Baker College Decides Against Building Campus in Ferndale

Baker College Decides Against Building Campus in Ferndale
(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 18, 2019)
Ferndale, MI – Baker College has bowed out of negotiations with Ferndale over locating a new campus in the Downtown.  The City and Baker had been part of an Exclusive Negotiating Rights agreement set to expire this month.
“We would like to think the city staff and council members for the work that was put into this project over the past year. We believe that Baker and the City of Ferndale would have been a great partnership. However the issue of parking during construction was one obstacle that could not be overcome. The only viable solution was to build the parking deck first and then begin construction on the college. This action would have delayed the project for a year and that is not consistent with our client’s master plan,” stated a letter from Acquest Realty Advisors on behalf of Baker.
Baker Chief Operating Officer Jacqui Spicer said the college is not ready to release information at this time about other location options. “Throughout the Ferndale negotiations, we maintained work on contingency plans and we remain steadfast and are committed to serving our students and supporting the communities of SE Michigan,” Spicer said.
The letter is all that is necessary to end the discussion, and City Council does not need to take further action.
“I appreciate all the efforts of our city staff and Baker College to explore the possibility of a consolidated Ferndale campus, including attempts to address the concerns expressed by residents, business owners and council. I respect their decision to end negotiations and we wish them all the best,” said Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter.
The proposal originally called for the use of a city owned parking lot along with a private lot to build a campus, and to use another city lot to build a parking deck.  For details on the plan, check out our previous stories:
Ferndale Planning Commission sees First Round of Baker College Options
Baker College Considering Move to Ferndale

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