From the Ground Up: Maria’s South

Owner/Developer: Three-D Properties Inc.
General Contractor: MoDoCo Inc.
Architect: Esterly, Schneider and Associates Inc.
Engineers: Mettemeyer Engineering LLC, structural; Wilson Surveying Co. Inc., civil; and RTM Engineering Consultants LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 4,068 square feet
Estimated cost: $397,880, per Greene County building permit
Lender: Central Bank of the Ozarks
Estimated completion: December
Project description: A south-side Maria’s Mexican Restaurant is slated to open across from The Library Center. Developer Morris Dock of Three-D Properties Inc. said Maria’s officials have signed a five-year lease with options. Dock, also owner of general contractor MoDoCo Inc., owns the 1.7-acre site where the Mexican restaurant is joining The Flower Merchant Ltd. Monica Guest, co-owner of Maria’s downtown, said she and her husband, Chris, had been looking several years in south Springfield for a second location. “With the traffic and population down there, I believe we will do very well,” she said. With a goal of opening in January, Guest said they plan to hire at least 50 employees. The restaurant’s exterior will feature metal panels with a dark wood grain finish, accented by stucco, stone and bright red canvas awnings, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.