Jonathan Rooks is an associate broker, and owns the company Parkland Properties. Under his leadership, Parkland Properties has focused on redevelopment on Lake Michigan, including Terrace Point Landing.
Terrace Point Landing is located in downtown Muskegon. The development, which offers lakefront properties, began in 2015. The project reached completion in 2021, when the final lot was sold.
The neighborhood features 70 lots. Interested parties had the option to purchase pre-built homes or homes that are currently under construction.
They were also able to purchase a lot, and have a home custom built. Dave Dusendang Custom Homes oversees the design and building process.
This ensures that homes will be unique, while still meeting the standards set by the neighborhood.
In addition to lake front properties, Terrace Point Landing provides a private 60-foot dock, a swimming pool, and a wooded courtyard. It provides the best of both worlds. Homeowners can enjoy lake house luxury and natural beauty. At the same time, the neighborhood is within a few minutes’ walk of downtown hotspots.
Terrace Point Landing is clearly a great idea, but there were many doubters in the beginning.
Jon Rooks explains this is because the site was once a very different place. It was a heavy industrial site. In fact, tanks were once made on the land Terrace Point Landing now stands on.
He states, “So many people thought we were a little crazy for trying to take this old Continental property that had been contaminated and basically abandoned for 50 years”. He goes on to explain that before construction could begin, a clean up infrastructure had to be constructed. This included nearly 3,000 dual Axel dump trucks of sand.
Rooks doesn’t take all the credit. He notes that he couldn’t have completed the project without help from the city and state. He cites the brownfield tax credits were beneficial. The Neighborhood Enterprise Zone act was very helpful. It provides tax exemptions for the development and repair of local housing areas.
Was Terrace Point Landing the beginning of a new trend, or was it simply great timing? He states that they only sold 3 lots during the first year, but now all the lots have been sold.
Jonathan Rooks believes that the housing development was just what the city needed. He asserts that Terrace Point Landing gave the local housing market a much needed boost, which helped to spur growth.
Muskogen Mayor, Stephen Gawron, agrees. He notes that the town’s population has stabilized over the last 10 years. Residents stopped leaving the city. Gawron believes that the next decade will bring significant growth for the town.