GAYLORD — The Gaylord City Council approved an extension of a purchase agreement on Monday, Sept. 22 with the developer of a proposed housing complex on 18 acres of land that borders I-75 and West Street.
Anthony Randazzo of Trowbridge Companies wants to build 42 three-bedroom duplexes on the land in a development he calls The Enclave. Randazzo is not sure of the pricing for the units yet.
“We will make them as affordable as we can,” he told council.
Randazzo is also not sure whether the duplexes will be rentals or for sale for purchase. The original purchase agreement between the city and Randazzo included extensions that gave him until June 2026 to close the transaction. The extension approved by council unanimously gives Randazzo until September 2026 to finish the deal. He is hopeful that he will be able to break ground on the project by the spring of 2026.
Randazzo and Trowbridge will pay $330,000 for the land. The city acquired the 18 acres in the 1990s when a developer exchanged it for a city-owned lot on Main Street that now houses a Huntington Bank branch.
At one time, the Michigan State Police was interested in the land to construct new buildings to house a state police post, district headquarters and possibly a forensic laboratory.
Previously, the Woda Cooper Companies also planned to build 41 single family homes with three and four bedrooms that would have sold for a range of $215,000 to $295,000 each. The company withdrew from its purchase agreement earlier this year.
Council also approved the purchase of a new generator for city hall during the meeting. City manager Kim Awrey estimated the cost of the new generator at $75,000 to $85,000.
“The city is getting a new generator at city hall because the current generator does not run all of city hall and the portions that it does run are not effective for us to operate if we are without power,” said Awrey. “Nothing wrong with it, just not big enough.”
She said the city hopes to sell the old generator for $10,000 to $15,000, which will be used toward the purchase price of the new one.
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord grants developer more time to finalize land purchase for housing
Reporting by Paul Welitzkin, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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