SkipStone Crossing is a new, thoughtfully planned community, employing the best practices of Smart Growth and New Urbanism in support of sustainability for our region. The five acre site is geographically located at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula midway between East and West bays. Conveniently located on Munson Avenue (US 31) adjacent to the Dennos Museum and Northwestern Michigan College, SkipStone Crossing is highly visible and easily accessible. The Civic Center, Munson Community Health Center and several churches, parks, beaches and stores are within easy walking distance.
SkipStone Crossing will draw on the character of Traverse City's famous downtown and residential neighborhoods, providing a rich mix of housing types, shops, services, offices and an upscale hotel. An intimate, human-scaled environment with a pedestrian orientation is achieved by hiding much of the parking below and behind the buildings, yet providing sufficient surface and street parking to accommodate patrons and guests.
A master plan has been developed that allows sufficient flexibility to adapt to the market and the specific needs of prospective businesses and residents, who can choose to lease an entire building, a floor or just a unit. Construction will be accomplished in phases, determined by space commitments.
An upscale 92 room, three story Cambria Suites hotel (a Choice Hotels brand) opened in June 2009. An all-suites hotel, the Cambria Guestrooms are 25 percent larger than standard hotel rooms and offer the latest in technology with two flat-screen LCD televisions, CD/DVD player, an MP3 jack in the guest suites and complimentary wired and wireless high-speed Internet access throughout the property.
Other amenities include REFLECT, a casual dining area that features a full barista bar and serves breakfast and dinner; REFRESH, a state-of-the-art fitness center with a resort-style indoor pool and spa; and REFILL, a 24-7 convenience store that stocks freshly prepared "grab 'n' go" salads and sandwiches as well as typical convenience store fare and healthy and organic foods. In addition, the hotel offers more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space.
The existing Best Western Hotel, immediately adjacent to the east of SkipStone, will remain in operation as it is today.
Phase II consists of a three story, 24,000 sf commercial building planned for the corner of Munson Ave (US 31) and E Front St with 8,000 sf of street level shops and 16,000 sf of offices above. Businesses will immediately see the strategic advantage of the prominent, central, in-town location on a major highway with superior visibility, annual daily average traffic counts of approximately 20,000 vehicles per day and easy access. Parking below the building will provide security and protection from the weather….and a nice employee perk!
A cafe' and other shops will find a ready market for their goods and services in the nearby NMC students and faculty, Dennos Museum patrons, SkipStone occupants and residents of the neighborhood with approximately 8,500 potential customers within 500 feet. The orientation of the buildings (see Site Plan) is particularly ideal for street-level shops with offices above.
Space Reservations have been taken for a Coffee Shop, Fitness Center, Dental Office, Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Wellness Center, Nutrition Center and Property Management office. Other compatible businesses being sought to fill the remaining space include Banks, Mortgage Brokers, Financial Managers, Book Store, Copy/Print/Ship store, Computer/Electronics store, Pharmacy, Dry Cleaners, Hardware, Gallery, Florist, Salon, etc. Construction is expected to commence in the spring of 2010, pending sufficient space commitments.
A large development site, between the Hotel and the corner commercial building, includes two fully occupied apartment buildings on the Front Street side of the property and vacant land on the Munson Avenue frontage. There are no immediate plans for the development of this site. This site is large enough to accommodate a variety of commercial, hotel or residential uses. An opportunity exists for the development of a previously planned 146 unit retirement community, for which much design and planning has already been done. Inquiries are invited.
