City Council Approves Second Phase of Rhine River Project in Downtown Washington

With final plat approval from the Washington City Council, the second phase of the Rhine River townhouses off Front Street can get under way.

The council Monday night approved the final plat of the development resubdivision of Lot 11.

Developer Andy Unerstall said construction of two four-unit residential buildings on the upper tier of the development will likely begin in September.

Those buildings, which will be accessible from Olive Street, will be larger than the townhouses on Front Street.

“The upper tier units will be about 3,000 square feet while the Front Street units are about 2,500 square feet,” he said.

Unerstall said construction continues on the second set of Rhine River townhouses on West Front Street. Once that work is complete, work will begin on the upper tier buildings.

“I already have sales pending on four of the upper tier units,” he said. Four units also have been sold on the lower level.

Unerstall said the upper tier townhouses will have similar architecture to the Front Street buildings.

Utility lines in front of the townhouses have been moved underground and utility poles removed to provide unhindered views of the Missouri River for tenants in the development.

Many units have or will have one- or two-car garages or carports as well as decks and patios.

Units in the first set of townhouses cost between $290,000 and $316,000, Unerstall said.

Directly to the east of the townhouses is a proposed 7,000-square-foot commercial building, which Unerstall plans to lease for office or retail purposes.

Also, work on remodeling the existing building at the corner of Front and Olive streets continues. Unerstall said the building could be used for retail purposes or a restaurant/bar.

The entire Rhine River development project will cost about $7.8 million.

Under a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement approved last year, the developer will get up to $900,000 in TIF funds to help develop the property.