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REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY
Volume 3, Issue 45 April 3, 2026
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Hart TIFA selects preferred developer, recommendation heads to City Council
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HART - Following a competitive review of the top submitted proposals, the Hart Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA) heard from the top two finalists Tuesday afternoon and selected Wolverine Building Group’s “Lofts on Main” proposal as the preferred development for the 3 E. Main St. property in downtown Hart. The TIFA board’s recommendation will be presented to the Hart City Council for consideration at its April 14 meeting. In accordance with TIFA bylaws, the city council must approve the conveyance of the property. Pending approval, the city will enter into negotiations with Wolverine Building Group to advance the project toward final design, approvals and construction. “The 2.6-acre site, formerly part of the Ceres Solutions property acquired by TIFA in 2023, is an opportunity to redevelop nearly a full city block in a location that is just steps from Hart Lake, downtown shopping and dining,” Hart City Manager Nichole Kleiner said. Wolverine Building Group’s proposal features 60 units, located in two, 24-unit buildings, and one, 12-unit building. The new development will not only provide new apartment housing, but ground-floor live/work options as well,
Lofts on Main proposal project rendering meant to meet the housing development team’s expeneeds of median-income rience and ability to exerenters. The development cute; and a clear, detailed includes a mix of one- and project timeline. The board two-bedroom units, mod- also expressed strong supern architectural design, port for the layout of the and a site layout that in- buildings, green space, tegrates green space and and parking, as well as the parking in a cohesive, pe- long-term vision for a podestrian-friendly environ- tential Phase II expansion. ment. The selection followed a A recent analysis has multi-phase process that identified a significant included community inneed for additional hous- put, release of a Request for ing in Oceana County. The Proposals and a reopened county’s rental market is qualification period to enoperating at near-full ca- sure a strong and competpacity, with occupancy itive pool of developers. rates exceeding 98 percent The community’s vision and widespread waitlists, consistently emphasized while limited inventory the need for quality housand affordability chal- ing, downtown vibrancy lenges continue to impact and long-term economic residents and employers. sustainability. These conditions highlight “TIFA was presentthe importance of new ed with three strong and housing development to thoughtful proposals, support workforce needs each bringing unique and sustain long-term eco- ideas to the table,” Kleiner nomic growth in the Hart said. “Wolverine’s ‘Lofts community. on Main’ stood out for its The Hart TIFA board quality, completeness and identified several strengths readiness to move forward. in the Wolverine proposal, The board had a high level including the overall quali- of confidence in the team ty and thoroughness of the and their ability to deliver a submission; the architectural design and building style; confidence in the continued on page 2
Hart TIFA
Road Commission announces major reconstruction of Polk Road corridor The Oceana County Road Commission (OCRC) is pleased to announce plans for a comprehensive reconstruction of Polk Road from 64th Avenue to Oceana Drive, a major corridor serving residents, businesses and visitors traveling through the region. The project represents one of the most significant local transportation investments in recent years and is designed to improve safety, mobility and long‑term infrastructure resilience. The reconstruction will introduce several key upgrades, including a modern roundabout at the intersection of Polk Road and 72nd Avenue, a corridor‑wide lane diet with lane widening to create two through‑lanes and a dedicated center left‑turn lane and new storm sewer infrastructure. Additional improvements include new sidewalks, curb and gutter, and enhanced streetscaping to support walkability and strengthen the visual character of the corridor. The Polk Road reconstruction project has officially entered the design phase, during which engineers are finalizing roadway geometry, utility coordination, safety enhancements and streetscape elements. Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2027, with substantial completion expected by the fall of 2027. OCRC is coordinating closely with
local partners to ensure the project is delivered efficiently and with minimal disruption to residents and businesses along the corridor. OCRC recognizes that a project of this scale will create temporary impacts for motorists and businesses. To minimize disruptions, the reconstruction will be completed using part-width construction and directional detours. This approach allows crews to work efficiently while keeping at least one direction of travel open at all times. Access to all businesses along the corridor will remain available throughout every phase of the project, ensuring customers, employees and deliveries can continue to reach their destinations safely and reliably. A major focus of the project is improving safety for all roadway users. The redesigned corridor will enhance both vertical and horizontal sight distance, giving drivers clearer visibility of the roadway ahead and more time to react to changing conditions. The lane diet and addition of a center left-turn lane will reduce rearend and turning-related crashes by separating turning traffic from through-traffic and reducing unnecessary lane-chang-
Polk Road project continued on page 7
Shelby Village Council splits on ordinance amendments By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent SHELBY - Monday, March 23, with six of seven council members present, the Village of Shelby gave approval to five out of eight ordinance amendments, village planning commission annual reports and the village’s 2025 Master Plan. Prior to final consideration of the eight ordinance amendments discussed at length at their March 9 meeting, Village Administrator Phil Morse addressed the council and the four people in the audience, saying he sensed the council had differing opinions when it came to what he would call aesthetics, or widely accepted good neighborliness, but they seemed more unified when discussing amendments related to resident safety.
“Many neighbors will follow good neighbor practices, but there will always be some who will not. It could be more that they are unaware, not necessarily inconsiderate. I would advise against asking village staff to do something without us being able to enforce it. What is enforceable and unenforceable can muddy the waters. Enforcement will need to be handled diplomatically. We can’t play favorites. We’ll have to look at the totality of the circumstances,” Morse explained. “It does feel like we’re piling on with these eight. But the idea is we’re trying to make this a once-a-year activity to save the village a little money between contacting the lawyer and publicizing notices. Also, when we prepared for our one-time recodification, we realized we missed some things,” Morse added. “In the past six months nothing else
has come up related to ordinance amendments, so I don’t see this (many amendments) being an every-year thing.” Council member Mike Termer asked if he might respond and said, “It sounds like you’re selling these amendments…It’s not your role to sell them. We can’t create a law for one extreme. Instead of being a good neighbor, it’s almost turning people against each other…You might have the best intentions, but you aren’t always going to be here, yet you’ve created a law…that doesn’t cultivate a warm, welcoming community. I believe it is the role of the Ordinance Committee to say, 'What are we doing?' Do we need to update our ordinances and fix them?” At first, the council was unsure how to proceed, given Ordinance Committee chair Crystal Heykoop was absent. However, Termer
reminded the group that not having a full council in the past has not stopped them from voting on items before, so they proceeded. After brief discussions, no motion was provided, so no action was taken with regard to the Residential Waste or Junk Vehicles ordinance amendments. Councilor Steve Crothers motioned to approve, with a second by Curt Trott, to approve the Casual Sale amendment. At the vote, council members Crothers, Trott and Village President John Sutton voted in favor of the amendment, while council members Termer, Dan Zaverl and Samantha Gottschalk voted against it, thus the motion failed. The other five ordinance amendments passed. Under the village’s Right-of-Way ordinance,
Shelby ordinances continued on page 3