The real estate portion of the Harbor Shores development is preparing for several major new projects planned to make substantial visible progress in the next 24 months.
Speaking on WSJM’s The Morning Show with Ken & Friends, Chris Cook, the president of Harbor Shores Community Redevelopment said Tuesday that there are several projects in the works that will continue to reshape the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph landscape with additional residential and commercial opportunities.
Cook unveiled plans for development on what’s known as the Old Water Tower site on the St. Joseph River just west of the Blossomland Bridge, a piece of land further north on M-63 next to the Edgewater development, and a project in Benton Township’s Hill District that’s already been submitted to township officials for review. But the project attracting the most public attention is the former Modern Plastics site at 489 North Shore Drive in Benton Harbor.
The Former Modern Plastics Site
Cook said he drives by Modern Plastics on a regular basis and sees both the eyesore and the opportunity.
“It’s been left neglected for about 10 years or so and it’s a real eyesore in the community. There are (environmental) issues to be resolved there. There’s a demolition order for the building. It was overgrown. It’s been gutted. People have taken anything of value out of there. Some folks are living in there. It’s not good.”
Cook added there’s asbestos that will have to be removed and there’s an open pit of standing water that likely has chemical contamination. Even so, Cook said the investment is going to pay off.
“(We) just felt like it was important to make sure that we acquired it and that we could make it a better thing for the community.”
A company controlled by the Harbor Shores Community Redevelopment group bought the Modern Plastics site from Berrien County for $752,468 in late September. They were the only bidder on the tax-foreclosed property, largely because of the unknown extent of chemical contamination and related cleanup costs.
Cook said since the acquisition, they’ve cut down some of the encroaching vegetation, secured the site, and started the process of gathering environmental reviews to see how much remediation the property requires.
Building Demolition next spring
Cook confirmed the existing Modern Plastics building will be demolished as required by a Benton Harbor demolition order. He said the timing for demolition is likely spring of 2025. Cook said at least part of the money to pay for demolition will come from the State of Michigan thanks to assistance from local government officials.
“Berrien County has been a huge help in all this. They are stepping up and helping with the state to get it demolished. Once it’s demolished, we can get a little better understanding of what the environmental issues are and then from there develop our plans. At this point, we really don’t have plans other than to get that eyesore removed. We hope that we can put some housing there but it’s really going to all depend on those environmental (reports).”
Ox Creek assessment
Some of that environmental data will also have a bearing on the cleanup of Ox Creek. The creek runs adjacent to Modern Plastics. Currently, there appears to be a cement or cinderblock retaining wall between the main building and the waterway.
“We don’t really know much about that. Once (the building) comes down, we’ll be able to finish the environmental studies. At that point, we’ll know a little more about what’s going on and what is impacting the creek. I would expect that whatever we do will help clean up that creek. And then, hopefully, there are other grants down the road to help get the environmental work done.”
The former Modern Plastics site is approximately 10 acres and Cook said once everything is cleaned and ready for development, he hopes homes can be built on the site. He added that more housing is needed throughout Berrien County, especially in Benton Harbor. But the cleanup is the largest variable. Cook said if demolition happens on schedule, the pursuant environmental work will run into 2026 – just to see how much contamination must be remediated.
“We’re still several years off from any construction there, but we’ve got to start now, otherwise it will never happen.”
