SAGINAW TWP, MI – Developer Jason Kishmish is looking to transform a former Saginaw-area Rite Aid building into a multi-use development featuring a restaurant and a bank.
“We’ve got a very unique plan here that I think is going to knock everyone’s socks off, truthfully,” said Kishmish, founder of Grand Management & Development. “It’ll be one of the first complete redevelopments of a drugstore in this capacity, where we utilize the existing building but completely convert it to a multi-tenant type of development.”
During its Sept. 17 meeting, the Saginaw Township Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a site plan for the redevelopment and recommended the approval of a special use permit request tied to the project.
The special use permit would allow for the addition of a second drive-through window to the vacant building.
The 14,683-sqaure-foot building is located on a two-acre lot, located at 4598 State St. in Saginaw Township, near Kroger.
“Any time a vacant building is occupied by a new permitted use, that is a good thing for the township,” said Saginaw Township Director of Community Development Bill Schutt. “With this property in particular, it is at a prominent location, at one of the entry points to a very active plaza. It once again has an opportunity to be a stand-out development/property in the community.”
The Rite Aid building was constructed in 2007, Schutt said, and the store closed permanently last year along with all the pharmacy chain’s Michigan locations. Kishmish, who also owns Green Acres Plaza on State Street, said he purchased the property shortly after the pharmacy closed.
“Unfortunately, their business model and a lot of business models in that space have kind of matured,” he said.
The west side of the former Rite Aid building will be occupied by a fast-casual restaurant, while the east side will be home to a bank. However, Kishmish still has not told township officials exactly what these businesses will be.
“We’re not at liberty to disclose them yet, but we are talking with national restaurants and national financial institutions as well for that space,” he said.
Kishmish plans to use the existing drive-through window for the restaurant and plans to install an additional drive-through window as well as an ATM on the east side for the bank.
“Essentially, this building is going to completely change and it’s not going to look anything like a Rite Aid anymore,” he said. “It’s going to look like a multi-tenant retail center. It’s a very unique adaptive reuse of a drugstore.”
This won’t be the first time Kishmish has transformed a former pharmacy building into a multi-tenant development. Last year, his company transformed the former CVS property, located at 5775 State St., into a Verizon store and Qdoba restaurant.
“We’ve done projects similar to this all over the state,” Kishmish said. “This is a great opportunity to reuse some of these buildings and update them.”
Assuming he receives the necessary approval to move forward with the redevelopment of the old Rite Aid, Kishmish said he hopes to have tenants open and operating in the building by this time next year.
The Saginaw Township Board is expected to vote on the special use permit requested for the drive-through window during its next meeting, which is scheduled to take place at 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 14 at Saginaw Township Hall, located at 4980 Shattuck Road. Agendas for board meetings are available online at saginawtownship.org.
Additionally, the township’s building department will have to sign off on a final site plan for the project before Kishmish will be able to move forward with the project.