Benton Harbor’s Arts District is the site for a new, major development that stands to inject vitality into the area like nothing that’s been seen since the creation of neighboring Harbor Shores.
The development isn’t a pipe dream; properties have already been purchased, cleanup is underway, environmental monitoring is in place, informal community inputs are already being gathered, and concepts with construction phases are in the works.
Early concepts include restoring existing historic structures to create main-floor eateries, artist studios, and open markets, paired with upper-floor short- and long-term residential space. The idea is to create places where people can live, work, and play without ever leaving the district. It’s also imagined that it would create a destination, drawing additional visitors and tourism dollars to the area.
The Investor
Clement Construction is a name only a few people in Benton Harbor might be familiar with. Currently moving to new headquarters in Clarkston on Michigan’s east side, the family-owned company has been busy in Benton Harbor over the last few years helping to update public utility infrastructure.
The company itself is accomplished in residential and non-residential construction, working with municipal, commercial, and infrastructure clients. They’ve been recognized for their work with public and private entities alike and named as a finalist in the 2016 Michigan 50 Companies to Watch by the Michigan Celebrates Small Business group.
“Jerrod (Clement) and his wife came here and were spending time in town and really fell in love with the Downtown area, the Arts District, and the city in general,” said the company’s Chief Financial Officer Mitch Brady.
“As we continue to invest and ingrain ourselves here, we’re looking to develop the area, attract people, build things that are beneficial for the community and the residents, and really just raise the tide as much as we can.”
The Properties
The company has closed on the purchases of 218 Water Street (known as the Old Firehouse), the Thayer Building at 225 5th Street, three buildings adjacent to Thayer, and some vacant parcels. Total square footage they’re looking at redeveloping is estimated at as much as 80,000 square feet.
Seeing the cluster of historic but vacant buildings in the Arts District, Brady said the Clements started forming a vision around the potential for restoring the buildings, repurposing them for residential and commercial use, and making it a long-term investment.
“The overall vision for every building is mixed-use. First floor being retail on a broad scope, which could mean anything from a storefront to a restaurant to vendor space. Any sort of hardscape that we have has an earmark for residential. So, we’re looking for mostly long-term and short-term leases upstairs. We have some tremendous views, what we feel are some of the best views in the city.”
Outside of what’s already purchased, Brady confirms the investment is projected to easily climb into the millions of dollars. Brady says the Clements are prepared for the investment and are in it for the long term – hoping to one day pass the properties to their son to continue realizing the dream.
Brady also said Clement Construction is a company that likes to move quickly and correctly.
“Right now, we’re at five buildings, adding a considerable number of parcels, and every one of them needs full renovation. This is a huge undertaking for us. It’s something that we definitely want to make sure we get right.”
The Project List
While there’s already a lot of work going on behind the scenes for all the parcels Clement has purchased, the first visible signs of development are likely to appear at 218 Water Street – the building formerly owned by Benton Harbor native and former NFL player Joique Bell.
“We would love to see a restaurant go in there. Maybe some store frontage (or) whatever the need of the city is – whatever the market calls for. Having the golf course right there and the railroad tracks and the Arts District and everything kind of lends itself to some really cool spaces down here.”
The triangle-shaped building just east of 218 Water Street on 5th Street north of the Thayer building could be a spot for a brewery or distillery, a coffee shop, or something else food-based.
The Thayer Building is the largest of all the parcels. Brady sees that as having the most potential – like the Box Factory in St. Joseph, and with residential spaces on the second floor.
“We’re toying with different ideas for what to call the building, but one of the ideas, just to give you an idea, is the Artisan Building. That could be a space where local artists and local vendors and crafts people and everybody who wants a bit of storefront can have a space where they could come in, inexpensively, that allows them a place to create, a place to sell, and not have this huge overhead burden that they would have if they had other storefront opportunities.”
The Clement team toured the Box Factory and loved their design and setup. They’ve also met with area business and property owners to discuss their ideas. They’ve also met with Cornerstone Alliance for market information and Benton Harbor City Manager Alex Little.
“We would welcome ideas for a small food market or perhaps somebody who does flowers, or baked goods and things like that. We’d be open to any type of artist coming into the building and seizing the opportunity to meet more customers.”
Behind the Thayer Building is another building Clement Construction has purchased. It has a bright, concave, exposed wood ceiling and plenty of space for event functions.
“That lends itself to an event space. Whether that’s weddings or corporate events or really anything where people need a large space that has a cool atmosphere, they could use that. Again, that’s not necessarily a business model of ours, but we would lease the space to a company if that’s what they do and they do well – keeping in mind that whoever we lease space to, we would have a keen eye for making sure that they had the best interests of the community in mind.”
The Next Steps
Brady says Clement Construction is in the very initial stages of the overall project. They have secured the properties, made stabilization repairs in some areas, and even pumped out a basement full of raw sewage (the consequence of a months-old pipe break inside the building).
“We’re in the very initial stages of it. We’re working with civil engineers. We’re working with different consultants on the best way to do this. We obviously have our own thoughts and we’re not new to this type of thing, but we want to get the insight, we want to learn what the community needs, and we’ll take it from there. We’re not going to come in and assume that we know exactly what’s needed from the community and just go for it. We want to learn first.”
Brady said the current plan is to start moving on construction in 2025.
“We’re not patient people. Whenever we look at our quality of work and things that we want done, it needs to be perfect. Sometimes you sacrifice time and money and other resources for that perfection. We’re okay with that. But I would say that as quickly as we can get things done in the right way is as fast as they’ll happen. We’re not looking to buy these assets and sit on them or wait for other people to come in and do things and then see what comes of it. We are looking to take a proactive approach.”
