A Benton Harbor city committee has declined to advance a Cornerstone Alliance proposal for the improvement of an alley downtown with members making the discussion more about Cornerstone than about the proposal itself. At a meeting of the city Planning and Economic Development Committee last week, Chair Duane Seats said Cornerstone Alliance’s plan to turn the alley behind the first block of West Main Street into an entertainment space doesn’t benefit residents.
“Just beautiful one alley in Benton Harbor? We’ve got alleys where residents can’t drive down. No concrete, don’t even have dirt. They’ve got trees mattresses, motorcycles, cars, everything else in the alley, and they’re talking about beautifying this one alley is going to help Benton Harbor and make it look better?”
Seats said the proposal represented Cornerstone “strong arming” the city by trying to push through a plan for the downtown area. Still, Commissioner Sharon Henderson said the proposal should be considered by the full city commission.
“I agree that Cornerstone has not been the best partner in this community,” Henderson said. “There are things that they have done that have not helped residents in the city, but I also think that when there’s an opportunity to improve the quality of life, regardless of how small it is, I think we have an opportunity to do that.”
Seats wasn’t having it. The alley idea was not advanced to the full commission. Assistant City Manager Alex Little said the proposal was intended to make the area more attractive to visitors. He noted many cities are doing similar things, including Bridgman with its Courtyard project.
