ABOVE: Advanced Home Development’s location for a planned and soon-to-be-named craft beer and wine lounge is at 312 South State St in Westville, across from their owned Sofia’s Stefani’s Bar and Grill.
Advanced Home Development will soon be opening a craft beer and wine lounge at 312 South State Street in Westville, across from their owned Sofia Stefani’s Bar and Grill. But as Josh Howard recently told Central Illinois Media Group, that’s only the beginning. He says Advanced Home Development has acquired 11 different buildings in the Downtown Westville area, and they are looking to bring aboard interested parties that want to get things done.
Howard says he may be partners with Kyle Strebing and Brandon Bott; but they do not intend to be a three man band. They have the space, and they want to talk with people who have ideas. Not only does the Advanced team want to bring in new business, retail, and residential opportunities; but there’s also an ambitious idea for indoor play and recreation for children and families. Howard says the indoor space is available for something that’s really needed.
(1st and 2nd Pictures) Front and back pictures of Advanced Home Development’s acquired properties along Main Street in Westville; which Howard says could be used for retail and residential purposes, along with a possible children and families play and recreation area. (3rd and 4th Pictures) Front and back pictures of future projected development.
AUDIO: I feel like we have some of the best park facilities in the whole state for kids, and just adults. But when the winter comes, there’s really not much to do without having to go to Champaign, Lafayette, or something like that. So, we’ve been trying to work with the community, and find use of this indoor space that we have.
As the father of an autistic child, Howard says indoor play space for special needs children is also at the top of his list. In fact, he said a great recent example of “if you build it, families will come” was Alvarez Dixon’s previous success with Jump Off in the Danville Village Mall.
AUDIO: It’s a thing that gets brought up at parent meetings, where there needs to be more things for them to do as well. Like the gentleman that had the business at the Village Mall; he had inflatables, and he was doing amazing.
For Mike Marron and his team over at Vermilion Advantage, Advanced Home Development’s plans are something to get excited about.
AUDIO: There’s a lot opportunities. Certainly, anytime you can bring in these amenities to a community like Westville, or to anywhere in the county, it’s a positive. It just shows you how well things are doing in some of these communities in the county, and how there’s an appetite for this kind of economic growth.
For Westville’s Mayor Mike Weese, he already has visions of new business opportunities down below, and new residential opportunities up above.
AUDIO: If anybody has anything they want to put in one of those buildings on the bottom, he’s going to try to rent those out when he finishes them. I think he’s going to make apartments back on the two story building that used to be apartments. People are always looking for someplace to move, and they usually like Westville, so that would be a start for them.
Advanced Home Development currently owns B&B Construction in Tilton, Midtown Redi-Mix on Westville’s south end, and will soon be opening the Baylor and Brewer’s auto repair and services shop, at 102 Main Street in Westville.
