What a slog it's been for the northwest corner of 17th & South. For years, this large and prominent lot sat vacant.
It was therefore with great excitement that, in the summer of 2011, we shared the news that developers were planning a new mixed-use building for this address. It took almost a year for them to get approvals from the ZBA, and then near neighbors appealed the project, putting it on hold. Finally, in the beginning of 2014, construction began on this nine-unit building and we told you that 7-11 would be leasing the ground floor space. But the construction process was slow, stalling completely by the time the summer rolled around. The building sat, mostly framed, for months, and then construction started up again in October. A little over a year later, the building looks like it's finished and the retail tenant is getting close to opening. The Slurpee machines are in place, and the awnings went up this week.
It's wonderful to see this lot finally filled, though the tenant is a bit underwheming. Some kind of restaurant or maybe a retailer that offers something not currently available on the corridor would have been much more exciting, but the owners of the building are surely pleased to have a such a secure tenant in place. Oh well. If you pass by here in the near future, we'd also encourage you to notice Puentes de Salud on the southwest corner. This health clinic opened earlier this year in former office space on the first floor of a parking garage and the facade improvements are a welcome change.
And soon, before an appointment, patients will be able to snag some buffalo chicken rollers. Ew.