Developer shares goals for Showplace West
Feb. 27—HIGH POINT — A few blocks south of the city's "catalyst project" around Truist Point stadium, another redevelopment effort that could transform part of downtown High Point is underway.
CMC Development Group has had the vacant Showplace West building at 101 S. Main St. under contract since May 2021 and probably will close on the purchase of the property this summer, said Shaun Belle, managing principal of CMC.
Belle said he and his firm have invested significant time and resources on extensive engineering and architectural design work and other due diligence in exploring a new identity for the building as "The Hive on Main Street," a mix of commercial, office and residential uses.
"We want to make sure this building is an additional catalyst for really invigorating the downtown area into a 24-7 destination," Belle said. "It is recognizable already and has a lot of history and a lot of support. I think the community is ready to support us in that endeavor — bringing it back online and creating an amenity that could be very helpful economically and really create a lot of other opportunities."
The 135,000-square-foot, 50-year-old building previously housed offices for GE Capital and Culp Inc., among others. It's been empty since the J. Basul Noble Restaurant closed about 10 years ago.
International Market Centers bought it in 2011 as part of its purchase of Showplace and several other High Point Market showroom buildings. IMC never used it and donated it to Forward High Point in 2018. The agency solicited proposals for the redevelopment of the property in 2019, and chose the one put forth by CMC Development Group, which is based in New York.
Belle said the general plan for the building is to have retail and restaurant spaces available to lease on the first floor and five upper floors of 45 to 50 apartments, likely for rental.
Also in the mix are one or two floors of shared office space and another floor for special events with a venue for e-sports, a type of video game competition.
Other than replacing the windows, the facade of the building won't change.
"We're not going to change the character of the property, in terms of how it looks," he said. "One thing that's been critical has been feedback we've gotten from local residents and stakeholders who know this building and have been in this building and have a personal connection."
The outdoor plaza will be completely redone to create a connection from the building to the street with a pedestrian walkway.
"The most visual impact will be with the plaza. We've really reimagined how that would look," Belle said. "We're trying to allow for more pedestrian activity and an open play that ties into what we have planned, in terms of retail opportunities, some restaurants and cafe sorts of things that can create that downtown vibe and appeal."
Belle said the next step is to get construction bids for things like plumbing and mechanical systems and asbestos cleanup.
Determining these costs is one step in the process of obtaining project financing, he said. The goal is to deliver something that will spur future growth for the city.
"It's a challenge, but it's a good challenge, in the sense of being creative," he said.
