Two public hearings have been scheduled for tax freezes through Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Application certificates during the Allegan City Council meeting Jan. 14. The application requests are for 109 Locust St. and 116 Locust St.
Last fall, Michelle Miersma of Lumberman Lofts LLC purchased the buildings. Lumberman Lofts is currently rehabilitating the old J.C. Penney building at 118 Locust, which is planned for completion in February. That project was approved by the state for a frozen taxable value of $55,500 while investments to rehabilitate the property were nearly $1.4 million to build seven apartments and multiple retail spaces.
116 Locust St. is a vacant building between the current city hall and the former J.C. Penny building. The former tenants of 114/116 Locust St. were a deli and a hearing aid office. The plan is to convert the second floor into apartments and lease the first floor to commercial users. Lumberman Lofts plans on investing $324,000 to rehabilitate this building.
109 Locust St. is currently home to Something Sweet. The plan is to convert the second floor into apartments and continue the first floor as a candy store and gift shop. Lumberman Lofts plans on investing $200,000 to rehabilitate this building.
As with other approved certificates, the applicant is seeking a 12-year freeze on property taxes.
Perrigo Plant 3
A public hearing was also set for Jan. 14, for a property split request by Perrigo Company at 102 Brady St., also known as Plant 3. Perrigo facilities and maintenance engineer Craig Taylor said Perrigo had used the building for more than 30 years as a maintenance shop.
“Last year we did some reorganizing moving people around and our maintenance operations out of Plant 3 and closer to manufacturing operations,” he said. “Thirty years ago, Plant 1 was a big manufacturing sight for us and we had a lot of maintenance down there.”
Plant 2 was where the police department is now and that too had been a manufacturing site. Plant 5 started and was developed in the 1970s and 80s on Eastern Avenue.
“Today all our manufacturing is out at Eastern Avenue, including Plants 4, 5, 6 and 7, and that’s where we’ve moved our maintenance, making it easier for calls to fix the equipment.”
With no need to further utilize Plant 3, Perrigo is seeking to split the property and either sell it or find another use for it. The request is to split the building and a parking lot off Brady Street but keep the 83-space parking lot behind the building at State and Water streets for employee parking for other downtown Perrigo facilities, including Plant 1 and the Perrigo Store.
A public hearing was also set for Jan. 14, for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The plan is needed every five years in order to be eligible for MDNR Trust Fund grants.
Airport terminal
The city airport’s new 1,600-square-foot, $620,000 terminal is anticipated to be completed by Dec. 17, and is in need of furniture. The Airport Board is holding off on a formal ribbon cutting until the spring.
The city council’s Dec. 26 meeting has been cancelled.
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