More development in FreeMore West/Freedom Drive corridor

Stophel Commercial Properties says it recently closed on the 55,000-square-foot former Berry Manufacturing building at 1921 Freedom Drive. It's the latest bit of development on the still-blossoming area around West Morehead Street and Freedom Drive that boosters have dubbed FreeMore West. Stophel plans to house several of its businesses -- Carpet One and the Stophel REO Group -- in the building, which it bought from F&N Family Partnership of Lawrence, N.Y., for an undisclosed sum. (The property has an assessed value of $1.3 million). Jim McAuliffe of NMKT Commercial represented Stophel in the deal; Brooks Whiteside of Whiteside Industrial represented the seller.

The area continues to develop nicely. Years ago, I used to get my beloved but constantly malfunctioning '95 Audi  fixed at the repair shop at Freedom and Morehead. Wasn't much else happening to bring me to that area then. But now the repair shop is Pinky's Westside Grill (love that they kept the VW Beetle on the roof), one of an array of cool new eateries in the area. More residential development is on the way as well. Ryan Homes and the Simonini Group broke ground in September on their planned 251-home project at Bryant Park, situated on 30 acres on Millerton Avenue off West Morehead. Nice to see the area continuing to bloom.