Lynchburg natives Will Andrews and William Cook of AC Capital, LLC are planning to redevelop a property on the 400th block of 12th St. near Three Roads Brewing.

They came to the Lynchburg Planning Commission on Wednesday requesting to rezone the property from General Business District (B-5) to Urban Commercial District (B-4). The commission unanimously recommended approval of the project; Lynchburg City Council will have the final say March 9.

“We think the zoning accommodates the growth of downtown and what we want to do with the building,” Andrews said.

The circa-1946 one-story building was constructed originally as an A&P Grocery Store and most recently was used as a restaurant equipment warehouse. It has sat vacant the last few years, planning documents state.

AC Capital, LLC purchased the building and two adjacent lots located on the corner of 12th Street and Court Street in downtown Lynchburg in December.

Andrews and Cook plan to use the existing building as street-level commercial space and said the size and layout of the building allows for a variety of potential uses, including retail, office and fitness space.

Planning documents state the building could be occupied by a single user or divided into smaller spaces to accommodate various commercial tenants.

Cook and Andrews plan to add between 9,000 and 25,000 square feet of residential condo and/or apartment space by building one to three floors on top of the existing building with anywhere between 8 to 26 units offering a variety of 1,2 and 3-bedroom units with private porches or decks.

The structure contains a 1,600-square-foot basement, which developers plan to convert into a large residential unit, as well as storage space for the building occupants.

Andrews said 12 parking spaces would be available on site to serve the proposed uses and additional parking spaces would be leased on an as-needed basis in a parking area located at 1300 Court St.

Planning Commission Chair Tom Rogers asked what kind of implications the project would have on neighbors such as the U.S. Post Office across the street.

Andrews said he feels good about parking and the impact on traffic because the area already is used frequently by YMCA members and brewery-goers.

“With perspective to neighbors like the post office and others, I don’t think what we’re planning on doing will have a meaningful impact on traffic there,” he said.

He added the dilapidated structure will be cleaned up and will bring in more foot traffic plus residents to the area.

Commissioner Cham Light said he was happy to see increased vitality coming back to 12th Street.

Rogers said he hopes to see things happening at the property very quickly.

“I think it’s a neat opportunity to do something with the building,” he said. “We haven’t seen anything done with it in a while.”