http://www.mibiz.com/news/design-build/19001-midtown-village-opens-after-6-years.html By Nathan Peck | MiBiz HOLLAND — Ask most developers and they’ll tell you historic preservation projects are by their nature challenging.
Then talk to Denny Sturtevant about Dwelling Place’s Midtown Village project in Holland, and he might just say you don’t know the half of it. Sturtevant, CEO of the Grand Rapids-based nonprofit housing organization, finally opened the doors a few weeks ago on the 30-unit affordable senior-housing facility — nearly six years after his group kicked off the project. While nonprofit development projects typically do have a longer timeline than their commercial counterparts, the renovation of the former E.E. Fell Junior High School had more obstacles than usual. The process involved numerous design changes and approvals from federal, state and local historical commissions, and happened in the midst of the economic crisis and the ensuing credit crunch. When MiBiz asked him about the project, Sturtevant talked about the some of the challenges, but mostly preferred to look forward, saying he is happy to have brought affordable, quality two-bedroom and one-bedroom apartments for low-income seniors to the Holland area. “It is really covering a desire and need that empty nesters have: that is, to age with dignity,” Sturtevant said. “They want to be able to age in place. If someone gets to a place where they need a caregiver, there is the flexibility to bring a family member in.” Dwelling Place partnered with Holland-based Jubilee Ministries to redevelop a block bordered by 15th and 16th streets and River and Pine avenues. Jubilee purchased the buildings in 2005 and redeveloped a former high school on the site into the Midtown Center, which houses nonprofits, businesses and facilities for Grand Rapids Community College. Midtown Village is among more than a dozen historical redevelopment programs Dwelling Place has completed in West Michigan. The project appealed to the organization as it brought a housing type that is otherwise unavailable to lower income residents in the Holland area. The project’s financing relied heavily on competing for low-income tax credits from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Initially, the credits were awarded by lottery, but later MSHDA changed the process to focus on areas with deeper needs. Because the selection process gave additional weight to severely blighted areas, the Midtown Village project scored poorly compared to projects in the metro Detroit area, Sturtevant said. As the economic crisis hit in 2008, the state body found investors were shying away from purchasing tax credits. MSHDA approached Dwelling Place with the opportunity to reapply with one caveat: find a partner. “The state housing authority was sitting with tax credits and no investors, so we were competitive again, but we had to find a partner,” Sturtevant said. The organization sought out advice from Rich Lievense, president and CEO of Lake Michigan Financial Corporation and The Bank of Holland, in order to find investors to purchase the credits. “Rich asked, ‘Why not us?’” Sturtevant said. With backing from the Bank of Holland and area philanthropists, the project moved forward in 2010. The project’s financing also relied on state historic tax credits, which largely fell victim to the state’s cuts to economic development programs. “Without the historic tax credits, this project would not have moved forward,” Sturtevant said. Navigating the process of approving plans through the federal, state and local bodies responsible for historical renovations created challenges in scheduling work on the site, said Kara Slater, project manager with GDK Construction. As the construction team waited for approval for the replacement windows, it limited the amount of finish work that could be completed in each apartment. “The biggest challenge in historical projects is scheduling and making sure that you fully understand what you need and ensuring that you’ll get it in time for your project,” Slater said. “You work around it. It just meant turning the ship a little bit to get some work done.” The project has restored the exterior of the building, which was built in 1923, by installing historically accurate windows and repairing terra cotta trim that had been damaged by weather since its original construction. The design balanced the need to maintain historical accuracy while remaining on budget, said Brian Butkis, project architect with Hooker DeJong. “We wanted to focus the design on the people entering into the site and building itself. From a historic point of view, you can go only so far. We had original character that we worked to preserve,” Butkis said. “The windows were a challenge. There were a lot of specifics that the state, national and city historic commissions wanted to see in the design. That is a big item with all historic buildings. We were balancing that with the aspect of it being affordable elderly housing. You are working within that limitation.” Share:
Construction on new Christian Care nursing home in Muskegon to begin; groundbreaking SundayPublished: Thursday, November 10, 2011, 10:00 AM Updated: Thursday, November 10, 2011, 10:05 AM MUSKEGON — Plans are progressing toward construction of an $8 million nursing home and Alzheimer's treatment facility in Muskegon Township.  Artist rendering of new Christian Care Inc. nursing home in Muskegon Township.Christian Care Inc. is moving forward on the 70-bed, 50,000-square-foot facility at 2053 S. Sheridan. The public is invited to a groundbreaking ceremony at 3 p.m. Sunday at the site on Sheridan Road just south of Evanston Avenue. Ground preparation already has begun, and in the coming days Tridonn Construction Co. and its subcontractors will begin construction. Building, equipping and staffing the nursing home will take 15 months; Christian Care hopes to open the new facility by March 2013, according to Administrator Jan Clark. Christian Care is the 93-year-old outreach of 16 Reformed and Christian Reformed churches in the Muskegon area. The organization is replacing and expanding its current nursing facility at 75 Kenneth in Muskegon. “We view this as a step forward in faith in Muskegon,” said John Baker, vice president of the Christian Care board. “This is a big undertaking, but the community needs it.” Christian Care will expand its operations in the new facility with 21 Alzheimer patient beds in a wing of the new nursing home. The new services for Alzheimer patients will increase employment at the facility by the equivalent of 19 positions. Christian Care will transfer 70 jobs from its current, outdated nursing home to the new facility, Clark said. “We are designing the new facility for residents with dementia,” Clark said. “All of our staff will go through dementia 'boot camp' to make sure we are working properly with people with these needs.” The new nursing home and Alzheimer residential center has been designed by Hooker De Jong Architects in Muskegon. Financing is being provided through Huntington Bank. However, Christian Care and its member churches continue to raise funds for the new facility and furtherance of its mission, Baker said. “We still have a lot to do,” Baker said of raising funds to support the project. “We are looking for people to step forward with 'room sponsorships.' We really need the community to step up to the plate.” Christian Care got its start in 1918 when lumber baron Henry Langeland and his wife gave a group of churches a Victorian home on Peck Street for elderly care. The Holland Home site has now become the women's facility for the Muskegon Rescue Mission. In the 1960s, Christian Care saw a need for a nonprofit nursing home and established the Kenneth Street facility. About 20 years ago, the agency moved off Peck Street with a 105-unit assisted living facility at 1536 McLaughlin, along U.S. 31 south of Apple Avenue. Share:
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/10/letters_congrats_and_thanks_ho.html
Letters: Congrats and thanks to Hooker DeJongPublished: Monday, October 24, 2011, 6:57 AMCongratulations to Hooker DeJong Architects & Engineers on 75 years of success. The Oct. 7 Chronicle article did a great job highlighting Hooker DeJong's business success in Muskegon and beyond. It is important to also acknowledge the company's generous support for many nonprofit organizations and causes in our community, from the arts to human services. Thank you, Hooker DeJong, for all the ways you help make the Muskegon area great place to live and work! Carolyn Madden Norton Shores Share:
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