Big boxes · Michigan
Old Kmart
Built retrofit (entertainment/office) near Cherryland Center; county growth and peer strategy support viability. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile3 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Reinhabited
This site: record · all sites with thisEntertainment and sports
This site: …new_use field record · all sites with thisOffice
This site: …new_use field record · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Retrofit builtWikipedia no source |
|---|---|
| Strategy | ReinhabitedWikipedia no source |
| New uses | entertainment, office, otherWikipedia no source |
Site context
| Housing permits, Grand Traverse County (MI), 2024 | 501 units in 5+ unit buildings, 29 in 2–4, 353 single-family; 2023: 307 in 5+Census BPS |
|---|---|
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Cherryland Center (0.3 km)computed |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 7,169 jobs in 492 establishments; average annual pay $40,542; employment location quotient 1.39; employment -0.7% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2021 | 6,151 jobs; 981 in retail trade, 466 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 26055551100)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2021 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 41th income percentile as adults; 1.0% incarcerated at the 2010 count (356 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | low-income, low-access tract (1 mile urban / 10 miles rural); 10% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 25.1%; median family income $45,565; 928 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Traverse City Area Public Schools (KG-12); 0 public schools within 1 mileNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 628 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 57 county-logged events: 27 thunderstorm wind, 17 hail, 7 flash flood, 4 flood; $594,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 49686, 2026-09 | median list price $477,450 (+20.9% on the year); 142 active listings; median 53 days on market; 25% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 560 establishments (-1%); 8,065 jobs (+15%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $417,443 (+3% 1 yr, +31% 5 yr); typical rent $1,845/mo (+5% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 27,564 vehicles a day on W South Airport Rd (minor arterial, 4 lanes); 773 trucks; 24 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Old Kmart in Traverse City (MI) is a built big-box retrofit, now used for entertainment, office, and other purposes. The site is already transformed, with county population growing 4.4% (2018–23).
Why. Retrofit completed (no future construction needed), county growth supports demand. Nearby Cherryland Center (0.3km) is unknown status. Peers like Bella Vista Mall (MI) share 'reinhabit' strategy and score 4.5–5.0. Housing ZHVI at $417k (2.6% annual growth), retail employment up 14.6% (2012–23). Traffic: 27,564 ADT on minor arterial road (4 lanes).
Where it stands. No new development planned (status: built). Permits show active residential construction (2023–2024: 883 units, $224M value).
For a planner
- Nearby retail cluster (1 within 10km), traffic volume supports accessibility.
For a developer
- Existing retrofit avoids new build costs; housing market and retail employment trends align with target uses.
What we do not know yet
- Cherryland Center status unknown. 'Other' new use details unspecified. County growth metric (population/economy) not specified.
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
- Bella Vista Mall, Grand Blanc, MI · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI
- Grand Village Mall, Grandville, MI · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI
- Troy Community Center, Troy, MI · Other · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI
- Former MGM Grand Detroit temporary casino building, Detroit, MI · Other · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MI
Elsewhere on the web
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- county grew 4.4% 2018–23
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
| County | Grand Traverse County |
|---|---|
| Census division | 3 · East North Central |
| Notes | Draft from groundworkcenter.org, model-extracted, unreviewed: The former Kmart big-box store at Garfield and S. Airport Roads in Traverse City, closed in 2017, was converted starting in 2023 into a curling center with ice lanes, Philharmonic headquarters, and other community uses. |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Sources
- 'The Old Kmart' to Become Shining Example of Solar Power
1 quoted sentence
The Old Kmart