NORTHERN MICHIGAN | General Developments

[deja vu]

Traverse City -

Sticking with academia for a moment, Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) opened its new West Hall Innovation Center in September of 2020. The $7 million project substantially remodeled the existing, 50-year-old West Hall building to provide a new 54,000 SF library and flex learning space, as well as a home for Campus Safety, Dining Services, the college radio station, and technology space.

• Video Link

There's an extensive photo gallery, here. It looks like more than $7 million worth of work. Here are a couple highlights -
















Source: NMC

[deja vu]

^ By the way, NMC's West Hall renovation is just the latest in a string of major investments that the college has made in its campus in recent years. One of NMC's over-arching goals is to create a stronger sense of community and campus identity. Recent projects of note include:

The Shirley S. Okerstrom Fine Arts Building was extensively renovated and re-dedicated in September 2018. This building, originally opened in 1972, is very unique and is credited as the last building that Walter Gropius played a role in the design of, before his death in 1969. The renovation included full removal and replacement of the original, deteriorated western red cedar siding, adding new weather barriers, flashing and a rain-screen design, as well as removal and replacement of the existing windows -


Source: Facebook | Cornerstone Architects, Inc.

The Dennos Museum Center / Milliken Auditorium Renovations & Additions, completed January 2018. The $5 million project was made possible by a substantial donation. It doubled the available museum exhibition space with the addition of two new art gallery wings, expanded the museum gift shop, provided a new classroom addition that doubles as a green room for the auditorium, and provided an expanded loading dock and storage for the auditorium -




Source: NMC

North Hall Residence, opened in August 2017 at a cost of $8.8 million. 135-bedroom / quad-style units with fitness center. This is the first residence hall constructed on the campus since 1973 -


Source: Plante Moran

[deja vu]

Interlochen -

The new Hildegarde Lewis Dance Center addition at ICA officially opened its doors yesterday. The $6 million facility can be viewed virtually here. Its opening coincides with the completion of the newly renovated Interdisciplinary Arts Space, which consists of a new black box theatre and classroom space in the lower level of nearby Stone Center.

Introducing our new Dance Center
Interlochen Center for the Arts

[deja vu]

Salt Ste. Marie -

On October 19, 2020, the National Park Service's Department of the Interior designated the Sault Ste. Marie Historic Commercial District as the newest entrant in the National Register of Historic Places. This is good news for the oldest city in Michigan, and one of the oldest in the entire US (founded in 1668).

What it means, development-wise, is that historic properties in the downtown will inherently have better survival rates and better chances of being repurposed & rehabilitated in the future. It also helps engender a higher appreciation of the area's historic architecture. While the National Register program is honorific and doesn't offer any protection on its own, it does increase awareness and open doors for individual contributing properties to further pursue protections, grants, and tax credits as needed at the state & local levels -

Sault Ste. Marie Commercial District joins National Register of Historic Places
Lea Mitchell | Capital News Service Capital News Service
November 13, 2020

Sault Ste. Marie Historic Commercial District listed in the National Register of Historic Places
TV6 News Team | Upper Michigan Source
December 7, 2020

Here's one of the more prominent structures in the district - the old Federal Building (now City Hall) - built in 1910 -


Source: Capitolhhots Photography | TwoFiftyFour Photos

[deja vu]

Ludington -

While they have both been open for over a year, 225 W Ludington Ave. and 200 W Loomis St. are decently sized, 4-story apartment buildings that were built on the same downtown block. 225 Ludington is an affordable, family apartment community, and 200 Loomis is a 55+ senior community. They are almost identical in design, and not super-beautiful, but they bring 60 residential units to downtown Ludington in a price range that is needed. I struggled to find a finished photo, so here is a rendering, a construction shot of 225 W Ludington, and a further-along construction shot of 200 W Loomis -


Source: ludingtonmiapartments.com


Source: Google Maps


Source: Google Maps

[deja vu]

Alpena -

Here are a few photo updates for MidMichigan Health's new Patient Tower. Concrete work is done -










Source: LinkedIn | Grand River Construction, Inc.

[deja vu]

Traverse City -

TC is getting a new indoor rock climbing gym. Called ELEV8, it is under construction at 510 Barlow St. (next to B Xtreme) with plans to open this summer. The cofounders, Kevin and Nick, seem to have a lot of energy. Should do well here -

Website: www.elev8climbing.com/

Traverse City natives developing indoor climbing complex
Harrison Beeby | UpNorthLive
February 5th 2021

Source: Instagram | @elev8climbing




Source: Instagram | @elev8climbing

[deja vu]

Traverse City / Cadillac -

The below article discusses some of the zoning changes happening in two of the Northern Michigan's largest cities. In Traverse City, much of the discussion right now is focused on height and density in the the 8th Street development corridor (generally pro-denser development, but anti-height). In Cadillac, the city is trying to get certified as a "Redevelopment Ready" community by the MEDC. This has led to several amendments to various aspects of the code to streamline and simplify the zoning process for potential developers.

