The Renaissance Companies Open the Door to a New Way of Living

The nationwide trend in downtown revitalization projects will soon include the city of Williston. Williston is now set to join the ranks of other North Dakota cities such as Fargo, Minot and Bismarck that have seen exciting downtown revitalization take place. Kicking things off at 2nd and Main Street, the old city parking lot will soon become a state-of-the-art multi-use building. “This is a $15 million addition to the downtown and will be one of the first properties to be developed on the new street-scape,” states Nancy Kapp, the president and CEO of the Chicago-based developer of this new project. The Renaissance Companies is a family-owned/women-run company with a core executive team representing two generations and multiple decades of experience and having a long-standing reputation for quality, integrity and an enhanced living experience for residents.

Construction is set to get underway soon, and the parcel of land at 2nd and Main Street will no longer be accessible for parking beginning September 1, 2014. Parking alternatives are readily available as the city provides a variety of free parking areas nearby at various locations between Front St. and 5th St., and Second Ave. and Washington.

Last year Renaissance reached an agreement with the Williston City Commission to purchase the parking lot. Economic Development officials in Williston are enthusiastic about Renaissance on Main, which is anticipated to kick-start the rebirth of downtown Williston. “When a private investor wants to invest $15 million into a community’s downtown district, it speaks volumes to the economic firestorm in the area,” says deputy director Shawn Wenko, adding, “. . . it’s exciting! Not only is it a top quality commercial and residential complex, it’s going to be a showcase piece for our downtown.” With its mix of retail, office and residential, Renaissance on Main is opening the door to the new city center.

Renaissance on Main will consist of first floor retail with parking, and a second floor commercial space and more parking. Floors three and four will provide residential apartments with a mixture of rental ranges to accommodate a variety of income levels. The icing on top of this new addition to downtown Williston will showcase a stunning rooftop terrace.

The assistant director of the Bismarck Downtowners called former Williston Mayor Ward Koeser to express their support. “We have done similar developments in downtown Bismarck,” says Kate Herzog. “You have this window of opportunity to get people to stay in your town,” says Herzog. “They need to feel like this is a place they want to put roots down and downtown is usually the place where they find the personality of the community.”

Renaissance expresses its commitment to the city of Williston, now and in the future. “We worked with many of the locals from pastors to business people to help bring this vision to Williston,” says Kapp. “We felt we wanted to create what was wanted, not just what we thought Williston needed. The development of downtown Williston will bring people back downtown to shop, to work, to live.”

A portion of the residential units at this new development will make use of North Dakota’s Housing Incentive Fund, creating significantly lower rents for Williston’s essential workers. Kapp says, “We are happy to report that we have received letters of intent from several Williston-area employers for almost all of the essential worker units. The sheriff’s office, the hospital, and the school board among others have requested housing for their employees.” Local entrepreneurs have expressed interest in leasing the retail space for a restaurant and a high-end boutique featuring women’s western wear.

Pre-leasing is now underway and anyone interested in retail, commercial or apartment space is encouraged to call The Renaissance Companies’ Project Development Manager, Paul Russo at 773-278-8448 extension 208 or send an email to [email protected].

 

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