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The developers of the 937 condominium tower in the Pearl District are shifting their attention to St. Johns, where they have a project to elevate the neighborhood’s profile.

As planned by Geoff Wenker and Pat Kessi of , the structure at 8680 N. Ivanhoe St. will be four stories and include 165 apartments and ground-floor retail space. With the market finally picking up and sales 100 percent complete at 937, Kessi said the time was right for the project and the neighborhood.

鈥淚 have a lot of experience in the area and really like the area and like the community, and I think that it’s an area that is really ready for growth,鈥� Kessi said.

W&K’s most audacious project to date is the 16-story, 114-unit 937, which opened in 2008 as the recession took hold. While developers of other nearby condo buildings quickly converted their units to apartments, W&K hunkered down. The company put future development plans on hold until all 937 units were sold 鈥� a milestone achieved in May.

Now the company has given itself the green light to plow ahead with its St. Johns development.

Kessi said W&K purchased the property in 2007 with a retail center in mind. But it ultimately settled on housing after such a need was identified via market studies and conversations with neighbors.

But fitting a large, multifamily building on a full-block site just a block away from St. Johns’ main street 鈥� an area with mostly small storefronts 鈥� wasn’t easy.

鈥淲e’re going to be the biggest building in St. Johns for quite a while,鈥� said Jennifer Jenkins, an architect with , which is designing the project. 鈥淣eighborhood groups were very concerned about that, so we made sure that they felt like they were part of that process. The challenge was trying to get this big mass to read as though it would actually fit into the urban fabric that was around there.鈥�

So, the team incorporated a ceramic brick facade, metal balconies and wood timber balconies. Jenkins said the idea was to create a modern industrial design that would attract younger renters, but also appeal aesthetically to longtime St. Johns residents.

鈥淭hat person, in general, is creative and artistic and design oriented, and also people in the area that are young professionals that want to live in a building that has quality in design and quality in construction, with (access to) downtown amenities, but in an area that has a really strong sense of community and a strong sense of neighborhood,鈥� Kessi said. 鈥淭hat’s the type of person we’re really building it for.鈥�

Apartments will range in size from 400 square feet to 900 square feet, and include 20 percent studios, 40 percent one-bedroom units and 40 percent two-bedroom units. Several live-work units also are planned.

W&K is planning to include 132 underground parking spaces 鈥� approximately 0.8 per unit 鈥� in the development. Kessi’s own market study supported a parking ratio of about 0.1 spaces per unit.

Parking will account for approximately $2 million of the $18 million budget. Kessi said the company聽will charge renters who use the spaces to help pay for the amenity, and added that the worst outcome would be a half-empty garage.

鈥淏ut we thought the one level of underground parking, even though it is a lot more expensive to build 鈥� in that location it would be great 鈥� not only for residents if they do have cars, but also for the neighborhood,鈥� Kessi said. 鈥淲e also thought that there was a need for gated parking for security reasons.鈥�

W&K is using a combination of senior debt and equity to finance the project. The company has already navigated design review and hopes to start construction around May 2013. A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating is being targeted.