Chris Cook

Bob Clark introduced our speaker for the day, Chris Cook. Chris is the Managing Director of the Harbor Shores Community Development. 

Chris is a Michigan grad and was the CEO and President of Abonmarche Consultants for many years. Chris has been very active in our community, including currently being on the St. Joseph School Board. 

Chris has been with Harbor Shores for the last 2 years. He returned to speak to our club to give us an update on their progress. 

Currently, development in the Benton Harbor Parcels includes 137 homes and apartments. That accounts for $ 22 million in taxable value and $565,000 in property taxes, plus city income tax revenue. In St. Joseph, the total of residential units is 99. Benton Township has 53. 

Chris said that “they just can’t build them fast enough!” By 2028, the demand for housing in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph is expected to be 1,575 units. He said that about half of the buyers are local. Usually, local buyers are building up, which opens up more affordable units for the rest of the community. 

Chris talked about the new Riverfront Plaza. This is a $2 million project that will be built next to Riverview Drive, near Emma Jean Hull Flats, and managed by Harbor Shores. There will be a water taxi dock, performance seating, fire pits, a dog park, etc. Construction has already begun. 

He also discussed the Modern Plastics site that they recently acquired. The County is helping with the demolition. Once demolished, they will be able to check for pollution and work on making it usable. 

Chris finished by listing all of Harbor Shores’ positive impacts: 

• First Tee Program for young golfers.Public Art.
• Cleanup of abandoned properties. 
• Public Art. 
• Cleanup of abandoned properties. 
• Creation of a World-Class Golf Course. 
• Creation of over 250 residential units. 
• First Tee Program for young golfers. 
• Renaissance Athletic Club. 
• Harbor Shores hosts a golf outing that supports the Whirlpool Foundation, which in turn supports local schools and youth programs. 
• Harbor Shores hosted the Senior PGA, contributing millions of dollars to local businesses.