Battle Creek started its downtown transformation project in 2008 and since then there has been more than $88 million in private investment. There has been 405,000 square feet of property developed -- 250,000 square feet of that redeveloped and 165,000 in new development.
Six new businesses have opened downtown and six have relocated there from other parts of the city. Those employers have brought 942 jobs and $60 million in personal income to the downtown.
What’s been accomplished is the easy part of redeveloping the downtown, officials recently explained in a meeting sponsored by
Project 20/20 updating the transformation project. What needs to be done next is tackling blighted buildings that have serious structural problems and may have environmental issues.
In previous sessions citizens have asked that historic buildings be restored instead of razed whenever possible. Former BCU official Jim Hettinger told those at the meeting that the request is proving to be challenging but BCU is working to see if there are those interested in taking on the challenge.
As an incentive, for projects demonstrating substantial economic impact, properties BCU owns in downtown Battle Creek will be available for the cost of title transfer. Hettinger says BCU will "eat the equity costs: allowing the person taking over the property to focus on the cost of rehabilitation."
Those who can demonstrate they have a viable plan that would be a benefit to the downtown will be selected for the program and then would be required to enter a development agreement and deposit $10,000 into an escrow account.
The escrowed amount would be returned to the purchaser or applied toward costs of rehabilitating the structure upon successful completion of the development plan. Purchasers must agree to complete renovations within 24 months.
Battle Creek Unlimited owns
seven buildings. They vary in size from 7,200 square feet on two floors to 42,000 square feet on five floors. They are considered ideal for mixed use including retail, residential, restaurant and office space. Property information may be found at the Battle Creek Unlimited
website and by contacting
Cheryl Beard.
Tours of the property also will be available. Signs are being placed in the buildings included in this campaign to encourage the community to provide input on what they want to see in the spaces and encourage them to share it using a direct link to on Facebook through a QR Code on the sign.
To further the redevelopment effort, the city has put $10 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Funds into dealing with blight in neighborhoods surrounding downtown. City Manager Ken Tsuchiyama says that $6 million already has been spent on demolition and rehabbing houses. There have been 250 demolitions and about 80 more will come down. So far there have been 29 rehabs with 26 more to be worked on. Four new buildings have gone up and two more are planned.
Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU) is the economic development organization for the City of Battle Creek.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Alyssa Jones, Battle Creek Unlimited; Project 20/20
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