January 21, 2016

125 apartments to open this spring in International District

Photo by Benjamin Minnick [enlarge]

Marpac Construction is getting ready to put siding on the new apartments next to the 1928 Publix Hotel in the International District.

Crews are renovating the Publix Hotel and adding the new structure. When it's done, the $24 million complex will have 125 apartments and 12,000 square feet of retail. Twenty five of the units will be rent-restricted through the city’s Multifamily Property Tax Exemption program and the rest will be market rate.

(Editor’s note: This story has been changed to correct the number of market rate units and to clarify that both buildings will contain apartments.)

The new building is across South Weller Street from Uwajimaya Village and along Fifth Avenue South. The historic hotel is north of it, also along Fifth.

The new space will have a penthouse, community room and terrace with views of downtown. There also will be a pet area, gym, community kitchen and party room, media lounge, bike storage and repair area.

The Publix Hotel lobby and original storefronts are being restored, and rooms are being combined to create studio and one-bedroom apartments. The new structure will have modern two- and three-bedroom units.

A website for Publix said the new building will also have a row of restaurants and retail creating a “lively, market-like ground floor.”

Uwajimaya is the building owner and is working with Spectrum Development Solutions. Architects are Clark Design Group and Graham Baba Architects. Blanton Turner will manage the property when it opens this spring.