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  #21  
Old Posted Jan 7, 2021, 2:52 PM
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Petoskey -

Sticking with Petoskey, here's a newer development that came to light last year -

200 Howard Street and 322 Bay Street / a.k.a. "Bay Street Development"

The two addresses above were acquired by "Main Dock 7271" - a real estate development company formed by Ira Green and Melanie Libby - sometime prior to February 2020. Those sites most recently housed a rug shop and a multi-tenant office building. The initial proposal was to replace both of these under-utilized downtown properties with a 20-unit residence and some ground-floor retail. Also included was indoor heated parking for residents. The developers were asking the city for BRA credits, as well as the potential to integrate the adjacent two lots that currently host a city-owned surface lot into a larger parking deck. They were also counting on the usual MEDC tax increment financing. The developers indicated that they would want a 20 ft. wide "no build" easement adjoining the west edge of the development site, in order to allow for western-facing units above the ground level to maintain balconies and views. Finally, there were talks of a public "performance plaza". All of this was estimated to be a $10 million investment. Here's an early rendering of the above proposal -


Source: Petoskey News-Review | Courtesy CIty of Petoskey

Shortly thereafter, the plans were revised to account for 32 apartment units instead of the original 20, and the public plaza portion of the project (atop the parking deck) was eliminated. In May 2020, the developers apparently switched from a residential units model to a boutique hotel. See subsequent images, below, included in the February 11, 2020 City Council Agenda Packet (the design did not change much between the 32-unit residence and the boutique hotel) -


























Source: Petoskey City Council, February 17, 2020 Agenda Packet

It sounds like brownfield credits can apply here, and it sounds like the city was amenable to the development, and agreed to start negotiating the legalities of the owner-requested "no-build" easement. But as of August 2020, the developers had requested a postponement of their request to introduce the introduction of a Brownfield 381 Action Plan, and I think it has been pretty quiet since then.

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:04 PM.
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  #22  
Old Posted Jan 7, 2021, 4:52 PM
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Petoskey -

Still kind of looking backward, vs. looking forward, in an effort to populate the project rundown with significant projects built or proposed in the past few years... I remembered another big one for Petoskey. The Great Lakes Center for the Arts was completed in July 2018. A project 15+ years in the making, it was built to fulfill a key part of the original master plan, in the heart of the fancy Bay Harbor community, located on the lakeshore west of downtown. I think the final construction cost was somewhere around $25 million. It is a sharp looking addition to the region -


Source: Explore Bay Harbor


Source: MyNorth | Photography by Daniel Oswalt


Source: MyNorth | Photography by Daniel Oswalt


Source: MyNorth | Photography by Daniel Oswalt


Source: MyNorth | Photography by Daniel Oswalt


Source: MyNorth | Photography by Daniel Oswalt


Source: MyNorth | Photography by Daniel Oswalt


Source: Paul Retherford Photography


Source: Paul Retherford Photography


Source: Paul Retherford Photography


Source: Paul Retherford Photography


Source: Paul Retherford Photography

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:05 PM.
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  #23  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2021, 12:01 PM
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Houghton -

Back to more current stuff... jumping over to Houghton for the first time on this thread -

Houghton Lakeshore Drive Redevelopment

After unveiling this proposed redevelopment for a large, aging parking deck situated along Houghton's Portage Lake Canal waterfront just three weeks ago, now the developer (Veridea Group - Marquette) is pulling out. The $40 million+ investment would include a 5-story hotel, retail and office space, conference facilities, apartments, and condominiums.

Wednesday night, at a special city council work session focused on the project, the developer announced it is officially withdrawing. Reading the article, the developer is clearly frustrated with the city's process (or lack thereof), and the associated dissent from the public's consumption of disinformation about the project (aside, this really seems to be a common theme in many of the failed northern Michigan proposals I have been discovering as of late). But it really seems to me like this project is not officially dead. It sounds more like the developer is playing hard ball with the city, in order to strong arm them into allying themselves more with the development team. As the developer notes, they have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the preliminary efforts to get the site redeveloped.

It's not easy being a developer - anywhere. I sympathize with them. It seems especially difficult to promote change in the upper portion of the state right now. This will be an interesting one to follow.

