Harbor Shores Development President Chris Cook updated St. Joseph Benton Harbor Rotarians this week on progress on several fronts for the now-15-year-old project.
While the Harbor Shores Golf Course is the centerpiece of the development, residential expansion is a key part of what’s been built so far, and what’s planned going forward. Cook said residential development focus is currently on several scattered locations on the edges of Harbor Shores, as well as completing the Harbor Village development adjacent to The Inn at Harbor Shores.
Cook said 64 housing units in Harbor Village have been constructed and sold, eight more are underway, and there are 24 units still planned. Two residential neighborhoods on the Northern portion of Harbor Shores, in Benton Township are awaiting sewer system upgrades in the Township that will allow the houses and condos to proceed.
One residential neighborhood is referred to as The Hill District, located along Harbor Shores Hole # 13 on the hill above the Hill District Restaurant (formerly the North Shore Inn), where up to nine homes are planned. The other is in the far Northwest section of Harbor Shores, near Hole # 11 and 12 east of M-63. A cluster of smaller golf villa type homes is planned there, which Cook says might be especially attractive to Seniors.
A major focus for Harbor Shores over the next couple of years will be redevelopment of the Modern Plastics site, on the edge of downtown Benton Harbor, along Ox Creek. At the meeting this week, Rotarians were eager to learn more about what Harbor Shores can do with the heavily polluted former industrial property.
Cook said it’s a huge challenge but Harbor Shores is moving ahead aggressively on the Modern Plastics site:
“So, we acquired Modern Plastics last year. We’ve secured the building and are obtaining quotes for demolition. Unfortunately, there are still what the police refer to as “apartments” that are in there, (homeless people living in the building). It’s bad news, it’s polluted. There are pools of water in there. There’s asbestos falling from the ceiling. We don’t want people in there for their own safety, but there have been some folks who have been there for years. So public safety has been moving them along, because that building will come down in a couple months.”
Cook said they are moving as quickly as possible toward demolition o Modern Plastics and then will concentrate on what’s possible on the site. He explained that eventual re-development of the site depends on what pollution is found and what can be mitigated.
“The plans are just about out for bids for the demolition, and then the building willl come down, and then we’ll do more environmental testing. Once we know what the environmental regulations will allow us to do, then we’ll start our plans for the Modern Plastics site. We think the building’s probably a little bit more polluted than the rest of the site. So, we’re hopeful that we can maximize housing there (along Ox Creek) But we will see…”
Cook reminds skeptics that much of the 500 acres of Harbor Shores was heavily polluted 15 years ago. In fact, there was a so-called ‘Superfund’ site near where #14 tee and #17 green lie today.
Audience questioners at Cook’s Rotary presentation were curious about plans for the future of the Old Water Tower site in St. Joseph, and the adjacent former Whirlpool plant site, now an open field for more than 35 years.
As he told MoodyOnTheMarket.com last fall, Cook reiterated that there is an aggressive plan for an entire neighborhood there, along the St. Joseph River.
“We have plans for a multitude of housing types there. Town homes, apartments, probably a boutique small hotel, some condominium units, in excess of 200 total units down there, along with a marina. So, we are in the planning stages of that… we’ve shown the City of St. Joe the preliminary plans. It’s time to start meeting with city staff and move through that. That will take us most of this year to work through that plus permitting. And so, by next year we should be able to start going vertical and putting in all the infrastructure.”
Those planned 200 residential units along the River would go a long way toward the approximately 350 units Cook believes are potentially still going to happen in Harbor Shores. About 250 units have been constructed so far.
The most recent announcement from Cook just recently was the plan for a ‘Wee Course’, a nine hole mini golf course to be built along Graham Avenue, between the Harbor Shores Clubhouse complex and the Renaissance Athletic Club property. Cook says the reaction to the Wee Course plan has been totally positive
“That’s going to be great for people that are just learning how to play golf. Kids will play for free with an adult. And folks that have been playing golf their whole lives but can’t walk as far anymore, but enjoy the game! And those who have something they can come and work on, maybe those short shots. So, we see it as hugely popular. Since it was announced two weeks ago, my texts and emails have been flooding with people saying, when is it going to be open? This sounds like a great idea.”
Cook says the ‘Wee Course’ will make Harbor Shores available to an even wide range of people.
“You can play it in an hour instead of four or five hours, so you can hang out afterwards, sit at a fire pit, have a drink or some snacks. So we think this is going to be great. We will start as soon as permits and the weather allow us to. And we hope to have it ready in late fall this year. So, there’ll probably be some early play in the fall and then next spring it should be open for real.”
Cook is the President and Managing Director of the non-profit corporation that owns the Harbor Shores development. He retired from leadership of the Abonmarche engineering, planning and architectural firm several years ago.
Harbor Shores President & Managing Director Chris Cook
