Fenton Officials Approve $4.7 Million Cornerstone Project Agreement

The approved agreement would include $581,000 investment from the Fenton Downtown Development Authority.

Fenton's Cornerstone Project took another large step toward reality Thursday as the Fenton City Council and the Downtown Development Authority approved an agreement necessary to move forward with the project. For the last 18 months, the Fenton DDA and Corlin Builders have worked together to develop the Cornerstone Project and now have a final outline of an agreement and are ready to continue plans. "I think it is going to be a great project," Mayor Pro-Tem Cheryl King said. "I think you are going to see a lot more happening downtown as part of our vision." Corlin Builders will develop a four story, mixed-use building at a total cost of $4.7 million. The building will have restaurant and retail space on the first floor, along with one and …

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Fenton Officials to Discuss Cornerstone Project Thursday

The Fenton City Council and the City of Fenton Downtown Development Authority will meet to discuss an agreement.

The Fenton City Council and the City of Fenton Downtown Development Authority will be holding a special joint meeting on Thursday Jan. 24 at 6:30 P.M. in the City Council Chambers, 301 S. LeRoy Street, to discuss the Cornerstone Project. City Administration and Corlin Builders (development group owned by Khalil and Ghassan K. Saab) have a tentative agreement to redevelop the southeast corner of Silver Lake Road and LeRoy Street in Downtown Fenton into a four-story mixed use development which will include retail, restaurant and residential units. This proposed  development is in the former Urban Renewal development area from the l970’s. This pending agreement needs approval from both the Fenton City Council and the City of Fenton Downtown …

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Andrew Schwab

7:45 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013

This is an exciting development; hopefully there aren't any more hangups.   more ›

Cornerstone Project has 'Pieces of the Puzzle Coming Together'

The Fenton Downtown Development Authority extended a contract for realtor Jerry Mansour.

Fenton city officials voted to maintain one of the Cornerstone Project’s main players Tuesday as the project inches closer to becoming a reality. The Fenton Downtown Development Authority (DDA) extended a contract for $3,000 a month to realtor Jerry Mansour for the next three months. Mansour has been recruiting tenants for the proposed building. He said Tuesday he has tenants for nearly the entire bottom floor. Mansour has letters of intent, along with a deposit from the interested parties. DDA Chairman Craig Schmidt said Mansour has done an excellent in holding out to clients, since construction was already slated to begin, but has been delayed. “We had hope to get started at one year, but now it’s been 18 months,” Schmidt said. “We haven…

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Fenton DDA Approves Agreement for Cornerstone Project Developers

The Cornerstone Project plan calls for a four-story building consisting of approximately 47,000 square feet.

Officials took another step toward making the Cornerstone Project a reality Tuesday. The Fenton Downtown Development Authority approved a pre-development agreement for the planned four-story building with Michigan-based Corlin Builders, Inc. (formerly The Saab Group) at its meeting. The Fenton City Council will also have to approve the agreement and is expected to address it at Monday's meeting. The non-binding agreement is to allow architectural plans to be more defined. The agreement calls for a total of $77,000 to be spent on architectural drawings, $61,000 for Stephen Auger and Associates Architects of Lake Orion and $16,000 for OHM Engineering. The DDA will also cover the cost of an apartment rental feasibility study. "This is another…

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Richard Smith

6:19 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012

I don't disagree in the least that it's an intriguing project. It's just that I see it being 4 stories high as an eyesore and breaks up the visual flow and aesthetics of the city. I like it as a centerpiece but that doesn't mean it has to be Fenton's version of the Great Pyramid of Giza. And three stories of apartments and lofts? Is that sustainable in this town and market? I mean I'm not a real …   more ›

Hot Corner

The Time is Now for Fenton with Cornerstone, Old Fire Hall

Old Fenton fire hall, Cornerstone Project could make Fenton a destination, but for now we are left waiting.

It seems like with every town I've spent a lot of time in, I'm left wondering what it could be instead of what it is. I'm disappointed in trips to Detroit because of a lack of connection between hot spots, and wish it was more like Chicago or Toronto. I lived in Port Huron for two years wondering why the city couldn't capitalize on a gorgeous shoreline, other than a stretch of high-priced condos, one nice, but old and musty-smelling hotel and one sailboat race. Lately, I've been left feeling the same way about Fenton. I was more than happy to move back to the area about a year and half ago after growing up in the area. There is no longer a case for "There's nothing to do in Fenton." I'm not a skater or snowboarder, but I have heard …

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Preparations for Fenton's Cornerstone Project Underway

Developers are securing financing for the estimated $4 million building; negotiations with businesses and restaurants are taking place.

Plans for the new Cornerstone building in Fenton are taking shape, as the people involved carry out their portions of the project. The first building of what could be three will cost around $4 million, financed by The Saab Group of developers. The Fenton Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will provide financial assistance, in an amount still to be determined, said DDA Director and Assistant City Manager Michael Burns. Ghassan Saab, of Fenton, is financing the project, with his father, Khalil Saab, and sister, Elisabeth Saab. The project will have a big impact on the community in which they live, Ghassan Saab said. They recently received approval from Fenton to increase the building from three stories to four stories. “We’re pretty …

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Fourth Floor Planned for Fenton's Proposed Cornerstone Building

Developers say there was a large demand for lofts.