Plans Move Forward To Redevelop Power Plant Site

MARYSVILLE (AP) - Plans are moving forward by a business that specializes in industrial brownfield work to redevelop the site of the decommissioned Marysville Power Plant in Michigan.

St. Louis, Missouri-based Commercial Development Co. said Tuesday that it's ready to begin the first phase of cleanup, starting on the inside of the buildings. It expects the site about 50 miles northeast of Detroit to be ready for a new use in 18 months.

"We are profoundly pleased to have the opportunity to invest in the Marysville community. We are attracted to Marysville's strong history of industry and its strategic proximity to the St. Clair River and the U.S.-Canadian border," CEO Randall Jostes said in a statement.

Specific redevelopment plans haven't been announced, but Commercial Development plans to meet with city officials, community members and others. The site could stay industrial, Jostes told the Times Herald of Port Huron, or possibly be a retail and marina project.

"We really want to hear what everyone in Marysville thinks," Jostes said.

In December, Detroit-based DTE Energy Co. announced a preliminary agreement on a sale with Commercial Development Co. The deal was finalized Friday. Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed, according to a statement from the utility.

"DTE Energy has worked diligently to ensure that the sale of this important property is in the City of Marysville's best interest for future development," said Dave Meador, DTE vice chairman and chief administrative officer. "We are excited about the site's potential reuse."

Known as the "Mighty Marysville," the plant operated from 1922 until 2001 along the St. Clair River. It employed as many 250 people at its peak. The plant, which sits on a 20-acre site along the St. Clair River, generated about 167 megawatts of electricity when operations ceased.

City Manager Randy Fernandez has high hopes for the site, calling it "the future of Marysville."

"We need jobs, we need more of a tax base and when all of the property gets demolished and cleaned up we will have more than 20 acres along the waterfront for future development," Fernandez said. "Anything is possible there. ... But we really hope to make it a destination site."

© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.