Traverse City and Cadillac Tackle Zoning Changes
Bill Froehlich & Josh Monroe | 9 & 10 News
February 16, 2021

[deja vu]

Traverse City -

This one slipped through my radar (at first).

We knew that there were plans in the works for a new apartment project in the Warehouse District on Hall Street, in-between the BATA Transfer Station & The Candle Factory. Preliminary information had this as a 5-story, 100-unit apartment building, Now there are some more definitive plans and renderings for a 6-story, 97-unit building with a parking deck behind it. At 60 ft. high, this is going to meet with at least some opposition. The developer, Innovo, is the same developer behind the Breakwater Apartments. The architect is Studio Intrigue. THe project would be constructed on the two vacant parcels at 125 and 145 Hall Street -

Six-story building proposed for downtown Traverse City
by Brittney Buti | UpNorthLive
February 19th 2021

Source: UpNorthLive | Courtesy Innovo

[deja vu]

Gaylord (Otsego County) -

Voters in Otsego County will decide on May 4 if a levy will be passed to fund a new, $29 million justice complex. The vote has been postponed twice due to COVID-19. The proposed 60,000 SF facility would house court rooms, the prosecutor’s office, sheriff’s department, road patrol, and a 120-bed jail, and it would be built on county property between Otsego and Illinois avenues (general location). Kalamazoo-based Byce & Associates conducted preliminary studies, and would likely win the job if approved by voters -

After delays, Otsego County's justice center proposal now approaches public vote
William T. Perkins | Gaylord Herald Times / Petoskey News
March 18, 2021

Conceptual Rendering -


Source: Gaylord Herald Times / Petoskey News | Courtesy Rendering

[deja vu]

Ludington -

In May 2019, residents of Ludington voted to approve a $101 million bond proposal for Ludington Area Schools. Three key projects are included in the bond -

• A new elementary school complex in a wooded area at W Bryant and N Jebavy Rds.
• A significant remodel & additions to the OJ De Jonge Junior HS to make it a MS / HS campus
• New & improved athletic & transportation facilities

The district has been incredibly transparent & open with sharing information publicly about the bond process & the ongoing design / construction process for each project. I follow school bonds a lot and have never seen this much information made public. The new elementary is far along in construction. The MS / HS improvements are currently in Schematic Design phase. GMB is the architect & Christman is leading construction -

• Video Link

Revised Elementary School floor plan, from late 2019 / Design Development Phase -


Source: LASD

MS / HS Conceptual Plan, from the bond proposal -


Source: LASD

Athletic field improvements, from the bond proposal -


Source: LASD

[deja vu]

Traverse City -

A few sizeable updates -

1. 4Front Credit Union's new HQ at 305 W Front St. is finished. This "sneak peak" shows folks occupying the interior lounge -


Source: LinkedIn | Integrated Architecture

Bonus, here are some exterior views that I found, from mid-December -






Source: Cunningham-Limp

2. The new Honor Bank HQ at 415 E. Front St. is also nearing completion, after partially collapsing in May 2020. This was one that I had no clue as to the status of, so it's a nice surprise to read that it's almost done. On Friday, the DDA agreed to cover half the costs for new streetscape features in front of the new building, including heated sidewalks. I'm not a fan of the massing for this, nor the light tan at the top. It would have looked much better if it was just all brick -


Source: UpNorthLive (WBPN)

3. Ludington-based West Shore Bank's new building is under-construction in downtown TC, south of E Eighth St. and Boardman Ave. (next to the Commongrounds development). Here's some 2020 renderings -




Source: Cunningham-Limp

And some construction progress screen grabs -




Source: UpNorthLive (WBPN)

The above three projects add up to a lot of commercial space in downtown TC that may not all get filled now -

127,000+ square feet of new commercial space in downtown Traverse City
Brittney Buti | UpNorthLive
February 24th 2021

4. The recently mentioned Hall Street Apartment Complex proposal was approved 6-1 by the City Planning Commission on Tuesday, March 16 -


Source: UpNorthLive | Courtesy Innovo

City Approves Hall Street Apartment Complex
Beth Milligan | The Ticker
March 17, 2021

5. On Monday, the City Commission will consider supporting a neighborhood enterprise zone to provide tax credits for the 309 West Front Street proposal (next to 4Front CU). This would basically create a defined zone where property tax exemptions could be available in return for developers construction residential housing. They will also discus plans to widen and realign a section of the Boardman River riverwalk, which was damaged by a fallen tree and already slated to be reconstructed to comply with ADA standards -


Source: realtor.com

City To Consider New Kind Of Tax Break For Housing Development, Riverwalk Redesign
Beth Milligan | The Ticker
March 20, 2021

[Rizzo]

The 4Front credit union and Westshore plan looks great. The Honor bank, yikes. It's like they got to the 4th floor designing and said "meh, no time or money for this."

