[DetroitSky]

10-story apartment tower proposed for downtown Muskegon by MSU trustees

MUSKEGON, MI – A 10-story residential “tower” is the latest plan for a gutted building in downtown Muskegon eyed for redevelopment by two Michigan State University trustees.

Joel Ferguson and Muskegon attorney Brianna Scott, both members of the MSU board of trustees, recently shared their vision for the property with Muskegon city commissioners.

The former bank building at the corner of First Street and Clay Avenue is owned by the city of Muskegon, which gutted the building down to its steel beams to prepare it for redevelopment.

After about a year of study the developers have determined the existing structure is usable and will be able to accommodate the addition of five more stories, said Jake Eckholm, the city of Muskegon’s economic development director. The “phase one” plan now is to put 52 rental apartments in the tower building, as well as co-working space for residents who work from their residences, he said.

A later phase likely will add dozens more apartments as well as a three- to four-story parking garage in an area fronting Clay Avenue currently comprised of a single-story attached structure and a city-owned parking lot, Eckholm said. The parking structure would be for tenant and some public use, he said.

How the building sits now.