Imagine a world where the dream of owning a home, once a cornerstone of the American Dream, is slipping away. Today, many families find themselves caught in a cycle where the opportunity to build wealth for future generations is disappearing right before our eyes. It's a troubling trend that begs the question: Are we making the American Dream impossible for the next generation?
Today’s guest on The Bottom-Up Revolution podcast is Jenifer Acosta, a community revitalizer and incremental developer working in the Tri-Cities region of Michigan, near the shores of Lake Huron. Her focus is on adaptive reuse projects—taking historic structures like old bank and newspaper buildings and turning them into updated housing and commercial spaces. She finds that sweet spot between preserving history while also modernizing and allowing these old buildings to take on new life so they can last another hundred years, even as the needs of a community change.
William Zank has a conversation with Jenifer Acosta, founder and President of Jenifer Acosta Development. Building dynamic communities and creating a sense of place are just two of Jen’s favorite things. Combine them and add a dash of determination, and you have one of the region’s most sought-after “matchmakers” in real estate.
Downtown Restaurant Investments, Jenifer Acosta Development and Mission Partners are launching a new beer garden and food truck park called Drift Shoreside Beer Garden located at 1019 N. Water St. in Bay City.
You know your downtown is hiding them everywhere. No need to be ashamed. Mine is too. It can be hard enough to get an owner to make the windows look simply presentable from the street view and here I am asking you to do more.
It’s time to get serious about the levels above your Main Street.
Over the last week, I’ve been asked multiple times if I plan to focus on developing within the region.
While I always keep my eyes peeled for a new project to tackle, I know one thing for sure: I'm fully committed and invested in the Great Lakes Bay Region. It’s not only where my family lives, but there are also lots of opportunities for growth.
Whether you’re redeveloping a five-story, historic structure or remodeling your kitchen, the secret to any successful project is the same: Building the right team.
But how do you pick the right builder or contractor to help bring your dream to life?
For me, it’s a combination of doing a lot of homework and then listening to your gut.
Developers orchestrate. We’re the jacks-of-all-trades and masters of none. That’s why building the right team is critical: You need to surround yourself with people who understand your vision and have the expertise to see it through.
Last week I posted a statement on Facebook critical of elected officials. It was pretty mild: A simple request for them to show up and serve the community boards on which they serve.
The board members had just voted to increase their pay in the coming years and my reaction was: “Great! But if you want the pay, do the work.”
People at ULI Michigan told me I should be in touch with you! What have you been up to with the Urban Land Institute?
When I started my development firm, I took advantage of several educational opportunities through the Urban Land Institute. I also went to the Fall Meeting in San Francisco in 2015 and the bi-annual Small Scale Developer Forum in Pittsburgh in 2016. I’m also in the 2017 ULI Michigan class of Larson Leadership out of Detroit.
BAY CITY, MI -- A $1.7 million renovation project is planned this fall for the facade and upper floors of a popular downtown Bay City restaurant, but the bigger news could be coming after the new year.
Dave Dittenber, owner of Old City Hall, 814 Saginaw St., has announced plans to make exterior facade improvements and completely renovate the restaurant's second and third floors into warehouse-style commercial office space.
BAY CITY, MI -- The final piece of financial incentives were approved this week for the developer investing $12 million into the 125-year-old Crapo Building in downtown Bay City, allowing construction to begin in the coming weeks.
Officials with the Michigan Economic Development Corp.'s Michigan Strategic Fund on Tuesday, June 27, announced that developer Jenifer Acosta, who most recently redeveloped the former Bay City Times newspaper building at 311 Fifth St., secured a $1 million Michigan Community Revitalization Program performance-based grant and a $1.4 million performance-based loan, for a total of $2.4 million in incentives.
