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Commissioners back Shaw Walker redevelopment, appoint new member and endorse city waterfront plan
Summary
The board heard a Land Bank update on the Shaw Walker redevelopment ($2.6M initial state funding plus about $1.4M additional award), approved an appointment of Tyson Kelsey, and passed a county resolution supporting a city waterfront development effort.
Commissioners received a report from the City and County Land Bank Authority on Nov. 13 about ongoing blight-elimination work and redevelopment in Muskegon. A presenter said the county is partnering with developers on the Shaw Walker factory project and reported initial state blight-elimination funding of $2,600,000 and a recent additional award of about $1.4 million, which the presenter said included administrative costs. The Land Bank speaker also noted 16 houses are currently in stabilization and being readied for owner occupancy.
The board approved an appointment (Tyson Kelsey) to a local board/committee and later moved and approved a resolution expressing county support for a city waterfront plan. Supporters framed the resolution as encouragement for long-standing lakefront development plans, saying the project could deliver economic and cultural benefits across the county. One speaker urged the county to "show our support for this huge project that the city of Muskegon is considering," and another added that Muskegon is "the city, the largest city, on that lakeshore," arguing the lakefront is an important economic and cultural asset.
The Land Bank update emphasized partnership funding sources including state blight elimination dollars and some federal funds; speakers described stabilization, roofing and concrete stabilization work on the Shaw Walker site and a pipeline of neighborhood rehabilitation projects. No contested objection to the Land Bank report or the resolution was recorded during the meeting.
Votes at a glance: the board approved numerous committee-referred items across Community Development & Strategic Planning, Courts & Public Safety, Human Services, Transportation and Ways & Means, confirmed the appointment of Tyson Kelsey, and passed the waterfront-support resolution. Where recorded, votes were passed by majority voice/roll-call and multiple motions were approved by the board at this meeting.
Next steps: Staff said the Land Bank and project partners will continue stabilization and redevelopment work and will share additional information (including staff presentations and maps) with commissioners; the county will transmit the resolution of support to the city commission.
