Developer files plans for Washington Street infill

A local developer plans to build a 2.5-story retail and office building on a vacant lot at the northeast corner of Meridian and Washington streets. The plans for 6 E. Washington St. call for a 9,500-square-foot building including a restaurant on the first floor and a 6,000-square-foot office suite spread over the second floor and a third-floor mezzanine, said Bill Ehret, a real estate broker and partner with John Demaree in developer Uptown Realty Investors. The pair also own the building next door that houses Jos. A. Bank and the seven-story McOuat Building, which they have transformed into apartments with a first-floor retail space. The plans, filed with the city Jan. 31, describe a modern façade with limestone, glass and zinc and aluminum panels. The project will require Regional Center design approval; a hearing is tentatively scheduled for March 14. The developers hope to begin construction by April. Earlier posts on Uptown Realty's buildings are here and here. Ehret and Demaree began acquiring pieces of the property about a decade ago. The pair had worked on plans to build a 10-story structure next to the McOuat, but that deal fell through in 2009. The architect on the new building is Axis. What do you think?