Veridea’s in the Driver’s Seat, Marquette a Resort Town?, Schools as Fortresses, Dairy Queen for Sale, and Joy-Sticking Your Way Around the Lower Harbor

The Latest From Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

WHAT’S NEXT WITH the 23 acres of abandoned hospital property in the heart of the city? We now know that—with the City Commission’s approval of Brownfield funding—demolition of the old buildings will take place over the next two years. And then? And then, Veridea Group will build approximately 300 residences there over the next decade.

Will it be the sorely-needed affordable housing that so many residents want?... “My heart is optimistic,” says city commissioner Jessica Hanley. “But the pragmatist in me says they’re in it for the money.” Meaning, she worries that Veridea will focus on profitable high-end stuff, and devote just a token of the development to affordable, workforce homes and apartments.

So, wait a minute! Can’t the city dictate what Veridea must build?? Uhh, no…. “We don’t have a lot of leverage,” concedes Hanley. The Commission voted to fund the demolition of the old property, without many strings attached, because it couldn’t take a chance that the property would just sit there for the next five years and turn to blight.

The NMU foundation, which will actually own the land and act as an equity partner in the deal, will have some say in exactly what is developed…. “They (Veridea) say they’re committed to a blend of housing,” says Dave Nyberg of the NMU Foundation, “and their goal is to include affordable housing, but we don’t have precise numbers because there are just too many unknown factors right now.” Like construction costs, for one.

So, it may come down to hope and faith in the good intentions of Veridea (which is highly respected) to do the right thing by this community, and maybe forfeit a few bucks along the way…More upscale, seasonal homes for the wealthy are not what is needed here. On the other hand, moderately-priced homes for regular folks—full-time residents—are exactly what is needed.

AS IMPORTANT AS the hospital redevelopment is to Marquette, there may be something even more impactful now making its way through the state legislature…House bill 4722 has already passed the House, and Senate bill 446, which contains similar language, now sits before the Senate for consideration…What they both would basically do, if they become law, is strip local communities of their ability to regulate the number and location of short-term rentals.

In other words, the law would open up our neighborhoods to hundreds, if not thousands, more airbnb’s and vrbo’s…We could become little more than a tourist town, a resort… “I don’t know how you can manage a town when you don’t have people who actually live there,” says a frustrated city commissioner Jenn Hill… Who’s going to care about schools and senior centers when the primary purpose of a town is catering to tourists? Hill and other commissioners are incensed about the bill. They should be.

SPEAKING OF TOURIST towns, here’s what visitors will be paying for rooms here this weekend (as posted on Monday)— Hampton Inn $237…Landmark Inn $199…Fairfield Inn $199…Holiday Inn $170…Days Inn $161…Econo Lodge $120…Cedar Motor Inn $81….Not exorbitant when compared to some of the tourist destinations downstate.

STILL NO DECISION on what to do with the restaurant space (the former Piedmont and Capers) at the Landmark Inn. It remains unnamed, but is being used for special events like parties and weddings. It’s mostly booked for the summer according to Matt Mering, one of the principals at the Landmark…It’ll be reevaluated at the end of the summer…Bookings at the hotel, in the meantime, are approaching last year’s record numbers.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION time, and the future of the graduates seems more uncertain than ever. Generally, about 60% end up going to college, but those numbers have been dropping…In fact, one million fewer students are enrolled in college than two years ago…Reasons: the cost to enroll, the debt that’ll be accrued, and questions about the value of a college education. And still, after two years…Covid.

OH BOY. NOT to get partisan here, but some of the ideas coming from GOP gubernatorial hopefuls in Michigan on how to end mass shootings in schools are…umm…disappointing. Garret Soldano’s proposal: Arm the teachers, give them annual training (not likely to attract more teachers to the profession)…Tudor Dixon: “Harden” the schools, which are “soft targets.”…Kevin Rinke: Hire military veterans as armed monitors in the schools…Ralph Rebandt: We’ve taken God out of the classroom so kids have no respect for life (some truth there, but most of us support separation of church and state)…Come on, both Democrats and Republicans can do better than this. We don’t want to send our kids to an armed fortress every morning, watched over by a grizzled veteran armed with an AR-15.

SOMETHING NEW LATE this summer at the Lower Harbor Ore Dock, thanks to the folks behind the ambitious BOTECO project which aims to convert the closed-down ore dock to a community center with a promenade, gardens, and event spaces…They plan to bring to the harbor an ultra-modern, solar-powered, six-person boat operated by a joy stick, for use by tourists and locals…Might cost $5-10 bucks for a ride…It’ll be here all next summer, as well…Funds raised by the boat rides will go toward the design costs of the first phase of the BOTECO project.

YOU GOT $2 MILLION and a hankering for soft serve ice cream? Have we got a deal for you…Dairy Queen in the Township is up for sale: $1,999,000 (just keep the extra $1,000 so you can fill up your gas tank)….Details: 72 seats, 44 parking spots, great signage, and 33,000 vehicles pass by every day.

THOSE TWO PIERS under construction just south of the Ore Dock should be completed by late September, according Jon Swenson, the city’s director of community services. Building materials are arriving mostly on time…The more northern pier will be shorter and smaller but will feature a guided kayak launch (operated by Marquette Mountain), and a window on the pier allowing you to look down at the bottom of the lake bed…The southern pier will be much larger and wider and will likely be used for events—art shows, music, and such… “Nothing’s decided yet,” says Swenson. “We have ideas, but we’ll let the public tell us what they want there.”

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