Plans by Harbor Shores for new housing, commercial space, and a marina in St. Joseph have taken another step forward following action by city commissioners this week.
At their regular meeting on Monday, commissioners heard more about the development set for Upton and Whitwam Drives south of the CSX Railroad tracks as they were asked to approve a planned unit development for it. Community Development Director Kristen Gundersen said Harbor Shores is seeking that status and some waivers to let the project move ahead.
“The applicant is proposing 105 dwelling units on six buildable areas, one commercial space, and outdoor recreation areas, along with a private road, alleys, and surface parking lot for the development,” Gundersen said.
That includes a 77-slip marina.
This is Phase One of an overall $150 million project in the area. Harbor Shores Community Redevelopment Managing Director Chris Cook said construction of this first phase will likely continue through 2033 or 2034 with eventual plans for a boutique hotel or rental villas, pools, restaurants, and more town homes on nearby properties.
Commissioner Michael Fernandez said this project is one more part of meeting the city’s housing needs.
“It’s not going to be any one type of housing,” Fernandez said. “We can’t just have the same type of housing that you pop up. There needs to be a variety, and this project represents a nice variety within itself, in addition to everything else that we have, and as these units become available and come online, that’s going to help the situation.”
Harbor Shores was seeking 36 waivers from the usual building rules, spread out over six areas and many of them redundant. That is, they sought the same waivers on all six sites. Gundersen said many had to do with setbacks.
Commissioners approved the PUD request on the recommendation of the Planning Commission. The main concern expressed by residents involved the density of the development.
