RARA Looks to Purchase New Building in Rochester

The (RARA) has outgrown its headquarters in downtown Rochester and is more than ready for a new place to call home.

That new home could become a reality this week.

On Monday night, RARA received approval from the Rochester Hills City Council to put a down payment on a building less than a half-mile away from its current home base in Rochester.

The potential property, a warehouse located at 500 E. Second St., would allow for more parking, more program rooms and a small gymnasium. RARA would buy it for $1.4 million; plans call for RARA to use its $1.2 million fund balance to put a $500,000 down payment on the property and pay for the remainder through a 10-year land contract purchase. The rest of the fund balance would be used to make structural changes and improvements to the building.

RARA currently leases its building; the combined rent and taxes are $10,588 per month; the land contract monthly payment would be $9,879.23.

"The venue is an opportunity for RARA to invest in its future," stated RARA Executive Director Ron Jewell in a letter to Rochester Hills City Council. "The residents we serve will have a recreation center they can finally call their own."

At a special meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, the Rochester City Council will also be asked to approve the purchase. If that approval is given, the purchase could come as early as Friday, Jewell said.

New home

The RARA board has had a new headquarters in mind for over a decade, Jewell said.

Over the past four months, the board explored four properties. In addition to the Second Street property, they looked at property on Hamlin Road, on Letica Drive and on Livernois Road.

Jewell said this particular property would give RARA the square footage they were looking for and ample room for future programing needs.

Plans call for:

• A gym with four stationary basketball hoops.
• Four dance rooms, each 45-feet long with widths of 20 to 25 feet. The rooms would contain sprung wood floors and viewing windows for spectators. RARA's dance program is one of its most popular draws.
• Storage and office space.
• More parking. Right now, programs on site at the RARA building are limited because the building only has 36 parking spaces. The new building currently has about 80 spaces.
• Room for kids to go outdoors. RARA uses school and park fields for baseball and softball leagues, but outdoor green space at its new headquarters would allow opportunities for toddler programs.

The new facility could open as soon as September; RARA's current lease expires in August.

Former Rochester Hills City Councilmember Scot Beaton spoke out on Monday night against the purchase. He said he could not support RARA spending his tax dollars in the city of Rochester when the majority of RARA participants live in Rochester Hills. He suggested they slow down and wait 30 days before making a decision on this property.

Rochester Hills Councilmember Nathan Klomp, a member of the RARA board, said they had come across a "good piece of property that will serve their needs well."