Efficiency Consulting and Development and the North Newstead Association are planning senior housing and a Fields Foods grocery store development between Natural Bridge and Lexington at Clarence in the Greater Ville neighborhood. Rosemann and Associates are the architect.
Dubbed 48 Fields Place, the development is a four story building with 50 affordable senior apartments, 20 one bedroom and 30 two bedroom. Amenities include a community room, fitness room, technology room, outdoor patio and walking path. On the ground floor would be a 12,000 sf Fields Foods and another 3,000 sf retail space split among three bays. This would be Fields’ sixth location. A second phase would be a three story building with about 40 apartments along Lexington Ave.
Clarence Ave would be vacated between Natural Bridge and Lexington. Vehicular through traffic would be prevented with a gate, while pedestrian and cyclist access would be maintained. Alleys on either side of Clarence would also be vacated. A new alley entered from Natural Bridge would provide access to the alley to the west, and a new alley entered from Lexington would provide access to the east.
There are 50 gated surface parking spaces for residents meeting the city’s mandate of one space per residence. Another 61 surface parking spaces accessible to the public would be accessed from Natural Bridge where Clarence Ave exists now and another curb cut on Natural Bridge to the east. The expanse of surface parking make for some strip mall vibes. There is more land that could be paved over to the east in case more parking is thneeded. There are water detention areas mandated by MSD to catch stormwater runoff.
I’d wager the cost of the first phase is about $20M. It’s great to see investment in the area.
The Planning Commission endorseed rezoning of some of the parcels involved at their May meeting. Ald. Tyus introduced BB26 for the rezoning.
A auto-oriented building at Natural Bridge and Clarence, a 1920s commercial building at Clarence and Lexington, and a 1909 house at 4241 Lexington will be demolished.
