Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 6/8/16. Construction projects like the one at at the intersection of Houston and M.L. King Blvd are expected to breathe new life into the historic street. M.L. King Boulevard business owner Larry Torrence says he'd like to keep his Uncle Larry's Restaurant open after 8 p.m. like many downtown Chattanooga eateries, but he can't risk it.
"When it gets dark, the street's not well lit up," he said. "We've got homeless and stuff down here, and some of them get involved in the wrong stuff. If there were more of a police presence and lighting, it would help vendors a lot down here."
The rebirth of the M.L. King district, a 10-block corridor between Georgia and Central avenues that many know for its historic African-American roots, remains a work in progress despite redevelopment initiatives over several decades.
As thousands of Chattanoogans head to the boulevard Monday during Riverbend's Bessie Smith Strut, they will see one of the most potentially transformative projects in years. The towering Douglas Heights apartments, a $40 million venture, soon will offer housing with its 691 beds near M.L. King and Douglas Street in the center of the district.
Students attending the nearby University of Tennessee at Chattanooga are expected to take up a large share of the space in the 275,000-square-foot, seven-story complex that's to open Aug. 1. Demand is solid so far, said Douglas Heights leasing agent Rebekah Petty.
"Leasing is going great," she said. "We see a lot of traffic coming from UTC or Chattanooga State. Other young professionals will be living there. They don't have to be a student."
Rents begin at a little more than $600 a month, Petty said. The project could be followed by two others, ultimately adding 1,500 beds in all in the area, according to Riverside Development.
Bria Nicholson, a co-owner of the Wafflez Factory eatery on M.L. King, said she thinks the new apartments will put more foot traffic on the boulevard.
"We have to have residents on M.L. King in general - more residents and businesses," she said.
The area is seeing small businesses opening up, and more are coming.
Chattanooga real estate broker and developer Bill Raines is undertaking a total revamp of a two-story brick building originally raised in 1893 at M.L. King and Houston Street.
That project, like the redevelopment of the boulevard, has taken longer than anticipated as the developer seeks historic tax credits.
"We've gone to elaborate means to preserve that building," Raines said. "We're going to get it back to its original condition."
He expects to see ground-floor commercial tenants coupled with three apartments above. Businesses could move in by early fall, Raines said.
He sees Douglas Heights as a big draw to the boulevard and believes it will encourage others to come to the corridor.
"It will influence that whole area," Raines said.
Despite the university's presence nearby, the M.L. King area has been slow to redevelop over the years for a variety of reasons. In the past, a lot of focus was on the riverfront, the North Shore and the Southside areas of downtown, but now there's a belief that it's M.L. King's turn, experts said.
Petty said Douglas Heights developers want current businesses to stay and new ventures to arrive. She said the development group plans two new enterprises in the area to attract restaurants and retail, including in the M.L. King building currently housing the leasing office and another across the boulevard.
"With M.L. King going under renovation and new businesses coming in, the area will definitely change," Petty said.
As has occurred in other parts of downtown which have undergone a renaissance, she said, "the bad stuff kind of moves out."
Torrence said he thinks Douglas Heights will have a positive affect on the area as long as there's enough parking for everyone.
"It will keep a lot of students close to this area," he said.
Raines said he expects to see more infill development in some of the vacant lots on M.L. King, an effort spearheaded by downtown nonprofit redevelopment group River City Co.
New storefronts with residential components could give structures an impression similar to his historic building, he said.
"It's all creating a vibrant, exciting community for businesses and people to move in," Raines said.
Also, the city's downtown Innovation District includes part of M.L. King. That district is designed as a place where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with startups, business incubators and accelerators.
In addition, the planned remakes of Patten Parkway, Miller Park and Miller Plaza nearby are seen as having an impact on the M.L. King district. This summer, work is to begin to raise the sunken Miller Park to street level as part of a $10 million public and private-sector partnership to revitalize the area - a project Mayor Andy Berke said is a key element to transforming downtown.
Berke terms the makeover a "once-in-a-generation investment" in Chattanooga's future.
The new park is expected to open in spring 2017 and represents about 65 percent, or $6.5 million, of an M.L. King district makeover. If all goes to plan, the district's remake will be completed by the end of 2018.
District renovations call for adding trees and special paving to M.L. King Boulevard, creating a pedestrian-friendly connection between Miller Park and Miller Plaza. The M.L. King and Patten Parkway designs were about 60 percent complete last month.
Earlier this year, a mammoth mural that wraps around the AT&T building on M.L. King was dedicated. That $200,000 project was commissioned by a division of the city that tapped nationally recognized artist Meg Saligman to create it.
Contact staff writer Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.