The St. Joseph Township Board of Trustees has approved a special use permit for a new apartment complex proposed at 3150 Niles Road.
We’ve reported Dutch Developers out of Hudsonville are seeking to construct a complex with 144 units across six buildings on 11 acres of property currently owned by the Blue Roof Church.
The developer’s Ben Striegle told township trustees Monday the location is attractive given its proximity to I-94, while the development is in line with the township’s goal of attracting more housing.
“Last year, exactly a year ago, I met with Andrew Haan from Cornerstone Alliance,” Striegle said. “We went on a little tour of Berrien County, which is really nice, and he was just sharing with me some of the stats of just what the need was for housing. And there was a tremendous need.”
Striegle said the new complex will be a mix of two-bed, two-bath and one-bed, two-bath units, all intended to be high quality.
“I’m not saying we use gold or marble, but we use high quality products in the home. Real wood flooring, real wood trim. We don’t use anything you can cut with an Exacto knife. Hard surface countertops, open floor plans, kind of the modern features that tenants would expect.”
Striegle also said the property is attractive because it offers plenty of greenspace.
Striegle also spoke about his company’s use of tax increment financing plans in other counties in the past, but it’s not clear if it’s seeking that status in this case. He said TIFs at other sites have limited who the complex can rent to as they often reserve a certain number of units for residents at or below a certain income threshold.
With the board now approving the permit, Striegle said he hopes to begin construction in the fall, possibly finishing in 16 to 18 months if all goes very smoothly.
