Riverwalk Shops update

Planning away here...we are carving out a project that would entail building out the exterior that is visible from William Ave (main street) and the 3 retail spaces totaling 5,000 square feet. Each space will have an office with a bathroom, a back entrance, glass storefronts with entry vestibules, high ceilings showing the steel beams of the old Shopnsave, rustic cement floors, separately metered gas and electric. The three retail spaces will share a 20ft deep covered veranda that is over 100ft long. We anticipate offering a solar powered option for early-signed tenants, where rent will be higher but electricity bills lowered by net metering (selling generated electricity back). We will also make extensive use of tubular reflective skylights for daylighting the spaces. Handicapped patrons will come up a ramp underneath the cool tower pictured at the corner of the building. The tower will use reclaimed barnwood and naturally oxidizing posts, beams and metal siding.

There is extensive custom metal fabrication in this renovation. Since the storefronts face the brunt of the weather they will be very high quality, but they are designed to open in strategic locations for cross ventilation in summer.

Retail suite 1 is the largest and has a 20ft wide garage door facing William Avenue. There will be a deck behind the garage door that stands a foot higher than the main store floor, allowing a separate display area or a performance stage (or both). Another advantage of this 2,600+ sft space is that it has William frontage as well as frontage along the new Riverwalk Shops pedestrian veranda. The space will house the anchor store of the center, which will be oriented toward the general public and offer dining, shopping and/or entertainment. The goal here is to have a store that is meaningful to a wide variety of customers spanning locals, second home owners and visitors.

Outside, the sidewalk west from Town Hall will be routed along the perimeter of the renovated building and will continue west at the front of the Spa section. BTW the Spa will not be built out in this project but is planned as follow-on to the retail buildout. Exterior materials will be a mix of rustic wood, stone masonry and sheet metal, with a variety of earth tone colors.

The objective is to deliver space that is competitive with local existing rates but that goes further to offer energy-efficient construction meeting WV building codes. We want to accomplish this while striking an aesthetic chord that harmonizes with the existing historic structures and nods to the industrial history of Riverwalk's location. Most of all we want the space to be effective for the intended tenants to maximize their retail success in Davis, and that means attractive, fun and community-oriented spaces for us all to enjoy downtown.