Sligh Townhomes & Apartments
Having grown up in Zeeland, Doug DeKock, has always wanted to do a project in his old hometown.
As partners, Chuck Geenen and Doug DeKock had talked about the Sligh Furniture Building often. It always seemed to be a development opportunity, but it was a being used as storage for another local company so it was not for sale.
Doug stayed in touch with the owner for seven or eight years and finally in the summer of 2020 they were ready to sell. They soon determined that to really do the project right, they should also purchase the old Zeeland Creamery building next door.
As partners, Geenen and DeKock built a reputation throughout West Michigan in the construction and development industries. From schools and churches to large scale industrial buildings, GDK Construction has become a household name and their sister company, Geenen DeKock Properties, has built shopping centers, other retail projects and invested in several buildings in downtown Holland over the past 30 years. More recently they developed several mixed-use projects in their West 8th Street Development in Downtown Holland.
DeKock and Geenen also kept an eye on what had been happening in Downtown Zeeland over the years. They watched the City’s growth and redevelopment and knew the Sligh Furniture Building was high on the City’s wish list for redevelopment. With a purchase agreement from the current owner in hand they were ready to explore the redevelopment of the Sligh Furniture Building. After an initial meeting with the City of Zeeland it seemed all parties caught the vision for the redevelopment of the historic building and Geenen and DeKock were ready to start the process. Zeeland has become a great community for young families and a desirable location because of the school system and the pleasant and walkable downtown. Add to that a growing workforce due to the great employers and industry in Zeeland and it was apparent that there was a need for more housing, particularly apartments, near downtown. DeKock and Geenen knew there would be challenges, but with a good working relationship with the City and a market needing more housing they knew the Sligh Furniture Building would be a great spot to meet the additional housing needs.
Client Needs
The Sligh Furniture Building is nearly 100 years old and was built in several phases and additions. After working with architects over several months, the plans began to take shape and a nice mix of one and two bedroom apartments and some townhomes seemed to work well. After removing some of the most recent additions, construction began, but the first six months were difficult. It was like going on a treasure hunt, but without a map and the treasures were not really treasures but problems, some of them big problems. Each week (or sometimes daily) a new unknown challenge was uncovered, such as underground holding tanks, concrete rubble and even solid blocks of concrete. The exploration, containment, and mitigation were a long, but necessary and required process. Next on the list, re-building and reinforcing the bones of the building. Despite the age of the building, a majority of it was in pretty good shape. There is still a lot of work to be done and new “treasures” to find, but the team is up for the challenge.
The fact that the building is 100 years old means that there are some amazing character and design features to highlight. On the exterior, the existing brick was washed and old brick will be re-used as much as possible to keep the original character. The faded blue stripe and Sligh Furniture letters will be brought back to life as well. Inside, the old fire doors and other salvaged materials will be re-purposed throughout.
Project Solution
Upon completion, Zeeland has a new eastern gateway—Sligh Apartments and Town Homes. The building houses 9 townhomes and a mix of 39 one and two-bedroom apartments for lease. Other amenities for tenants include a large outdoor terrace, dog area, exercise room, tenant storage, and dedicated parking. There is also a designated spot for a future restaurant on the property
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