HARRISON TOWNSHIP, MI-Negotiations are expected to commence within days between the military and Communities by Beztak LLC to plan multifamily, office, hotel, industrial facilities, a restaurant and at least one marina at Selfridge Air National Guard Base here. The US Air Force, the Air National Guard, the US Army Corps of Engineers and base personnel have selected the company to lead and manage the commercial development of 670 acres around the 3,000-acre base. Bob Salomon, EVP for development for Beztak, tells GlobeSt.com that the project will likely cost in excess of $200 million.

The base has about 6,700 feet of frontage on Lake St. Clair. Since the Army is leaving the multi-force base due to base realignment, the Air Force has to open up some of the property to commercial use. The developer and the military will now negotiate a leasing and management plan for developing and leasing the property. The plan will involve a long-term government lease of the land.

Beztak, based in Farmington Hills, MI, will oversee the planning, design, finance, construction and marketing of the new facilities, and then will operate and maintain the facilities. Salomon says joining the firm on the project will be Signature Associates, civil engineering firm Woolpert Inc. and Total Golf Inc., which could act as the private manager of an included 170-acre golf course.

Salomon tells GlobeSt.com that if negotiations are successful, construction could begin in about a year. He says his company is looking at the development desires by the military, including multihousing buildings that could be used exclusively by military retirees, though this isn't written in stone. “Three components are favored by the military, including the existing golf course, apartments for military retirees and office research and development space,” Salomon says. “We've expanded upon that, we've got a conceptual proposal for a hotel and restaurant, marina and extensive recreation facilities.”

The developments would go in three separate areas on and near the base, broken up in sections for 103 acres in the northeast, 200-acres on the southwest and the southeast corner of the base, which includes the golf course. On the north side, the development of office and flex could go outside of the base, but the developable land on the west (likely light industrial) and southeast corners are within the base perimeter. The future tenants that could go on the base would likely be military contractors that can get through the security gate. “One of the prime concerns is the Department of Defense security mission,” Salomon says.