The futures of two prominent city-owned buildings – the Bijou by the Bay in Clinch Park and the Carnegie Building on Sixth Street – are on the table as Traverse City leaders consider a potential request-for-proposals (RFP) process to determine the next long-term tenants for both sites.

Parks and Recreation commissioners will discuss the two buildings at their 6:30pm meeting Thursday at the Governmental Center. A city commission study session will likely follow on October 13, says Interim City Manager Benjamin Marentette, during which the board will review an analysis of city facilities and potential upcoming repairs needed at various properties. Staff will likely have a draft RFP available for commissioners to consider that night for the Bijou and Carnegie buildings, Marentette says. Commissioners could approve that RFP process as soon as their October 20 regular meeting, or else have continued discussion if needed, he says.

The Bijou by the Bay has sat empty since the Traverse City Film Festival terminated its lease last year, vacating the building at the end of December. The festival had used the building – which operated in the past as the city’s Con Foster Museum – as a movie theater since 2013. Dave Wohlfert, the city’s new facilities manager, recently completed an assessment of the Bijou. The building is in “relatively good condition,” he notes, with updated plumbing and electrical, fire safety systems, and a good roof. The HVAC system, which is 12 years old, is in “good/fair condition but needs preventative maintenance,” he says.

Some minor remodeling/painting and wall repair work are needed on the interior, according to Wohlfert. A utility shed roof also needs to be replaced. Any further repairs are largely contingent on the type of tenant that next goes into the building. Though the festival removed its projection equipment, the current layout is still designed around a movie theater – with a ticket booth and theater seating that would have to be removed for any non-auditorium use – and features a sloped floor. For uses other than a theater, the floor “would have to be brought back to level” and the lighting reconfigured, Wohlfert says.

The Carnegie Building, which is located at 322 Sixth Street and dates back to 1905, has more significant needs. Wohlfert’s assessment recommends a window replacement program in 2026, noting that the “original wood frames are deteriorating to the point that paint will no longer properly adhere. New windows would be energy-efficient and solve some condensation issues on the interior.” Air handling unit replacement and updated system controls, restroom flooring/wall covering/fixture updates, and newer lighting controls for energy management are also recommended. “The building houses most of the Con Foster Museum collection, so proper temperature and humidity controls are essential,” the assessment states. Marentette says the city recently applied for a $750,000 U.S. Department of Interior grant to help fund Carnegie improvements, but likely won’t know for another year if that is approved.

Crooked Tree Arts Center moved into the Carnegie Building in 2015 after the History Center of Traverse City vacated the property. The Grand Traverse Area Rock and Mineral Club also leases downstairs space. In December, city commissioners voted to extend Crooked Tree’s lease – which was set to expire this summer – through October 2026. The extension was intended to give Crooked Tree “time to continue programming through the 2025 and 2026 seasons while allowing the city time to assess the building’s maintenance needs and future use,” according to a memo from Assistant City Manager Deborah Allen. Crooked Tree’s lease was increased from $50,000 to $55,000 annually as part of the extension.

The extension prompted in-depth discussion in December about the future of the Carnegie Building after representatives from Traverse Area District Library (TADL) asked commissioners to consider a proposal for TADL to take over the site. The Carnegie Building once housed TADL’s main library and has a long history of library use. With the city’s Con Foster collection already on-site, TADL advocated for converting Carnegie into a “city museum and archive” that would also include the local history collection now housed at TADL. Amy Barritt of TADL painted a vision of a “vibrant place for history where locals can dive in, classrooms can explore interactive labs, and we all come together to learn and grow.”

Though city commissioners ultimately approved Crooked Tree’s lease extension, officials agreed some type of consistent, fair process will be needed going forward to determine who gets to use city buildings. Passionate pleas from both Crooked Tree and TADL supporters highlighted the challenges of that decision-making process, including weighing existing uses against prospective new ones.

“It’s not black and white,” Marentette says. “The history and investment and commitment that organizations have demonstrated to a city endeavor is important. But that also doesn’t mean it’s a slam dunk.” Marentette says input from both city and Parks and Recreation commissioners will shape the parameters for selecting tenants. “I’m also genuinely looking for input from the public on how these spaces could be used,” Marentette says.

Consulting firm TowerPinkster is expected to assist the city in developing criteria for evaluating RFP responses. According to Parks and Recreation Superintendent Michelle Hunt, potential criteria could include “demonstrated user demand for products and services, appropriateness of proposed uses for the buildings and locations, alignment with city goals and priorities, cost recovery for the city, affordability and accessibility for the public, (and) environmental impact and sustainability considerations.”

And while some prominent organizations have already publicly expressed interest in the buildings – including not just Crooked Tree and TADL for the Carnegie Building but the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for the Bijou – Marentette says an RFP process is intended to allow for a variety of possibilities to come forward. “The city would absolutely consider all proposals,” he says.