Owner Jerry Russell willing to sell more land for Clare industrial park near old price

idc-2010-02-09

     CLARE – The owner of undeveloped property bordering Industrial Drive doesn’t know if his asking price is now viewed excessive, since the city’s Industrial Development Corporation and others have bought lots for near the same price from him in the past.
     “I don’t know. I can’t tell you,” replied Jerry Russell from his winter escape in Florida. “I don’t know whether mine is way out of the park.”
     The Clare Industrial Park is at capacity with around 15 businesses for the current boundaries of the 40-acre park in the Isabella County portion of the city. Zoning there is industrial.
     Russell has 90 undeveloped acres zoned commercial and “pretty much all the property is on the south side of Industrial Drive,” he said. 
     Russell said the IDC, which is the city of Clare’s development agent, “bought property for the same price I would sell the new property. It’s approximately the same price as when they bought the last property.”
     The IDC bought lots from Russell to have Industrial Drive built thus creating easy accessibility to U.S. 10 and U.S. 127 at north and west ends of the park.
     The IDC bought other lots from him it turned around to sell to Ron Kunse so he could expand his share in the park and build Northern Logistics.
     Alro Steel bought lots directly from Russell to construct a building.
     Whether or not the city chooses a different location for a park, Russell made it clear his lots are for sale and potentially could become a manufacturing site.
     “There are for sale signs and a map showing lots that are available. One lot runs between four and seven acres.”
     Russell could put in roads to make the site attractive, but added “at this time there hasn’t been any (prospective buyers) come in. If I can sell all the frontage lots I probably would do more development.”
     Russell retired from the plumbing and heating business he owned in Clare for more than 20 years. He worked as a plumbing inspector for Isabella County for 10 years. The Grant Township resident developed several apartment buildings on First Street.
     “I bought the property for investment for retirement while I still worked,” he said. “It had been all farm land.”
     Within the last four years, as best as Russell can remember, then executive director George Dunn of Middle Michigan Development Corporation was analyzing proposals for the IDC and city to either expand the industrial park or develop a new 40-acre site on Colonville Road where Ron Kunse owns 200 acres and where the city reached an urban tax-sharing agreement with Grant Township two years ago.
     “I believe the contact was done for the IDC,” Russell said. “Dunn was comparing property in the Clare area to develop. He wanted to know if I would sell property, what I wanted for it and what was available.”
     Dunn retired from MMDC late last year. A new director was hired in January. The MMDC is a private corporation meant to assist municipalities in Clare and Isabella counties with development endeavors.
     “I didn’t know what they wanted to buy,” Russell said. “I didn’t hear anything more from them. No one has come to talk to me from the IDC.”