Cooley School Development

In 2023 the City of Cadillac contacted GFCP about a long-closed historic public school that they hoped could be converted into affordable housing. The city had been working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to position the school as a housing development opportunity since 2018. The community was aligned and enthusiastic about the possible development, but traditional developers were not able to find a development solution. After reviewing the project and its potential, GFCP proposed a nonprofit/for-profit partnership structure that could take advantage of grants through the MEDC and also take advantage of historic tax credits. GFCP decided to partner with a local developer, DKD Development to apply for grant funding through the Revitalization and Place Making Program (RAP 2) The team applied in June 2023 and was successfully awarded RAP funds later that year.

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GFCP has been instrumental in the development vision, structuring the partnership and applying for the grants. GFCP is responsible for setting up the partnership, managing the historic tax credit process which includes hiring historic consultants and structing the partnership, applying for grants and applying for tax abatements such as OPRA and Brownfield TIF. DKD Development is responsible for project design, local approvals, and managing the purchase of the property from Cadillac Area Public Schools.​ The 20-unit project is now in the final stages of historic review and is expected to begin construction early next year.​​