Redevelopment

Accepting Proposals

The City of Jonesville (City) and the Jonesville Downtown Development Authority (DDA) are currently under option with a potential developer who is conducting due diligence on a redevelopment concept.  Check back for updates as this process progresses.

Development Opportunity

The 68,500 square foot former tool factory has frontage on (US-12) and the St. Joseph River.  

Located at the intersection of US-12 and M-99, the City of Jonesville is positioned within an hour drive from several cities in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.  This unique position has helped 

Downtown Jonesville to gain a reputation as a destination for food and arts.  Our restaurants are widely known, with Jonesville often recognized as a top small town for food.  We boast an active and vibrant community theater.  There are many service and retail offerings, as well.  Andrew Mack and Sons Brush Company, Jonesville Lumber, and Powers Clothing – the nation’s oldest Carhartt retailer – are all centennial businesses in the Downtown.

 The DDA is active in Downtown maintenance, having upgraded the streetscape and investing in several public parking improvements.  The City takes great pride in its efforts to maintain and improve its streets and other public infrastructure.

Traffic counts taken in 2020 put the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) on US-12/Chicago Street in the vicinity of the site at 11,866 vehicles per day.

Site Description

The Jonesville DDA and the City of Jonesville collectively own three parcels in the Downtown.  The primary parcel includes a vacant 68,500 square foot former manufacturing building, depicted as Parcel I, below.  Parcel II is a small parcel, formerly used for parking.  Parcel IV was acquired by the DDA and City in anticipation that additional parking would be needed to accommodate the redevelopment.

Parcel III was privately sold and is not owned by the City/DDA.

The property presents a unique development opportunity.  The property has frontage on the St. Joseph River.  It also fronts Chicago Street (US-12), which had an average of 11,866 vehicles travelling past the site every day in 2020.

The building is a 68,500 square foot former factory.  The original building was built in 1945, with several additions over the years.  It was occupied by Vaco products from 1945 until 1986 and by Klein Tools from 1986 until 2008.  Both companies manufactured hand tools.  The City and the DDA purchased the building in 2010.

There is extensive data on the website regarding environmental conditions on the property, including a Due Care Compliance Plan that was completed in 2019 through a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).  The Plan includes additional subsurface tests, as well as indoor air sample results.  The City has previously worked closely with EGLE staff for environmental evaluations; EGLE has advised that they will consider grant and loan proposals for qualifying developments.

Public Input

As part of the development of the 2019 Master Plan, the City sought community input regarding the redevelopment of the property.  Survey respondents gave their thoughts on potential uses for the building.  Later, participants at a community open house called "Framing Jonesville's Future" heard survey results and made redevelopment of the property a top priority.  The survey and meeting results are summarized below.  You can find more information about the City's Master Plan here. 

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