Since breaking ground last year, the Post House project between Vine and Sycamore streets has been progressing on schedule for completion in late spring of 2020.
In the feature story “The New Downtown” from the February/March issue of Evansville Business, Vectren, a CenterPoint Energy company (Vectren), shared details about the company’s Urban Living Research Center in the building along Sycamore Street. Recently, Vectren was selected for the negotiation of an award from the Department of Energy (DOE) that would give the energy supplier $1 million to assist with the planned research.
“The unique part about the grant opportunities that have come forward and have now come to fruition is that it starts to put us on a national scale,” says Robbie Sears, vice president, marketing and commercial development for Vectren.
Solar panels will be installed on the roof, as well as the use of battery storage that will charge when power costs are low and discharge in the event of a power need (like overworked HVAC units on a hot summer day). Vectren also is investigating other emerging technologies, like electric vehicle ride share opportunities.
Another part of the Urban Living Research Center will be a showcase space open to Vectren customers and the public to learn about the utilized technologies and research. Along with Vectren’s area, two spaces at 4,100 square feet each will be available for lease in the building at 214 Sycamore St., with grease traps installed in both locations making them well suited for restaurant developments.
“The Vine Street building also has about 7,000 square feet of space for lease that can be divided,” says Scott Edmond, senior advisor with SVN | The Martin Group, who is working with Scannell Properties on the project. “We envision office or retail users will like this space.”
The property’s office and apartment amenities will be located in the building at 215 Vine St., along with a co-working space that includes conference rooms, a coffee bar, and lounge. Preleasing for residential units is scheduled to begin this fall.
“We’ve really been looking at all these different features and how we can continue to complement Downtown to keep that growth going,” says Sears.
