COLDWATER, MI — In six months, developers Grace and Noah Roberts hope to unveil a renovated eyesore at 22 West Pearl St. as their new realty office and five apartments after receiving a $605,636 Revitalization and Placemaking grant.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the grant, resulting in a total of $1,245,127 capital investment in the tall, thin building, which suffered a 2020 fire on the first floor.
“We really like the location, and it has some nice character. We have plans to kind of try to keep some of the character,” Grace Roberts said.
The city supported the grant to add residential density to the community while fueling future redevelopments downtown by serving as a model for revitalization to neighboring building owners.
The Roberts own GNR Rentals & Real Estate, LLC, and have previous experience rehabilitating and operating residential rental units. This project will be their first commercial building development. The couple hopes to take on additional mixed-use and commercial development projects in the future.
Grace Roberts said plans for the project weren’t easy.
“We have a good team of architects that are helping us out. They have planned all the interior and how it will all function,” she said.
Plans call for three different staircases and deal with different apartment ceiling heights.
“They’ve done a good job of working it all in a way that makes sense,” Grace Roberts said.
City Manager Keith Baker said, “The revitalization of 22 W. Pearl Street marks another positive step forward in the improvement of downtown Coldwater by bringing much-needed housing to the district while supporting a locally rooted business that cares about our community’s success.”
Republican State Rep. Jennifer Wortz of Quincy said, “This redevelopment of a building in the downtown district that can provide additional housing and business space is a win-win. It’s always great when we can take something old and find a new purpose and preserve a building that would otherwise sit in disrepair.”
The city council approved allowing a dumpster alongside the building in the Randall parking lot since the structure covers all the property.
“The city has been really great to work with,” Roberts said.
She said the next step is finishing the paperwork for the grant to close the bank loan for the project. Work should begin in a couple of months.
“We’ve gotten quotes from a lot of local people, and everyone’s kind of on standby to start,” Roberts said.
Since 2022, the Revitalization and Placemaking program has supported 234 total projects in communities across the state.
Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: West Pearl redevelopment project gets $600K state grant
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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