One of the major gateways to the marketplace of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor is poised for a dramatic change that would erase a nightmare property from the landscape, and increase the potential for renewed life to the entire M-139 corridor in Michigan’s Great Southwest.
Those paying close attention in late January saw activity underway at the former Cosmo Extended Stay Inn site at I-94 and M-139 in Sodus Township, but likely had no idea what that activity meant. One man who certainly knew what the white utility trucks from a civil engineering and survey team with multiple offices across the Midwest were up to, is Sodus Township Supervisor David Chandler.
Chandler has been working for the past year and a half to bring fruition to a deal that will see the dilapidated eyesore demolished and replaced by a brand new Speedway service station, convenience store and commercial truck stop destined for that interchange.
Civil engineers and site investigators from CESO, Inc., originally founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1987, spent several days off and on at the shuttered, burned-out motel in January, reportedly hired by site planners out of DeWitt, Michigan to conduct site inspections, take soil samples, and other site research as part of the due diligence feasibility work of the ultimate developers. Those developers work for Speedway Corporation which is seeking a special land use permit and variance from both the Sodus Township Planning Commission and ultimately, the Sodus Township Board itself next month when a public hearing is scheduled to be held.
I reached out to Chandler in late January, but he was bound by confidentiality agreements regarding the proposition for the property and while confirming that the engineering teams were working on a project, could not divulge anything regarding who or what might be targeting that site for redevelopment.
Today, Chandler was able to confirm that on July 10th his office received a formal application for the special land use permit and variance request from Speedway hopeful of gaining approval to convert the nearly 9-acre site in the northwest quadrant of the interchange to a sparkling new service station, truck stop and convenience store.
He says that the Sodus Township Planning Commission has established a public hearing for 7pm on August 10th to hear the requests. The planners will then forward their recommendation to the full Sodus Township Board of Trustees the next night, August 11th for their approval or denial.
Many people across the region would love to see the severely fire-damaged extended stay motel demolished, considering the tragic fire just under two years ago on the morning of Saturday, July 28th, 2018 when a young mother and five of her children died in a massive fire there that spread rapidly through the building, leaving countless others homeless as a result.
Developers have reached tentative agreements with buy/sell options all signed and ready pending the result of the planning commission and township board action next month.
Chandler, who has been tracking the action for more than 18 months now, says that he was actually surprised when the agreements arrived recently, having figured that the pandemic would push the redevelopment plans deep into fall or winter at the earliest, calling it a bright spot during the tough times of late.
Stay tuned as the developers continue their bid for the property and government officials weigh their options in the days ahead.
