Muskegon Heights reimagines downtown with new Strand Theater, upgraded park, retail and housing

MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI – A large subdivision, live-work apartments in the heart of downtown, a larger more vibrant Rowan Park and a new Strand Theater are among the features Muskegon Heights residents have imagined for their business district.

Those visions gathered during community input sessions were used to develop a “Reaching New Muskegon Heights” plan that will direct future investments. It is a plan needed to make Muskegon Heights a “redevelopment ready” community in the eyes of the state, opening up access to public and private funding.

At least Muskegon Heights has a downtown district, though it’s plagued with empty storefronts. In comparison, the city of Muskegon has had to do a lot of new construction to fill in much of its downtown that was torn down in the early 2000s.

Nevertheless, Muskegon’s downtown visioning, similar to Muskegon Heights’ recent efforts, resulted in an “Imagine Muskegon” plan that isn’t far off from what is developing there.

“The first step is the vision,” Muskegon Heights City Manager Troy Bell told MLive. “I’ve seen it happen in my career over and over again. People say, ‘It’s not possible,’ or believe it’ s too much to dream for. But with every hairy audacious goal, you create an opportunity for people who otherwise didn’t think it was possible to make it possible.”

It also allows developers to have a vision of what they’re investments could bring, Bell said.

“There’s so much opportunity, it can be overwhelming to decide where to start,” he said.

The 18-month visioning process included focus groups – some of them remote due to challenges with COVID – and public surveys as well as on-site tours with key players.

Funding was provided by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Community Foundation for Muskegon County and the project, led by the city of Muskegon Heights and its downtown development authority, was managed by the Greater Muskegon Economic Development Corporation.

The outcome was a unified plan with reinvestment priorities and ideas to share with potential funders and investors.

The city’s two main priorities are development of new housing and redevelopment of the downtown core.

Among the plan’s key concepts:

• Reconstruction of the Strand Theater on Broadway Avenue in the heart of downtown. The theater’s façade is collapsing, with fencing erected to protect passers-by. The plan suggests either constructing a new theater or rehabbing the existing structure, which would be more costly but would waste fewer resources. The idea is to develop first-floor retail, restaurant and theater space and upper-level housing.
• Reconfiguring Rowan Park and the parking lot between it and the Strand into an entertainment hub. The farmers market would be moved to Rowan Park, which also would be the site of a new marching band sculpture highlighting the legacy of Muskegon Heights High School drum majors. A children’s splash pad is another possible feature of Rowan Park.
• Construction of 35 new homes, either attached or detached, on a large spread of property between Broadway Avenue and the MATS bus station off of Sixth Street. Fronting Broadway between Sixth and Jefferson streets, would be another 12 live-work dwelling units. The property is owned by the Muskegon Heights DDA. Other empty lots in the vicinity could be used for new infill housing. Bell told MLive American Rescue Plan Act funding may be tapped to help develop housing.
• Improved streetscapes, including new lighting, and storefronts along Broadway, Peck and Baker Streets. An $8 million allocation currently in the state Legislature would pay for repaving and improvements to Broadway, Bell said.
• Focus on upgrading retail facades and assisting small businesses to locate in the central core of Broadway and Peck. In the short-term, two storefronts would be identified to host pop-up programs and art programming.
• Create a more usable civic green space around city hall and the police and fire departments, including narrowing and making Center Street more pedestrian friendly.
• Constructing a multi-level parking structure behind the Strand near Peck Street and Airline Highway. The structure could include retail on the first floor and would be needed for future commercial growth downtown as well as for new downtown residents.

The survey of city residents found that most – 69% — were dissatisfied with the quality of life in Muskegon Heights, including 42% who were “very dissatisfied.”

The survey also found that 73% of the respondents had lived in Muskegon Heights for more than 10 years.

To read more about the Reaching New Muskegon Heights plan, click here.

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