The critical need for housing in the United States has government officials, community leaders and developers thinking outside the box — or rather buildings — in order to reuse and refurbish existing property. “I’d like to get city hall off the river,” said Mount Clemens Mayor Laura Kropp, during an interview at city hall. “We should have residents on the water, restaurants and businesses on the water, not my office,” she said, referring to the brick building where she works and is afforded a wonderful view of the Clinton River.
City Manager Gregg Shipman said he can see the former Macomb Daily Building repurposed for apartments. The seven-story building on Cass Avenue has been vacant since the newspaper moved out in 1994 and while dilapidated and gutted, has character. There may be no air conditioning but it has a storied history and a fabulous location within walking distance of a public library, churches, restaurants, schools and downtown businesses.
Michelle Weiss, retail coordinator for Mount Clemens Downtown Development Authority, said someone from New York showed an interest in turning the structure into a residential complex. “St. Joe’s is another building that could be refurbished, for resale space on the first floors and residential on the second,” Shipman said of the historic Saint Joseph Sanitarium and Bath House on North Avenue.
Then there’s the Victory Inn. Jim George, owner of the former Gibraltar Trade Center, has been working with the ci.
