As hundreds of people visited downtown Cassopolis for the Village's Beach Bash celebration, many caught a glimpse of just one of the Cass County Land Bank Authority's recent redevelopment projects nearing completion at 117 S. Broadway St.
Once complete, the building will provide seven new housing units in downtown Cassopolis, including five one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments. The apartments will be available to households earning 80 percent or less of the Area Median Income (AMI), helping address the growing need for attainable housing in Cass County.
The project represents the transformation of a long-vacant building into a productive community asset. After several years of private marketing efforts failed to result in redevelopment, the property remained partially vacant and underutilized in the heart of downtown Cassopolis (the building's main floor has sat vacant since 2015, while the upper floor has been vacant since 2020).
The Land Bank's involvement provided an opportunity to leverage resources that would not otherwise have been available to the project, which is being paid for with state redevelopment funding specifically designated for blight elimination and community revitalization projects. Through the redevelopment effort, the upper floor is being converted into housing, while the main floor will be available for future commercial development, creating opportunities for additional investment and economic activity in downtown Cassopolis.
"The Land Bank saw an opportunity to invest in a building right here in our county seat and, in turn, address a need we hear about constantly throughout our community: the need for workforce housing," said Hope Anderson, Cass County Treasurer and Chair of the Cass County Land Bank Authority. "This project is about bringing a vacant building back to life while creating new housing opportunities for residents and supporting the continued revitalization of downtown."
The project builds upon the Land Bank's previous success with the State Land Bank Authority's Blight Elimination Program, which has funded projects including the stabilization of the former Tailgater building in Marcellus, the demolition of the former Lincoln School in Dowagiac, and the demolition of the former People's Protestant Church in Cassopolis, among others.
Through the fourth round of the program, the Cass County Land Bank was awarded $2,732,950 to support redevelopment efforts at 117 S. Broadway, along with an additional $500,000 in façade improvement funding from the Cassopolis Main Street Program.
While the building was for sale, deferred maintenance and continued vacancy contributed to the property's deterioration. Prior to acquisition, the property was independently appraised at approximately $750,000 and had a Fair Market Value determination of approximately $900,000. The Land Bank purchased the property for $600,000, which was below both valuation benchmarks, helping preserve additional state grant resources for rehabilitation and redevelopment activities.
The redevelopment of 117 S. Broadway reflects the Land Bank's mission to return vacant, underutilized, and deteriorating properties to productive use. By combining local leadership with state redevelopment resources, the project is transforming a building that had experienced years of vacancy into a community asset that will provide housing opportunities, support downtown revitalization, and generate future economic activity for Cass County residents.
The project is expected to be completed later this summer. Leasing information will be released as apartments become available.
More information is available at: https://casscountymi.org/1686/117-S-Broadway-Cassopolis-Apartments