The Return of the Downtown3rd Retail Center

Three years since Mayor Carolyn Goodman lavished praise on the plans, the proponents of the Downtown3rd Retail center, also called DT3R, have scaled back some of their original ambition, but are preparing for a second shot at building an impressive dining and retail destination surrounding downtown’s Mob Museum.

The latest proposal calls for a two-building, 34,782-square-foot, single story shopping center. A 16,430-square-foot building at the corner of 4th Street and Stewart Avenue will face the Zappos headquarters and its staff are imagined as the most immediate and regular customers. Currently a flat, empty lot, it has hosted a "now leasing" sign for years.

ROI Commercial Real Estate

Early rendering of Downtown3rd Retail center, facing east - Rendering: ROICRE

Further along Stewart Avenue, on the opposite side of the Mob Museum, a second, 19,442-square-foot building will replace the long vacant Downtown Transportation Building, still home to the weekly Downtown 3rd Farmers Market. Ample parking space will be created behind the Mob Museum.

Yet to hint at possible tenants, leasing documents show a strong commitment to the immediate neighborhood, hoping to attract locals enjoying "coffee before work," "lunch during work" and "dinner and drinks after work."

Once planned to go before the City Planning Commission later this month, the project managers are now asking to delay their hearing until May. No updated timetable for a possible groundbreaking has been announced.