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by Rizzo

The 4Front credit union and Westshore plan looks great. The Honor bank, yikes. It's like they got to the 4th floor designing and said "meh, no time or money for this."

It's shocking how something so bland was approved by the client. Especially in an era when banks & CU's are so conscious of their branding & identity that is typically on display in their physical spaces. I wonder if (a) the interior looks more compelling than the exterior, (b) if the side fronting the river looks any better / worse, and (c) if the partial collapse caused them to do any significant redesign / revaluation of materials.

I will actually be in TC next week for work. I'm not sure if I will have a lot of spare time, but I am hoping to get a few first-hand photo updates around town.

[deja vu]

Traverse City -

Developer Cunningham-Limp posted some recent aerial views of West Shore Bank and Commongrounds Cooperative, which are under construction directly adjacent to each other, along E Eighth St. & the Boardman River. Commongrounds is still working on foundations and there's nothing above grade yet. West Sore Bank is much further along -














Source: LinkedIn | Cunningham-Limp Development Co.

[deja vu]

Traverse City -

I was able to get photos of most of the big things under construction or recently completed in Traverse City earlier this week. So as not to overwhelm (others and myself), I will share photo updates on here a little at a time - starting with 4Front CU's new building, which looks really good with the setting sun behind it. The detailing is well-executed, and it stands a cut above the other bank projects going up right now -











There is a fairly new landscaped walkway that connects from here (W. Front St. & Pine St.) to a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Boardman River and gets you to the developing warehouse district -





Here is the vacant lot at 124 W. Front St. which will hopefully be developed soon. 4Front is kitty corner across from this, and the new walkway runs adjacent to it -





Reminder of the current proposal for that lot -


Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle

Behind (south of) 4Front is the the Riverview Terrace tower (150 Pine) which is slated to get a major remodel -

[deja vu]

Traverse City -

Another project I saw earlier this week was the new Honor Bank building, under construction at 415 E Front Street. Unfortunately, this doesn't look any better in person, from the street side or the river side. It would be 20x better if the stairwells did not protrude so overtly, if the fourth floor was not EIFS, and if they had done something more creative with the large, blank portions of the front-facing façade. I think there's a roof deck, hence the stairwells, but maybe they could have been glass, or set back some, or... anything other than what they landed on. The former office of Cornwell Architects sits adjacent and vacant (they recently relocated to a more historic building downtown). I think it's only a matter of time until this is demolished and redeveloped, along with the site to the east -













There's a great little historic pump house, just a bit further east of the new bank building -

[deja vu]

Acme -

Grand Traverse Resort & Spa just wrapped up its renovation of the 10,000 SF Michigan Ballroom, marking the end of a 3-year, $3 million effort to update all of its meeting & banquet spaces. Here are some photos of the interior renovation at various stages, from the past few months -


Source: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa


Source: LinkedIn | Grand Traverse Resort & Spa


Source: LinkedIn | Grand Traverse Resort & Spa


Source: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa


Source: LinkedIn | Grand Traverse Resort & Spa


Source: LinkedIn | Grand Traverse Resort & Spa


Source: LinkedIn | Grand Traverse Resort & Spa


Source: LinkedIn | Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

And just a photo of the resort from afar - from a few winters ago - that caught my eye -


Source: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

[joemits]

Nice updates! TC has a lot going on right now. That pump house is a little gem. Looks like 1920's or maybe 30's ?

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by joemits

Nice updates! TC has a lot going on right now. That pump house is a little gem. Looks like 1920's or maybe 30's ?

Thanks. Yeah, my guess would be early 1930's. According to TC's 2017 master plan, it was ca. 1962, but there's no way that can be correct. Apparently it houses a sewage lift station, and auxiliary pumping equipment has been in place since last year to help mitigate sewage overflows.

Here's some photos that I took of West Shore Bank and Commongrounds Cooperative, under construction directly adjacent to each other at Boardman Ave. and E Eighth St. Also, a glimpse of the recent E Eighth St. corridor improvements, which will likely spur more developments like these two buildings. Commongrounds is still mostly just foundations, but the very next day after I took these photos, there was a CMU elevator core up to the second floor (I didn't snap a photo) -