Quote:
Square One: Veridea Exits Houghton Development Project
Keweenaw Report | Local Local News Staff
January 07, 2021

The Houghton Lakeshore Drive redevelopment project is back to step one. Last night, the Veridea Group of Marquette, which had been selected as the city’s development partner, officially withdrew. City Manager Eric Waara read the company’s letter at the beginning of a special city council work session devoted to the project…
Quote:
Houghton Lakeshore Drive Proposal Revealed
Keweenaw Report | Local Local News Staff
December 16, 2020

The Houghton waterfront could someday include a hotel, retail and office space, conference facilities, apartments and condominiums. The vision for the future of the property currently devoted to parking was unveiled by the Veridea Group of Marquette last night, at a joint meeting of the Houghton city council, planning commission, and Downtown Development Authority...












Source: Keweenaw Report | City of Houghton

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:05 PM.
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  #24  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2021, 10:56 PM
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Manistee -

I've been meaning to get around to Manistee. This post-industrial city, with its quaint Victorian downtown architecture, is my "ancestral" Michigan home town. My great-grandparents and great-great grandparents immigrated to here from Poland for the logging jobs in the early 20th century. Sadly, their house, which was south of downtown, was ultimately demolished to make way for US-31 long before I was borne...

Anyway, a portion of downtown Manistee MIGHT be getting a big refresh, if it can clear some hurdles. Known as Spirit of the Woods Gateway Project, the proposed development would include a 100-room hotel, event center, indoor / outdoor farmer's marketplace, welcome center, office and retail space, and a business incubator. It would be situated where US-31 intersects S. River Street - which is basically the northern terminus of the small downtown. A big motivation is to create a more inviting entry to downtown. This looks to be easily a $20+ investment in downtown, and it promises to bring millions of dollars annually in economic impact.

It was first officially presented to the Manistee City Council at their September 08, 2020 work session. No formal vote was on that agenda. CL Real Estate is the developer, working in tandem with Little River Holdings, the EDC arm of the of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (the same Little River Band behind the planned Muskegon / Fruitport Township Casino). News sources indicate that the development team planned to work on their plans and applications through the remainder of 2020, and hope to start construction in Summer / Fall 2021.

This is only the second Michigan project for Illinois-based CL Real Estate, and their first partnership with the Little River Band. It looks promising and sounds ambitious, but I'm not holding my breath that it will all come to fruition exactly as portrayed right now. At a quick glance, there has been no other update on the City Council's agendas since September.

Quote:
Putting pieces together in Manistee
Kate Carlson | MiBiz
January 03, 2021

MANISTEE — The lakeshore city of just more than 6,000 people is seeing multiple new downtown developments that local officials and investors say are critical for reinvigorating empty storefronts, diversification and emerging better off after the pandemic...
Quote:
Michigan Tribe’s Economic Development Corporation to Invest in Transformation of Downtown Manistee
Levi Rickert | Native News Online
September 14, 2020

MANISTEE, Mich. — Plans unveiled last week to city officials will give a facelift to transform the entry into downtown Manistee, Mich., a city on the shores of Lake Michigan. The planned development was presented by Little River Holdings and CL Real Estate Development to the Manistee City Council. Called the Spirit of the Woods Manistee Gateway Project, the development will reshape and reinvent the gateway to River Street, the main street that runs parallel to the Manistee River that flows within walking distance to Lake Michigan...
Quote:
Initial stages of Gateway project unveiled
Arielle Breen | Manistee News Advocate
September 09, 2020

MANISTEE — A “business incubator,” hotel, marketplace and welcome center are all part of a newly presented project for a section that takes up both sides of River Street in Manistee. The Spirit of the Woods Manistee Gateway project was officially presented at the Tuesday evening Manistee City Council work session after council members, Manistee Downtown Development Authority leaders and others had referenced the project several times in passing during meetings throughout this year...
Site Plan - not the greatest quality - photoshopped from a skewed news article photograph -

Source: Arielle Breen | Manistee News Advocate


Source: Native News Online


Source: Native News Online


Source: Arielle Breen | Manistee News Advocate

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:05 PM.
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  #25  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 12:42 AM
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Manistee -

If the previous post wasn't significant enough, there are also plans in the works for another new hotel in Manistee, this one a Hampton Inn & Suites at the site of the current Lakeshore Motel. This would replace the vintage, low-key structure that is there today with something that would be very prominent from the adjacent 1st Street Beach and have great sunset views.

