In one of the latest updates to a development project under way in Wilmington’s rapidly changing downtown, a new apartment community got closer to reality with a groundbreaking June 23.

Sawmill Point, a project that involves Symphony Partners, Bell Partners and McKinley-Carolina Le Chase LLC, will include 280 units, fitness and yoga centers, an outdoor swimming pool and access to a 42-slip private marina.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring a completely unique riverfront residential community and marina to the area. There’s a new energy surrounding downtown Wilmington, and Sawmill Point is an important part of that revitalization,” said Sawmill Point co-owner Blair Booth, in a news release.

Steve Bell, chairman and CEO of Bell Partners, said downtown is ready for a new, large apartment property. “The floor plans, unit mix and services should attract a wide variety of residents, from millennials to baby boomers,” Bell said. “We’re excited to be managing Sawmill Point.”

With more residents moving in, residential projects under way and more housing in the planning stages, the demand for retail and office space is expected to continue to increase.

Already, the owners of Redix, a store that has served customers in Wrightsville Beach for more than 45 years, plan to open a downtown Wilmington location at 104 Grace St. this summer in July.

Although it will have a different address, the new Redix store will occupy about 3,300 square feet in the former Self Help building, which also formerly housed the Efird department store.

The Redix downtown will be located behind Outdoor Equipped, an online outdoor clothing and gear company that opened its first storefront in the 272 N. Front St. building last year.

Gene Merritt, a developer who was one of the founders of  Wilmington Downtown Inc. 36 years ago, said Outdoor Equipped’s arrival was an encouraging sign for continued revitalization in the area.

“It doesn’t happen overnight, but I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” Merritt said during a showcase of commercial property downtown that WDI hosted in June. “I think success builds success.”
 

Office space

Andrew Nettleman said he couldn’t imagine working anywhere besides downtown Wilmington. The  Nettleman Law Firm is moving from 219 N. Second St. to space at Sixth and Princess streets.

“I’m a criminal defense attorney, so I’m in court every day, plus the foot traffic and the ability to go grab a quick bite to eat” make the area a more attractive place to be, Nettleman said.

Some class-A office space, which has been in demand for a long time throughout Wilmington, has become available or will open up soon downtown.  

Law firm Williams Mullen will consolidate its downtown Wilmington office with its Raleigh location at the end of August, David Paulson, Carolinas managing partner, said recently.

The local office is currently in the building anchored by Wells Fargo’s regional headquarters at 300 N. Third St., in more than 7,000 square feet of class-A space on the fourth floor.

The firm, which has had a local office since 2001, will still serve Port City clients, Paulson said.

Vin Wells of Cape Fear Commercial is the listing broker for the Wells Fargo building.

“This class-A office building offers ample on-site parking and is located in the heart of downtown within walking distance to numerous restaurants and other downtown landmarks. There are several great spaces available within the building that are ready for occupancy between now and the  beginning of 2016,” Wells said recently.

The property was another of the commercial spaces highlighted last month during the downtown showcase.

Rahn Lowder, a broker with Cameron Management, provided brokers with information on the office space for lease in the 54,000-square-foot Bank of America building at 319 N. Third St., where rental full-service rental rates are $24 for the second and third floors. The rate for the fifth floor, where 12,768 square feet of space was available as of the June 11 showcase, is $28 per square foot, Lowder explained.

In an $8.3 million deal that closed in March, 3rd Street Properties LLC and Parking Ventures LLC, sold their interest in the 55,000-square-foot class-A office building to Riverbend #1 LLC, which is controlled by James Kirkpatrick of West End, North Carolina.

Also on Third Street, BB&T is expected to move into the first three floors of a new office structure that has been built by Cape Fear Commercial.
 

New restaurants, old space

More places to eat are filling, or in some cases planning to fill, vacated spaces in several areas downtown.

Beer Barrio, described by the owners as a craft beer-infused modern Mexican restaurant in a Greater Wilmington Business Journal article June 10, opened last month.

Waffle House plans to open a new Wilmington location in the building at 255 N. Front St. that was formerly occupied by SoapBox Laundro-Lounge.

And Raleigh-based LM Restaurants, which purchased a building formerly occupied by Bank of America at 155 N. Front St., plans to open a new downtown eatery in the space, which has been vacant since 2010.