Redevelopment planned for prime Broad Ripple corner

A local real estate investor is trying to lure a new restaurant to a prime corner in Broad Ripple. Plans call for a $200,000 upgrade to the 6,600-square-foot building at the corner of Broad Ripple Avenue and Winthrop Avenue/Westfield Boulevard, next to the Monon Trail. Owner Pete Johnson has listed the property for lease with Gary Perel of Urban Space Commercial, who said the "premier restaurant location" would include a 2,300-square-foot rooftop deck with great views of the strip and a smaller area for street-level seating. The building sits on 2.5 acres and offers about 120 dedicated parking spaces. Click here to see what the building looks like today, or on the rendering above for a larger version.

Elsewhere:

• A new restaurant called Tortas Guicho Dominguez y El Cubanito has opened at 641 Virginia Ave. in Fletcher Place. The restaurant, which serves classic street food you'd find in Mexico City, is owned by Felipe and Laura Zarco. The menu features homemade sandwiches topped with tomato, jalapeño, and avocado, served with a side of cucumbers and a selection of fiery salsas.
• A new restaurant and bar near downtown no longer is affiliated with Yats. The homegrown restaurant chain announced on its Facebook page that it has pulled out as a partner in a restaurant and bar in the Ambassador Apartments next door to the Central Library. "As much as we love the idea of BarYATS, we're embarking on an aggressive program to pursue franchising YATS instead," Owner Joe Vuskovich wrote. "We wish our former partner Tom Megenhardt and his crew all the best in the world."