The Benton Harbor Planning Commission has voted to recommend a zoning change to make way for a proposed commercial and housing development on Wall Street downtown. At a meeting this past week, the commission was asked to change the block at Wall Street, Colfax, Oak Street, and Eighth Street from light industrial to mixed use. It’s so Corner at Wall Street can be developed. Assistant City Manager Alex Little said these kinds of changes to old zoning rules are needed to allow for development.
“Our 4.3 square miles is like a chess board or checker board, and we’re looking to enhance, build up, and improve all of the parts of that,” Little said.
Corner at Wall Street is a $20 million, 55-unit housing development for low and mixed incomes. It will include a grocery store, and developers told city commissioners in July the project would also offer supportive services like mental health treatment and medical services. Now that the planning commission has recommended the zoning change, the full city commission will consider the matter at a meeting this month.
