The Calhoun County Land Bank seeks a development partner for a 7.5 acre property in the middle of the community’s core residential neighborhoods, located only a five-minute walk from the historic downtown area.
Marshall’s site, formerly a long-vacant State Farm Insurance office building, is located just outside downtown.
This is a unique piece of property and the only one of its kind in the City of Marshall. There are some critical housing types missing or not readily available in the marketplace that the Calhoun County Land Bank is trying to provide as part of this process. Given the uniqueness of the property and policy goals of the Land Bank, the project team pushed beyond traditional housing development methods to vision a fresh approach to workforce housing needs in Marshall.
The League used funds from the RRC Pre-development Assistance technical assistance program bring in engineering and architecture firm Abonmarche to provide the Calhoun County Landbank and the City of Marshall with expert advice on how to respond to increased housing demands in the southwest Michigan region. This effort resulted in a market study and RFQ creation for an innovative new housing development featuring duplex, single family, and tiny house components directly aimed at the missing middle housing market segment. This package also included projected use configurations, estimated construction costs, and developer attraction materials.