NATCHEZ &045; Plans for a condominium development to be built on the site of the Canal Street Depot should be ready by the time the Zoning Board meets in June.

That’s according to Bruce Lewis who, along with his wife, Karen, and Yates McGraw, has co-owned the Depot for several years now.

Although details such as the number and price range of units have not yet been finalized, Lewis said the gated development would include one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

&uot;Off-street parking (requirements) will determine how many units we can have,&uot; Bruce Lewis said. &uot;The demand has been for one- and two-bedroom units, mostly.&uot;

He and his partners recently ran a newspaper advertisement announcing the liquidation of their retail shops at the Depot and the plans they had for condos at the site.

&uot;We have a pretty good list of people … of all ages that are interested (in condos), and we’re proceeding every day with developing our plans,&uot; he said.

So far plans call for two groups of townhouse-type units connected by a courtyard with fountain where the Depot’s mini-golf course now lies.

First, however, the trio must get approval from the Historic Preservation Commission, because the site is in a historic district; the Zoning Board, because part of the site is zoned commercial and part residential; and the Planning Commission.

No timeline has yet been set for construction and opening of the development.

Bruce Lewis does know one thing, however &045; he and his wife and McGraw have owned the Depot for more than 10 years, and the Lewises &uot;are ready to slow down a little bit,&uot; he said.

Perhaps, he said, they’ll move back to their native Woodville and commute to Natchez to work.

Turning the Depot into townhouses fits that bill, Lewis said, and is something the partners have planned for a while now, pending Natchez Pilgrimage Tours’ decision to let its lease for space in the Depot expire.

Once that happened several months ago, it was just a matter of getting started in earnest on the plans.

Bruce Lewis said he’s optimistic about the planned development, based on the responses he’s already gotten from the public.

&uot;I think it will really be a beautiful place, and there seems to be a lot of interest so far,&uot; he said.