Work moves forward on Busy Bee building

The building, owned by Dornan, his wife Nancy and Reg Cordry, is well on its way to holding nine lofts, despite a small setback July 29.

Springfield Fire Department and City Utilities officials were called to the scene at about 9 a.m. after construction workers hit a gas line while opening up the building’s ground floor.

Dornan said there were no injuries or unforeseen damages, and the development is still on schedule.

“Things like this happen,” he said shortly after the accident. “It’s a little strange that the gas was still on for a building that’s been inactive for 20 years, but City Utilities is making sure it’s turned off.”

Firefighters used fans to air out the building before allowing workers to continue with the project.

Dornan is opening the ground floor of the building to prepare it for three undetermined retailers.

“We’ll build to suit – whatever it looks like the market will require,” he said. “Once we get the storefronts and the windows in, I think it’ll start looking like a building, and then we might get some interest.”

The upper three floors will house three one-bedroom lofts and six two-bedroom lofts.

“It’s a really neat design,” Dornan said. “Some two-bedroom lofts will be ‘loftices’ and will have a private entrance from the hallway into a bedroom. A consultant can have an office, and he won’t have to come through his living room to get to it.”

Dornan said the project should be completed within a year at an estimated cost of $1.7 million. Financing is provided by Valley State Bank in Kansas, a city loan and tax credits. John Moody Construction Co. is general contractor, and Stephen P. Maslan & Co. of Kansas City is architect and engineer.

According to John Simmons, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, downtown holds 239 lofts. The Busy Bee building will hold nine more, 12 others are under construction and there are plans for at least 94 more lofts in the center city area.

Simmons said downtown might be in the middle of a loft-building craze, but the market is far from saturated.

“I think we have plenty of room,” he said. “Looking at the different types of lofts that we still have yet to come – higher end and upscale – there’s a lot of room for more people living downtown.”