In its first in person meeting since the COVID shutdown on July 15, the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority reviewed ongoing projects such as the installation of the city’s new black-and-copper penny directional signs and planned amenities for Palmer Commons.
City Manager John Hanifan reported that about three-fourths of the directional signs downtown have been installed and he expects the remainder to be installed by the end of July. Work progresses on the facelifts for the black lamp posts as well and that project is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
He said Palmer Commons is seeing an uptick in use and requests for rental dates and the planned charging stations for electric cars are closer to becoming operational in the parking lot.
Community Development Director Julia Upfal reported that the Rockwell building development project received a $490,000 grant for brownfield remediation, which is another piece of the funding puzzle for this redevelopment project to move forward.
She said the developers are pursuing one additional grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund. Once a development agreement has been signed with the city and the funding components are in place, the project should begin to move along quickly since it is an interior renovation, which will result in additional housing for the city.
