By Brandon Martin
The new Truist branch office and drive-thru is now being erected in Martinsville, at the site of the former BB&T drive-thru facility.
The Truist Financial Corp. formed in Dec. 2019, as BB&T and SunTrust banks officially merged. The bank is the sixth largest U.S. commercial bank, serving approximately 10 million consumer households and a full range of business clients. Its bank operates 2,049 branches in 15 states and Washington, D.C.
City of Martinsville Building Official Kris Bridges said that there are no current estimates on when construction of the new bank will be complete.
“The schedule is always potentially altered by bad weather, but I would imagine they will be done close to the end of the year,” he said.
The structure that has been built so far will serve as the main office, with the drive-thru “running along the left side,” according to Bridges.
In addition to the new bank being built, Director of Community Development Mark McCaskill said the city is still accepting requests for proposals on the six-story 1 Ellsworth Street BB&T building next to the new bank.
The building is approximately 72,000 square feet, with the main floor currently used for banking operations; the second floor is used for financial management operations, and the lower level is now vacant, previously used as office space for a non-profit organization, he said.
McCaskill said the city expects potential developers will use the building for mixed residential and commercial use.
Proposals must include a building purchase price of $25,000, and estimates of overall costs to perform the desired redevelopment, and a timeline for completing each phase of the project.
The final day for accepting proposals is June 19.
