Today a few neighbor's showed up outside the Country Inn & Suites and were prepared to be met by the city commissioners as well as other interested parties who wanted a tour of the establishment. As far as I know, there was one commissioner present Brian McGillivary and Tony Lentych of the TC Housing Commission but all other parties beyond our community members were there as some extension of the project. There were furniture people who were putting in a bid for the job as well as people who were vested in the "at-risk youth" portion of the development.
WHY THIS PROPERTY? THE PURCHASE Within moments of being there, we learned from the TC Housing Commission Tony Lentych that the property was in it's final phases of being purchased. At the end of this week, they plan to put their final money down and within 30 days are expected to close. This was an unexpected timeline and a significant compromise of transparency. Apparently, Socks Construction approached the TC Housing Commission, who has been trying to find a location for this type of development for over 20 years, about the project. The current owner of the Country Inn & Suites was looking at a quick sale to facilitate off-loading this particular building before the tourist season begins. Right now the building they are considering purchasing is made of concrete and in relatively good condition to retro-fit. The other two parts of the Country Inn & Suites will remain a hotel for a period of approximately 5 years after which the TC Housing Commission, if successful with this project, will likely purchase the rest of the buildings. The rest of the buildings are not made of concrete and likely would be a tear down-new build scenario. Despite this operation being touted as a small project with minimal disturbances to the community, they will be using it as a blueprint for future developments along the eighth street-munson avenue corridor. The stipulation was that the housing commission was not trying to keep people uninformed but that it was part of the nature of the opportunity this building purchase presented. The hotel was never officially listed for sale. Their intention for getting community feedback on the project is to hold a meeting some time next month. Let's be frank, the community feedback is only to effect the operations of the project but not to help determine whether the project is a good idea in the first place. That decision has already been made or at least will be made by the end of the week. It was also mentioned that businesses in this corridor seem to be suffering and that there has been significant turn-around over the past few years. This set up the area as an ideal location because of it's proximity to Northwestern Michigan College and the ease with which it's occupants can get to downtown. AT-RISK YOUTH & FINANCES We were also informed that 75-80% of the occupants were expected to be youth who needed affordable housing but had jobs and did not fall under the "at-risk youth" designation and 20-25% (10-14 units) of the occupants were to be the "at-risk youth." This means that the financial stability of the building will not rely on whether the "at-risk youth" are able to make their rent payments. The project is definitely a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) program but is apparently going to bring in $2000 more in taxes than the current hotel would. No one offered a comparison of taxes that would be raised if the facility was used to house people at a normal market housing rate (purchased by a developer without assistance). When asked if they are aware that federal HUD funds have depleted over the past few years without hope of being renewed anytime soon, they said that they knew that. Once the building is purchased the financial feasibility will depend on the 75-80% occupants who have jobs and can pay the rent out right (without assistance). OPERATIONS When asked about a 24-hour management office on the premises they explained that this was not their intention. The only staff on site would be a single or perhaps two "resident-assistance" type persons who would live there permanently to assist the at-risk population and to make sure everyone was abiding by their leasing agreements. They also explained that the at-risk population would be receiving additional assistance besides affordable housing while residing there (implied counseling, job assistance, career counseling, etc.) In addition, they told us not to discount a neighbor's willingness to report inappropriate activities. They said they would not allow subletting but did not indicate how they would handle kids allowing other kids to stay for extended periods of time. SAFETY Regarding safety, one proposal was having a fence installed along eighth street boundary (not sure how the fire department would feel about that or how likely plugging up an exit to the property would be). They also mentioned that they as owners could have dogs search the property whenever they wanted. Moreover, the "resident-assistant" would serve as a watch dog to make sure that everyone was doing what they are supposed to be doing. They did explain that they have evicted people before and also that drugs would not be allowed on the property. Parking permits were proposed as a way to quickly identify cars that do not belong on the property. There was little concern about the potential for increased crime and even less concern about how it will be handled should it become a prolific problem. ANSWERS STILL NEEDED Most importantly, how will it effect our property values? How will they prevent the property from becoming an eye-sore? What are the screening guidelines for the residents? How will this impact neighboring hotels especially if it is allowed to deteriorate? Will the infrastructure of the area support the increase in permanent residents? Thank you to everyone who came out today. Your opinions are important and we are trying our best to represent your concerns.
0 Comments
CALLING ALL INTERESTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS! Tomorrow, Monday March 19th at 1:30 pm city commissioners have been invited to the Country Inn & Suites to tour the site. If a quorum shows it will change to an open meeting and anyone can attend. I am planning on showing up to this meeting and am hoping other community members can make it as well.
I'd love to develop a set of questions/comments that represent our concerns as a community. If you can't attend, please share any questions/comments you have and I will share them with all in attendance at the meeting. Here's what we have so far:
All voices are important. Please share your thoughts with us. This story comes directly from the Traverse Ticker and is one of major reasons behind forming this site. It is imperative that our voice is represented in order to ensure the best outcome for our community. After clicking through to the Traverse Ticker please come back to Cromwell Terrace TC and share your take on what is happening in the comments section above. Would you be interested in forming a united front to try to get our voices heard? "Traverse City Ticker
By Beth Milligan | Feb. 24, 2018 A former Munson Avenue hotel building could be converted into a 60-unit city housing complex offering apartments for both at-risk youth and individuals in the “missing middle” of the region’s income and housing markets. The Traverse City Housing Commission and Socks Construction plan to partner on East Bay Flats, a new development planned for a former Country Inn & Suites building (pictured) at 420 Munson Avenue just east of Northwestern Michigan College. The partners have a purchase agreement on the property and are conducting due diligence ahead of a planned April closing; if finalized, the deal will bring 46 one-bedroom and 14 studio apartments to the site. Construction is estimated to start in May, with the first units available in July and the development completed by November. Read more here." |
Archives
December 2018
posts |