“When we first talked to the mayor, the City Manager, and the Economic Development Director [Holtz],” says Kahn principal Michael West, AICP, who has been involved in this project from the start, “we struck up an immediate rapport, and I think we developed some trust. It was a matter of helping them understand what the challenges were, and what solutions were available.”

Kahn’s study concluded that a Business and Technology Campus would offer “the best opportunity to be proactive in the attraction of new companies that would generate jobs, bring new residents, promote private investment, raise property values, and aid in Tecumseh’s transition into the knowledge economy.” West says the key was applying a detailed economics approach.

“We studied the property and its possibilities the way a developer might. We determined the most appropriate industries to target, and we developed our physical master plan around that. We also offered a broad approach, with a comprehensive package of services.”

The Kahn team followed up on its feasibility report with a flexible master plan that included design guidelines for future development. These were unanimously approved by the Tecumseh City Council in July 2008.

Guide and Attract

Holtz is especially pleased that Kahn has not only provided guidance in Tecumseh’s efforts to attract businesses but that it has also contributed in other very tangible ways. Kahn didn’t just identify the industries that would likely constitute the business park’s prime users, for instance. It also provided specific marketing suggestions, and has worked with economic development groups and others to garner interest among business operators in the fields of biotechnology, propulsion systems, alternative energy, and internet-based services.

“The most surprising thing about Kahn has been all the connections they’ve made on our behalf,” says Holtz. “They’ve initiated contact with and become part of a committee charged with bringing entities together for an incubator project. That was certainly above and beyond the call.

“Kahn has always been thorough and professional, and they’ve helped keep everyone on schedule. Our work on a federal grant application set us back a bit, but Kahn assisted us with that as well.”

That grant application was approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, which provided the city more than $1,000,000 for the construction of phase one infrastructure improvements. The Tecumseh City Council matched that amount, and Kahn is now working with a local planning firm on zoning amendments that will support the vision for the Business and Technology campus.

Progressive and Timeless

The business park project has had its share of challenges and surprises. A gas pipeline traverses the site, which added complexity to the proposed layout, but Kahn turned this constraint into an opportunity by incorporating it into the design of the common open space elements, effectively hiding it. Kahn also suggested that an existing farm house on the property – which its report called “the site’s last standing representation of the [area’s] cultural and physical history…carrying sentimental value” – remain on the site as a Visitor/Information Center, Campus Resource Center or Early Incubator Facility.

Kahn and Tecumseh share a commitment not only to the responsible stewardship of our surroundings but also to an inspiring design philosophy that balances technology with nature by integrating high-tech businesses into the landscape. That vision is further reflected in buildings that are neither whimsical nor arbitrarily conceived, and that are tucked into the contours of the land using complementary materials that maintain the character of the existing setting.

“From the beginning I think we both hoped to develop a long-term relationship, and so far it’s turning out that way,” says West. “It’s going to take a few years to fully develop what is now our shared vision, and we’d like to see that through. We’ve tried to give the city flexibility to respond to the widest array of business opportunities that will come its way.”

“Kahn has been extremely responsive to every one of our requests,” says Holtz. “We truly enjoy working with them and we hope to continue to partner with them into the future.”