Gate City Motors site under contract with Andy Zimmerman

The former Gate City Motors building next to the Greensboro Children’s Museum downtown is now under contract to be sold.

Jason Ofsanko, who works for Triad Commercial Properties, confirmed this afternoon that the 3.5-acre site is under contract with AZ Development.

The company, which is owned by Andy Zimmerman, also owns the property on West Lewis Street that houses Gibb’s Hundred Brewing and the Forge makerspace as well as the Battleground Ave. / Eugene Street property where Crafted restaurant will open a second location adjacent to the planned Preyer Brewing Co. brewhouse.

Ofsanko said the property went under contract last week. There is roughly 40,000 square feet of building on the site, which he said includes a show room, service department, warehouse area and used car building.

“Well, I guess it’s true,” Zimmerman said, laughing. “Man, you really love digging.

“The plans are I don’t know other than I’d like to put a restaurant there,” he continued.  “I’ve got a brewery that is more than very interested and was just waiting for me to put it under contract but that’s not definite yet. I’ve even had a distillery interested.

The project is tied up in due diligence for four months, he said, allowing him time to see if he wants to go forward and develop the property.

The potential brewery and distillery would be new, not outgrowths of existing breweries or distilleries, he said. The buildings though, like his other projects, would remain. Instead of tearing them down Zimmerman will renovate and is “just going to really, really cool it up.”

Zimmerman, who is undertaking the development with a partner, said he has been working on plans for the site for two months and hopes to have the renderings up on signs at the 300 N. Church St. site tomorrow.

“It’s an exciting property,” Zimmerman said. “It’s a big chunk.”