The first phase of demolishing the building at 900 Water St. has started on Machinery Row, a $65 million multi-phase development.
Milwaukee-based Midwest Rail & Dismantling Inc. started by taking the asbestos out of the 900 Water St. building. Part of the former Azarian building will be razed to make way for a 150-unit residential apartment building and a 29,520 square-foot commercial space.
Plans for the project were announced in 2014 as part of the RootWorks plan to revitalize the Root River corridor.
The first phase of Machinery Row project received preliminary approval from the City’s Plan Commission in February for a three-story commercial and residential building.
Rodney Blackwell, an Iowa-based development firm Financial District Properties, MR LLC, asked the city to rezone the property from a general industrial district to a central business district and conditional use permits. The Plan Commission unanimously approved the request.
This project is part of a larger project that will include residential, commercial, professional, recreational, dining and entertainment facilities. The 50-acre property Machinery Row includes a 20-acre parcel that encompasses 712, 820, 800, 900, and 101 Water St., which will become the first phase of the project.
The remaining 20-acre parcel will including building at least four new buildings, keeping two historic buildings and demolishing the rest.