Suburban Inns would be the property manager and developer. They are based in Hudsonville Michigan, and they have properties in Holland, Grand Rapids and Midland. They seem to have their act together, and have an aggressive strategy of investing during the pandemic, betting that they can reap the benefits in the future. They represent respectable, mid-tier brands like Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, and Embassy Suites. This is the same group, for example, that involved in the McCamly Plaza Hotel remodel & rebranding in Battle Creek. The proposal was presented to Manistee City Council during a work session on December 8, 2020.

According to this article,

Quote:
Concept plans for the five-story, 108-room hotel include balconies with views of Lake Michigan and the Manistee River Channel, an indoor pool, an indoor/outdoor hot tub, and a beach bar for guests and the public...
If things go to plan, this would start construction in April 2021 and be open April 2022. It would apparently be the first Hilton-branded Hotel to sit along a Lake Michigan beach -


Source: MLive | Courtesy Suburban Inns

It would replace this little gem -


Source: Hip Postcard

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:06 PM.
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  #26  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 2:23 AM
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From the Traverse City area:

Shuttered Sleeping Bear Dunes Inn to be restored

Quote:
GLEN HAVEN, Mich. — An inn in northwestern Michigan that once welcomed lumberjacks and dock workers may have a future as a bed-and-breakfast lodge.

The National Park Service intends to lease the Sleeping Bear Inn and Garage in Glen Haven to the nonprofit Balancing Environment and Rehabilitation for restoration, according to MLive.com.

The inn was constructed around 1865 and closed during the 1970s. It is northwest of Traverse City along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
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  #27  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 4:55 AM
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Thanks for all the work you're doing. That Houghton project is really disappointing. That town has so much great potential. I know when I first visited I was surprised by the density of Houghton-Hancock and how the two towns had survived the industry around them crumbling (thanks to Michigan Tech). Fantastic to see all the projects planned across Michigan, seems like many underrated post-industrial towns are finally getting some investment.
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  #28  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 3:29 PM
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Originally Posted by DetroitSky View Post
^ Very cool find! I've been to the dunes plenty of times, but never to Glen Haven Historic Village. With a little poking around, I found the inn on Google Street View (garage is further to the south / left). It actually looks like it's been somewhat well-maintained by the NPS, which is good. Most of the cost will probably be towards bringing it up to code and providing modernized MEP systems for the rooms.

What is the deal with the various homes / cottages arranged along Glen Haven Rd, just south of the Inn? "Walk" south in Street View to see what I'm talking about. They look vacant, but in good condition. Is the whole area part of the Historic Village & National Lakeshore? Are they still private, summer residences for folks?

Manistee -

This post reminds me of another Manistee one that I saw a while back. The historic pavilion shelter - located at Orchard Beach State Park in Manistee Township - has been moved further back from the eroding bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. If it had not been moved, it would have been in danger of falling into the lake below. Prior to the move, it sat about 50 ft. from the edge of the bluff. Now, it is about 230 ft. away. The views are not as good, but at least it is safe.

This was a massive undertaking, because the thing had a heavily reinforced concrete basement and limestone walls and it weighed 400 tons. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. I have fond memories of this pavilion, from camping here as a kid and as an adult. My mom has photos of my grandma and her sisters (my great-aunts) sitting on the bluff near this pavilion, looking over the lake, shortly after it was built in the 1940's.

There's some impressive photos on MLive and on the Orchard Beach State Park Facebook page.

Quote:
400-ton historic limestone pavilion rolling to new location, away from eroding bluff
Justine Lofton | MLive
Updated December 16, 2020; Posted December 11, 2020

MANISTEE TOWNSHIP, MI – A 400-ton limestone shelter building rolled through a Michigan state park on Friday, Dec. 11, to its new home away from a crumbling bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. The historic shelter building no longer offers spectacular views of the big lake, but it is safe from falling into it. State officials say Mother Nature would have eventually claimed the building, despite fortifications at the bluff’s base...

November 2020 - shortly after the shelter was raised up -


Source: Facebook | Orchard Beach State Park

December 2020 drone photography of the route that it was moved along. Photos by Joel Marotti, a Photo Ambassador for Michigan State Parks, which sounds like a dream job -


Source: Facebook | Orchard Beach State Park


Source: Facebook | Orchard Beach State Park

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:06 PM.
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  #29  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2021, 3:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonsai Tree View Post
Thanks for all the work you're doing. That Houghton project is really disappointing. That town has so much great potential. I know when I first visited I was surprised by the density of Houghton-Hancock and how the two towns had survived the industry around them crumbling (thanks to Michigan Tech). Fantastic to see all the projects planned across Michigan, seems like many underrated post-industrial towns are finally getting some investment.
I'm glad you appreciate it! I'm honestly having a fun time digging up all of these proposals and developments, and it's a nice distraction from my day job...

