By Gari Voss
The process began four years ago when the Fennville Downtown Development Authority (DDA) engaged with nonprofit development group, Housing Next. Housing Next did pro bono work to assist the city in envisioning how best to utilize vacant lots in downtown Fennville.
The city began refining their vision which brought to fruition the development of the city park that left three approximately half-acre lots. These were adjacent to the park, and the DDA felt that they needed to be developed into something new.
In June 2025, Fennville received a grant from the Gates Foundation and International City Managers Association to do a project that focused on economic mobility.
City Administrator Katie Beemer shared, “We know that economic mobility is tied to home ownership and having a place to live. We have many jobs in our area, but if you don’t have a place to live, it is difficult to get to those jobs. Also, we know that we have a vast amount of land (over 100 acres) in the city limits that is undeveloped.”
Beemer continued, “Knowing that one of our assets is land, we wanted to develop it for housing or businesses while still preserving the rural character of the townships around us.”
The city used grant funds to obtain assistance from Opticos, a team of urban designers, architects, and strategists who can help find solutions when developing challenging housing and community issues with whom Fennville’s Joint Housing Coalition had been working. Opticos examined downtown lots and some other possible development sites and did a site visioning and layout process. The group explained where parking and buildings could go along with square footage of structures. All the while, there was a public participation in the process where community members gave feedback. The visioning packet is located at https://ecode360.com/FE6693/document/753170426.pdf.
By August, Fennville was ready for Developer Day hosted by Lakeshore Advantage, the Allegan County Regional Development Agency. Housing developers were taken to Holland, Allegan, and Fennville. The developers were shown priority development sites. Fennville shared their site plans and talked about the opportunities available. A plus was that Fennville had completed their Redevelopment Ready certification, reactivated their Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and had economic development tools for the developers to use which made it simpler to determine the site vision.
Following Developer Day, Fennville sent out an RFP asking that proposals be returned by mid-October. The responses were opened, and interviews were held with two companies. On November 12, 2025, the projects were awarded to Jubilee Ministries and Allen Edwin Homes. The city staff is currently creating a purchasing agreement which will include a development rights agreement to ensure that the developments will come to fruition.
Beemer reflected that 2025 has been a busy year in Fennville with fiber construction hitting an all-time high; the renovation of the hotel which will become the Wine Trail Inn; the development of the new city park; and the reconstruction of the library parking lot. With city construction, fiber construction, and private construction, City Hall has done a balancing act.
“As a small community, we often balance many needs. We’re very excited that our ‘summer of construction’ is coming to an end, and look forward to seeing the completed parks, new businesses like the Wine Trail Inn, Edward Jones, and a new local doctor; and seeing the beginning of housing development and new opportunities at the Conagra site,” shared Beemer.
The housing will provide a great opportunity to the city and those living in the new construction. Residents will be able to take advantage of the City Square Park with its splash pad, bandshell, gas fireplace, and outdoor seating in the heart of Fennville.
The new development projects should make available housing units by late 2026 or early 2027. In the meanwhile, city leadership will continue striving to develop other pieces of property within the city limits.
