Over the past three years, Patti Mercer has been working behind the scenes to secure three contiguous, high-profile properties across from downtown’s Open Space and West Grand Traverse Bay. With more than 130,000 square feet of prime real estate now under her ownership, the four-story Grandview Place project is about to commence.

The ambitious project in Traverse City's Warehouse District will include 48 condominiums, a 35,000 square-foot market, two restaurants, and underground parking. Mercer says the eventual design will mirror the likes of Chicago’s Wrigley Building on the exterior and Harrod’s of London’s Marketplace on the inside.

Demolition and asbestos removal will begin in October; by the end of 2017 the giant parcel will be an empty field. Environmental remediation of the contaminated sites will begin in spring 2018. Mercer estimates the market will be open and the building complete one year after environmental cleanup is done. The project will utilize $2.6 million from the Grand Traverse County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to assist in the cleanup.

Along with two private investors in her Mercer Group TC LLC development company, Mercer purchased 207 Garland Street in 2014. Then she secured Gilbert’s Service at 211 Garland from a family trust in January 2016; later that year she bought 221 Garland, the property closest to Hotel Indigo that formerly housed The River kayak and bike rentals.

The 48 condos will join an already crowded Traverse City condominium scene; more than 125 are existing and listed for sale or proposed in Traverse City proper. But Mercer believes Grandview Place has a niche.

“Yes, I feel ours are unique, being right downtown with unobstructed bay views and the international market right downstairs,” she says. “It’s important to me that the community is proud of the project; I want to steward it well.”

The one-, two- and three-bedroom condos will range in size from 900-2,700 square feet, the smallest of which will be priced below $400,000, though the majority will be two-bedroom units priced higher.

Grandview Market, which will span the entire first floor of the building, will emulate similar popular versions across America and Europe, with fresh food, flowers, chocolates and boutique vendors. Realtor Tom Krause says “several of the top rated local restaurants and retailers” have signed letters of intent to open new concepts inside. Outdoor spaces will be used for gathering places and events. Grandview Place’s roof will be part living “green roof” and part coffee shop/bar open to the public.

The project will have a straightforward approval process; a height variance to build up to 49 feet was granted in 2015 and it is a “use by right” development.

Cunningham-Limp will serve as the Grandview Place’s general contractor. Tom Krause of Krause Realty Solutions will partner with Elizabeth Teklinski and Leah Shepler to market the project.

Pictured: A preliminary digital sketch of Grandview Place; Mercer says the exterior will resemble Chicago Wrigley Building.