MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – The future of the waterfront along the Clinton River in Mount Clemens is going to look different. The city is planning to move its city hall and fire station to a downtown site it is buying from Oakland University before selling much of the current waterfront site they occupy for new development.
The green space on the Clinton River will remain a public park, leaders said. But the city will seek mixed-use development for the city offices and fire station site, with condominiums and street-level business opportunities to expand housing, stimulate economic activity and enhance the vibrancy of the downtown area.
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“We currently have fewer than 100 residents in our downtown district. Adding 100 or more new housing units with first-floor business opportunities would significantly boost our local economy and grow our tax base,” Mayor Laura Kropp said in a news release.
The city is funding the purchase of the OU center building at 20 S. Main St. and planning for the new municipal complex with $2 million from the state and plans to seek additional state and county funding to complete the project.
The project to convert the OU building into a new municipal complex will include construction of new apparatus or firetruck bays and building out the existing structure, which is largely classroom space, to fit the city’s needs.
Oakland University acquired the building and property through a donation from Gabe Anton and Stuart Frankel in 2014. It restored the long-vacant structure and began offering classes there in 2015. It closed the center when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and ultimately ceased operations there.
OU’s board approved the sale of the satellite campus to the city of Mount Clemens for $1.5 million on Friday.
City officials say, once the city buildings are moved from the riverfront site, the city will work on a partnership with a developer and aim to begin the design phase early next year.