The Ribbon Gets Closer to Completion on E. Warren

An aerial photo of The Ribbon during the beginning stages of its build. Image courtesy of Flux City

In April 2023 Edward Carrington, or Ed as he’s known to many, gave us a sneak peek into the process of his development, The Ribbon. Recently, we were able to speak with Ed and Joe Hudec, the Project Designer for Infuz Architects, to learn more about the project since construction started in 2023.

It is clear from the first moments speaking with Ed that the community along East Warren is of prime importance to him. He shared, “From the very beginning, our strategy has been to ensure that the community's voice is heard. We designed The Ribbon with a ground-up approach that focuses primarily on enhancing the streetscape and providing retail options that local residents frequently engage with.” Ed emphasized how much he had enjoyed getting to learn from residents and partner with the East Warren Development Corporation to better understand the needs and desires of the community, especially through weekly engagement at the East Warren Farmer’s Market Initiative. This vision has had a clear impact on the program of the building. The entire first floor will be retail space aiming to engage the community and add activation to the street scape of East Warren.

“Although we're still working to replace the previously identified anchor tenant, I'm super hopeful that I'm on the right path at identifying another food service that will help to fulfill one of the main requests that the community had for this project,” says Ed on what types of retail will be on the ground floor.

The other two floors of the building are entirely residential. There will be 18 total units made up of both one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, 100% of which will be marketed at affordable rates. This is a huge accomplishment as affordable housing options are much needed throughout the city. On the inclusion of the affordable units Ed said, “I am very excited about the affordable housing units, which will allow for a diverse and inclusive community to flourish.”

Joe, the Project Designer on The Ribbon from Infuz Architects, has been working on the project since 2021, helping work through different stages of the process from site plan review with the city to coordination in the field with engineers and Artisan Contracting, the contractors and construction managers on the project. Being passionate about adaptive reuse of buildings, Joe informed us that the foundations and footprint of the original “Charter One Bank” building previously on this site were completely reused and that much of the exterior you see are additions onto that original footprint.

Joe says, “One of my favorite outcomes here is to see the excitement and confidence that is radiating out of Ed Carrington of Flux City. You can see his drive for future projects with this one under his belt! It has been amazing to see the excitement from others on this project as well. A lot of hard work has been put in over these years.”

A lot of work indeed! Walking around the building I got to see all that hard work paying off. The residential floors are well on their way to completion with drywall and cabinets installed and talk of paint colors beginning to fly around.

Each residential unit has excellent daylight from large windows, and most have access to a balcony. On site, Ed mentioned he is excited that the elevator will soon be installed, as that has been a long time in the making.

In the commercial spaces we can see electrical conduit being run and large garage doors that will eventually open onto a plaza space designed into the development. Though still in process, it is easy to see how welcoming this space will be to the community.

After seeing the space, Ed walked us over to Next Chapter Books across the street and treated us to a coffee. Sarah and Jay Williams, owners of Next Chapter Books, clearly knew Ed well and picked up conversations started previously with ease.

All of the residential units feature large windows. Image courtesy of Jim West

Seeing their interaction is a testament to how much this community means to Ed and his recognition that it is important that The Ribbon integrates beautifully into this already strong community.

Bringing it all home, Ed conveys to us, “This project holds immense personal significance for me. It represents the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and a deep-rooted commitment to the surrounding community. The engagement with local residents, the partnerships formed, and the collective efforts to shape the project's direction have deepened my connection to the community and reinforced my belief in the importance of inclusive development. The Ribbon will be a testament to what can be achieved when the developer and the community work together towards a common goal.”

Ed’s passion for this project is clear and we can’t wait to see all it will bring to the community as it is expected to open later this year.