The outcome of these discussions could shape the future of Saline’s downtown revitalization efforts.

At its December 2nd meeting, the Saline City Council heard a presentation by Praxis Properties, owners and operators of Murphy’s Crossing in downtown Saline, regarding the possibility of a public-private partnership to create a downtown gathering space.

Praxis Properties representative Tyler Kinley presented the idea to council, saying the space behind The Carrigan Cafe and Cobblestone Rose was originally reserved for a third building. “It wasn’t developed because of market conditions. Since then, I’ve been looking at that space, wondering what we could do,” said Kinley.

“I thought about it and looked at the space and saw the community’s desire for a gathering space, it started to seem like there could be a potential there.” 

The developer’s vision includes adding new apartments above the existing commercial spaces, as well as incorporating a cocktail bar on the lower level, along with some outdoor space for tenants. 

Because the Murphy’s Crossing property is adjacent to a slice of city property that is otherwise unused, Kinely wondered if the city would be interested in joining the two spaces to expand the property owner’s coming green space and making it available to the entire community, rather than just its tenants.

“Tonight, the purpose of this presentation is not to say ‘We need this money from the city. We need the city to be part of it.’ but more to say ‘We’re looking to do this on our property, and if the city would like to be a part of it, to meet the needs that the community has defined, we’d be happy to talk through it.’”

Before approaching the city, Praxis had already been working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to qualify and apply for grant money for their project. If approved he said, “They [could] fund up to 50% of the construction costs of the project in order to make it financially feasible. If the city were to be involved in this, they could also see their funds matched dollar for dollar.” 

However, Kinsey specified, because of the potential for grant funding, timing is of critical importance. “We’ve already passed the first hurdle of [MEDC is] very interested. They love the notion, because it’s trying to do the exact thing…it’s trying to revitalize and it’s trying to create a place for downtown Saline. But those applications are rolling, and we want to get in quickly.”

Council members had a mixed reaction to the proposal. Several voiced enthusiasm for the concept of creating a new downtown gathering place, something the community has long desired. However, some also expressed reservations about the timing and financial implications.

“When we’re asking our residents to take a 7% year-over-year utility rate increase, and we’re talking about the Rec Center deficit, this is a big ask of our finances,” said Mayor Pro Tem Janet Dillon.

The council also grappled with questions of control and access, given the complex mix of private and public property involved. 

“What I want to understand is…you’re looking at your preliminary drawings of having a business that’s going to be utilizing a portion of this as their outdoor space. And then we have a green space that is sort of still your property. Then we have an area which is the city property, which could theoretically be attached to your space to make a bigger green space. So there’s a lot of moving pieces there in understanding how that’s going to work, of who’s going to control, who’s going to be able to, you know, is there going to be a master calendar…or what is that going to look like,” asked Dillon.

Councilmember Nicole Rice raised concerns about the potential for disruption to current businesses and tenants during construction, saying even six months of unpredictability can cause the end of a small business. She asked if Praxis had plans to minimize any negative impacts to stakeholders during construction.

Kinley acknowledged these concerns and emphasized his willingness to work collaboratively with the city to address them. 

“We haven’t had conversations about what that could look like, but I can say that during COVID there were long periods of time where we did not receive rent from tenants, and we worked with them to help them stay there. We’re committed to keeping tenants active because it’s to our benefit as well. It makes no sense for us to demand rent from a tenant that may be suffering and lose the tenant and have a vacancy. That’s just bad business so we would be committed to helping them stay afloat,” said Kinsey.

Overall, the presentation sparked a productive discussion, with council members expressing a desire to pursue the creation of a downtown gathering space, but also highlighting the need to carefully consider the financial, operational, and community impact of such a project. 

The council agreed that further exploration of the idea was interesting and will likely continue discussions during at least one of the two scheduled council meetings in January. The outcome of these discussions could shape the future of Saline’s downtown revitalization efforts.