Issue #20 of The Hook; published 06/20/02

BY REBECCA BEIRNE

Bobbing balloons and champagne toasts marked the long-awaited groundbreaking on June 13 for the Belmont Loft Co.'s condominium complex at the corner of Douglas and Lyman streets. It took a decade and at least a half dozen community meetings for the project to be approved.

Formerly owned by the City Industrial Development Authority, the land in Belmont had been used over the years as a dumping ground for petroleum products and even the remains of a demolished ABC store. That part will become a garden. Architect Bruce Wardell designed the 42-unit brick warehouse-style loft structure that will occupy the rest of the site.

With the ever-visible coal tower in the background, Jack Stoner, head of the development team at the project, joined a mixed bag of Charlottesvillians-- some invited, some not-- to celebrate the project which will bring a new kind of sophistication to North Belmont.

Completion is slated for the summer of 2003. For more information, see the website, www.belmontloftco.com.

Frank Stoner, David Toscano, and friend.

Chris Groves, Kurt Keesecker, Mickey Geller, and Joe Geller.

Architect Bruce Wardell speaks.

#

>> Back to The HooK front page