New Mixed-Use Development, Pocket Park Proposed for East Front

A unique public-private partnership could bring a new mixed-use development to 424 East Front Street – currently home to Mid-American Title – and transform an underutilized stretch of city property across the street into a riverfront “pocket park” with improved landscaping, benches, tables, and a dedicated viewing deck overlooking the Boardman River and Grand Traverse Bay.

Joel Peterson of J. Peterson Homes, a local firm that builds custom high-end homes, will appear before Traverse City Parks and Recreation commissioners Thursday at 6:30pm to discuss the proposal. Peterson has submitted a contingent offer to purchase the Mid-American Title building, which he hopes to convert into a four-story, mixed-use development. Peterson would relocate his firm’s offices, which are currently in rented space elsewhere on East Front Street, into the ground floor of the building. An additional retail space would also be available at ground level.

Peterson plans to build four luxury condos – each with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms – on the upper floors. He tells The Ticker his goal is to develop a “full-service building” with amenities like a gym, rooftop deck, a rear garage with secure deeded parking, and potentially a rooftop pool. “I want to create the most livable, most attractive building I can build, as it’ll be a kind of legacy building for me and my business as well,” he says, estimating he’ll invest several million dollars into the project.

The majority of the building’s façade would feature glass windows overlooking East Front Street. The challenge, he says, is that the direct viewshed from the building is a scraggly city lot across the street between the city lift station and the Honor Bank building. That site, Peterson says, features numerous trees that are dead, diseased, or hazardous – an assessment that was confirmed by a recent certified arborist’s report. A lack of lighting and the obscured riverbank also contribute to the site feeling unsafe and uninviting, he says.

Peterson is proposing to partner with the city to transform that lot into a public pocket park. Peterson would fully fund the improvements – estimated to cost up to six figures – to include removing dead or hazardous trees, planting new native species, adding lighting, benches, and tables, and building an overlook deck on the Boardman. The city would continue to own the property and the improvements and would directly manage the construction project, with Peterson footing the bill through a funding agreement with the city. The site would have full ADA accessibility.

Peterson says an improved viewshed is so crucial for the building project’s success that he doesn’t anticipate moving forward with the purchase without the park improvements. “That’s where I came up with this concept, to enhance that space and hopefully make it a win-win,” he says. “There are a lot of benefits to the city, not only from a beautification standpoint but for visitors to enjoy it and to improve the safety there with the lighting and improvements.” While Peterson is offering to cover the costs, he emphasizes that final approval rests with city officials in what he wants to be a “collaborative effort.” While the building project as proposed is a use by right – and will be under 60 feet, meaning it won’t trigger a public vote – the park improvements would go through Parks and Recreation, the planning commission, and the city commission for review and approval.

“We’re not saying, ‘Here’s a plan, take it or leave it,’” Peterson says. “We’re saying, ‘Here’s a concept of what could be done.’ Right now, there’s really no relationship from the street or the sidewalk to the riverfront or the bay beyond. So how can we bring some of that relationship and meld the two?”

While Peterson’s arborist recommended removing numerous trees from the site, City Parks and Recreation Superintendent Michelle Hunt notes that that the city’s tree ordinance doesn’t allow that in several cases. She says city staff – including Arborist Matt Bright – will make the final determination on which trees can be removed based on whether they’re native or invasive, their diameter, if they exhibit more than 70 percent dead wood, and their proximity to the river. The goal is to limit the removal of any healthy trees, but Hunt acknowledges several trees at the site are in poor condition and/or invasive black locusts. Removed trees would be replaced with native species from the city’s approved species list; their selection requires Bright’s approval.

Hunt says the project offers the opportunity for a placemaking “makeover” of the city lot. “It’s a good idea to activate more spaces like that downtown and encourage people to spend time on the river and visit the businesses,” she says. “It’s always nice when we can find partnerships like this. It’s just going to be, how is it maintained in the long term?” Hunt says one condition Parks and Recreation commissioners could consider attaching to their approval is having Peterson contribute to ongoing maintenance if needed at the property. Peterson anticipates those costs will be minimal, but says he’s open to building a small surcharge into condo fees to support that effort.

Both Hunt and Peterson see the possibility of the public-private partnership being something that could be replicated elsewhere in the city in the future. For Hunt, that’s why ensuring long-term maintenance is addressed is key – even if those costs are indeed minimal for this particular project. For Peterson, he believes there are “probably dozens of opportunities in the central city where something like this could take place, if we could get this going as a template.”

East Front Street has long been discussed by the city and TC Downtown Development Authority as an area in need of more attention, particularly for projects like streetscaping and road reconstructon. DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder isn’t certain whether the DDA will get to East Front with the remaining time and funds left in the TIF 97 plan: East Front is one of several priority areas for that plan, but not the highest on the list. Still, projects like Peterson’s and others Burkholder has heard are in development means continued east-side growth on Front will likely require city attention sooner rather than later. The pocket park offers an opportunity to add more vibrancy to the corridor, Burkholder says. “Anytime that we can bring better public access to the riverfront is something we're very much interested in,” he says.

If the project gets the green light from the city, Peterson anticipates beginning site work on the building this fall, with the bulk of construction taking place over 2026. Park improvements would be up to the city for timing, but Peterson says it’s possible those could be implemented before summer 2026.