MISTY SIRCH, a concerned citizen addressed the Hartland Township Planning Commission ON June 27th, 2019 during Call to the Public. The Gibbs “Retail Market Study” had been presented to the Township in the spring of 2019 – providing an analysis of the commercial marketplace in Hartland Township. HBA comment on that study, and the study itself, was reported on in our post of May 2, 2019.
Misty provided an educated alternative view – directly from the business perspective – from the trenches. In our humble opinion, her remarks were of more value than all the data contained in the Gibbs report. We also believe her remarks were ignored by the Chairman of the PC – she previously was turned her down for a spot on the Planning Commission.
Her remarks are transcribed below; her remarks can be viewed directly by connecting to the following Dropbox link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4zvvl29v9vs785r/2019-06-27%20Planning%20Comm%20Misty%20CTP%5D.mpg?dl=0
“My name is Misty Sirch. I’m the Director of Real Estate for ABC Warehouse; previously I was the Director of Real Estate for Buffalo Wild Wings; I was the Director of Portfolio Management/Asset Management for the largest retail developer for Walmart. I assisted in developing a 91 acre lifestyle center in Ohio. I am a broker for the State of Michigan, and I also received special certification from the International Council of Shopping Centers. In addition, I’m a resident of Hartland, a Mom, and I don’t like to cook, so I have a very vested interest in more restaurants and more retail coming to Hartland. “
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time studying the Gibbs report, and it’s heavily focused on things the community would like, which is not realistic. There are many challenges for retailers to consider Hartland as a tertiary market. There’s a poor daytime population. There’s a limited number of homes. And there’s a very challenging approval process for businesses to open in the Township. I believe current leadership is struggling to understand the needs of the retailers.”
“For a retailer to open a new location, they have to negotiate a lease with a landlord or a developer; they have to spend thousands of dollars on legal fees; sometimes commissions, development fees; they have a cost to build which can range anywhere from several thousand to several million dollars; they have royalties, advertising fees locally and to a franchiser as applicable; licensing fees, cost of employees – taxes and insurance. To then impose extensive building requirements such as stone and brick, berms to hide the businesses; excessive landscaping, restrictive sign covenants sometimes not even allowing immediate approval for signs that already meet code is painful. Every day that the retailer is struggling to obtain site plan approval, signage approval, landscaping approval, etc. is actually costing them income, delaying employment opportunity and tax revenue for the municipality, and creating excessive frustration.”
“Brokers are paid when deals are complete. The longer it takes to get a deal done, the longer it takes for them to receive payment. They too are looking for a seamless and efficient transaction. What you need to understand is that it’s the brokers that are bringing these businesses to the community. These retailers from NY and LA …. they’re reaching out to the brokers to find what is a good opportunity. If that broker feels like it’s going to be difficult or challenging, they’re going to send them right up the street. Guaranteed! We’re seeing it right now.”
After recounting a long list of retailers who are closing thousands of stores, Misty concludes:
“Still 90% of business is generated by brick and mortar locations.”
“The Township has stated that there is not money here to invest. I didn’t understand that in the report. It didn’t make sense to me. It also said that residents may not be able to support retail, but according to the report, the median household income is almost $89,000 and the median age is 43. When I was with Buffalo Wild Wings, that was golden. We looked for those kind of opportunities! Matter of fact, median household income is a little bit too high. For what we were looking for, for Buffalo Wild Wings. So there’s definitely enough to support retail as far as income and age demographics go.”
“The Chamber is worried about maintaining high standards to attract the best quality retailers – that’s not necessary. New construction is nice, but retailers are much more worried about operating expenses than whether the building is brick.”
“They’re also worried about Branding. Someone once said to me they didn’t understand why branding was important. Just Google this! – it’s what makes a memorable impression on customers; it sets expectations; it creates a feeling of familiarity; and it cuts down on expenses.”
“When these national retailers are looking at opening a restaurant or any kind of retail establishment, if they have any corporate guideline, they’re buying the products, the signage, their finishes, their furniture from a national retailer that’s giving them a significant break because they’re buying in bulk quantity. Making them step away from that standard, not only creates a branding issue, but it creates another cost issue.”
“This is part of the problem. With all due respect, one of the biggest stumbling block for development is the Township has not so much to do with the PUDs, or zoning problems – but it has to do with the process.”
“In summary, there are some uncontrollable such as the daytime population, the number of households, etc. that cannot be changed. What can be done is making Hartland more business friendly. Not making retailers and businesses jump through endless hoops, attend many meetings, and go through a vigorous approval process to get their business open. I also believe that the voluminous ordinance needs to be reevaluated to find ways to protect the integrity of the community, while promoting growth for businesses and retailers likewise.”
“It will be much easier for the retailers to go three miles up the street and still attract our residents, as proven in this report, where all age groups reported shopping and dining in neighboring communities.”
Thank you,
Misty Sirch