LANSING — A renovation of six homes in Lansing’s historic Cherry Hill neighborhood is coming to fruition, with 20 apartments transformed for modern living under the rubric of “affordable housing” becoming available for move-in by the end of January.
Six pet-friendly units at the Cherry Hill Apartments are already available, and Kristen Guel, marketing director for the developer, PK Companies of Okemos, is eager to promote the residential project that involves studio and one- and two-bedroom units on Cherry and St. Joseph streets, just north of Interstate 496 and west of the Grand River.
She said they’re a leading example of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s “Missing Middle” housing program, which was designed to provide more attainable workforce housing for those in the 60% to 120% area median income.
The approximately $2.9 million project included a $1.38 million MSHDA Missing Middle grant, Guel said, adding that the apartments include new kitchens, stairways and floors and are ideal for anyone stuck between not qualifying for subsidized housing and not being able to afford new market-rate units.
She defines a general category of teachers, nurses, retail managers, state employees and others who are making between $42,000 and $85,000 a year and like the idea of living in homes built between around 1850 and 1912, years that included the rise of industrial America.
Rent ranges between $850 and $1,175, according to the project’s website.
“We got them and completely modernized and renovated, because they were very dilapidated. We’ve taken them and turned them into this,” said Guel, giving a tour of the renovated apartments on Dec. 2. “Our bread and butter is affordable housing. We’re really hoping to bring this to Lansing and have this be our cornerstone.”
Guel said PK Companies, which has properties in several states including Michigan, decided to invest in Cherry Hill for reasons that included its historic character, walkability and proximity to major employers.
PK Companies purchased the homes, which were already rentals and divided into apartments, around 2020.
There’s no laundry machines yet, but they’re planned for the future.
Guel has planned a Jan. 15 tour through the apartments, when she hopes to share with policy makers a first-hand experience of converting historic homes into “forward-thinking housing strategies.”
“Some of these were so dilapidated, we had to rip it down to the studs and rebuild back up and just modernize what we could where we could,” Guel said. “We’re revitalizing the Cherry Hill neighborhood with things that are not new builds. We’re not displacing anybody. We’re coming in and just building up and improving what was already here and has such a great history in the city.”
Guel said there is a $50 application fee for Cherry Hill Apartments, but there is now a special ending at the end of the month where the application fee is credited upon move in.
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela,
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Historic Cherry Hill homes in Lansing get new life as 20 ‘affordable’ apartments
Reporting by Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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