What’s happening: The vacant second floor above a popular downtown Petoskey restaurant will soon be vacant no more as developers look to activate the unused and “obsolete” office space above City Park Grill. A $566,170 RAP grant recently announced by the state should help developers in their quest to bring the $2.17 million project online.
What’s planned: The 2,921 sq. ft. above City Park Grill will be redeveloped as small apartments with community stakeholders lauding the project as it adds workforce housing in a local economy reliant on tourism. Developer Wineguys Holdings plans to build five affordable workforce housing units in the rehabilitated space.
Why it’s important: “The City of Petoskey is proud to partner with Wineguys Holdings to revive a blighted, underutilized upper floor of a historic Downtown restaurant into 5 workforce housing units,” says Petoskey City Manager Shane Horn. “This local, community-minded investment team understands the challenges of housing affordability in our region and is committed to being part of the solution. We applaud the MEDC in activating Revitalization and Placemaking program funds for this project as the redevelopment of this property will have a broad and profoundly positive impact on our Downtown and community as a whole.”
How they’re doing it: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) awarded the developers a $566,170 grant from the
Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program, which was first announced on Monday, Dec. 2. The RAP program seeks projects that reinvigorate communities through the rehabilitation and development of vacant and blighted properties, place-based infrastructure projects, and public space improvements.
What they’re saying: “This is great news that will help spur growth in Northern Michigan. Housing has been a major issue in our region and across the state,” says Sen. John Damoose. “We’ve been working hard to both grow and attract talent, but the simple fact is if we want to bring more people to our state, they have to have somewhere to live. I’ve been a strong advocate for expanding workforce housing, and these grants will help make significant progress in the right direction. I hope to see more of these grants being made available, along with additional legislative steps that encourage more people to build their lives right here in Michigan.”
City Park Grill is located at 432 E. Lake St. in downtown Petoskey.
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