As noted in the opening post, it is a vast area to try and cover with just one thread. And I know some of my posts can run long. I'm not sure if many people even read the whole thing, but when I add a post here, I want it to be meaningful and tell a whole story. Sometimes that's hard to compress into a short statement, like when there are development projects with 15+ year legacies (like the Petoskey Grand site). Also hard when you are not in the locale and don't have all of the information handy. It's amazing how many small local news sources are paywalled these days. But they need to make a living too.

If there's ever any northern Michiganders following along here that want to chime in with first-hand information, photos, etc. - feel free!

I suspect as we get more caught up and the rundown gets better-populated, the pace will slow down and it won't be such a rapid-fire of things all over the map. We will see. I'm not trying to own this thing, and I will gladly add more projects to the rundown as people find them and share them.

And yes, the Houghton project is huge bummer. That would have transformed the entire downtown, not just one parcel or one block. Aside from Marquette, I find Houghton to be the most vibrant city in the UP. Like you said, I'm sure Michigan Tech's presence has a lot to do with that.
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  #30  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2021, 2:49 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deja vu View Post
Aside from Marquette, I find Houghton to be the most vibrant city in the UP. Like you said, I'm sure Michigan Tech's presence has a lot to do with that.
Marquette and Houghton counties, along with Baraga County which neighbors both of them, are the only 3 UP counties to post growth in the 2010 census too, which I'm sure contributes to both cities' vibrancy. Hopefully that population trend continues in the 2020 census.
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  #31  
Old Posted Jan 12, 2021, 5:20 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deja vu View Post
Back to more current stuff... jumping over to Houghton for the first time on this thread -

Houghton Lakeshore Drive Redevelopment

After unveiling this proposed redevelopment for a large, aging parking deck situated along Houghton's Portage Lake Canal waterfront just three weeks ago, now the developer (Veridea Group - Marquette) is pulling out. The $40 million+ investment would include a 5-story hotel, retail and office space, conference facilities, apartments, and condominiums.

Wednesday night, at a special city council work session focused on the project, the developer announced it is officially withdrawing. Reading the article, the developer is clearly frustrated with the city's process (or lack thereof), and the associated dissent from the public's consumption of disinformation about the project (aside, this really seems to be a common theme in many of the failed northern Michigan proposals I have been discovering as of late). But it really seems to me like this project is not officially dead. It sounds more like the developer is playing hard ball with the city, in order to strong arm them into allying themselves more with the development team. As the developer notes, they have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the preliminary efforts to get the site redeveloped.

It's not easy being a developer - anywhere. I sympathize with them. It seems especially difficult to promote change in the upper portion of the state right now. This will be an interesting one to follow.

















Source: Keweenaw Report | City of Houghton

Is this subsidized by Michigan Tech? Where do they put up colloquium speakers and such?
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  #32  
Old Posted Jan 13, 2021, 3:33 AM
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I'm usually 100% for these types of developments, but this seems a bit much for Houghton. Alot of those businesses thrive with views to he canal, even with the deck in the foreground and of course it's easy access to parking. Never thought I'd find myself advocating for parking downtown, but we're talking the UP here with rough winters and the businesses are directly connected by elevated walkways and staircases on the lower level. I like going to Keweenaw Brewing for a beer on the patio and walking across the parking deck to see the hoist bridge raise for ships.
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  #33  
Old Posted Jan 13, 2021, 4:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rizzo View Post
I'm usually 100% for these types of developments, but this seems a bit much for Houghton. Alot of those businesses thrive with views to he canal, even with the deck in the foreground and of course it's easy access to parking. Never thought I'd find myself advocating for parking downtown, but we're talking the UP here with rough winters and the businesses are directly connected by elevated walkways and staircases on the lower level. I like going to Keweenaw Brewing for a beer on the patio and walking across the parking deck to see the hoist bridge raise for ships.
That base must be a somewhat climate-controlled parking structure, right?
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  #34  
Old Posted Jan 13, 2021, 5:43 PM
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^ Reviewing the "Special Meeting" Minutes from a December 15, 2020 session, it really seems like the City of Houghton is eager to consider whatever solution it can get to unburden itself of the ongoing costs of maintaining the aging parking deck, as well as the alternative option of demolishing & replacing it. Annual maintenance / repairs for this big deck are estimated at $250K / year. The city already puts ~17% of annual collected property taxes toward parking (most of it this deck) - and that doesn't even cover all of the costs - that's a lot for a city this small to spend on parking. It sounds like council is reluctant to raise property taxes or borrow money for the deck. From the earlier article,

