Gov. Whitmer Announces 80 Apartments Coming to Battle Creek, Commercial Space Coming to Detroit

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced two redevelopment projects receiving support from the bipartisan Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program. Vacant acreage from the former K-Mart in Battle Creek will be redeveloped into a mixed-use campus with critical housing and childcare amenities, while a long-vacant building in Detroit’s Livernois corridor will become a commercial, retail, and community asset. Together, the projects will generate a total capital investment of over $39.2 million in the state. 
 
The RAP program provides access to gap financing for place-based infrastructure development and real estate rehabilitation and development. 
 
“Support for these projects in Battle Creek and Detroit highlights Michigan as the best place to grow and thrive,” said Governor Whitmer. “Our growing economy and ‘Make it in Michigan’ strategy that invests in people, revitalizes places, and wins projects is paying off. Our population is growing, and we’ve been ranked as a top state for opportunity and doing business. Programs like RAP help us build on this progress, attract and retain talented workers, lower costs, build housing, and enrich our communities. Let’s keep working together to get things done for our state.” 
 
“Through these investments made by the Revitalization and Placemaking program, the MEDC is supporting the vibrancy and growth of Battle Creek and Detroit as part of the state’s ‘Make It in Michigan’ economic development strategy,” said the MEDC’s SVP of Community Planning and Development Readiness Michele Wildman. “We look forward to seeing how these projects activate vacant property in these communities, adding residential density and generating economic activity.” 
 
In the City of Battle Creek, five vacant acres previously occupied by a K-Mart retail store will be redeveloped to create a mixed-use campus featuring a four-story apartment building and a one-story commercial building containing amenities and a new childcare center, which will address a critical local need for housing and childcare in the community. 
 
The apartment building will add 80 apartments to downtown Battle Creek, including 48 low-income units and 32 workforce units that will be rented at rates ranging from 80% to 120% Area Median Income (AMI). The property, located along a main commercial corridor within Battle Creek’s Downtown Development Authority district, is less than five miles from Fort Custer Industrial Park and approximately seven miles from Ford’s planned Blue Oval Battery Michigan. 
 
The Blue Light project is being awarded a $5 million RAP grant to support the cost of construction and redevelopment of the long-vacant brownfield site and is expected to bring a total capital investment of $30,230,786.  
 
In support of Blue Light, the City of Battle Creek approved a 50-year, 4% payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) at an estimated value of $4,390,000. Battle Creek Unlimited is selling the property to the developer because the project aligns with community and economic development strategies within the city. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is also supporting this project through the provision of $3,000,000 in grant funds. 
 
The development team is comprised of Edison Community Partners and Battle Creek Unlimited. The Edison Community Partners team was founded by the core team at Hollander Development Corporation, which has experience developing and managing mixed-income, mixed-use, and affordable housing developments in Michigan, including the MEDC-supported Creamery project in Kalamazoo.  
 
“Blue Light helps Battle Creek attract and retain the workforce needed for its growing economy,” said the Edison Community Partners team. “By adding new workforce housing and expanding childcare access, this project delivers exactly the kind of infrastructure families and employers rely on. We’re thankful for MEDC’s partnership in making it possible.” 
 
“This $30.5 million investment is the critical first phase of a broader redevelopment opportunity that will reconnect downtown with adjacent neighborhoods, support talent attraction for employers such as those in Fort Custer Industrial Park and help address critical shortages of affordable housing and early childhood education slots in the Battle Creek community,” said City Manager Amanda Zimmerlin.  
 
“MSHDA is proud to support this project through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, helping make 48 of the new apartments affordable for low- and moderate-income households,” said MSHDA Chief Housing Investment Officer Tony Lentych. “Battle Creek residents will soon have a safe, stable place to live close to jobs, services, and opportunity.” 
 
“I am very grateful for the opportunity that the MEDC has presented our community. Working together to ensure our residents have access to quality affordable housing is essential,” said State Rep. Steve Frisbie (R-Battle Creek). 
 
In the City of Detroit, a long-vacant building at 7326 West McNichols will be demolished for the construction of a new, 15,600 square-foot commercial and retail development featuring a ground floor artisan market space and second-story event and office space. Bordering the Fitzgerald/Marygrove and Bagley neighborhoods, the project will become a community-serving asset. 
 
The project is being awarded a $1.5 million RAP grant to support the cost of development on the site and is expected to generate a total capital investment of $8,994,702. The MEDC will also support the project through an approved Act 381 Work Plan, with Brownfield Tax Increment Financing of $235,783. 
 
The development team is a joint venture between experienced Detroit-based development and design professionals Chase L. Cantrell, Brandon Hodges, and Damon Dickerson. Cantrell serves as Executive Director of Building Community Value and lives in the neighborhood, where he recently led the redevelopment of the adjacent 7400 W. McNichols property. Hodges is the founder and principal of TRIBE Development, and Dickerson is a project manager with Progressive Companies. Together, they bring years of experience delivering neighborhood-focused revitalization projects across Detroit. 
 
"Our development team is grateful for the financial support and partnership with the MEDC on the redevelopment of 7326 W. McNichols,” said Cantrell, Hodges, and Dickerson. “The RAP Grant and Brownfield TIF assistance will enable us to bring a much-needed amenity to the Bagley and Fitzgerald communities and support 20-25 emerging entrepreneurs as they take their first steps into brick-and-mortar retail space. In a post-Covid retail landscape, we know the built environment must be responsive to the ever-evolving needs of entrepreneurs and this project provides a right-sized and risk-adjusted option for early ideas to thrive." 
 
“When we invest directly in Detroit neighborhoods, we create real change in people's lives. This funding will go straight to Bagley and Marygrove to transform a vacant building into a vibrant community space with offices, retail, and an artisan market space. It's part of our ongoing commitment to bring resources where they're needed most,” said State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak). 
 

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.