After years of sitting empty, another Benton Township storefront may be getting new life.
Fairplain Plaza owners and developers Lormax Stern are seeking to rehabilitate and redevelop the former Rite Aid location at the corner of M-139 and Napier Ave. Benton Charter Township helped them take the first step on Tuesday, passing a resolution to establish a commercial rehabilitation district at 1701 M-139.
Lormax Stern acquired Fairplain Plaza in 2016, and Cornerstone Alliance is working with the company to attract viable commercial activity to the township.
According to Zachary Vaughn, director of community improvement at Cornerstone, there are no concrete plans for what type of business would go into the site yet, only that Lormax Stern would keep it as a commercial retail area.
Members of the board asked Vaughn if they would have any say in what business would be put on the site.
“We don’t have that information at this point in time,” Vaughn said. “Once we get to the application phase, we’ll have more information that we can provide to you from Lormax Stern on who that retailer will be and the investment that will be going there … More than likely I will have representatives from Lormax Stern to answer any questions you may have.”
Vaughn said creating the rehabilitation district adds value to the site. According to the state of Michigan, such a district affords a tax incentive for the rehabilitation of commercial property for the primary purpose and use of a commercial business or multi-family residential facility.
“For attraction purposes, this is something you can advertise as an incentive,” he said. “If it meets the criteria [the township is] looking for from a development standpoint, you can go ahead and approve it.”
Supervisor Kathy Yates said if developers need any ideas, she has some favorite places in mind. Vaughn assured members of the board any potential business would be brought to the township in advance of development.
After the meeting, Cornerstone President and CEO Rob Cleveland thanked Benton Township officials in a Facebook comment:
“Thanks to Benton Charter Township officials for taking this step to make it easier to bring a new company to the area,” he said. “We will work together to find a good fit.”
