HOUGHTON — For more than a year, the closest visual approximation of The Veridea Group’s plans for its proposed Lakeshore Drive project was a maximalist rendering developed as a proof of concept in response to Houghton’s request for qualifications.

That will change Dec. 15, when Veridea plans to show renderings of its proposed development at a joint meeting of the Houghton City Commission, Planning Commission and Downtown Development Authority/Tax Increment Financing Authority. The city was already required to hold the joint meeting as part of best practices for the state’s Redevelopment Ready Communities program, said City Manager Eric Waara.

“It’s kind of serendipitous,” he said. “We’ve got to have this joint meeting, and it might provide a good venue for that.”

The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 15, and can be attended virtually on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81952205535. More information is available at cityofhoughton.com.

The development would go on Lakeshore Drive between Huron and Quincy streets. It would be on the site of the current large parking deck, which studies have determined is nearing the end of its useful life after close to 40 years.

The Houghton City Council selected Veridea from among three developers who responded to the city’s request for qualifications. Veridea plans a mixed-use development incorporating a hotel, retail space and apartments. It must also provide as much public parking space as the deck.

The project has received pushback from residents who said the city should step back and solicit more input from the public on the future of the land. A nonbinding proposal in August asking to delay any sale of the property until the city could develop a way to solicit more public response passed in August with nearly 80% of the vote.

Last month, voters elected three newcomers to the council, all of whom had said they would like to see the city slow down.

One of the new councilors, Joan Suits, said Wednesday she would like to see a third party mediate a discussion between residents and Veridea about what they want to see on the site.

“It’s been pretty much driven and guided by Veridea,” she said. “I’m not at all averse to Veridea, but I think that they would benefit if they knew more about what the citizens of the city would like to see.”

Waara said he thought residents have given a lot of input over the past year-and-a-half, which Veridea has taken into account.

In an August interview, Veridea CEO Bob Mahaney said community feedback had already led to changes in the design. Veridea is looking for ways to create more green space and waterfront access for the community, he said. He said Veridea was also trying to minimize the size and scale of the building while still reaching the minimum return on its investment.

Waara said looking at the potential Lakeshore Drive development is also in line with the city’s master plan, which lists economic development as a priority.

“The city’s been waiting too, for it to get to this point where they’ve done their due diligence, market research, different things like that and they’re going to come back to us in a transparent manner and show us what they’d like to propose,” he said.