Community: City of Bay City
Population: 10,000+
This transformational project took a 43-acre riverfront site that was primarily a manufacturing/industrial site for over 100 years and redeveloped it into a mixed use, walkable, urban feel project. There are several community areas, including the Riverwalk that extends the length of the site and connects to the existing Riverwalk and the public Plaza area where concerts and activities are held. The project used multiple financing sources, including Brownfield Tax Increment Financing, MBT Tax Credits, EGLE and EPA grants and loans. This project is located just south of our traditional Downtown, has connected to the Downtown, and has been a catalyst for other developments throughout the city. Phase two is currently being development and will help solidify the Downtown and Uptown connection.
Replicability:
This project is a great example of public/private partnership cooperation between the City of Bay City and RiversEdge Development Corporation along with the support of local, state and federal agencies. The ability to replicate lies in the ability of someone to see the vision and have the patience to see it through. The ability to work through multiple revenue sources, financing options with different agencies, and finding partnerships to help bring it through to fruition. This project shows that by being patient and working through issues, with the right partners, large projects like this are more than possible.
Creativity and Originality:
This development is like nothing else in our city. It began with blighted, dilapidated buildings and has become a connection to our Downtown with a vibrant urban, walkable space. This master planned new urbanist-inspired development was designed with all the ingredients for success: world class commercial office space, urban living options, retail, hospitality and regional destination restaurants. It has brought many of the vital components of job creation and residential living back to the urban core of Bay City.
An area that was formerly used as manufacturing and industrial space is now re-purposed into space that has been thoughtfully designed for people and pedestrians and is now a destination location for our city and the region.
Community Impact:
This project has been transformational for our community and represents over $100 million in investment. It has sparked the interest of other developers that has spurred multiple other developments and transformed our area to make our city a regional destination.
We were able to take this blighted piece of prime riverfront property and bring it back to life by creating a mixed use, urban, walkable environment. This development has increased living units, traffic, and revenue for existing business and helped create a sense of place. Uptown Bay City is also home to a host of national companies including a Fortune 50 company with a combined total of around 1,000 professional business workers on site.
