Roseville to host developer showcase for Utica Road corridor
Roseville city officials on Wednesday will host a developer showcase to outline development opportunities along Utica Road, a move that could land a developer for a multi-million building project.
Local developers, realtors, state and city officials have been invited to attend the showcase, along with a team of officials from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The group is expected to take a walking tour of several potential development sites.
“We have the former Tip-Top site, a prime piece of property that we would like to see developed into a mixed-use development, such as retail and commercial office space on the first floor and residential units on the upper level,” said City Manager Scott Adkins.
The city’s historic Utica Junction area, Utica Road from Gratiot Avenue to 12 Mile Road, has been deemed Roseville’s downtown section. City officials targeted Utica Junction because it lays out as a traditional downtown, with a hodgepodge of stores, onstreet parking, and above-store residences.
The neighborhood is home to a number of established businesses such as Chester Boot Shop, along with edgier entities like Gonzo Art Studio. Its past tenants include Lauer’s Novelties and Costumes and the historic Roseville Theatre, which had a long run as a movie theater from 1927 as a movie until the mid-1990s.
In 2017, Roseville was named Michigan’s first certified Redevelopment Ready Community by the MEDC. There are now 28 communities listed as redevelopment ready, according to Katharine Czarnecki, MEDC’s vice president of community development.
“We are working with community redevelopment priority sites, which Utica Junction is a main priority for Roseville,” Czarnecki said. “We hope to have developers hear from the city and do some matchmaking and hopefully, get some projects under construction.”
According to a request for developer qualifications, Roseville wants a development partner for a 0.73-acre site on Utica that once housed the Tip-Top bar.
The property is currently assessed at $50,000, according to the request packet, but the city’s asking price is negotiable and “open to all reasonable offers.”
The packet shows options ranging from a three-floor to eight-floor mixed use building, with a restaurant and retail taking the first level, and residential lofts occupying the remaining space. The cost ranges from $3.1 million to $8.7 million, depending on the number of floors to be constructed.
City officials also hope to have an outdoor amphitheater built that could be used for concerts and public gatherings.
At the same time, the city’s Downtown Development Authority is working to revitalize the Utica Road corridor with $1.2 million of improvements, including new sidewalks, bike lanes, ornamental lighting, on-street-parking and landscaping to add to the area’s aesthetic appeal and increased pedestrian and vehicular safety. The ongoing work is financed by the DDA and a state grant.
Czarnecki said the project may be eligible for future community development incentives.
“This will be our third showcase event, but the first one on the east side of Michigan,” she said.
Added Roseville Mayor Robert Taylor: “This program is a great chance for the city to present all of the development opportunities and incentives to local developers and realtors that will help make Roseville a great destination for regional investment.”
Posted By: Macomb Daily on April 30, 2019. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
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