New office development to be built next to Optimist Hall

Timing: The plan is to break ground this year on the building, which is on Brevard at the Belmont intersection. S9 Architecture is designing the building, the firms said in a statement Friday.

• White Point is the developer that overhauled Optimist Hall a few years ago. The team is also behind a number of upcoming high-rises in South End, including a 24-story office tower in the former Rosemont spot, plus a just-announced office tower on the Walgreen’s property at East/South.

Details: The Optimist Park project will include “expansive outdoor and communal spaces and pedestrian connectivity” to Optimist Hall, the firms said.

• They pointed to Duke Energy’s 83,000-square-foot “innovation center” at Optimist Hall as a sign of the appetite for more offices in the fast-growing Mill District.

“The massive success of Duke Energy’s Innovation Center at Optimist Hall has shown that employers and, more importantly, employees want to be there, and indeed thrive in this setting,” the firms said.

Of note: Nearby, Trammell Crow Residential also plans to build a new multifamily development. Stay tuned for details on that project.