The city of Chelsea's (pop. circa 5,000) quaint downtown is perhaps best known for the acclaimed Purple Rose Theatre, Chelsea Milling Company (Home to Jiffy Mix) and Common Grill restaurant. Most recently, the city has contracted with architectural consultants Howard Deardorff of Howard Deardorff Design Resources and Lincoln Pollay of Lincoln Pollay Architects, who, for a cost of $50,000, are working out a plan for the re-development of downtown Chelsea. Thus far they've held an open house for businesses and have scheduled another to obtain input from residents on March 9 at the Chelsea District Library.
Of focus are certain vacancies on Main Street, such as the former post office and UAW hall, the Longworth Building, the mothballed Federal Screw Works plant, and, eventually, the police station, which will move to a new building. The Chelsea Downtown Development Authority may also redo the parking lot behind the Purple Rose Theatre and is considering purchasing the parking lot of the former Palmer Ford, which could hold a farmers market in warm weather and a skating rink during the winter, says Mike Jackson, chairman of the DDA and president of the city's chamber of commerce.
One desire residents expressed at the first open house, Jackson says, was to see more "active" businesses with a steady flow of clientele, such as retailers, rather than "passive" businesses, like offices.
"There's a whole block we're looking at to see if we can be of assistance to promote the revitalization of those areas," Jackson says.
The city will be able to borrow about $2 million to implement the development plan, says Jackson. Although there is no official date as to when work would commence, he estimates the Purple Rose Theatre parking lot work could start this fall.
Source: Mike Jackson, Chelsea DDA chairman and president of the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
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