City Council Dedicates the Village Municipal Parking Structure February 1, 2008
Trader Joe's Specialty Grocer Open - February 1, 2008.
Listed below are the most recent concept drawings for Kercheval Place, the garage, and the parking study for the Village.
Photos of construction of new municipal parking structure
Parking Garage Now Open To Customer Parking - see brochure
Updated Parking Garage Plan
Kercheval Place Exterior Drawings
Current floor plan
Grosse Pointe Parking Study - Final Report
Key anchor stores of the new Kercheval Place development, the site of the former Jacobson’s building, are set. Coldwater Creek opened in September of 2006 at the corner of Notre Dame and Kercheval, with Jos. A. Banks open at the opposite corner at St. Clair the week of Thanksgiving. The renovation of the entire storefront and building façade is complete. The first floor of approximately 45,000 gross square feet is available for retail establishments, with office use for the second floor. A specialty grocery market, such as Trader Joe’s, is planned to fill more than 13,000 square feet of the rear of the former Jacobson’s building, opening up to the parking structure.
In July of 2006, the City Council reviewed the most recent development plans, including a new public parking garage, submitted by Grosse Pointe St. Clair Associates, the owner of the former Jacobson’s building and developer of the Kercheval Place project. After that review, the Council requested that staff report back with options to finance a proposed new parking structure to help support the project and promote the revitalization of the downtown Village business district. On October 10, 2006, the City reviewed recommendations for financing a new parking structure on the site of an existing garage (not currently available to public parking due to its poor condition). The new structure is proposed to have flat ground level parking to accommodate grocery carts, and consists of approximately 220 spaces on two levels, with the potential for expansion to three levels like the existing structure. The new structure is to be financed entirely by users of the parking system of the City. In order to ensure sufficient funds are available from the City’s Parking Fund, a series of parking rate increases were recommended as contained in the report of the parking study conducted by the City with the assistance of parking experts Carl Walker Associates of Kalamazoo. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Council voted unanimously to proceed with the steps necessary to construct a new garage.
Subsequently, the City Council approved publishing notice of intent to issue bonds to pay for the new structure at its October 18 meeting and approved the parking rate increases needed to service the debt. The new rates for parking permits, meters, and parking meter violations are effective in January 1, 2007. Rates for the proposed new parking structure were also approved. On November 16, the City adopted a redevelopment agreement with the developers of Kercheval Place outlining their obligations to satisfactorily redevelop the former Jacobson’s building including the payment of a development fee to the City and construction of a streetscape between the new garage and the Trader Joe’s specialty grocer. The agreement documents the City’s commitment to build a new garage. At the same meeting, after a competitive proposals process and interviews, the City contracted with Rich and Associates to design the new garage. After a series of public meetings, the City Council reviewed and approved designs for the new parking garage. At its January 22 meeting, the City Council approved a Special Use permit for Trader Joe's location. A demolition contractor has been selected and the contruction bid was awarded by the Council on April 26, 2007. Demolition and construction to follow began April 30, 2007, now that the lease between the building owner and the specialty grocer, Trader Joe's was executed. After construction bids are awarded, the City will issue a bond to cover the cost of the construction, to be repaid by the revenues of the parking system.
