Downtown Muskegon Blog

Behind the Scenes – HighPoint Moving Forward

With the recent opening of Renaissance Place, an upsurge in interest in 297 Clay, and ground breaking on Heritage Square Town homes, downtown Muskegon is finally achieving its goal of heads in bed. Downtown living was identified as the key component by Imagine Muskegon to spurring mixed use revitalization downtown. Among the current projects, one stands tall, eight stories tall, in fact. HighPoint Flats is the redevelopment of one of downtown Muskegon’s great buildings, the Hackley Bank building, and is being developed by Jon Rooks of Parkland Properties. Jon’s vision for HighPoint Flats, along with his proven track record of turning a vision into a downtown living reality make this an exciting project for downtown Muskegon and last week the City of Muskegon Planning Commission agreed and gave the project site plan approval. Main Street caught up with Jon to check in on the project’s progress.

MS: What is the vision for the HighPoint Flats project?

JR: Our vision for HighPoint Flats is to bring affordable urban lofts to the growing downtown area. These urban lofts will boast big city living with their ceiling to floor window walls, generous balconies and roof top decks, hip and custom design features, and common areas like a lounge, fitness center, movie room, and roof top deck. Our buyers are very excited about the downtown growth, Tax Free living, and great lake views from the large windows, balconies, and roof top decks. The 70 condos at HighPoint Flats is expected to bring in over 100 new downtown owners. The extra disposable income being spent will further support the downtown area. If each resident spends $5,000 downtown per year it would bring in an additional $500,000 to the city each year. This spending also helps to grow a stable platform for local businesses and shops to thrive.

MS: After completing due diligence and finalizing entitlements for the project you started marketing in earnest around the time of Summer Cel. It has been, and will continue to be a busy summer downtown. How’s the marketing going?

JR: Marketing is going great and we currently have 27 reservations for the 70 condos. HighPoint Flats offers complete customization, fun amenities, no city income taxes, no state income taxes, and no property taxes until 2023, so the building sells itself. We just launched our website at www.highpointflats.com which includes information on the building, the area, floor plans, reasons to buy, news, FAQ, pictures, virtual tours, and contact information. We also have a nice flyer, which are in pick up boxes outside the building. You can call Brad Veneklase at 616-988-6466 for more information or to reserve a condo today.

MS: Any guess at a time frame for rehab of the building commencing?

JR: We hope to start interior demolition and expansion of the window openings late this winter. Some windows will be the size of a two-car garage door. Once we begin, we expect the construction and occupancy to take 10-14 months depending on our buyers customization needs. The entire project will be done in one phase and the commercial street fronts and residential will all come together at once.

MS: I know there are some incentives for those choosing a condo at HighPoint. Can you summarize those?

JR: Since the property is located in a state designated Renaissance Zone, you’ll be exempt from all state income tax, all city income tax, and nearly all property taxes. And since HighPoint Flats has been granted the longest Renaissance Zone available, you’ll enjoy living tax-free till 2023! Lets take an example: Mike & Melanie are married and a combined annual income of $95,000. If they bought a 2-bedroom condo with a balcony for $150,000, their mortgage expense with a 6.5% interest rate and 10% down would be $853 per month. Association dues would be around $230 per month. They would pay $0 property taxes. Their federal tax deduction for owning would be -$204. Their city and state income tax savings would be -$423 per month. This gives them a total monthly cost of ownership of $456. This is quite the deal for anyone! Not to mention, with the growth downtown is experiencing, appreciation could create a pretty nice profit as well.

MS: I understand owners may have an option for Muskegon Lake access. Is that the case?

JR: We are hoping to have nearby boat slips for sale for our HighPoint Flat buyers. We are big fans of amenities and waterways and enjoy watching our buyers enjoy their surroundings. This is why we like our location so much. And of course, it’s more than Muskegon Lake access; it includes access to Lake Michigan and all of the ports connected to Lake Michigan.

MS: The sense of place available in this project really stands out. In order to get a better taste of the project I definitely recommend visiting the High Point Flats website, which in addition to describing the experience available for High Point Flats potential owners, does a fantastic job of showcasing the greater downtown Muskegon area. Thanks for your investment in downtown, your work through this point on HighPoint, and the best of luck on the project.

JR: Thanks. We are very excited to be a part of downtown Muskegon’s revival. Please give our website, www.highpointflats.com, and Brad Veneklase’s phone number, (616) 988-6466, to anyone who is interested in purchasing, or simply just curious.

Thanks to Brandon Bartoszek for the use of the HighPoint Sign Photo above. Check out more of Brandon's great downtown photos as part of the downtown Muskegon Flickr Group


Check it out on the web

HighPoint Flats website
Parkland Properties website

posted by Dan & Sarah @ 9:19 AM