Quote:
The city parking fund is not self-supporting. Waara said that one-sixth of the property tax millage collected by the city each year goes to maintain parking, with most of that used for the big deck. Parking already costs the owner of a $100,000 home in the city $127 per year.
It doesn't sound like a "non-parking deck" option is even being considered at all (not that anyone was suggesting that on here, just saying). But to Rizzo's point, there is some discussion of decreasing parking capacity at this location and moving some of it away from the waterfront. And the developer actually makes the argument that their proposal opens up existing businesses to more daylight / views than what is existing. I mean, yeah, you'd have more daylight on the lower floors without a parking deck covering your windows, but you're still not getting real views of the waterfront with the replacement development plan.

The cost to remove & replace the aging deck is estimated at $12 million. If Veridea or another developer assumes some ownership, it relieves the city of the burden. Not to say parking is the only motivator here, but it seems to be central to everything else being discussed.

Reading the public comments in those same minutes (~112 community members attended this meeting!) it sounds like the biggest complaint is that the city has not allowed adequate time / adequate formats to gather public input. Definitely some NIMBYism in there too, but a lot of folks say they just want council to "slow down and back up".

To SIGSEGV's questions -I can't find a public pro forma / financial statement for the development, but I haven't read anything that indicates that Michigan Tech has any involvement in the way of funding. Just a letter from their president indicating that the University supports the development. On the heated parking topic, I also can't find anything to confirm that. If you look at Veridea's response to the RFQ in 2019, they cite other projects with heated parking. However, the city's final RFQ document does not explicitly request / require it. My guess is that this might be something the developer wants to include voluntarily, at least for those parking spaces that would be utilized by residents.

I agree that it would be nicer if Lakeshore drive were opened up more to the waterfront. By the way, isn't it interesting that there is a "private residence" that bisects the current parking deck? This residence / property is excluded from the official redevelopment zone, and anything done to affect it would require separate agreements with the current owner. The current renderings make it look like this building remains as-is, though I'm not sure how occupied it really is.

Last edited by deja vu; Jan 13, 2021 at 6:47 PM.
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  #35  
Old Posted Jan 13, 2021, 6:42 PM
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Traverse City -

Here's a development you don't see every day -

Traverse City is about to start construction on a ~$20 million "FishPass" - a selective two-way fish-sorting system that will replace the Union Street Dam. There are lot of entities involved - the city, the GLFC (Great Lakes Fishery Commission), the US Army Corp of Engineers, the state DNR, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Michigan State University, Spence Brothers Construction...

I find it interesting that it will be another decade plus before these entities have a complete plan for which species will be allowed to pass further upstream, once it is all up & running (construction completion is scheduled for end of 2022). Old treaties give the tribal council a say in the decisions. They want to block non-native species from traveling upriver.

According to this article,

Quote:
..construction crews will wall off half the river to build a labyrinth weir — a dam shaped like gear teeth — then a nature-like channel, Zielinski said. That new channel will carry water while the other half of the river’s blocked to build the 400-foot channel that’ll house fish-sorting equipment... then starts a 10-year search for an autonomous way to selectively sort fish headed upstream... those that do make it through the sorting equipment in that time won’t be allowed any farther, save some controlled releases. The Department of Natural Resources in consultation with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians are working on deciding which species can ultimately pass, with Michigan State University’s assistance...
The work also entails associated improvements to Union Street Dam Park, including new walkways, a new pedestrian bridge, a small amphitheater, and riverfront access.

