Adrian Planning Commission supports Phase 1 of Adrian Mall improvement plan

ADRIAN — An official first step was cleared Tuesday when it comes to the redevelopment of the former Adrian Mall.

The Adrian Planning Commission unanimously approved the first phase of a planned unit development (PUD) for the mall at its meeting Tuesday. Commissioner Nancy Weatherby was absent.

There were no commissioners in opposition of the proposed two land divisions in and around the current standing mall space, nor were the commissioners dissatisfied with the proposal for demolishing the vacant and condemned section of the mall between Dunham’s Sports and the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet/Hobby Lobby end of the mall. It is proposed that future construction and development of the mall space to be torn down will occur, potentially transforming that area into a boulevard with outdoor seating, parking and walking space.

What the commission supported at Tuesday’s meeting was the demolition as well as the land divisions to construct a standalone Dairy Queen fast food restaurant in an outparcel lot between Buffalo Wild Wings and McDonald’s along U.S. 223 and the redevelopment of the former Elder-Beerman department store into a worship space and community center for NewLife Church.

With support from the planning commission, Phase 1 of the mall’s site plan will be placed before the Adrian City Commission, which will review the proposal at a future meeting. The city commission’s decision on the plan will be final, whether for or against.

This specific proposal for rehabilitating the Adrian Mall, 1357 S. Main St., has been in the works for at least 2½ years, according to CJ Clymer, pastor at NewLife Church. Within those 2½ years, he said, project developers and architects have been actively working with the city to move the mall’s redevelopment plan forward.

“It’s been a slow and steady process, but all in all, we think this could be a game-changer and a beautiful thing for the community,” Clymer said in an interview with The Daily Telegram.

The ultimate goal, he said, is for redevelopment of the mall with the hope that there will be rebranding and a fresh, new look for the mall.

Much of the mall is vacant and has been that way since the spring of 2020 when it was condemned by the city for a variety of issues, including water damage, mold and other structural concerns. Dunham’s Sports and Ollie’s/Hobby Lobby are the only active businesses within the mall space at this time. The site plan documents also make reference to Buffalo Wild Wings, but the restaurant is a separate structure from the mall itself.

Clymer and NewLife Church, which occupied a space inside the mall from Easter 2018 until the mall was the condemned, are principal partners in the redevelopment proposal along with the Adrian Development Group and architecture firm The Collaborative of Toledo.

What’s being pitched to the city, in addition to the demolition, NewLife Church’s relocation and the construction of the Dairy Queen, is transforming the mall into a mixed-use facility with multifamily residential housing or condominiums, anchor business tenants, various options for retail and dining establishments and a self-storage facility inside the former JCPenney’s location. The proposed housing would be located around the exterior of the mall, adjacent to the former JCPenney department store and the Hampton Inn & Suites, continuing along the South Winter Street side of the mall.

Parking lot improvements, landscaping additions and an overall enhancement of the exterior image of the mall space are also spelled out within the plan.

The planning commission and the city commission previously approved the mall update project as a planned unit development concept, planning commission chairman Mike Jacobitz said during Tuesday’s meeting. As the commissions work with one another, and with the developers and architects, additional phases of the project will be presented, studied and deliberated upon. The first part of the project, meanwhile, plans to move ahead with the demolition, NewLife Church and Dairy Queen. Additional work at or around the mall would follow.

Demolition could begin sometime this year

Demolishing the blighted area of the mall between Dunham’s and Ollie’s is at the forefront of the project, Dan Garno, a longtime Adrian and Lenawee County resident who is a 30-year Michigan licensed general contractor, explained to the planning commission. The area between Dunham’s and the former JCPenney store has been reroofed, he said, and the next stage of preparing for demolition would be updating interior areas of the mall, south of Dunham’s.

Dunham’s is currently open to the interior of the mall, Alissa O’Neill, architect with The Collaborative, said. The fountain area of the mall is intended to remain in place throughout the demolition period.

“They will be demoing with more of a scalpel than with a wrecking ball, per se,” O’Neill said.

While there has not been any exterior demolition progress visible to the public, interior work has been going on for some time, Garno said.

