Im Headed for the City Make Me Start Again Ferndale Set

The mixed-use development at 141 Vester St. aims to have a focus on affordable housing and hold 72 units. Krieger Klatt Acrhitects created this rendering.

Rendering provided by the city of Ferndale

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FERNDALE — A new mixed-apply project, which aims to provide affordable housing to the area, is set to be built near downtown Ferndale.

In a 3-2 vote, the Ferndale Urban center Council approved a mixed-use evolution at 141 Vester St. at its Feb. 28 meeting. The building, Vester Flats volition hold 72 units with a focus on affordable housing. The site currently is a parking lot.

Programmer Matt Walters, of Sturgeon Bay Partners, said at the coming together that the developers believed their projection is a win for Ferndale because it will provide affordable housing, bring vibrancy to the area, and fit the intention and direction of the primary plan.

"Nosotros understand and capeesh that this project volition produce growing pains and we are sympathetic to that point and have and volition do everything in our power to mitigate these issues," he said. "We are in several communities now as a programmer and we know that we are not descending upon a neighborhood; we are knitting into what already exists, into the fabric of what already exists. We recognize and  nosotros respect that."

Walters said they will continue to piece of work with Ferndale, the downtown evolution potency, adjacent businesses and residents to ensure they aid out during this process as much equally they tin.

"This has been a long road for us, but for all proficient reasons," he said. "Nosotros capeesh that our projection has only gotten better afterward having worked with the urban center of Ferndale, the Planning Commission, the (Downtown Evolution Authorisation), the businesses and the residents."

Several residents and business organization owners spoke near the development during the meeting, many of whom cited parking as a principal concern. A dissever project proposal too is going through the city for a parking development at Ferndale Collision, 180 Vester St., that would add together 161 spaces.

Michael Hennes, possessor of nearby Howe's Bayou, said residents and business organization owners need to see the developer of 180 Vester St. break ground on parking before the project commences.

"I'k comfortable with the current level of parking," he said. "I don't meet a need for a 'dot'-size parking structure in this thing, but to lose one-half of the spaces without having it in place … I similar the thought of development in this quarter and … I think there will exist other development in the quarter as well on 9 Mile, which is probably the best undeveloped piece of real manor left in the downtown expanse. And then there'due south going to exist a lot of pressure also to take that, which is going to further reduce the parking.

"I practice appreciate the affordable housing aspect of their program, and I think that's a very important development, just until you address the parking situation, information technology could be sectional to many of our customers. Seniors that accept a difficult time getting to usa at present, a lot of them use that parking lot," Hennes connected.

Mayor Melanie Piana, Councilman Greg Pawlica and Councilwoman Kat Bruner James voted yes on the project, while Mayor Pro Tem Raylon Leaks-May and Councilwoman Laura Mikulski voted no.

James said the project was the right one in the right space, only her reservation was whether this was the correct time.

"I concur that planning our future based around parking is shortsighted. There are younger generations that don't want to own cars; they may want access to cars through ride-shares and newer developing arrangements," she said. "Time is going to tell how quickly and how dramatically that will change. … In some means I think the Ferndale Collision potentially mixed-use evolution project seemed similar a kind of magical solution. I worry a lilliputian bit though that that magical solution itself might exist shortsighted considering of all of the potential and opportunities sort of in the surrounding area."

James added that role of her loves the idea of having a mixed-utilise evolution, including parking on that Ferndale Standoff bundle, and tin come across the benefit to the neighborhood, merely she as well wondered what other opportunities might be available.

"This is difficult," she said. "I am reluctant to turn down an opportunity to get affordable housing where information technology needs to exist, right near 9 Mile and Woodward where we do have a bus arrangement, fifty-fifty though it needs a lot of improvement. In that location are people who live in our community without cars. I lived here every bit an adult without a auto for quite some time. So the fact that we're always planning around cars is really frustrating and troubling."

Mikulski said she loved the concept of the projection and how it looked; however, she noted how the quango started the meeting by maxim that the quango's outlook is residents offset and the business owners who came to the meeting were residents while the developers were not.

Mikulski also stated that the residents and business owners were request the council not to motion the project forward until the parking situation was fully fleshed out.

"We've talked a ton about risk this night. Risk to the developer, risk to the people edifice a parking construction, risks of waiting, but nosotros're non talking virtually the risks to the business owners, not in a deep manner, and I don't want to wait back on this as the decision that we made to prioritize growth over treasuring and protecting who we are," she said. "These businesses but went through two years of unforeseen hell, and I can't fathom putting them through more unforeseen possibilities based on our conclusion this night without us having something concrete in identify. So I'one thousand very, very happy to vote no on this for the time beingness. I wish it was coming up at a different fourth dimension, I truly practice, but not until we have something in place to protect our businesses."

The project was canonical with several conditions fastened. Those conditions include that the developer agrees to delay construction for fourteen months from the date of approval to create an opportunity for the planned parking deck at 180 Vester to be congenital first; the developer agrees to operate the existing parking lot until they begin construction on the projection; the developer agrees to prohibit the leasing of parking spaces by tenants of its building in metropolis lots 13 and 15, the closest lots to the development and the adjacent business district; and the developer agrees to "designate 25% of units at affordable rates (as defined by HUD) if Neighborhood Enterprise Zone incentives are granted," according to city documents.

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Source: https://www.candgnews.com/news/new-mixeduse-project-to-be-located-in-downtown-ferndale-122831