Proposed Tecumseh housing, business incubation space seeks state grant

TECUMSEH — The developer of a proposed housing, commercial and business incubation and makers’ space on part of the old Tecumseh Products Co. property is seeking a state grant.

The Tecumseh City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the proposed development and developer Gareth Zebley’s application for a Michigan Economic Development Corp. Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant at its meeting June 5.

MEDC's RAP grant application requires that proposed developments have support from local units of government.

The Products on Evans and the Quarters property at 402 S. Evans St. was purchased by Zebley, owner of Cambrian Senior Living, in May 2019 and was rezoned from industrial use to a mixed-use planned unit development in 2020. It is a 3.2-acre property and spans an entire city block bounded by East Patterson, South Evans, East Cummins and South Ottawa streets. It is known as the International Building site.

This project is separate from the property Lenawee County purchased for the now shelved Phoenix Project.

Previous Coverage: Development plan on part of former Tecumseh Products site OK'd

The Quarters is proposed as a two- and three-story apartment building with loft-style apartments. The studio lofts would be 400 to 510 square feet and maximize space to fit renters’ lifestyles. One-bedroom lofts would range from 585 to 700 square feet, and two-bedroom, two-bath apartments would be between 820 to 1,090 square feet.

Amenities will include an in-apartment washer and dryer, built-in closet organizers, USB outlets and private balconies.

The Products would be a two-story dining, entertainment and gathering venue built from shipping containers, paying homage to the industrial heritage of the site. This venue would provide seven kitchen space rentals — each the size of a shipping container — for aspiring chefs and entrepreneurs.

An outdoor stage would allow for live entertainment.

The development would include rooftop terraces; an outdoor courtyard; a podcast station; swag shop; restaurants; bars; traditional games like Jenga, cornhole and skeeball; and art galleries.

For an annual fee, renters would receive an inventory of favorite beverages in a private locker and have access to a VIP lounge to entertain friends and clients. Private parties could be held in a conference room.

The makers’ space would be the size of two to three shipping containers and would be fitted to focus on offering science, technology, engineering and math education and art instruction to children of all ages. The services would be provided through a nonprofit entity comprised of a variety of service groups and community members.

“New workforce housing is a critical need in Tecumseh,” city manager Dan Swallow said. “The commercial component would also create a strong mixed-use component, adding to the vibrancy of this area of the city and extending the downtown activity to South Evans Street.”

The site is not directly impacted by the Tecumseh Products groundwater contamination. However, there could be some soil vapor concerns and the city is working with its environmental consultant, AKT Peerless of San Francisco, to design a proposed vapor mitigation system for the former International Building. This would alleviate that concern while the Tecumseh Products Co. continues to clean up the primary site, Swallow said.

“The proposal also helps bring to reality the South Evans Corridor plan that the city completed in 2017. We have been working for years on new development potential for the Evans Street corridor, and this project fits directly with that goal,” Swallow said.

Zebley has completed two senior living communities that have been successful.

“Due to the unusually high cost of construction and the cost of materials and skilled labor at this time, the proposed project is just not feasible without assistance through the MEDC,” Swallow said. “The project scored highly in the first round of Revitalization and Placemaking grant reviews, so we are hopeful they will be successful in this second round.”

Assuming the project is successful in securing RAP grant funding, groundbreaking could occur as soon as spring 2024.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Proposed Tecumseh housing, business incubation project seeks grant