The group that wants to redevelop the 103-year-old Keeler Building has some very modern plans for the downtown landmark.
Jeffrey Dombrowski of Keeler Flats LLC said he hopes to get to “net-zero,” or zero energy use, by installing solar panels on the roof and a geothermal system in the alley behind the building at 56 S. Division Avenue.
Dombrowski said the energy savings will translate into lower rents they can offer the low-income tenants they hope to place in the 132-apartments they hope to build in the building, which has been vacant for more than 20 years.
Plans call for the building to be converted into 72 one-bedroom apartments, 48 two-bedroom apartments, and 12 three bedroom apartments. Monthly will range from $641 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,042 for a three-bedroom units.
Although the building will have no parking available for tenants, the project is within one-tenth of a mile of nine city bus stops and within walking distance of many downtown workplaces and college campuses. Forty-two apartments also will be set aside for persons with physical and developmental disabilities.
The ground floor and basement of the building will be developed separately as commercial space and a day care center that will offer a computer lab, vocational center, art studio, and exercise and fitness center for persons with special needs from the Kent County area in partnership with IKUS Life Enrichment Services/Indian Trails Camp.
Dombrowski, who heads the non-profit West Michigan Housing Alliance, said the plans for the Keeler Building are the culmination of two years of planning.
Another developer had planned to create offices last year, but those plans fell through last year, re-opening the opportunity.
Before he can start work on the $40.5 million project, Dombrowski needs to secure $25.5 million worth of low income housing tax credits in a competitive bidding process staged by Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The state agency will announced its choices by mid-July.
Keeler Flats LLC also will seek federal tax credits that are available for the development of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and “brownfield” tax credits that are available for the urban redevelopment projects.
The redevelopment plan got a boost on Wednesday, March 8, when the Downtown Development Authority approved his request for a “payment in lieu of taxes” that will allow them to pay 4 percent of their rental income to the city instead of property taxes. The City Commission also approved the same request on Tuesday, March 7.
Except for a video game arcade that closed in December, 2015, the Keeler Building has been vacant for more than 20 years.
In 2014, the city placed cyclone fencing barriers around the building after a pedestrian sued the city over injuries from a hole in the sidewalk. The fences also protected pedestrians from bricks that were falling on the sidewalk.
Source: GLREA