HASTINGS, Mich. — Early Wednesday morning, crews responded to a large fire in Hastings at the old Royal Coach building. The blaze leveled the building, destroying it and a nearby power pole. As a result, thousands were without power Wednesday morning and afternoon. It is still unclear what caused the fire.
The building is more than a hundred years old, and originally home to the Hastings Table Company. The Royal Coach Company took over the complex in the 1940s. The building has been vacant for about 50 years since the company left and has been used as a warehouse.
"When I saw the fire and walked over to see the devastation," said Bonnie Gettys, President and CEO of the Barry Community Foundation, "I was so saddened by what the community could have had, and we could have preserved that piece of history."
About a year and a half ago, Barry Community Foundation purchased the property. Their goal was to turn the building into an affordable housing complex, which is part of a larger investment project in the neighborhood.
Plans for the apartment complex worked with the original architecture of the 10,000 square-foot Royal Coach building. It would have housed 78 units.
"Two stories had the most amazing architecture," said Gettys." I can close my eyes and see these awesome windows that would let in so much light. It was such an urban feel and cool vibe. The structure seemed incredibly built."
The project was intended to address an affordable housing shortage in the area. According to the United Way of Michigan's ALICE report in 2014, 37% of Barry County households could not afford basic needs like housing, food and transportation.
"We have housing and we have rental homes, but they are all on waiting lists," said Gettys. "And the stock of homes, they’re not necessarily what you might consider a great stock."
Gettys said the new apartment complex would bring "something new, just developed" to Hastings. It would be within walking distance of Hasting Manufacturing, one of the largest employers in town. Plus, walkable distance to downtown, grocery stores, and the Thornapple Plaza through a pedestrian bridge over the Thornapple River.
Now, it's uncertain what the future holds for the development project. Gettys called it a "setback," and the Foundation is in the process of evaluating the financial blow from the fire.
"I don’t consider this an end to the project," said Gettys. "I see it as a new beginning. And a different way to look at the property and a way we could develop it."
Now, the Foundation is exploring developers that could building something on the space where the building once stood. Gettys hope is they could incorporate some of the remaining bricks from the original building into a future design.
Not only is there uncertainty about the finances of the projects due to the fire, but the project did not get low-income housing tax credits. They plan to reapply in February.
"We don’t know what's the financing, what’s the developers that are interested now that there’s not a 100-year-old building standing in the way," said Gettys.
As for the fire, Hastings Fire Department says hotspots could continue to burn the next few days. Firefighters will allow it to burn, and keep an eye on it to make sure it does not spread.
"Everything is confined inside the building itself, inside the footprint of the building, so there’s no risk of it going anywhere," said Stephen Funk, a Hastings Firefighter.
Fire ravages Royal Coach building in Hastings
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.