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'From factory town to college town' Trades help transform Flint

Date Posted: July 25 2008

There are new signs of life in this tough old town, in the form of the sights and sounds of construction activity in the downtown area.

Some $450 million in new, planned or ongoing construction projects are transforming pockets of the downtown area into what is hoped will be the start of an economic renaissance for Flint. In our last issue, we described the nearly complete, $21.3 million, 311-bed student residence hall at the University of Michigan-Flint near the downtown area, as part of an overall plan to leverage the city's considerable student population, and tie it to new development.

But there are also several projects going on downtown. Two signature developments face each other along Saginaw Street, the city's main drag. Sponsored by Uptown Developments, the buildings will be mixed use, including ground floor businesses, storefronts and restaurants, as well as residential lofts on upper floors.

"We're trying to create an all-American downtown, the way they used to be in the early 20th Century," said Scott Whipple, development and project manager for Uptown Developments. "When people live downtown, it creates a more vibrant and stable economic base." Whipple said the Uptown group has acquired about a dozen buildings, most on Saginaw Street. They use grants, tax credits, low interest loans and traditional bank financing to do these projects. "We're always looking for new opportunities for redevelopment in downtown Flint," he said.

Saginaw Street is anchored by the Mott Foundation Building, a beautifully restored 16-story tower built at the corner of First Street in 1930. To the north along Saginaw Street is about $8 million work of work. One side of the street will be anchored by the adaptive re-use of three historic buildings, built between 1880 and 1920, now collectively known as the Rowe Building. About 100 employees from several of the engineering firm's southeast Michigan offices will move into the building.

While Rowe will be the main tenant, the new four-story development will also include a nightclub in the basement, themed restaurants on the main level, and loft space above.

Across Saginaw is a development that will primarily house one of Rowe's competitors, Wade Trim, another engineering firm. The company signed a 12-year lease within the 27,000 square-foot building, which will house 25 employees.

The new office complex, to be constructed in the middle of the block, will have space for five entertainment-oriented restaurants or retailers on the ground floor, 8,500 square feet of office space for Wade Trim on the second floor, and four high-end lofts on the third floor. The redevelopment will require the demolition of the former Jewish Federation, NBD Trust, and Legal Services of Eastern Michigan buildings in the middle of the block.

According to information by Uptown Developments, the construction is designed to blend with the historic architecture of downtown. The three-story façade of the new building will feature dramatic, two-story red brick arches with a large, curved glass curtain wall. The complex also will include an outdoor pedestrian plaza through the center of the block that will provide a place for outdoor dining and small community events.

The plans also call for complete interior and exterior renovations to the former Copa and Blackstone's buildings to bring them up to code.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is expected to provide $4.2 million for the work on Saginaw Street. "It is heartening to see the redevelopment of this property move forward," said William S. White, Mott Foundation president. "This will leverage and complement efforts that are currently under way across the street and on nearby blocks."

Whipple said demand for the lofts on the street have been strong - "pretty much all of our units have been leased," he said, including 16 in the First Street Lofts, a recently redeveloped seven story building erected in 1925.

All told, Whipple said Uptown Developments has $37 million in recent real estate investments. And the work is being performed by union trades people.

"What we're trying to do is reinvent Flint's economy and Flint is a union town," said Whipple. "We're doing great, everybody loves these projects and the quality is top-notch."

Saginaw Street isn't the only area in Flint getting redeveloped. Third Avenue will be re-worked as part of a strategy to link the traffic flow between the University of Michigan-Flint and Kettering University. The strategy will include streetscape improvements, buried overhead utilities, landscaping, lighting, sidewalks, and curbs as well as commercial, park and residential development.

A $20 million expansion and renovation of the Flint Museum was completed two years ago. At 607 E. Second Ave, interior demolition is ongoing in the process of renovating the old Durant Hotel into student housing or commercial space. The $23 million project will renovate what was once the city's grandest hotel, which was built in 1920.

The nearby Berridge Hotel and Tinlinn Building, located just west of M.L. King Avenue on Second Avenue, is undergoing a $6.2-million project that will include 21 loft apartment units with two commercial tenant spaces on the ground floor

"Flint is reinventing itself from a factory town to a college town with a diverse economic base," said Tim Herman, CEO of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. He called the work along Saginaw Street "another step toward making our downtown much stronger."

ON THE EAST SIDE of Saginaw Street in downtown Flint, the renovated 16-story Mott Foundation Building at left, dominates the streetscape. Renovations on the red Wade Trim building are nearly complete. The rest of the buildings on the block with either be renovated or torn down and replaced.
INSTALLING A VENT near a curtain wall at the Wade Trim Building in Flint is Ken Krupp of Sheet Metal Workers Local 7, working for Dee Cramer.
ACROSS SAGINAW STREET, three separate buildings built between 1880 and 1920 are being modified and adapted to house the Rowe Building.