The old Rivergate Plaza that once housed Woolworth’s might be getting an extreme makeover.
A full set of architectural plans for “Marianna Commons” are now complete, the project is currently out to bid, and permitting should come in the next two weeks, according to project coordinator Byron Ward, who is also one of the project’s investors.

“We’re focusing on a rejuvenation and redevelopment of the existing shopping center,” said Ward.
Marianna Commons won’t be a place to shop, said Ward. He said it will likely be a plaza of offices that deal in related fields.

“This is not your typical shopping center. It’s not going to be concentrated on retail. We have narrowed it down to three different approaches. We’ll try to make it a center of like businesses. About 80 percent of it will be an office-type setting. We don’t want a hodge podge of businesses,” said Ward.
The approximate $3-million-makeover will afford an architectural design one might see at Pier Park in Panama City, said Ward.

“If you go up there now and see it, it’s lots of concrete and a big bland parking area. Marianna Commons will have stucco, lots of vegetation in the parking lot; a modern-type, eco-friendly place with lots of green space,” described Ward. The parking lot alone will get an extensive amount of work, at a projected cost ranging from $600,000 to $1 million, said Ward. “The entire project, new roof, new facade, will be in excess of $3 million,” said Ward.

Investors in the project include real estate investment trust The Grace Fund, with Marianna Commercial LLC. listed as the purchaser. Given the location of the plaza, Ward said he and others on the project will be working with both the City of Marianna and Jackson County for a development order and code adherence. Once a permit is in hand, demolition will begin, said Ward.

“There’ll be an extensive amount of clean-up. We’re talking about a 40-year-old shopping center that’s had very little done to it over the years,” said Ward. The plaza would boast 101,000 square feet, with a net 99,000 of that being rentable square footage. The “purely private” venture will not be funded by any government money, said Ward.

“This area was attractive because of the available buildings that could be fully renovated at a lower cost than building a new structure.  We pride ourselves on our “green” growth. We are taking an old run-down shopping center that has already had an impact on our surroundings, both aesthetic and environmentally....rebuilding, improving, and making more eco-friendly with zero new impact on our environment,” said Ward.

“We feel that not only is the opportunity there to make a profit, but meet a growing need for up-to-date space for rent or sale to meet new business demands.  Our plans are to update the entire shopping center with the latest electrical, communication, air quality, and most economical appliances available today, thus making this space a more attractive space for your average business competing in a more expensive economy.”