KANNAPOLIS – The city of Kannapolis is seeking proposals for the redevelopment of eight buildings in the heart of downtown on West Avenue.

The buildings, which date from the 1930s to the 1950s, are located across from the entrance to the Sports and Entertainment Venue and near the VIDA Mixed Use District. The city’s goal is to preserve these buildings and activate them as part of the downtown business district by partnering with a developer experienced in adaptive reuse.

“We have always planned to sell and partner with private investors for the downtown properties. The time is right to begin actively seeking additional partners for key pieces of properties on West Avenue,” said Kannapolis City Manager Mike Legg. “We look forward to seeing proposals from the private sector and their vision for transforming this area and these buildings into a vibrant destination.”

The city is in the midst of investing over $120 million in the Downtown Revitalization Project, which includes infrastructure improvements, construction of a linear park and streetscape and a parking deck in the VIDA Mixed Use District. All of this is set to be completed by 2021.

The buildings are part of Downtown Block One. They’re located at 101, 103, 105, 111, 109, 113, 115 and 119 West Avenue. The remainder of the block, which contains properties on North Main Street, West A Street, West First Street, will be sold in a phased approach in the future as to not saturate the real estate market too quickly. The Gem Theatre is not for sale, as the city intends to retain ownership of the theatre.

However, if a buyer is interested in buying the entire block, excluding the Gem Theatre, the city says it will entertain a proposal.

The group of properties on Block One includes a former restaurant space that is move-in ready and other properties which will need improvements. The properties are located in a designated Opportunity Zone and the city is in the process of applying for historic district designation which could give developers the potential to use these tax credits as financing tools.