The latest plan for the former Budd Dairy complex in Italian Village calls for over 40,000 square feet of office space spread over three buildings. A restaurant would occupy the front of the main building at 1086 North Fourth Street, while two warehouse buildings that sit to the east would be preserved and renovated under the new proposal.
That represents a change on a number of fronts from the original vision for the site, first presented to the commission in March of last year, which called for tearing down all the former warehouses and replacing them with a series of new residential buildings.
The developer, Lykens Companies, appears to be responding to concerns expressed by the Italian Village Commission at the time about tearing down the warehouse buildings.
The company also appears to be taking advantage of an increase in demand for office space in and around the Short North. Many recent projects — from the approved nine-story building at 711 North High Street to recent proposals from the the Pizzuti Companies and Kaufman Development — feature significant square footage dedicated to office use.
Future phases of the project could fill in the empty space immediately to the north and south of the Budd Dairy building, although the current proposal calls for two surface parking lots. Lykens Companies has already received approval from the commission to build a three-and-a-half-story, 35-unit building across the street, at the northeast corner of East Fourth Avenue and North Fourth Street.
Visuals via Shremshock Architects.
