Changes coming to old Flint Farmers’ Market site

FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - An old structure in Flint is coming down to make way for new development to take root.

What used to be the home of the beloved Flint Farmers' Market is now debris and dust, but city leaders are excited for what's in store for the property, which has been vacant for nearly a decade.

"We're going to repurpose it and rebenefit it for residents of this great city," said Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley.

New life is coming to an old space. Demolition is underway at the former Flint Farmers' Market.

"This was previously signed over for a dollar a year for 20 years by the emergency manager as they worked to deconstruct many assets the city of Flint had. Now, we're going to demo this place, it's going to be a fresh, clean start," Neeley said.

Uptown Reinvestment Corporation has leased the property since 2009. The Flint Farmers' Market moved to its new location on Stevens and First streets in 2014.

As part of the rental agreement, Neeley said Uptown Reinvestment is footing the bill for demolition to make way for something new.

"That structure would've been an impediment for that. It was an aged structure that wasn't very sound, so it's a benefit for the city to get these blighted structures off the landscape, making our horizons look better inside the city of Flint," Neeley said.

The site is zoned as "city corridor," meaning it's situated to have a variety of uses, like grocery stores, multi-family homes, and mixed-use development.

"You're very close, walking distance to the downtown area, and all the amenities downtown brings. We have a state park coming online very, very soon in the downtown area, and it's also right along the riverbank," Neeley said.

No set plans have been made just yet, but Neeley said the city is exploring its options for what he calls "prime real estate."

"Maybe some more home ownership opportunities in that area, maybe some condos. But as we clean the slate now, meaning the prime real estate is going to be cleared off, we're going to have a lot of opportunities. We have about five acres over there and this is all going to go for the benefit of the great residents of this community," he said.

Neeley said the city is currently internally assessing what the needs are for the community before making any decisions about what's next for this property.