The new hanging flower baskets along Lafayette Street (M-91) in the historic downtown area of Greenville have been hailed by members of the Downtown Development Authority as some of the best they’ve seen. The baskets complement a number of infrastructure improvement projects currently underway downtown. — DN Photo | CorySmith
GREENVILLE — From the eventual replacement of trees along Lafayette Street to the possible sale of a downtown building to the impression new hanging baskets are making, members of the Greenville Downtown Development Committee expressed optimism on a range of issues Monday afternoon.
During the DDA’s annual meeting, Greenville City Manager George Bosanic and Assistant City Manager Heather Feazel provided a series of updates on the city’s historic downtown district.
In recent weeks, the city’s public parking lots and laneways in the Downtown District — as well as Clay Street from the M-57 to Montcalm Street — have been under construction, and full renewal projects have come together earlier than expected.
As a result, City Engineer Doug Hinken said the schedule for the start and completion of the remaining parking lot projects has been pushed back, while the Clay Street project remains on schedule.
Hinken said nearly all of the parking lots on the west side of Lafayette Street (M-91) have been completed and work is now beginning on the east side of the street.
“Clay Street will be completed by the end of July,” Hinken said. “The parking lots are a little earlier than planned, so they started on the east side (of M-91).
Both Hinken and Bosanic commended the contractor responsible for the parking lot work, Michigan Paving and Materials of Comstock Park, for completing the project ahead of schedule.
“As difficult as this work is, the contractor is doing a phenomenal job – it has exceeded my expectations,” said Bosanic. “They do it the best way to do it.”
The entire lot/alley renewal project is expected to be completed by the end of July, with the exception of a lot on the east side of Clay Street which will be used as a stage area for the Clay Street construction.
removal of trees
Following a decision by the Greenville City Council nearly two years ago, the DDA is preparing to remove the large locust trees that line both sides of M-91 in the historic downtown area.
Large black locust trees that line both sides of Lafayette Street (M-91) in downtown Greenville are expected to be cut down later this summer after the Danish Festival ends in August. After the trees planted in the 1950s have been removed, new trees will be planted in their place, on which a decision has not yet been made. — DN Photo | CorySmith
In August 2021, the city council voted to ask the DDA to develop a three to five year plan for the fate of the trees. According to Bosanic, this process is almost complete and the removal of the trees should now take place in the days following the upcoming Danish Festival.
While the road will be closed August 16-20 for the festival, Hinken said it is his plan to keep the road from the M-57 to Montcalm Street closed for a few more days through August 23 to accommodate the to remove trees.
The type of trees that will replace the black locust trees – originally donated to the city by the late Dale Stafford and planted in the 1950s – has not yet been decided, but a decision on that will soon come before the DDA.
“We have reached out to Prein & Newhof (engineering office) and hope to get an update on this at the next DDA meeting,” Bosanic said. “You will have a list of approved trees to choose from.”
The tree removal request came from Flo’s co-owner Dan Uccello, who emailed Bosanic that he would like to have the tree removed in front of his shop on the west side of M-91, citing “thousands” of annual costs associated with cleaning and maintenance with the roof of the one-story building and its HVAC system due to the tree.
Bosanic said that after removing the current trees, their stumps will also be removed and any new trees will be planted in the same place.
“Everything should be done by the fall,” he said. “Some people say they love the trees down there, others want them gone, but what a difference it’s going to make downtown.”
hanging baskets
Each year, members of the DDA give away services to put up hanging baskets throughout historic downtown, but this year the new baskets made a lasting impression.
Greenville City Manager George Bosanic (left) speaks during Monday’s meeting of the Greenville Downtown Development Authority while DDA Chairman Tim Mulcahy listens. — DN Photo | CorySmith
“I think it’s the first time we’ve personally had some really nice hanging baskets in a long time,” Feazel said.
“They are maybe the best of all time,” added Bosanic.
Last October, the DDA voted to commission Lake City’s Northern Bloom Greenhouse to hang flower baskets of pink flowers.
The only criticism came from DDA member Linda Huckleberry, who would rather see the baskets facing the street than the sidewalk.
“I personally think they should stay on the outside. They’d be even more outstanding if they were on the street side, but they’re looking really great right now,” she said.
Bosanic said the reason the flower baskets were hung like this may have to do with Michigan Department of Transportation regulations, but he said he will look into the matter.
building for sale
In 2017, the City Council voted to purchase the two-story downtown building at 216 S. Lafayette St. for $8,942.43 after the Montcalm County Department of Revenue obtained a foreclosure tax ruling on the property in the city’s historic Downtown District had.
The building at 216 S. Lafayette St., which has been vacant for several years, is currently owned by the City of Greenville and is for sale. The city is accepting requests for quotations from potential buyers of the building and hopes that the future owner will continue to renovate the building and potentially bring new business and housing to downtown Greenville. — DN Photo | CorySmith
Since then, the city has spent about $80,000 in total costs to also gut the building and make some needed improvements, such as demolishing a non-historic addition to the back of the building that was causing structural problems.
According to Bosanic, the city will soon have to consider a number of proposals if it decides to sell the building.
“It’s really cool to get a lot of calls from interested parties and we’re getting a lot of interest,” he said.
After the building is sold, Bosanic hopes the new owners will be able to use government grants to help with the building’s restoration.
“The building is structurally sound, so the cost shouldn’t be astronomical,” he said. “The successful proposal comes from someone who is willing to put a certain amount of money into the building and tell us what they will do with it. That could be apartments upstairs and a shop downstairs.”
Bosanic said a development agreement will be in place between the buyer and the city to ensure the property is restored to the city’s satisfaction.
“This development agreement will be flexible enough,” he said. “The intent is to pick who we think will be the most successful because we don’t want 216 to be another pocket park. It should once again be a living, breathing and contributing building for our inner city.”
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