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Council approves brownfield plan to convert 1441 E. Maple into 28 apartments, half reserved as workforce housing
Summary
Troy City Council unanimously adopted Brownfield Redevelopment Plan No. 13 to convert the former MediaGenesis building at 1441 E. Maple into retail/office space and 28 apartments, with 50% of units income-restricted for 15 years; Council cited the project’s $6.3 million value and Brownfield/MSHDA financing as enabling factors.
Troy City Council on June 29 adopted Brownfield Redevelopment Plan No. 13, clearing the way for an adaptive-reuse project at 1441 E. Maple that will add 28 mixed-use apartments and limited ground-floor retail and amenity space.
The plan, introduced by Economic Development Manager Mark Adams, uses brownfield tax-increment financing to reimburse eligible redevelopment costs. A developer representative from Blackacre told the council the project converts the four-story, 35,000-square-foot former MediaGenesis office into 10 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom income-qualified units (50% of the total), plus market-rate units, tenant amenities and small retail on the ground floor. The developer estimated the completed project value at $6.3 million.
The city’s consultant, Elizabeth Masserang of SME, said the project qualifies under a state program (working with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, MSHDA) that expands eligible brownfield activities when units are reserved for workforce housing. Masserang said the expanded activities allowed by the MSHDA-related approach can include infrastructure and rehab costs aimed at income-qualified households.
Councilmember Chamberlain, who moved the resolution, emphasized local housing need and read a statistic in the project packet that about 28% of Troy renters are “housing burdened” (paying more than 30% of household income on housing). Chamberlain asked for and received confirmation from the developer and consultant that the workforce unit commitments run for 15 years.
The council also heard that the Brownfield Authority had recommended the project 5–0 and that the planning commission had given preliminary site-plan approval. With two councilmembers excused, the remaining council members voted unanimously to adopt the brownfield plan.
The adoption authorizes staff to proceed with the next steps, which include submission of the required work plan and reimbursement agreement to MSHDA for statutory review and execution. The developer said a building permit application is already under review and that the team plans concurrent work to shorten the schedule.
What happens next: staff will submit the 3-D work plan to MSHDA for review of the portion of school-tax reimbursement MSHDA must approve; once MSHDA and the city execute the reimbursement agreement the project can move forward to construction.
