Housing Project Proposed for Cherryland Center

The owner of the former Sears building at the Cherryland Center is proposing to build up to 95 apartments at the mall property. Project plans call for nearly two dozen units to go in next to K1 Speed, filling out the rest of the building, with three more 24-unit buildings to be constructed on the site. Garfield Township planning commissioners will discuss the project Wednesday, along with a proposal to upgrade the lighting system at Hickory Hills Ski Area.

Cherryland Center Housing
Owner Ulysses Walls of Traverse Entertainment Group and project representative William Crain of Crain Engineering will appear before township planning commissioners Wednesday for a conceptual review of a housing project called the Woodward Street/Cherryland Apartment Complex.

A conceptual review is an early informal conversation between planning commissioners and developers to give feedback on a project before a formal application is submitted (no decisions will be made at Wednesday’s meeting). According to a project memo From Crain, plans for the 8.4-acre former Sears site (pictured, outlined in blue) include the “infill and construction of a workforce/low-income housing project.”

Up to 23 units, a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, are proposed to infill the rest of the building next to K1 Speed. Those interior units will be served by a community area that could include a gym, pool, and storage, Crain wrote. The project also calls for the construction of three new three-story buildings, each containing 24 units. That would bring the project total to 95 units. An outdoor area could include a park and/or pickleball courts, Crain said, adding that specific amenities are still to be determined. 

A vegetative buffer would shield the new buildings along the west property line and Woodward Drive, with access provided from the apartments to the Woodward Drive sidewalk and to other Cherryland Center uses. “Parking and drive areas will be reconfigured to provide parking access to the new units,” Crain wrote. Staff said 95 units would require at least 143 parking spaces under township rules, with the site offering 332 spaces now between the front and rear - more than enough to meet the needs of both the housing units and K1 Speed, staff said.

Crain said there’s “substantial evidence that Traverse City has a significant need for more affordable housing, driven by high demand, limited supply, and housing costs that have risen faster than many local wages.” He said the Woodward Street/Cherryland Apartment Complex “will be a quiet beautiful neighbor, appearing to be much more upscale than typical affordable housing units” with numerous amenities. The complex “will integrate seamlessly into the present Woodward Street community, turning an unused and oversized parking lot into a beautiful green community,” Crain wrote.

Garfield Township updated its zoning ordinance in 2018 for mall properties with the specific goal in mind of encouraging their revitalization.  Among the many changes made was allowing multi-family housing developments as a use by right. That makes the approval process relatively straightforward compared to having to obtain a special use permit. However, following the conceptual review Wednesday, developers will still need to submit a formal application and go through a site plan review with the planning commission, according to Township Planning Director John Sych.

Planning commissioners can share any concerns they have Wednesday so that developers can attempt to address those in the application. One such issue could be potential noise impacts to tenants from surrounding uses. In addition to K1 Speed, a proposed nightclub called High Tops is planned for the former Younkers space. That project had to go through extensive sound studies to address possible impacts to neighbors behind the mall, but apartments within the mall itself were not considered at the time of approval. Sych says he anticipates planning commissioners could have questions about noise mitigation as part of their review.

Hickory Hills Lighting
Township planning commissioners Wednesday will also review a request from Preserve Hickory and the City of Traverse City to upgrade the lighting system at Hickory Hills Ski Area. According to a memo from City Manager Benjamin Marentette, the project will “replace our remaining obsolete metal halide fixtures” and “improve deficient lighting on the Swede/Waterfall slope that is used for USSA/FIS-sanctioned ski events.”

The park will receive new modern energy-efficient LED fixtures, which Marentette said would “increase safety, improve lighting quality, reduce operating costs, and support the long-term sustainability of Hickory Hills operations.” Each new light is expected to improve efficiency by 47 percent compared to the old light it’s replacing, he said. “Because more than 63 percent of park operating hours require lighting, this project is essential to maintaining public access and supporting healthy outdoor activity for families and youth,” Marentette wrote.

Planning commissioners will review the application Wednesday and potentially set a public hearing for October 14. Staff flagged several issues that will likely need to be addressed, including concerns that the illumination levels of the new lights are higher than the maximum allowed in the township’s ordinance as well as in a higher color temperature range. Staff also noted the light fixtures “do not appear to adequately shield from adjacent properties, especially given the high elevation.” However, planning commissioners have discretion to adjust lighting standards for outdoor recreational facilities, staff said.