DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[animatedmartian]

• The $33 million mixed-use project by Detroit-based Queen Lillian II LLC at 3455 Woodward Ave. and 13 Stimson St. that will include 25,000 square feet of retail space, 68 one- and two-bedroom apartments and a 230-space parking deck. The developer received up to $5 million in tax incentives. Developer Chris Jackson is the principal of Queen Lillian.

Via Crains: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140709/NEWS/140709847/wayne-state-office-building-firehouse-hotel-among-4-projects

Also confirmed via Curbed, but Queen Lillian (formerly known as Midtown Professional Building) has been changed from a office building to an apartment building. Wonder if this means they whole design of the building will have been changed as well.

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/5162eb66f92ea1428c00b898/MPBRendering.jpg

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/planned-midtown-prof-building-swaps-offices-for-apartments.php

[animatedmartian]

Someone finally snatches up the Old Wayne County building.

Old Wayne County Building to sell for $13.4 million (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140710/NEWS/140719989/old-wayne-county-building-to-sell-for-13-4-million)
By Kirk Pinho. July 10, 2014.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CD/20140710/NEWS/140719989/AR/0/AR-140719989.jpg

The vacant Old Wayne County Building at 600 Randolph St. and a county-owned parking lot at 400 E. Fort St. in downtown Detroit are being sold to a private New York City investment group for $13.4 million.

....

The commission preliminarily approved the building, land and parking lot sale to 600 Randolph SN LLC on Thursday and must grant final approval on the terms and conditions. That is expected July 17, said Michael Layne, president of Farmington Hills-based Marx Layne Public Relations, which is handling media inquiries for the buyers.

It’s the buyer’s first purchase in Metro Detroit, Layne said. The group has “multiple Class A real estate holdings in Manhattan,” he said.

The building is expected to be renovated for single-tenant occupancy. Layne said renovations on the interior and exterior of the building are expected to begin immediately. Quinn Evans Architects Inc., which has offices in Detroit and Ann Arbor, is the architecture firm on the project.

The building, which is located between East Congress and East Fort streets, had been on the market for nearly three years, according to Washington, D.C., real estate information service CoStar Group Inc.

....

[animatedmartian]

Busy news day. Metropolitan Building confirmed for (potential) apartments.

http://detroit.curbed.com/uploads/metropolitanurbex.jpg
http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/metropolitan-building-facade-stabilized-as-potential-developer-talks-restoration.php

http://staging-degcv3.cirrusabs.com/blog/downtown-development-authority-stabilizing-historic-metropolitan-building-facade/


July 10, 2014

The Detroit Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has reached an agreement with a potential developer of the historic Metropolitan Building at 33 John R to complete a significant project to stabilize the historic, but deteriorating building façade.

Metropolitan Development Partners has deployed a 165-ton crane to reach the top of the 15-story structure so workers can remove loose pieces of the decorative terra cotta facade.

The crews will also install rubber flashing around sections of the roof to reduce water infiltration and build additional scaffolding and fencing around the structure to protect pedestrians. The cost for the protective steps is expected to total about $300,000 and be completed by July 27.

The staff for the Downtown Development Authority has been working diligently to preserve this historic structure and find a suitable developer to bring it back as an attractive and vital part of Downtown. Although there is still a great deal of work to be done, this is a great step towards both goals. At the same time it protects the ever increasing pedestrian traffic in the area.

Eric Means, CEO of Means Group said, “We have a project team with strong experience in historic restoration and urban redevelopment, so we are very confident we can restore this building.”

“We don’t take safety lightly,” he added. “We are making a substantial investment to protect the public while we take the necessary steps to close a deal.”

The Metropolitan Building was built in 1925 and for many years was the location of jewelry businesses. Its highly decorative façade is comprised of terra cotta, granite and brick, which has been deteriorating since the building was vacated in 1977. Metropolitan Development Partners plan to create 61 high-end apartments in the building, along with commercial space and retail on the lower floors.

Brian Holdwick

Executive Vice President, Business Development

[Matthew]

It's great to see plans to restore and reuse the Metropolitan Building as apartments! This is one of my favorites.

[LMich]

I'd imagine the Queen Lillian development has changed quite a bit in design with its going residential. I kind of wish they'd have just added residential to the project instead of replacing the office space with it. And, I'm concerned about how they are going to do this parking garage, and wondering exactly who they are marketing the spots to given that we're only talking 60-something units. Even with the retail component, that's still a lot of extra spots. I just hope this takes demand off the surface lots in the area making them more attractive to developers. BTW, the streetcar stop looks to be a block to the north of here.

Glad to hear about the Metropolitan Building. My hope is that the interest in that building spurs someone to save the adjacent Wurlitzer, which is really hanging on by a nail, figuratively and almost literally. Back on the Metropolitan, I hope that it includes reconstructing the terra-cotta detailing after they stabilize the bad portions of it. I'm also interested into seeing how exactly they are going to orient the residential units. This is an oddly shaped building, after all.

On the old Wayne County Courthouse, they say they are renovating this as a single-tenant property, which kind of surprised me. I'd have thought they'd leased out parts of it, but it sounds like they might have someone already lined up or at least a single entity interested in it. Personally, I wish Wayne County would have stayed. But, quite frankly, it's amazing it held on this long given what happened to the old City Hall when the City-County Building essentially made both of the buildings obsolete.

