Flint's Buick City site lands GM supplier as 1st new tenant

The former Buick City site in Flint has landed a fitting first tenant: a supplier to General Motors.

Supplier Victory Packaging is taking half of the first spec building at the Flint Commerce Center, which is being constructed by Ashley Capital in one of Michigan's largest brownfield redevelopments.

The supplier is the first user to commit to the site since Ashley started a $300 million redevelopment of Buick City. Seating supplier Lear Corp. operates a plant on an adjacent parcel that opened in 2017 near an American Spiralweld Pipe Co. plant that went up in 2014, but Ashley's project represents a sweeping revitalization of the 300-acre industrial site left largely abandoned since 1999.

The packaging company, owned by Atlanta-based WestRock Co., will use the 166,000-square-foot space for “designing, producing and delivering tailored, cost-optimized packaging solutions” for GM operations in Flint, according to a description of proposed building use provided by Ashley Capital.

The five-year lease was signed last week and starts in October, said Susan Harvey, senior vice president for the developer. GM declined to provide more details about the program the supplier is servicing.

The Detroit automaker announced a year ago that it would spend more than $1 billion to upgrade a pair of factories in Flint for its next-generation Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD heavy-duty pickups.

“The [Buick City] site and potential for future businesses has generated a lot of interest,” Harvey told Crain’s Detroit Business. “There’s great infrastructure, a lot of power and proximity to a strong workforce. And we’re putting it in site-ready condition.”

Victory is expected to create 30 jobs at its new site and plans to add more as it increases operations. 

The new tenant marks a victory for an ambitious project that began two-and-a-half years ago when developers set out to transform the blighted symbol of a devastating automotive downturn in Flint.

The 300-acre former home of Buick once boasted the Vehicle City’s automotive might until GM abandoned it after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. Ashley has been working with RACER Trust (Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust) to redevelop the heavily polluted property.

The city of Flint and Mott Foundation each kicked in funding, along with an $8.5 million performance-based grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. to make the project happen. All told, it is expected to result in a $300 million investment, 3.5 million square feet and 2,000-3,000 new jobs, the state previously announced.

“Thanks to private and public funding partnerships and the tenacity of Ashley Capital, we are seeing the first of many new jobs come to Flint,” Mayor Sheldon Neeley said in a statement. “After decades of dormancy, we have awoken the sleeping giant of Buick City, and the new Flint Commerce Center is going to be wide awake and active for the next generation.”

As Ashley markets the remaining space for lease in the first building, work is underway to prepare the next 85-acre swath for redevelopment. Harvey said there is interest from a few users for a larger development at the site.

"This success shows the power of collaboration between public and private partners in revitalizing Flint and boosting our local economy,” Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, said in a statement. “I’m excited about the positive impact this will have on job creation and community growth for the residents of Genesee County.”

While Ashley aims to reactivate the old Buick City site, the state is looking to land a transformative manufacturing project at the nearby Mundy Township megasite. The MEDC approved a $250 million grant for the project but has said a final user has not been identified.

Landing end users has grown more challenging in the past year due largely to uncertainties in the automotive industry, especially slow electric vehicle demand. The looming presidential election also has gummed up big corporate decisions.

Harvey acknowledged that activity has slowed in the market but chalked it up to typical business conditions in Michigan.

“Things have definitely slowed,” she said. “That never really catches us off guard. The business is so cyclical, you really have to expect that.”