Quote:
Newsmaker: FishPass construction could start in January
Jordan Travis | Traverse City Record-Eagle
December 30, 2020
Video Link


Site Plan Rendering -

Source: GLFC (Full-Size)

Section Rendering AA -

Source: GLFC (Full-Size)

Section Rendering BB -

Source: GLFC (Full-Size)

EDIT: Here's a picture of the current Union Street Dam, as seen on December 4, 2020 -

Source: Big Rapids Pioneer | Jan-Michael Stump / Traverse City Record-Eagle via AP

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:07 PM.
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  #36  
Old Posted Jan 13, 2021, 11:51 PM
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Manistee -

West Shore Community College (WSCC) purchased 400 River St. in 2019 for a new new Downtown Education Center. It apparently housed a Glik's (women's clothing chain, St. Louis-based) prior to this, though I'm a bit confused, because there is a Glik's right across the street at 394 River St., unless they switched buildings / leases.

Anyway, remodel work was delayed due to the pandemic, but the first-floor functions opened in December 2020, including the college space, office space for the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce, and a Michigan Works! office. It sounds like the lower level will open a bit later - there is some covered parking, storage, and additional leasable space down there. In more ways than one, this project is designed to be an economic generator for downtown and the college.

WSCC's main campus is in Scottville (Mason County, about 20 miles south of downtown Manistee and about 10 miles Northeast of downtown Ludington). It also has an "Education Center" due north of downtown Manistee on US 31.

The existing building is pretty big, pretty prominent, pretty old, and - prior to remodel - pretty ugly. This is definitely a step up for the downtown setting that it is in. The CM is The Christman Company, and the designer is a local firm - Kendra Thompson Architects P.C. Construction cost around $3.2 million. I think that is in addition to the $470,00 purchase price for the property.

Renderings from January 2020 - I hope the building signage ended up looking better than this -


Source: Manistee News-Advocate


Source: Manistee News-Advocate

Some earlier photos, from October 2020 -


Source: Kyle Kotecki | Manistee News Advocate


Source: Kyle Kotecki | Manistee News Advocate


Source: Kyle Kotecki | Manistee News Advocate

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:07 PM.
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  #37  
Old Posted Jan 14, 2021, 3:34 PM
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Traverse City -

Honor Bank announced a new four-story bank office building at 415 E Front Street in 2019 (use the google maps timeline to see before & after demo). The new project required demolishing an existing building and rebuilding a seawall along the Boardman River. The bank planned to occupy the top floor, with other leased offices on floors two and three, and retail on the ground floor. It was all scheduled to be complete in October 2020.

Here is a rendering from Fall 2019. Note that the materials are not shown accurately, just massing. The architect clarified that it will be mostly masonry.


Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle | Courtesy Whiteford Associates

Of course, 2020, had different plans for this project. And I'm not talking about COVID. On Tuesday morning, May 19, 2020, the eastern section of the under-construction building suffered a significant collapse. Four workers were injured - one of them seriously. Two of the four were partially buried in debris. The scene was evacuated and all four were quickly transported to Munson Medical Center. Immediately prior to the collapse, eyewitnesses reported seeing the masonry wall noticeably leaning. There were some fears afterward that the partially-damaged central elevator shaft might also collapse.

There was rainfall and wind gusts the week prior, though it is unclear if that had any impact. The General Contractor - REI - initially expressed bewilderment, believing the wall was properly braced.

Quote:
“We don’t know what happened,” said David Moore, site manager and partner at general contractor REI Construction Consultants of Traverse City. “It was braced on the ends and everything...” Nothing like this has ever before happened throughout his career, Moore said. “They were working right below it and they heard a snap and it came down,” he said Tuesday afternoon at the workplace accident scene. “Thank the lord nobody was killed,” Moore added...
Here are some photos that Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker posted the day of the incident on Facebook -


Source: Facebook | Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker


Source: Facebook | Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker


Source: Facebook | Grand Traverse 911 / Traverse City Ticker

At the end of December 2020, it was announced that Hudsonville-based Bouwkamp Masonry did not follow the engineering bracing plan during construction. They were fined $28,000 by MIOSHA and were also issued a citation for not having proper training certifications on record. The electrical contractor - Advantage Electric Solutions - was also cited for improper training. The General Contractor - REI Construction Consultants - is still under investigation.

I can't find any info on if the bank ultimately plans to re-build, and if so, what the adjusted construction timeline may be. In the off-chance anybody following this is local and / or knows what is up, let us know!

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:07 PM.
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  #38  
Old Posted Jan 15, 2021, 4:52 PM
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deja vu deja vu is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2008
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Traverse City -

I'm still struggling to wrap my brain around all of the housing proposals that are currently active in TC. I've been building a development map of parcels that have active proposals & construction in Google, and populating the rundown accordingly. Once the map is further along I'll try to share it.

