Downtown could get more upscale condos

A local contractor has purchased a vacant downtown commercial building with the goal of creating offices for himself and a few high-end condos upstairs.

Howard Updyke, owner of Megacity Inc., has paid about $150,000 for 222 N. St. Clair St., which is a four-story building near RiverScape MetroPark that most recently housed a printing company.

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Updyke, whose office is in Moraine, plans to move Megacity into the ground floor and then redevelop the upper levels into “upscale” condos that he believes he’ll price at prices between $350,000 to $400,000.

“It’ll have high-end finishes and an elevator that will take you to each floor,” he said. “Maybe within six months I’ll have an idea of what I am going to build and I’ll start pricing it out.”

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That part of downtown is already home to a variety of market-rate housing for sale, including 24 condos at Cooper Lofts and 17 units in the Ice Avenue Lofts, both located just a block south from there.

There are also dozens of brick townhomes located nearby.

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The building offers about 3,2000 square feet of space on every floor and has nine parking spots and a carport, according to a Colliers International’s marketing document.

Updyke said the downtown housing market has proved it can support higher-end product, and the location on North St. Clair Street is in the thick of some major redevelopment projects.

CareSource is building a new tower just down the road, and the 133-unit Delco Lofts, next to Fifth Third Field, is preparing to open later this year.

A variety of new businesses a couple of blocks from the building are slated to open later this year, including Mudlick Tap House and Canal Street Arcade & Deli.

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