Rockford's first LEED building, and new business, comes downtown

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

After being returned to the earth through a devastating fire last fall, it seems fitting that a building at 123 Courtland in downtown Rockford will rise from the ashes as an earth-friendly LEED certified structure—the city's first.

"That fire was a nightmare," says Tom Cronkright, owner of the property and Cronkright Ventures LLC, the company developing the new $350,000 LEED structure.

"It was a tough thing for the community. I think everyone's excited to see Rockford's first LEED-certified project come to town, and now we can replace the burned out building with something new and exciting."

The new 4,500-square-foot structure has two storefront spaces, each with loft space above that opens to a second-level covered deck overlooking the street, complete with outdoor seating and cabana fans.

Cronkright, who is negotiating with a couple of interested retailers, would only say that the storefronts will be filled with businesses that are in line with what Rockford residents want—a café/bakery, a bookstore, or a clothing store. These types of businesses were the top three requested in the 2007 Community Perception Survey conducted by the City of Rockford.

The building will feature dedicated covered parking for customers and is adjacent to a city parking lot.

Cronkright and his wife, Julie, are deeply invested in downtown Rockford with ownership of five buildings that, with this new building and the recently renovated American Legion across the street, contain 15 storefronts.

"It's exciting," Cronkright says. "We're kind of reinventing the Courtland shopping district. It's the last big push in downtown because it's the last to be renovated and developed."

Bazzani & Associates and Craig Architects are handling the design, construction, and LEED certification.

Source: Thomas W. Cronkright II, Cronkright Ventures LLC; Suzette Garvey, Simply Genuine Communications

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].