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Nine lots at the corner of Pine and First streets are planned for eight homes in the Chippewa Cottages development by City2Shore. The lots are expected to be purchased in about 10-12 months. The homes are likely to be fully built in 18-24 months. 

The corner of Pine and First streets is the site of the Chippewa Cottages development in Manistee.

Two modular style homes sit on lots No. 1 and 2 on Pine Street at the site of the Chippewa Cottages development in Manistee. 

The corner of Pine and First streets is the site of a development called the Chippewa Cottages

The corner of Pine and First streets is the site of Chippewa Cottages in Manistee.

MANISTEE — After a project stalled years ago, work has again started on a housing development near downtown Manistee.

The Chippewa Cottages development is located at the corner of Pine and First streets, where pedestrians and others may have noticed fresh piles of dirt and construction activity recently. 

The remainder of the Chippewa Cottages are expected to be built in about 18 months to two years, according to Kellen Keck, owner/broker of City2Shore Port Associates and manager for the housing project.

"I’d expect the lots to be sold in 10-12 months ..." Keck said. 

He noted the project has been in the works for some time; the first lot was built in 2017. He said the project had stalled and by the time project was to resume, the coronavirus pandemic hit. 

There are 11 lots in the project, with one lot set to remain vacant to preserve green space, according to Keck. Two modular style homes were already put in in 2017; they were built in Michigan and Indiana. Eight more homes are expected to be built for a total of 10 houses. 

Keck noted that he was not involved with the project when the first two homes were installed, but the investment group Chippewa Resort Properties, LLC  found the modular home process "did not go as smoothly as they expected."

A design model for the two-story standard plus floor plan at the Chippewa Cottages at Pine and First Street in Manistee can be seen at the Chippewa Cottages website. 

Keck also said they changed builders. The current builder specializes in the more traditional housing style of building a home from the ground up rather than being trucked in and assembled on-site — which is the way modular homes are designed. 

Keck said that one of the homes being planned is custom built with some design changes to the original floor plan. Plans for that home include a basement with an extra cabinet.

This week, Keck said he sold lot No. 9, and the sale of No. 8 might be going through as well. The two homes on Pine Street that are already in place are lots No. 1 and 2. Lots 4-11 are on First Street. 

He also noted that lot No. 6 is a proposed spec home, which is a house built before a home buyer makes a purchase. It is the opposite of a custom-built home in which the buyer can make many changes before they even move in.

Keck said the spec home on lot No. 6 will be a model home, and all the other homes will be built to match No. 6 with the exception of the custom-built home currently in the works. 

There are three floor plans: single story, a standard two-story floor plan and a standard-plus floor plan which adds some extra square footage to the standard plan. 

According to the Chippewa Cottages' website the standard-two story plan features 1,080 square feet on the main level with an additional 660 square feet on the second level for a total of 1,740 square feet.  

A model of the standard two-story floor plan for the Chippewa Cottage development will total 1,740 square feet.  

The main level features a large great room with ceilings all the way to the roof that gives way to the covered front porch overlooking the community common area. There is also a large kitchen with center island, primary suite, full bath and an option for a main floor laundry or laundry in the lower level.  

On the second floor, there are two additional bedrooms and another full bathroom which overlooks the large great room on the main floor.

The single story floor plan has 1,060 square feet and has two bedrooms and two full bathrooms. It also has what the website calls "a well-appointed primary suite." 

A floor plan for the single story at the proposed Chippewa Cottages at Pine and First Street in Manistee will have 1,060 squre feet. The homes with a single story will have a starting price of $320,000. 

It includes a full laundry room, locker system and a living room which gives way to a covered front porch.  The  large kitchen features a center island which sits next to a dining alcove with windows.

The largest floor plan — the standard two-story-plus — has a similar main floor layout and square footage as the standard two-story.

A floor plan for the two story standard floor plan at the proposed Chippewa Cottages at Pine and First Street in Manistee. 

However, the upper level changes slightly to allow for the space above the garage to be finished with an additional 320 square feet.  That brings the total finished square footage to 2,060.

Keck said that after all the homes are built and the development is completed, there is a planned space for a community area that may have a pickleball court, a putting green and/or other amenities that are likely to determined by the homeowner association and the investment group. 

The homes with a single story floor plan start at about $320,000 and the standard-plus starts at $380,000.

Jeff Zide is a University of Missouri and California State University, Northridge graduate with both a B.A. and M.A. in Journalism. He is originally from Los Angeles but has roots in Michigan on his father's side from the Detroit area. He previously worked as a general assignment reporter, photographer and photo editor for the Columbia Missourian, and as a digital producer for WILX-TV in Lansing.