A small grass lot at 554 E. Main St. could soon be home to 19 new apartments, if a project presented to the Downtown Commission yesterday comes to fruition.
The four-story building would sit at the corner of the Main Street-Rich Street Connector and would include 11 parking spaces on its ground floor.
The parcel is owned by JDS Companies, which has developed multiple projects Downtown, including several on East Main Street.
Architect Jonathan Barnes introduced the project by speaking to the larger context of housing Downtown, and the need for creative approaches to keep up with demand.
“These smaller lots sometimes fly below the radar…but they are all over Downtown, and they represent an opportunity to add to the overall number of housing units Downtown,” he said.
Most of the apartments in the building would be one-bedroom units of less than 500 square feet, explained architect Carley Maggio, with rents geared toward the middle of the market, not the top.
One unique feature of the proposed building is garage doors in each of the units that would act as large windows, opening to Juliette balconies.
The review was conceptual, meaning no vote was taken, but the design was well-received by the commission. The applicant plans to return to a future meeting – with material samples and a more detailed design – to ask for the required certificate of approval.