Originally lowland marsh and wetlands before it was drained and filled to become Port Huron’s industrial waterfront, this neglected, 77 acre lowland parcel had largely become a scrap yard, marine salvage area, and coal storage location populated largely by grain elevators and saw mills. Yet Acheson Ventures had asked Kahn to turn this polluted site – now called Desmond Landing and already bringing renewed business opportunities and life to the waterfront – into a destination that would “improve the quality of life” for Port Huron’s south side residents. more...
Bounded on the east by the St. Clair River, on the west by an old river embankment, and running south from the Black River to the Port Huron Seaway Terminal, this triangular, mile-long site and reclamation project first required reparation of at least one-half mile of shoreline to reduce erosion and sediment loading. With environmental, economic, and community sustainability as their primary focus, Kahn and its construction partners cleared and cleaned the site and completed a renovation of the Seaway Terminal (now dubbed the Bean Dock in honor of the soy bean freighters that regularly unloaded cargo there).
The first major Desmond Landing project to be completed was the LEED® Silver-certified Harborside Office Center, which serves as the new home of SEMCO Energy and whose adjacent parking garage lies beneath a fully landscaped plaza. The development also includes WaterWorx, an interactive maritime learning center and hands-on museum, and an interim Maritime Center, which serves as the unofficial world headquarters of the Boat Nerds, whose primary activity is ship watching.
The Kahn-devised Desmond Landing master plan contemplates a healthy mixture of additional commercial, retail, and residential loft development, along with more public open spaces that foster tourism, education, and high-energy, community-centered waterfront entertainment.
