A new industrial park being developed in Flint, Michigan, by Ashley Capital could bring up to 3,000 new jobs to the city.
Ground-breaking ceremonies took place in early June to celebrate the start of construction on Building #1 at the Flint Commerce Center industrial park, Ashley Capital’s redevelopment of the former General Motors Buick City manufacturing campus in Flint.
Attending the ground-breaking, which took place at 2201 Industrial Ave. in Flint, was Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Representative Dan Kildee, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, Mott Foundation President and CEO Ridgway White, Senator John Cherry, State Representative Cynthia Neeley, Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance’s Tyler Rossmaessler and Elliott Laws, Administrative Trustee of the RACER Trust.
Building #1 and all future Flint Commerce Center buildings are being developed by Ashley Capital. When completed, the center will generate a total investment of $300 million to construct up to 10 buildings, creating 3.5 million square feet of space and as many as 3,000 jobs.
“We’ve made this massive investment because we think Flint is a good place to be, with an excellent partner in the City of Flint, strong workforce, great infrastructure and ready access to expressways, rail and abundant electricity,” said Susan Harvey, senior vice president for Ashley Capital, in a statement.
Harvey said that Ashley Capital is excited to transform this former brownfield.
“It took a major partnership between RACER Trust, the State of Michigan, City of Flint, Mott Foundation and Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance to make this historic reclamation of formerly abandoned brownfields a reality,” Harvey said. “We are incredibly excited to move forward with this development and see the positive economic impact it will undoubtedly bring to the Flint area.”
Transforming brownfields into economic growth
The former Buick City brownfield site was once a major General Motors manufacturing facility that covered hundreds of acres. The plant closed in late 2010. But as a result of General Motors’ bankruptcy proceedings, ownership of the site was transferred to the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust.
Ashley Capital closed on the first 20 acres of the site earlier this year and is working with RACER to acquire the remainder of the site, 330 additional acres in total. Completion of that transaction is expected to happen by the end of August of 2023.
Development costs for the site greatly exceed the usual brownfield development costs because of the challenges of removing concrete slabs, underground foundations and utilities that were left in place when the former GM buildings were demolished.
This redevelopment effort is supported by about $3.25 million from City of Flint ARPA funds, $2 million from the CS Mott Foundation and $8.5 million from the State of Michigan Strategic Fund. RACER continues to assess and remediate environmental issues at the site as part of its mandate and agreements with Ashley Capital.
“This can be a lighthouse of hope for the northern portions of our city down the poverty corridor of Genesee County. This is a great day for our families,” Flint Mayor Neeley said during the ceremony.
The ground-breaking marks the official start of construction for Building #1, a 330,000-square-foot spec build expected to be ready for occupancy in the first quarter of 2024.
Building #1 will including the following amenities:
- An in-demand location in the metropolitan Flint market, just five miles north of Flint GM Assembly and Bishop International Airport
- Easy access to I-475, I-69 and I-75
- The ability to service Flint, Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw and Canada
- “PC” – Production Center zoning that can accommodate heavy industrial users and outside storage
- 330,000 square feet of space
- State-of-the art fire suppression system
- 2400 amps, 480/277 volt 3-phase power
- 65 dock doors and seven 13’ x 15’ grade level doors
- 139 trailer parking spaces
“Flint Commerce Center is a transformational project that will revitalize the community and bring more families and businesses to the north side,” Michigan Gov. Whitmer said during the ceremony.
