback we have gotten, we have agreed to basically keep an open mind to other plans before we moved forward," Jason Watkins, a partner in the development with his father, said last week.
"We haven't pushed our plans any further."
Watkins added that the developers were keeping an "open mind" about the strip.
Attorney Arin Clark Adkins, one of the founders of "Save Our Strip," a group trying to preserve the buildings and that started
the petition in January, said residents are satisfied with the developer's reconsideration.
She added that the developers are asking architects to produce alternative designs for consideration.
"The hope is that a redesign can be planned that is not cost prohibitive," Adkins said.
"I think the financing is still an issue of what's been proposed and what's ultimately going to be developed. The thought is: If it's not cost prohibitive, then they will consider a redesign."
The originally proposed $80 million development would replace the existing buildings on State Street from Mitchell Avenue to Hartfield Street with eight acres of retail shops, apartments, a boutique hotel, and green space for concerts and festivals. Watkins said in October that the buildings had significant structural damage, and that preserving the buildings wasn't an economically viable option. He added that construction could begin as early as fall 2011.
"We like the initial plans; however, we are open to reconsidering plans if what we saw was a proper use of the space in terms of density for the area and the area behind the existing strip," Jason Watkins said.
Previous Comments
- ID
- 163133
- Comment
Jason Watkins would like me to clarify that not all the "residents" who signed the petition live in Fondren.
- Author
- Lacey McLaughlin
- Date
- 2011-04-13T16:07:58-06:00
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