Retrofit Atlas

Big boxes · Michigan

Former Kmart site (Garden City)

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedRetrofit proposedGarden City, MI

Proposed mixed-use redevelopment (housing, retail, civic) on former Kmart site; planning approved 2023 but no construction yet. Nearby operating mall and rising housing demand noted. · summary, model-written

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Site profile8 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
KmartThis site: Kmart wikipedia · all sites with this
Finance and pipeline
Retrofit in the pipelineThis site: …proposed newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 3 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: The concept shows a mix of housing, commercial development and public spaces. Along Ford Road, the vision includes a four-story mixed-use building on one end… record · all sites with this
New use
Civic and governmentThis site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
HousingThis site: The concept shows a mix of housing, commercial development and public spaces. Along Ford Road, newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Mixed useThis site: …c spaces. Along Ford Road, the vision includes a four-story mixed-use building on one end of the property and a two-story mixed-u newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …rounded by eight-unit condominium buildings and anchored by retail. newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit proposednewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyRedevelopment, proposedWikipedia no source
New usescivic, housing, mixed, retailWikipedia no source
What is there nowThe concept shows a mix of housing, commercial development and public spaces. Along Ford Road, the vision includes a four-story mixed-use building on one end of the property and a two-story mixed-use building on the other. Farther into the site are six-unit residential buildings, while townhomes and senior-oriented housing are envisioned along Beechwood Street. At the center would be a public…newtypes-extraction reported

Planning

Zoning changeThe city could consider allowing taller buildings and greater density by right while reducing parking requirements and changing setbacks to make projects more attractive to developers.newtypes-extraction reported
Public purchase or subsidyMiller said Garden City has explored potential brownfield redevelopment tools that could help close a financing gapnewtypes-extraction reported

Site context

Housing permits, Wayne County (MI), 20241,227 units in 5+ unit buildings, 344 in 2–4, 1,058 single-family; 2023: 718 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby3 within 10 km, 17 within 25 km: Wonderland Mall (4.8 km); Sears store (5.1 km); Fairlane Town Center (9.0 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)64,685 jobs in 5,616 establishments; average annual pay $41,403; employment location quotient 0.91; employment +0.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 2021438 jobs; 79 in retail trade, 163 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 26163569700)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2021
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 42th income percentile as adults; 0.5% incarcerated at the 2010 count (306 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 6.9%; median family income $75,772; 151 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsGarden City School District (KG-12); 7 public schools within 1 mile: Tipton Academy PK3; Tipton Academy 48; Cambridge Alternative High School; Garden City High SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation637 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025201 county-logged events: 138 thunderstorm wind, 20 hail, 19 flood, 16 flash flood; $211,185,500 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 48135, 2026-09median list price $214,925 (-4.5% on the year); 49 active listings; median 34 days on market; 24% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20235,635 establishments (-7%); 70,575 jobs (+8%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $175,631 (+1% 1 yr, +21% 5 yr); typical rent $1,402/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)26,132 vehicles a day on Middle Belt Rd (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 706 trucks; 40 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Former Kmart closed in 2019; site demolished in 2019. City Council approved planning in 2023.

Why. Proposed redevelopment into mixed-use (housing, retail, civic), including four-story buildings along Ford Road, townhomes on Beechwood Street, and a central 'Garden Plaza' with retail.

Where it stands. Status is 'proposed' (verified as 'draft'). No construction underway. City exploring zoning changes (taller buildings, reduced parking) and brownfield subsidies to close financing gaps.

For a planner

  • Nearby operating mall (Wonderland Mall, 4.8km) and proposed Sears (5.1km) suggest competition for retail.
  • Housing market shows rising demand (ZHVI +20.7% 5y, ZORI +25.5% 5y).
  • Traffic: High-volume arterial (26,132 ADT) on Middle Belt Rd.

For a developer

  • No current developer named. Strategy aligns with peers (e.g., Plymouth Township Kmart, 14km away).
  • Opp_score 0.0: Listed as 'already in play' due to housing focus in record.
  • Zoning changes and subsidies are potential incentives but unconfirmed.

What we do not know yet

  • No timeline for approval or construction.
  • No details on financing or developer selection.
  • Proximity to operating mall may impact retail viability.

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Sears store, Livonia, MI · Big boxes · closed 2020; same strategy: redevelop; also in MI
  • Eastland Center, Harper Woods, MI · Malls · closed 2021; same strategy: redevelop; also in MI
  • Northland Center, Southfield, MI · Malls · closed 2015; same strategy: redevelop; also in MI
  • Former Vons grocery store, Fresno, CA · Big boxes · closed 2015; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • already in play: under construction, approved, or sold to a developer with housing plans
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Closed2019newtypes-extraction
AnchorsKmart
CountyWayne County
Census division3 · East North Central
NotesDraft from yahoo.com, model-extracted, unreviewed: Garden City is planning a mixed-use redevelopment with housing, businesses, and public spaces for its former Kmart site, though no developer is currently lined up.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Timeline

  1. 2019 former Kmart building itself came down
  2. 2019 Closed
  3. 2023 City Council approved agreement for planning effort
  4. 2023 Planning Commission adopted Master Plan amendment

Sources

  • What could replace Garden City’s former Kmart? Here’s the vision
    4 quoted sentences
    Garden City has big ideas for its former Kmart site
    The former Kmart building itself came down around that time, he said.
    The Garden City Council on Aug. 10 approved an agreement with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments for an approximately $40,000 planning effort
    The Garden City Planning Commission on Aug. 13 adopted a 2026 Housing Readiness Master Plan amendment

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