Northside Community Council yesterday evening approved a motion supporting Milhaus Development's continued pursuit of a development agreement with the City for the former Myron G. Johnson & Son Lumber Co. property, located at the .

The Indianapolis-based developer plans a LEED Silver-certified project of approximately 100 apartments and 8,500 square feet of commercial space for the City-owned site, which has been vacant since the lumber company moved to a larger space in Queensgate in 2005.

The developer also was joined by representatives from CR Architecture + Design to present preliminary concept drawings.

The site plan shows commercial space along Hamilton Avenue and residential units along Blue Rock, Langland, and Knowlton streets. A plaza with outdoor seating features prominently at the main intersection.

The three- to four-story buildings are scaled to the neighborhood based upon massing studies and are intended to tie the development to the South Block.

Some who saw the designs found them to be out of character for the neighborhood – either too modern, too generic, or too massive.

But others liked the design, seeing it as an opportunity to bring something new to the neighborhood that the older architecture couldn't provide.

The community will vote its support for the design within the next couple of months before Milhaus Development takes it to the City for approvals.

Previous reading on BC:
City soliciting proposals for former Northside lumber yard (7/30/12)
Northside lumber yard redevelopment to be community process (6/15/12)
Northside's Factory Square set to begin (6/22/10)
Factory Square photo update, 4/4/09 (4/22/09)
ODOD: Forcing tax credit approvals would 'offend constitutional separation of powers' (5/16/08)