Construction to begin at 32 W. Michigan in Battle Creek

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, October 30, 2014

32 West Michigan in Battle Creek

Construction will begin this week on a historic building in downtown Battle Creek recently acquired by Hampton LLC.

The building that went up in 1920 is slated to undergo $1.3 million in renovations. Battle Creek Unlimited acquired the building in 2009 as part of the Downtown Transformation Initiative and listed the property for sale in November 2011 through the Building Momentum program. The program offered several downtown buildings for the cost of title transfer in exchange for development projects that demonstrate "substantial economic impact."

The anchor tenant for the 12,254-square-foot building will be the Battle Creek Community Foundation. The Foundation will occupy 8,900 square feet, a portion of the first floor and the entire second floor. The building also will feature four small retail units, three of which could be used for pop-up businesses or entrepreneurs just getting started in business. The spaces range from 1,360 square feet to 330 square feet. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2015.

What has people excited about the renovation of 32 W. Michigan Ave., which is commonly known as 28 W. Michigan, is that it is a homegrown project.

"This is exciting because Tara is a Battle Creek entrepreneur and when you have homegrown projects people tend to put more loving care into them," says Rob Peterson, Downtown Development Director for Battle Creek Unlimited, the economic development organization for the City of Battle Creek.

The project builds on the effort of the last few years that includes the new downtown infrastructure, says Peterson. “The next phase of Battle Creek’s transformation will involve the work of entrepreneurs like Tara Hampton and the tenants who will locate in the building. It’s exciting to see it come to life.”

Hampton owns and operates The Fitness Loft, a state-of-the-art fitness training facility with two locations in downtown Battle Creek. She says that after two years working on plans for the building it is exciting to see it get to the point where construction is set to begin, especially considering the dynamic nature of the transformation of the building.

“This is a great reuse of an historic building. I’m thrilled that this project will include smaller retail options along West Michigan Avenue,” says Battle Creek Mayor Dave Walters. “This has been a void for some time.”

Source: Battle Creek Unlimited