Efforts to give St. John a new downtown area are moving ahead.
Last year, the Times reported that LBL Development was planning a mixed-use development at the southeast corner of U.S. 231 and Parrish. Now, the town council has approved the design of the commercial buildings, and agreed to allow restaurants on the first floor and offices on the second floor.
Steve Kil with LBL Development says there will be parking lots along U.S. 231, while the buildings themselves would face a new "main street" to the south, with on-street parking. "There will be a sidewalk that goes in front, closest to the parking, and then, in front of each of the businesses, everybody's required to have outdoor seating for restaurants and everything," Kil told the town council last week.
He said a variety of restaurants have expressed interest. "They're excited about being in St. John," Kil said. "They're excited about opening up. They love the idea of we're going to build a little downtown area. When I say little, it's a half a mile long."
He also anticipates retail stores in the future, which would require a separate approval from the council.
Still, council member Gerald Swets was concerned about having the buildings face away from U.S. 231. "So, why couldn't it have been flipped around, the building itself?" Swets asked.
"Because I thought we were trying to create an outside seating, walkable downtown area," Kil replied, "and that's what Mill Creek residents — that's what we presented at all the meetings."
Kil noted that individual tenants will have the option to include a rear entrance, and equipment and dumpsters will be hidden from view.
Council member Christian Jorgensen noted that the design is similar to successful developments in other nearby communities. He also felt it would fill a need for office space in St. John.
"It'd be hard to pass up St. John's ability to begin to look like a sophisticated town with sophisticated residents — which we have — finally," Jorgensen said.
Kil expects paving work at the development site to begin in June.
