Belleville DDA considers selling hardware store, is seeking proposals for use

The Belleville Downtown Development Authority committee considering what to do about the vacant hardware store at 458 Main St. that the DDA purchased, has decided it should be sold.
At the DDA’s regular meeting April 15, committee chairperson Whitney Beaubien reported that the “Wherehouse,” as it has been dubbed, has been discussed at length at several committee meetings and the committee is recommending the listing and selling of the property. The committee has reached out to a Realtor who will meet with it next week to get the sale in motion, if the whole DDA board agreed.
The property would be listed at the beginning of May on the general market, Beaubien said. The Realtor has paid for a property appraisal which would be presented at the upcoming committee meeting to help set a price, Beaubien said.
She said the committee decided that continuing to invest DDA funds in this property is not a proper use of its resources. She said removing the monthly expenses for this building can help provide funds for a full-time DDA director.
Beaubien said they could go out for proposals to see how those interested would use the building and what the community wants. She said the DDA is in place to attract retail, restaurants, and other businesses that would keep people coming back and walking Main Street.
DDA vice chairman Chris Donley asked if the DDA could deny buyers based on what they want to do with the property.
Beaubien said they will check with the city attorney. She said they want to put it on the market and evaluate proposals.
Donley asked if the DDA could consider a longterm lease and Beaubien replied, “We want to free up out debt.” She said the DDA has a land contract on the property with a balloon coming up in the next couple of years.
She said interim city manager/DDA director Steve Jones now is managing the property, collecting rent from the tenants on Fifth Street, and acting as landlord.
DDA member Phil Miller, who joined the meeting 17 minutes late, said an RFP can tell the DDA what someone wants to do and that person would do a dog-and-pony show on their plans.
Miller said the DDA could set up ways to manage debt and with a lease agreement the DDA could control use of the property. He said there are advantages to both ways, but at the top is a long-term lease. He said a RFP is not a real estate function. It is administrative, he said.
Beaubien said to Miller, “You’re on the committee and you missed two meetings.” She said he should have discussed his ideas at the committee level instead of attacking the committee’s recommendation at this meeting.
Miller said he had been out of state for two weeks.
DDA treasurer Sabrina Richardson-Williams made a motion to go for a RFP, but there was no second, as discussion continued.
Beaubien said retail and restaurants would bring people into the community on a regular basis. She said she is not opposed to developing with 50% retail and 50% office space. She said they want people walking on the street.
Miller explained details of land contracts and preserving the value of the building.
Richardson-Williams suggested putting the property on the market and getting RFPs to get an idea of what will be done with the property.
She said they should move forward because now all they are doing is talking to each other.
Beaubien said the DDA should work with the city council to implement something in our city for a tax stepup.
Miller said any increase in taxes would come to the DDA.
“We came up with a recommendation,” Beaubien repeated.
Miller said there are ways to structure a proposal so the one leasing the property could be the first buyer of choice if the DDA decides to sell.
Beaubien made a motion to allow the committee to do an RFP and then be allowed to list the property.
“I’ve wasted six weeks on this,” Beaubien said. “If you opposed it, you should have been there to talk about it,” she said to Miller.
The DDA voted unanimously to go out for RFPs. Chairman John Winter said they could get RFPs and then hold a special meeting to approve listing.
In other business at the 70-minute meeting, the DDA:
• Heard chairman Winter make a statement at the beginning of the meeting starting with, “These meetings take too much time.” He said the committee should agree on what it wants to do and have one person bring it to the DDA. He said the DDA’s assignment is the downtown businesses and sprucing up downtown. “It shouldn’t take over an hour,” he said. “This is very, very frustrating,” he said, noting the information should be presented in one piece. DDA member Michael Gatteri agreed that the information should be prepared ahead of time and presented efficiently;
• Heard Donley address the first item that Jones had placed on the agenda: DDA Director full/part-time position. He said they have a job description and the three members of that committee met and agreed a full-time position would greatly increase the DDA’s effectiveness. “How to do it is another thing,” he said. “How to find the funds.” He said there were many ideas and they have to figure out how far apart a full time director would be from where they are with a part-time director. Beaubien said they have to wait to see what the city council does about a city manager. She said Jones can do any job right now, but in a month and a half he could have no job at all. Donley said they do not want to eliminate Jones from the running. “We can’t halt our forward momentum,” Gatteri said. “This is an opportunity to start moving forward.” Beaubien said they have been talking about this for two and a half years, which is too long. Councilwoman Julie Kissel said from the audience that the council will start the city manager search process on April 20 and it will take 15 weeks. “We are looking forward to moving on,” Kissel said. Winter said to put the item on next month’s DDA agenda;
• Heard Jones say that Veterans of Foreign Wars commander John Blackstone has suggested putting together a committee on selling bricks for the Veterans Memorial to raise money to fix the deteriorating memorial. Blackstone suggested two VFW members, Polish Legion of American Veterans commander George Kennedy, a couple of DDA members and a couple of city council members. “The veterans would lead the charge,” Jones said, noting, “They don’t have enough to take it on by themselves.” Jones said it has been estimated the cost to fix the brick at the memorial is $25,000;
• Heard Valerie Kelley-Bonner propose a “You Matter” campaign on suicide awareness. She said it could be a “Belleville, You Matter” or “48111, You Matter.” She handed out a five-page proposal to DDA members to consider. She said September is Suicide Prevention Month and they could paint the town with purple lights. There could be an event with vendors, music, speakers. Beaubien suggested a walk, as well. Kelley-Bonner pointed out recent local suicides and said this campaign would increase community awareness about suicide prevention, reduce stigma around seeking help, and connect residents to resources like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It will be discussed at a future meeting;
• Heard Miller comment that he saw what happened with the Doane’s property on the lake when it was turned into housing. He said the city “missed a lot” by that move; and
• Heard Beaubien say she plans to work with the city on a new website for the city and the DDA, since the current contract expires Oct. 31. She said she hopes the city chooses a new one in September and has it up and running by October. She also said, “If you’re on a committee, express yourself there.” Beaubien said she now has her Union Home Mortgage business in brick and mortar at 483 E. Huron River Dr. in the city of Belleville. She said later that she will be in the front part of the former Katherine Rose flower shop and the dancers will continue to be in the back.