More apartments, fewer offices part of new plan for The Leonard in downtown Muskegon

MUSKEGON, MI – A COVID-associated drop in demand for office space has prompted builders of a downtown Muskegon setting up underneath design to insert more residences.

The Leonard, becoming built on Western Avenue at Next Road, was to have two floors of office room, one of retail and a few comprised of 18 apartments. New plans contact for just just one ground of office environment space, 1 for retail/dining establishments and four flooring of 24 flats.

“Market conditions” prompted Sweetwater Enhancement and its lender to pivot absent from place of work space, Sweetwater Attorney Jared Belka informed Muskegon City Commissioners Tuesday, May perhaps 24.

“Obviously COVID hit and most people form of knows that the office demand from customers dropped appreciably,” Belka claimed. “They had been going through the design process and they were to a stage where they still experienced the capability to pivot and increase more residential units, which the demand from customers for these was nonetheless there. Obviously, operating with the bank, there was choice to pivot at that level and … change that to household and clear away the floor of places of work.”

Corey Leonard, CEO of Sweetwater, nevertheless intends to identify his small business places of work, which include those people for his situations graphics organization, bigsigns.com, on the 1 remaining flooring of business office area at The Leonard, Belka mentioned.

Metropolis commissioners agreed to amend a 15-year community business tax exemption certificate to mirror the more apartments as well as the industrial tax abatement accredited for commercial models.

Apartments include things like a single-mattress, one particular-tub units for $1,300 to $1,500 for each thirty day period just one-mattress, 1 ½-bathtub units for $1,525 to $1,725 and two-mattress, two-bath models renting for $1,850 to $1,950 for every month, according to The Leonard’s website.

Belka explained the initially floor will continue on to be marketed for retail and cafe use, which has yielded “very constructive prospects.” Completion of the create-out of the initially floor as very well as move-ins for the residences are anticipated this summer time, he mentioned.

Design on the $9.2 million, six-story building commenced in November 2020 soon after a number of delays, such as funding issues relevant to COVID.

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