Luxury townhomes coming to downtown Cape

A luxury townhome development in downtown Cape Girardeau is behind schedule because of permit processes, but bricks are going up, though the cold snap is stalling that process a bit, said local developer Kenny Pincksten.

The properties, rising up on the landscape not far from the casino, should be ready by spring, he said, depending on how rough the winter ahead will be. The units don’t have windows installed yet, but walls and roofs are in place.

“We’ve had pretty good weather up until this week,” Pincksten said. “It’s kind of hard to lay brick when it’s 20 degrees out.”

Pincksten said the process has taken longer than he’d anticipated.

Ground broke on the development in January 2015, and he originally had planned to have the units under roof by June 2017, according to an earlier Southeast Missourian story.

But there were delays, Pincksten said.

Construction has been underway for a few months now, Pincksten said, but before that could get started, he had to work with the city on codes and variances.

Pincksten said codes and ordinances that work on a 60-acre tract on the west end of town won’t work in a downtown area, so he had to secure some variances in order to get the project underway.

Pincksten, of Prestige Development, has named the development “Riverview Court”, which will provide the downtown area with luxury townhomes, not apartments or rental properties.

Each of the five units will have 3,600 square feet, Pincksten said, in a row-style structure that evokes other older-style downtown areas.

“I designed them to look kind of like they could have been built there about 150 years ago, kind of a historical look to them,” Pincksten said, in keeping with the design elements already in place in the area.

Each unit has its own individual look, Pincksten added, with different colors on the outside, different brick.

“You’ll know which unit is yours,” Pincksten said.

Since the development will be in the 300 block of North Main Street, plenty of atmosphere and amenities are already in place, Pincksten said.

Windows will overlook the river, which Pincksten said are the units’ biggest amenity.

“A lot of developers spend a lot of money on water features, like lakes and fountains, and we have the river there already,” Pincksten said.

The units will have Main Street addresses, Pincksten said, and a street coming off the main road will give access.

The development will be contained in a private, fenced-in area, Pincksten added, with its own smaller road from Main Street to provide access.

“Downtown Cape is an amenity in itself,” he added. “It’s a whole different living experience, being in downtown versus being in a traditional subdivision.”

Each unit’s ceilings will be 10 feet high, Pincksten said, and will use high-efficiency heating and cooling units. Pincksten is known for rehabilitating older buildings. He hopes this project will blend old and new.

“I wanted that old look and feel from yesterday, but I also wanted level floors, doors that close, modern amenities like garages — things you don’t get in older buildings,” Pincksten said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

300 block North Main Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.