An effort is getting started to develop two vacant properties in downtown St. Joseph.
Speaking to city commissioners Monday, Assistant City Manager Emily Hackworth said she’s working with Cornerstone Alliance to create a plan for a privately owned lot across from Schu’s on Pleasant Street and an adjacent city-owned parking lot on Lake Boulevard. She told us at this time, there are no specific plans, but the two want to work with the community to come up with a vision.
“We’d like to see some kind of a mixed use development, and that’s what we know right now,” Hackworth said. “Really, what we hope to do is engage in a process to figure out what that might be.”
Cornerstone’s Andrew Hahn said the lots could be turned into mixed-use commercial and residential buildings. Hackworth says they’re prime for development.
“We’ve got a property that’s been vacant for quite some time, and we and the property owner are anxious to seize an opportunity,” Hackworth said. “We also have a number of surface parking lots that have the best view in the city, and it would be great to, again, seize the opportunity of taking that space and developing it into something really special.”
Hackworth says the city will work with Cornerstone to create a plan to pitch to developers. Public input will be sought as part of the process.
Hackworth’s goal is to get help through the state’s Redevelopment Ready Sites program, which could provide funding for drafting plans.
City commissioners indicated their support for the effort to proceed.
