Former Reddi-Arts location in San Marco prepares for new chapter

Former Reddi-Arts location in San Marco prepares for new chapter
An aerial rendering depicting the four proposed stand-alone buildings at 1037 Hendricks Avenue. | Renderings created by Group 4 Design, Inc. Graphics courtesy of DDRB Final Approval Packet.
An aerial rendering depicting the four proposed stand-alone buildings at 1037 Hendricks Avenue. | Renderings created by Group 4 Design, Inc. Graphics courtesy of DDRB Final Approval Packet.
An aerial rendering depicting the four proposed stand-alone buildings at 1037 Hendricks Avenue. | Renderings created by Group 4 Design, Inc. Graphics courtesy of DDRB Final Approval Packet.

The whimsical murals along the exterior of the former Reddi-Arts building at 1037 Hendricks Avenue in San Marco have been painted over and the walls are now a pristine white as the buildings await a new future under new ownership.

According to county records, Chase Properties, Inc. first purchased the property at 1037 Hendricks Avenue in 2020 for $1.6 million. Reddi-Arts continued to operate out of the San Marco shop until its new shop was ready. It relocated to Springfield in October 2021.

Just a year later, the property was sold again, this time to Kings Ave Properties, LLC, managed by Allen Stevens, for $2 million. County records reflect a deed recorded on April 8, 2021. Stevens is the president of Dav-Lin Interior Contractors, Inc.

The proposed project went before the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) for final approval in January 2022. The DDRB presentation packet detailed the partial demolition of the existing buildings on the property and the creation of four stand-alone structures.

“…God bless Reddi-Arts and the beautiful art that they’ve created on site, but we have no transparency, no sense of activity in terms of what’s happening in these buildings,” said attorney Cyndy Trimmer, on behalf of the property owner, according to DDRB meeting transcripts.

The proposed designs addressed that lack of transparency, Trimmer said.

“On Building A, we’re creating this beautiful storefront with transparency there, then you have the opportunity with the breezeway that connects back to Kings Avenue,” she explained. “With Building B, we’ve created this little plaza in front of the building and the green walls and trellises to activate that space. And then honoring the Reddi-Arts site, bringing the mural and that architectural feature onto Building C, and creating Building C, then, with the storefronts. And that’s one of the crowning features, I think, of this project, is that we have completely, then, brought activity and a sense of excitement to this facade with all of that glazing and transparency there.”

The DDRB granted final approval for the project, with staff recommendations and the applicant’s approved deviation request to reduce the landscape area linear feet requirement from 1,630 square feet along Hendricks Avenue to 661 square feet. Board members inquired about and Trimmer confirmed the inclusion of shade trees along each frontage.

Last July, city records show a permit was issued for “demolition of a portion of retail structure, slab and foundations.” This past January, all necessary inspections were conducted following the demolition and the permit was finalized.

The architecture firm on the project is Group 4 Design, Inc.

In a telephone interview, Stevens said he anticipates work on the project to begin this year, although he does not have a concrete timeline in place at this time.

By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News

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