Garfield Township planning commissioners approved an application Wednesday for Altitude Trampoline Park to open in the former Big Lots space at the Cherryland Center. The board also dug deeper into the planned redevelopment of the Macy’s space at the Grand Traverse Mall and tackled two housing projects – including scheduling a potential July 9 approval vote on a 24-unit expansion of Lake Pointe Village on Boardman Lake and giving initial feedback on a potential new 41-duplex neighborhood at the corner of Lone Tree and Harris roads.

Trampoline Park
An indoor trampoline park has the green light to open at the Cherryland Center – so long as the tenant fulfills several conditions including working with the landlord to improve the badly deteriorated parking lot.

Planning commissioners Wednesday unanimously approved a site plan from Catherine Maxson of AirOPark LLC to open an Altitude Trampoline Park in approximately 23,000 square feet of the Big Lots space. Another 7,479 square feet of space remains available for a separate future tenant. The Traverse City location will be the second for the national family entertainment franchise, with the first located in the Grand Rapids area. Altitude Trampoline Park offers a variety of indoor trampoline courts and amenities for all ages and hosts special events like birthday parties, theme nights, Glo parties, and sensory play days.

Planning commissioners didn’t express any concerns with the business concept but flagged some application issues that need to be addressed before the park opens. Those include lighting and landscaping plans, bicycle parking, and dumpster enclosures. The single biggest issue, however, was the condition of the Big Lots parking lot. “It’s not just a few potholes,” said Planning Commission Chair Chris DeGood. “This parking lot is literally falling apart.”

Real estate agent Kevin Query said Maxson has a lease agreement with Cherryland Center LLC – or V. Kumar Vemulapalli, who owns part of the mall property – that requires Vemulapalli to improve the parking lot. Planning commissioners expressed skepticism about the degree to which repairs would be made, stating they didn’t want to just see some potholes hastily filled. Township Planning Director John Sych clarified that township regulations require parking lots to be “maintained in good condition” with a “durable, smooth, and dustless surface.” The trampoline park will need to meet that standard before the business can open, according to the conditions of approval.

Macy’s
Daniel Stern of Lormax Stern – the new owner of the Macy’s space at the Grand Traverse Mall – appeared before planning commissioners Wednesday to discuss his redevelopment plans for the site.

As previously reported in The Ticker, the company plans to subdivide Macy’s into four separate tenant spaces – ranging in size from 17,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet – featuring multiple national brands. Stern said Wednesday that one will be a national gourmet food store focused on “organic foods,” a national bookstore, an outdoor apparel retailer, and an “upscale” apparel store. Notably, Lormax Stern has worked with brands including Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods at other mall sites. “These are names that have been around for a long time,” Stern said of the incoming tenants. “They’re going to be around for a long time.”

Following a precedent set by Ollie’s Bargain Outlet – which is moving into the former T.J. Maxx space – Stern plans to close off interior access from the mall to the Macy’s space. The northwesterly exterior entrance will also be closed to accommodate the expansion of delivery bays, with three remaining exterior entrances providing access to the new tenants. A half-acre outlot development is also planned for a drive-thru restaurant, which Stern described – smiling – as a fast-casual Mexican restaurant that is “Chipotle-like” (Stern said he can’t confirm tenant names yet since leases are still being finalized).

Noting that his properties average 95-98 percent occupancy, Stern said the company is going to significantly revitalize the site so it looks like a “beautiful new building.” He added: “We want to get this into a sustainable thing that will last for the next 25 or 30 years.” Planning commissioners discussed potential for the rest of the Grand Traverse Mall, which recently hit the market with real estate firm CBRE. Stern echoed concerns shared by local developers that an out-of-state buyer could purchase the mall and simply sit on it to accumulate land value, but said he was hopeful that his project and a strong anchor in Target could “put pressure on the middle to do something.”

Ownership changes could also allow a long-discussed service drive to move forward that would connect the Grand Traverse Mall out to the intersection light at Lowe’s. Sych said a “lack of engagement” from mall owner Brookfield Properties has been a previous sticking point in building the drive, but Stern and Chick-fil-A operator Chris Ramsey both said they support the project and would fully cooperate with the drive’s construction – ideally with any new buyers of remaining mall property. Lormax Stern is expected to return to the planning commission in the future for continued site plan review.

Housing Projects
Planning commissioners Wednesday held a public hearing on a planned expansion of Lake Pointe Village on Boardman Lake. Owner SPPEC Holdings LLC is planning to expand the development with two new residential buildings off Oak Hollow Drive that would hold 24 total units. In response to concerns from the Watershed Center, staff clarified no construction work is planned in a riparian buffer zone except for an allowed trail connection to the Boardman Lake Loop Trail. A review of findings of fact for the application is scheduled for July 9, a meeting at which the planning commission could vote to approve the project.

Commissioners also held a conceptual review Wednesday for a planned 41-duplex development called Harris Hills Estates on nearly 20 acres at the corner of Lone Tree and Harris roads. The site was previously approved for a 40-unit single-family condominium complex in 2020, but that project never materialized. Melissa Kilbourn and Richard Socks are partners in the new project, which Kilbourn said would feature houses in a similar price range to the adjacent Lone Tree subdivision. Planning commissioners gave feedback Wednesday including wanting to see a connection to Lone Tree included in the project plans; the development is expected to return for formal review in the future.