An asbestos review of the areas that are planned to come down has been conducted, he said. Areas with combustible materials have been cleared, and areas where water, sewer and other utilities need to be separated off from one another have also been addressed, Garno said. By late spring or early summer, Garno said, he expects to have all utilities disconnected and will continue with the asbestos abatement and the removal of combustible materials.

“Demolition is a process and there’s a lot going on,” Garno said. “...There’s a lot going on in the inside before those exterior walls would actually come down.”

There is the potential for phases 1 and 2 to overlap, he said. Phase 1 will wrap up with demolition of the mall area under review, which will lead into planned construction and additional demolition for phase 2.

“The demolition becomes a gateway to Phase 2, in essence,” Adrian City Administrator Greg Elliott explained to the planning commission.

More than a quarter of a million dollars in reroofing the area between Dunham’s and JCPenney has already been spent, Garno said. Within a week’s time, it is expected new roofing will be installed over the former Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub, which, Garno added, has at least two restaurant owners interested in refurbishing that area.

There is also interest in development of other outparcels around the mall, Garno said. At least three or four restaurants, which were not named, have expressed interest in the grass lot north of Old National Bank, 1474 S. Winter St., Garno said.

Dairy Queen ‘believes in Adrian’

Todd Haidous, Dairy Queen owner and franchisee, was in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, along with Clymer, Garno, O’Neill and architect Ray Micham with The Collaborative. While he did not publicly address the planning commission, Haidous said after the meeting that Dairy Queen is excited about the opportunity of coming to Adrian and being a part of the community.

“It’s a loved franchise and it’s been a blessing for every town we’ve been in,” he told The Daily Telegram. “...We believe in the site, we believe in Adrian, and we believe in DQ. Hopefully it’s a win-win for everyone.”

If a Dairy Queen does end up being constructed in an outparcel lot of the Adrian Mall, it will follow a recent trend of newly opened Dairy Queens operated under Haidous, including in Marshall and one that is soon to be opened in Jackson.

“This is kind of the path we are on, and Adrian is an impressive town. We are looking forward to coming here,” he said.

Haidous is a multi-unit operator of Dairy Queens throughout Michigan and in his hometown of Angola, Indiana. He also has locations in Coldwater and Dearborn. A DQ Grill & Chill restaurant opened in Hillsdale at the end of October 2021.

The commission’s approval of the site plan for Dairy Queen was made with the provision that diagrams be provided showing all necessary stormwater drainage and utility reports, which will complete the design of that planned build. It is also subject to administrative review and approval, the commission clarified.

NewLife Church aims to make meaningful connections with community

While worship services and traditional church activities are expected to be part of the planned transformation of the former Elder-Berman into NewLife Church, the faith organization is aiming to bring much more to the community, Clymer said.

“We’re not just building our church building, we are building something that is going to be a gift to the community,” he said. “We hope it becomes a place where meaningful connections are made.”

NewLife Church will offer a community center, open to the public, along with an indoor play park for children, a sensory room, a coffee trailer, a half-court basketball court, creative spaces and more. The overall goal, Clymer said, is for NewLife Church, planned to be renamed NewLife Commons, to be at the forefront of community involvement.

The church opened Jan. 29, 2016, at the HOPE Community Center in Adrian and has bounced around for much of its life, relocating to at least eight different locations in Lenawee County, including the Adrian Mall. It used to operate out of the area of the mall neighboring Garfield’s.

As a principal part of the mall’s rebranding effort, Clymer said, he is hoping NewLife Church serves as some sort of catalyst for bringing the mall back to relevance and life in Adrian and throughout Lenawee County.

“We’ll be the champion on the ground here,” he said. “We have no desire to see this thing stop anywhere.”

Information about the Adrian Mall’s planned unit development can be found on the church’s website, www.newlifemi.com.

The planning commission’s site plan approval for the church was approved with the condition that a trash bin enclosure be a part of the church’s building plan. The parking lot around the church will be re-striped and resealed at the very least, Garno said, to address current pavement issues. Landscaping will also take place. Those items should develop in the springtime.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian Planning Commission supports Phase 1 of mall improvement plan