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11/30/2006Brownfield officials back project
Developer Michael Uzelac, center, sits in on a Brownfield Development Authority meeting Wednesday. TRAVERSE CITY — Local brownfield officials pushed ahead with a plan to publicly lease parking spots in a contentious West Front Street development by Federated Properties. The Grand Traverse County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority unanimously agreed Wednesday to negotiate with Federated and the city for public parking in the mixed-use, 100-foot-tall project. Federated requested $5.49 million in state brownfield funds to pay for a public lease and eventual city ownership of 211 parking spaces. More than 71 percent of city voters in August dumped a city bond proposal that would have built more than 500 public parking spots at the site. "There is now an acute need for parking in that area,” said Federated's Michael Uzelac. The new plan requires approvals from the state and Traverse City. The brownfield authority must also OK a development agreement. The city commission is expected to begin its discussion of the plan Monday. Dennis Aloia, county administrator and brownfield authority board member, said Wednesday's brownfield support keeps the parking proposal in play so city officials can decide if it wants to pursue the project. "I personally view this as a city issue,” he said. The city would maintain and operate the parking spaces during the lease and own the spaces after the lease is paid off, estimated to take 11 years. City voters' sound rejection of the first funding proposal will be a "frame of reference” as commissioners consider the new plan, said Mayor Linda Smyka after the meeting. "I think that the city commission will have this in mind,” she said. "Certainly from my perspective, I think the commission was not expecting it to be such a significant 'no' vote, and so there has been a lot of discussion in the community about why the 'no' vote.” Some city residents repeatedly criticized the size of Federated's project. But Smyka said the city commission will talk about public parking, not height at its Monday meeting. Authority members also requested employees to work with developer Gerald Snowden on his West Front Street mixed-use project. Snowden, too, is interested in public parking for his site. Clearing the Record
Due to editing errors, the photo caption accompanying this story was originally inaccurate. It should have said developer Michael Uzelac was sitting in on a Brownfield Development Authority meeting, not a Downtown Development Association meeting.
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