Two major mixed-use developments are moving forward in the Boardman Lake district, with a groundbreaking held Thursday for the new Mill District project off Woodmere Avenue and spring occupancy targeted for the first tenants of the redeveloped TCAPS administration building on Webster Street.

The Mill District
After Traverse City commissioners voted in August to approve a planned unit development (PUD) – a zoning plan tailored to a specific property – for a new project called the Mill District at the corner of Woodmere Avenue and Carver Street, developers held a ceremonial groundbreaking on the site Thursday.

Owner Tim Pulliam of Keen Technical Solutions and his partners plan to construct four new buildings on the property along Boardman Lake, including one commercial building and three residential buildings. Thursday’s groundbreaking marked “the official transition from demolition into the construction phase as the team prepares to begin foundational work in the coming weeks,” according to a project release.

The commercial building is the first planned to be built, with a targeted March 2027 grand opening. The building will serve as the new headquarters of Brick Wheels – relocating from its current home on Eighth Street – as well as a new coffee shop and restaurant. Brick Wheels and the coffee shop are expected to start operating first that spring, while the restaurant should open by summer 2027, according to Pulliam. “The restaurant group has been selected,” he tells The Ticker. “I can't share who quite yet, but I'm very excited for the concept and it will fit well with the vision we are trying to create.”

The first building will include a handful of residential units, though “the exact mix isn't finalized,” Pulliam. “The next phases will have additional market-rate housing and retail spaces as well. It’s important to us that the businesses in future phases are complimentary and additive to the community around us, as well as the folks we hope to attract for the residential component.”

Developers unveiled a new brand and logo for the Mill District Thursday, which is built off a concept of “Shared View, Shared Vision.” According to the release, the development will blend “thoughtful architecture with trails, green space, and local experiences that honor the region’s character while supporting a vibrant and active future.” Pulliam, who previously described the property as a planned “adventure hub” offering a range of experiences from lakeside food/drink to bike rentals to improved public connections to the Boardman Lake Loop Trail, says his goal is for the Mill District to serve as a “catalyst project that energizes” the entire loop and surrounding neighborhoods.

Amenities developed in conjunction with the project include new non-motorized trail connection from Carver Street to the Boardman Lake Loop Trail, sidewalk along Carver Street, and the paving of Sheffer Street with public on-street parking. Andy Weir, who purchased Brick Wheels in 2022, says moving into the Mill District “feels like the start of a new chapter” for the decades-old business. “I am excited to help shape a place that celebrates movement, connection, and everything we love about Traverse City,” he says.

TCAPS Admin Building
A five-minute drive from the Mill District, progress is underway on another mixed-use development at the north end of the Boardman Lake district.

Developers Ken Richmond and Eric Gerstner are targeting spring occupancy for the first tenants of the redeveloped TCAPS administration building on Webster Street. The school district approved selling the historic building in late 2023 to the duo, who emerged with a late offer with the goal of saving rather than demolishing the structure. Residents in Boardman Neighborhood strongly advocated for the building’s preservation. Local firm Cunningham-Limp is overseeing the construction project.

The redeveloped building is being set up as a condominium association with six owners: Richmond and Gerstner will retain oversight of 12 workforce apartments on the lower floor, Ford Insurance has purchased the middle floor (with MSU Extension a planned co-tenant), and three of the four market-rate condos planned for the top floor have already sold (realtor Jen Gaston represents the last unit for sale). While the entire building must meet code before any occupants can move in, Richmond says the top two floors will be move-in ready first this spring while painting and final interior work occurs on the workforce apartments.

Potential apartment tenants will likely be interviewed this spring ahead of a targeted summer occupancy, Richmond says. The developers received city approval for a brownfield plan to support targeting units toward tenants earning between 60 to 100 percent of the area median income (AMI), which Richmond says is currently about $69,000. Unit sizes vary from studios up to two-bedroom apartments. The apartments proved the trickiest part of renovating the structure, as basement excavations required a “heavy lift” to address foundation issues, Richmond says.

“We’ve worked really hard to utilize very square inch of that building,” he says. “In the last two weeks we turned a corner, so now we can scream forward on the basement.” While the apartments are partially subgrade, the developers designed the units with nine-foot ceilings and large windows at chest height to maximize natural light, Richmond says.

Despite some challenges, Richmond says historic structures like the TCAPS building were constructed with “spectacular” materials that provide “way more building for the dollar than what you get with a new building.” The team has done their best to utilize those materials while updating the building with modern features that still fit the character of the site, Richmond says. For example, while upper-floor balconies will be the most noticeable change to the exterior, Richmond says “they’ll feel maybe like the stairways you’d see at Building 50.” He hopes to open the building in the spring to neighborhood residents to tour before tenants move in.

“It’s like a new and improved version,” he says. “It’s 100 years old, and I think what we’re doing will give it another 100 years of usable life.”