New possibilities eyed for revamped Downtown buildings, including former YMCA
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Local realtors are envisioning a wide range of new possibilities for a pair of retooled Downtown buildings long known for food and recreational activities.
With two open house events over the last several months, including one last week that drew strong turnout, the former YMCA building at 315 S. 6th St. has seen a variety of high-priced improvements that realtors hope will attract further investment for the 1.4 acre property.
“We've had a dance studio look at it. We've had people interested in maybe volleyball. It could be retail. Anything's possible. By the same token, it could still be light industrial," said Laura Wyeth, realtor with the Wyeth Stover Team and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Stein & Summers Real Estate. "Our hope is every building we fill, it brings people Downtown."
Since the building was closed in 2020, new owners have paid for all new HVAC, lighting and fire alarm systems, among other upgrades. One of the biggest renovations is the former pool area has been filled in and replaced with pickleball courts, a space that could easily be kept as is or repurposed.
While the building maintains a strong presence of well-kept athletic amenities that could make for a complex-like facility, including courts for basketball, racquetball and a workout room, fellow realtor Lynne Stover said the key is thinking outside the box to attract one or multiple suitors for opportunities, which could also include offices or light warehousing.
"It's about 28,900 square feet. So it's a large facility, but you could definitely subdivide areas," Wyeth said. "It's just getting people to see it not just as the old YMCA, but a large building in the heart of downtown revitalization with a lot of opportunity."
Wyeth and Stover are hopeful the building could one day turn it into another anchor that drives people Downtown, similar to the success of the InspireU Children's Discovery Museum in the Plymouth Building, a structure that sat vacant for three decades prior to its revitalization.
Another well known and longstanding space that held an open house last week was at the Brittain-Richardson building at 224 N. 4th Street, formerly the home of Boudreaux's Louisiana Seafood and Steak, which relocated Downtown to 123 S 6th St.
The building includes 7,000 square feet of space for lease that could accommodate another non-chain restaurant, in addition to a 5th floor that could be used as an event space.
“We need a great steakhouse or great Italian, or that space could be something totally different,” Wyeth said.
Realtors are also ramping up marketing for centrally-located Downtown space at 706 Felix St. which will see Legal Aid of Western Missouri depart in the near future.
"(It) also goes into 109 S. 7th St. Right now it's currently offices, but there's an upstairs that has not been finished. It could be great loft apartments," Stover said. "We had somebody look at it for possible shared office space. So there's all kinds of opportunities for that too. And that building looks out onto Felix Street Square."
