COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – An Ohio development firm continues to move forward with a proposed senior housing project at the former site of the Fremont School Building.
The packet for Monday’s Coldwater Planning Commission meeting included changes to the proposed project such as having a two story building instead of one story units.
But Pete Schwiegeraht from Pivotal, which used to be known as MVAH Partners, says they have gone back to the original plans after talking with state environmental officials.
The project has been slowed by COVID-19, rising costs and the discovery of mercury and other contaminants during environmental soil testing. Schwiegeraht vows it will be cleaned up.
After a discussion which included comments from nearby property owners who felt the project should not be built at that location, the Planning Commission gave a positive recommendation to the City Council to extend the zoning which is already in place.
A conditional rezoning was originally approved in 2019 and was scheduled to expire in June of 2021. The development firm has a purchase option on the site which is still owned by Coldwater Community Schools.
Prior to this expiration, MVAH Partners was awarded tax credits from the State of Michigan to develop the senior housing units.
Actually, there were five residence present that were all against it and no one from the public was there to support it. Not once in all of the meetings on this property over the last five years has anyone from the public ever shown up to support a multilevel apartment building. Other than Ms. Cole saying anyone walking or playing on the property were trespassing” we were just ignored by the city. Maye she should call the cops on the kids.