“Multiple developers” have expressed interest in the vacant Civitan Center facility, and the city administration recommends putting the property up for sale.
This will be Recommendation No. 2 on the City Council agenda for Feb. 6. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., available for viewing on Cable 191 or saginaw-mi.com, with replays on both the city’s website and on YouTube.
The attached Longstreet School building has been demolished.
Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services, STARS, has expressed interest in expanding its Rosa Parks Operations Center northbound past I-675 to use and preserve both the Civitan Center and the Potter Street Railroad Depot. Proposals for ARPA funds were rejected by the City Council without discussion.
Old-timers will recall the original Civitan Center at Sixth and Wadsworth, bulldozed for the highway more than 50 years ago.
Following is the same report that City Council members are receiving in advance. One question, of course, possibly will be whether City Manager Morales feels free to identify the potential “multiple developers,” or whether Non-Disclosure Agreements are in place similar to the NDAs for the proposed new mental health center that has been in recent headlines.
From: Timothy Morales, City Manager
Subject: Sale of the Civitan Building at 504 Carroll St. and 445 N. Roosevelt Austin Avenue
Prepared by: Cassi Zimmerman, Planning and Economic Development
Manager’s Recommendation: I recommend approval of the selling of the property commonly known as the former Civitan Building at 504 Carroll Street and 445 N. Roosevelt Austin Avenue through the standard bid process.
Justification: The Civitan was owned by the City of Saginaw from 1975 through 2018. It was opened for recreational activities until 2003 when the building was closed due to budget cuts. In 2005, Saginaw leaders leased the building to a church, Faith Life Center, which reopened the facility to youth sports for two years. First Ward then used the building for organized activities.
Various activities kept the recreation center alive until the early 2010s, including an annual food and supplies giveaway by LaMarr Woodley provided for Saginaw families around the Thanksgiving holiday. The city sold the facility in 2018 to the LaMarr Woodley Foundation. Officials announced plans to reopen the property as a community center, but that initiative fell through, and it was sold back to the City in 2020.
The property is vacant. However, STARS is currently under an agreement with the City to utilize the parking lot on the property with an indefinite term. As the property has not been identified as a strategic parcel in the City’s revitalization and development plans, staff would like to sell the property through the standard bid process.
The city has received interest in the property from multiple developers. The bid process will allow the city to market the property and require all interested parties to submit a sealed bid proposal. All proposals will be evaluated to determine the highest and best proposed use for the property.
Council Action: Motion to approve the recommendation of the City Manager.
