HILLSDALE — Nick Fox, the vice president of construction management for CL Real Estate, informed the Hillsdale City Council on Jan. 16 that renovations are on schedule for completion this fall.
Fox provided a verbal update to the full council and noted many of the Councilpersons — including Bruce Sharp, Greg Stuchell and Rob Socha — have stopped in for tours of the progress already this year.
C.L. Real Estate — the developer who purchased the once vacant building in 2017 with big hopes for economic development in the downtown — came under fire of the council in 2023 for a perceived lack of progress over the last several years with deadlines passing and new deadlines fading.
“We did very well over the the holidays and throughout this nice winter we’ve got the structure and the new skeleton of the the building done and we’re moving into the shoring that was holding up the floors previously and then we’ll be able to get started on the actual build out on the basement and first level,” Fox said.
Sharp said the progress was coming along nicely and promised to return to the Keefer for another visit in February.
“You guys are doing well, thank you,” Sharp said.
Councilperson Gary Wolfram asked Fox if C.L. Real Estate had addressed the structure of the roof of the century old building.
Fox said contractors continue to work on the roof structure and progress on the back side of the building has been completed with work turning to the front side of the building facing Hallett Street in the near future.
More: Frustrations mount over lack of progress at Keefer House Hotel
Fox began coming to regularly scheduled council meetings once per month in the fall of 2023 to provide verbal updates to the council after public and council inquiries wondered what the status of renovations were given that deadlines had come and gone.
The Keefer House Hotel was initially anticipated to be open by November 2022 but issues with the global supply chain and inflation caused by COVID-19 delayed the grand re-opening.
The city’s Tax Increment Finance Authority purchased the Dawn Theater and Keefer House Hotel years ago with the goal of redeveloping the once vacant properties in the interest of economic development in the downtown Hillsdale.
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Since then, the TIFA board has completed renovations of the Dawn Theater, which has since re-opened, under management by CL Real Estate.
Ideally, once the hotel is opened again, the company will work to pair entertainment at the Dawn Theater with hotel accommodations at the Keefer House Hotel which will include a restaurant and 34 rooms for guests.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer made a surprise visit to Hillsdale in the fall of 2021 to tour the Keefer House Hotel with CL Real Estate and city officials involved in the project.
— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Keefer House renovations ‘on schedule’ for fall completion
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