This article mentions no less than ten mid / high-density housing developments that are recently completed, under construction, or in the works in TC. And there are at least five other active proposals with a housing component not mentioned in here that I've come across to-date.

Quote:
Rental Housing Projects Planned For Downtown TC
By Beth Milligan | The Ticker
October 17, 2020
The main focus of the article is a new rental apartment complex proposal - for Wellington St. - across from Safe Harbor (emergency shelter & provisioning center). The developer is Woda Cooper Companies. They were also behind the Brookside Commons and Boardman Lake Apartments affordable housing projects (completed in January 2016). The 58 Unit, 4-story proposal is called "Ruth Park" and is considered a "family development" - meaning it will allow for a mix of ages, family units, and income-based rents. Woda received $1.2 million in MSHDA funding in October 2020, after several previous applications failed. The TCHC ultimately helped them get approval by allocating nine housing vouchers to the project, bumping its score high enough on the state's grading matrix to qualify for the low-income housing tax credits. Total construction cost is estimated at $14.1 million. The three existing industrial buildings on this side of the street will be demolished and construction is expected to commence this spring. Woda is reportedly scoping out other potential development locations in TC -


Source: The Ticker | Courtesy PCI Design Group

The article then mentions that TCHC did receive some (but not all) of the MSDHA funding requested to remodel the 9 story, 80,000 SF, 115-unit Riverview Terrace apartments at 150 Pine St.. They are hoping for some additional funding by June or July of this year, before they kickoff an extensive remodel. However, the Commission did NOT receive MSDHA funding in the 2020 cycle for the planned Parkview Apartments. Construction is noted as "on-hold" until they reapply this year, which I think is happening now, or quite soon -

Riverview Terrace -

Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle | Michael Stump

Parkview Apartments, Proposed (on hold) -

Source: The Ticker

The article next mentions Breakwater Apartments (completed late 2020 and shared previously on here). Then it addresses several downtown housing projects not mentioned on here yet. The first is a mixed-use development planned for the city-owned Parking Lot G, next to Mode's Bum Steer (restaurant) on E. State St. I think this is more of a general plan than a true proposal at this point. The article mentions the DDA hoped to have an RFP out by the end of 2020 for this site, but I don't see anything yet. There are at least three other city-owned surface lots that TC / the DDA wants to prioritize redevelopment of - Lot O, Lot T, and Lot X - with RFP's expected in Spring of this year. So... maybe they will lump Lot G in with those other three lots? The city also has its eyes on at least three other surface lots and six vacant parcels that it owns, that could be developed even further down the road.

The desired Lot G mixed-use development would provide a new home for TCF Bank (formerly Chemical Bank) on the ground floor with rental units above. TCF would then vacate its current space across the street so that it can be demolished to make way for a new civic development at that Southeast corner of E State & S. Union Sts. known as "Rotary Square" (more on that in a future post).

If your head isn't spinning enough yet, the article concludes by mentioning two Great Lakes Capital Projects. The first, at 309 W. Front St., would be a four-story, ~ 100-unit mixed-use project along the Boardman River (next to the currently u/c 4Front HQ building). The second, located across the street at 124 W. Front St., would be a four-story, 80-unit mixed-use development. I'll be looking for renderings for these two projects to post on here.

Last edited by deja vu; Mar 12, 2021 at 9:07 PM.
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  #39  
Old Posted Jan 15, 2021, 5:52 PM
Rizzo Rizzo is offline
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I love all the density coming to downtown TC. It's going to really boost business
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  #40  
Old Posted Jan 15, 2021, 6:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rizzo View Post
I love all the density coming to downtown TC. It's going to really boost business
Seriously! TC is apparently building more high-quality, mixed-use developments (and at a faster clip) than my hometown of Kalamazoo, a city roughly 5 times the size and with just as much of a need for housing, if not more. The current TC administration is generally very anti-surface parking and very pro-dense development.

Update - I found some renderings of the aforementioned Great Lakes Capital projects. Although I'm not sure how current the ones for 309 W. Front St. are - they show a 5-story building instead of 4-story, and I think they might pre-date the adjacent 4Front proposal now under construction. Still impressive though, if it ended up looking anything like this -

309 W. Front St. (release date / accuracy unknown) -




Source: realtor.com


124 W. Front St. -




Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle

Last edited by deja vu; Jan 15, 2021 at 6:56 PM.
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