A downtown Seymour business has plans to move its office to a new building once it’s built early next year.

MetroNet, a fiber internet, cable and phone service provider, is currently located at 110 S. Chestnut St., but that address will change to South O’Brien Street in the near future.

Will Hackman, owner of the property at 214-218 S. O’Brien St., is developing the lot. He also owns the building just north at 524 E. Tipton St. that houses the Orange Leaf frozen yogurt shop and ATI Physical Therapy.

The Seymour City Council and Seymour Plan Commission both unanimously approved an ordinance to rezone the property from R-1 (urban residential district) to C-2 (general commercial district).

Hackman said he will be building MetroNet a 70-by-50-foot building with 1,400 square feet of office and storage space to run the business.

He said he wants to have construction completed by February.

Once MetroNet moves out of the building where it has been located since July 2007, it will leave another empty building downtown. In recent months, several businesses have closed, including Union Hardware, Norm’s Footwear and Java Joint. Urban Farmhouse also announced its last day of business would be Oct. 27.

But new businesses have opened up, too, including Blush & Brush Beauty Bar, Seedlings & Co. and Fussy Pup, a custom cookie cutter shop.

The sale of two other buildings on West Second Street damaged by fire in January 2017 and purchased and rehabilitated by Seymour Main Street is pending.

Becky Schepman, executive director of Seymour Main Street, said she isn’t concerned because of the work the organization is doing to promote the downtown.

“We are doing radio interviews, events and have many great programs available to entice aspiring business owners, and we are confident we will find the right businesses for those buildings,” she said.