The developer behind a 10 million dollar plan in downtown Ripley hopes to get approval for his building permits this month.
David Brown has a revitalization plan for Ripley Square that includes 159 apartments, an outdoor farmer’s market and business development project.
Brown tells Bayshore Broadcasting News he wants to draw more customers to Ripley, and give small businesses a chance to showcase what they have.
He owns empty space in the building beside the Farmers Diner, and he wants to offer a 10 by 10, 100-square foot space to merchants for a two-month period, rent-free.
After that, Brown says they can stay on as tenants at the price of a dollar per square foot per month, which is one hundred dollars a month.
Brown says it’s a local business incubation project.
He says at the end of the two month period, you’ll know if a business is successful because the owner will be able to afford to rent the space.
Brown says it’s a situation where everybody can benefit.
Brown feels he will ultimately get some good tenants, the residents will get some great local businesses off the ground, and Ripley’s business community will grow and attract more customers.
Brown says even the customers will then be able to find more services in Ripley.
In the meantime, Brown is still sifting through questionnaires filled out by local residents and he says the response has been positive.
Brown hopes it will become a community based project, making Ripley a culinary-centred tourism destination.
