Photos provided by the Office of Congressman Dan Kildee
By Tanya Terry
As a Buick City redevelopment, the Flint Commerce Center is expected to generate a $300 million local investment and up to 3,000 new jobs in north Flint. Ten industrial buildings will be constructed for the project. The center is expected to attract national, and even international businesses and to total 3.5 million square feet!
Governor Gretchen Whitmer pointed out the redevelopment is the largest investment in the north side of Flint in decades!
She called The Flint Commerce Center a “transformational” project.
“It’ll lower the cost of expanding or relocating to Michigan and to grow our economy,” said Whitmer.
On June 5, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Flint Commerce Center was held at Buick City, which has been closed for many years.
The City of Flint gave $3.25 million in ARPA funds, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation gave $2.5 million and the State of Michigan Strategic Fund gave $8.5 million to make the redevelopment possible.
“Today, we are witnessing a historic investment in Flint’s north side, unlike anything we’ve seen for decades,” Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “This is a promise made and a promise kept to bring renewed economic development and opportunity for Flint families, putting us on an exciting growth trajectory. I want to thank Ashley Capital for partnering with us, and for recognizing the capacity of the Flint community to be a major economic driver in our region. This is a gamechanger for Flint.”
3rd Councilman Quincy Murphy has been very vocal about the need for more investment and development in north Flint.
“It’s a great day for Genesee County, the city of Flint and the north side in particular,” Muphy said in a statement to the Courier.
Ashley Capital, a private real estate investment firm, will develop, manage and lease the industrial park. The firm owns the first 20 acres of the site and is working to acquire the rest of it from RACER Trust by the end of August. Ashley Capital has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Michigan, Florida and New York.
Susan M. Harvey, senior vice president for Ashley Capital, said the firm made the investment because they 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.
“Instead of having one business that’s manufacturing something that owns the site, we’re going to have a business whose job is to make sure businesses are here,” State Senator John Cherry Jr. said. “So, if a manufacturer goes bankrupt or moves to a different location, Ashley Capital is still going to be here, and they’re going to have an interest in making sure there’s another manufacturer or another business that is located here. So, the exciting thing for me is, we’re not going to see a repeat of what happened on this site 20 years ago.”
State Rep. Jasper R. Martus (D-Flushing) made the following statement:
“We have it in our power to lead a regional renaissance. When supply chains froze and inflation rose, the rest of the country discovered something our community has always known: We must continue to invest here in Genesee County. I am excited for the opportunities made possible by these major investments, and I will continue to work hard to ensure Michigan is economically competitive and the people of Genesee County see and feel real results.”
Martus serves as vice chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor and Economic Opportunity.
Ashley Captial expect the first building to be completed in early 2024. The building could be used as a warehouse, distribution or manufacturing company and is expected to be 330,000 square feet.
Following the groundbreaking event, General Motors announced a $1 billion investment split between the Flint Assembly plant and Flint Metal Center to produce new pickup trucks.