Lots and lots of movement in the city.

[Rizzo]

Really made my day that the Met may be saved. I love this building. You just cannot build something at unique as this.

[animatedmartian]

Gilbertville adds another one.

Gilbert buys former Globe Tobacco Co. building for $3.3 million (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140711/NEWS/140719974/gilbert-buys-former-globe-tobacco-co-building-for-3-3-million)
July 11, 2014. By Kirk Pinho.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CD/20140711/NEWS/140719974/AR/0/AR-140719974.jpg

Add the 58,000-square-foot former Globe Tobacco Co. building to Dan Gilbert’s downtown Detroit real estate empire.

The founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Ventures LLC purchased the six-story building at 407 E. Fort St. for $3.3 million on Thursday, according to Matt Farrell, executive principal/partner of Bingham Farms-based Core Partners Associates LLC, which represented the seller, the Gus Vincent Trust.

The sale amounts to $57 per square foot.

“From our perspective, we took on the asset as a very, very cool building built in 1888,” Farrell said. “It has a brick exterior and offers a very creative, cool lofty interior.”

Jennifer Kulczycki, vice president of communications for Rock Ventures, confirmed the building’s purchase and said redevelopment plans have not yet been determined.

....

Farrell said the building was about 45 percent occupied when Core Partners was hired to lease the building to tenants; today it’s about 80 percent.

“Literally, the day Detroit filed the formal bankruptcy (July 18, 2013), we experienced many buyers – local, national and international – with interests in the building,” Farrell said.

Gilbert now has a real estate portfolio of more than 60 properties in Detroit — buildings, parking decks and surface lots — totaling more than 9 million square feet. He has spent more than $1.3 billion buying and renovating property in Detroit since 2010, mostly in the central business district.

....

[EuphoricOctopus]

It amazes me how much downtown has really changed over the past couple of years. I never thought I'd see some of these buildings renovated and occupied like the Broderick Tower and the Whitney Building.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Front page story on Detroit in today's NY Times Magazine.

The Post-Post-Apocalyptic Detroit (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/magazine/the-post-post-apocalyptic-detroit.html?ref=magazine&_r=0)
In downtown Detroit, at the headquarters of the online-mortgage company Quicken Loans, there stands another downtown Detroit in miniature. The diorama, made of laser-cut acrylic and stretching out over 19 feet in length, is a riot of color and light: Every structure belonging to Quicken’s billionaire owner, Dan Gilbert, is topped in orange and illuminated from within, and Gilbert currently owns 60 of them, a lordly nine million square feet of real estate in all. He began picking up skyscrapers just three and a half years ago, one after another, paying as little as $8 a square foot. He bought five buildings surrounding Capitol Park, the seat of government when Michigan became a state in 1837. He snapped up the site of the old Hudson’s department store, where 12,000 employees catered to 100,000 customers daily in the 1950s. Many of Gilbert’s purchases are 20th-century architectural treasures, built when Detroit served as a hub of world industry. He bought a Daniel Burnham, a few Albert Kahns, a Minoru Yamasaki masterwork with a soaring glass atrium. “They’re like old-school sports cars,” said Dan Mullen, one of the executives who took over Quicken’s newly formed real estate arm. “These were buildings with so much character, so much history. They don’t exist anywhere else. And it was like, ‘Buy this parking garage, and we’ll throw in a skyscraper with it.’ ”

[animatedmartian]

It amazes me how much downtown has really changed over the past couple of years. I never thought I'd see some of these buildings renovated and occupied like the Broderick Tower and the Whitney Building.

Yea me neither. Some buildings seemed so doomed only a few short years ago. Now there's hardly any major buildings left vacant or recently bought. The last untouched jewel is the Book Tower. The last time there was any news about it was when the owners were trying to get a tax abatement for renovation almost a full year ago.

I suspect if they haven't gotten the tax abatement (or financing) yet, the next likely news to come out about the Book Tower is that it's up for sale or auction if not any progress on actual renovations.

[LMich]

The Book's days as a vacant building do seem numbered. Does that company up in Macomb County still own it? I can never remember who owns it, anymore.

[animatedmartian]

The owners are apparently ANKO Enterprises of Vancouver. However, googling that name doesn't tell ya much of anything so I have trouble believing this company even still exists (or ever did). So I figure who ever is owning it is likely holding on to it at this point so they can sell it and make buku bucks.

[uaarkson]

Downtown seems to be hitting escape velocity, no?

[animatedmartian]

Downtown seems to be hitting escape velocity, no?

It would seem that way. However, a lot of projects still seem to be slow to start either because of financing or red tape. Financing is getting easier to come by these days because of the economy, but I think at the city government level, Detroit still isn't quite friendly towards developers. For as many incentives as the city offers, there's still a bunch of special conditions attached to them.

For instance there's this big deal about requiring developments (for example, within Renaissance Zones) to "provide jobs" for the community (Detroit residents) whether through hired construction workers or from the purpose of the development itself. The government is still trying to play the role of job creator rather than make it favorable for the private sector to create jobs naturally.

So really, Downtown Detroit could be growing a lot faster than it presently is, I think, if the city government was able to shift its priorities. I don't understand how they think requiring the market to specifically hire Detroit residents would be effective if much of the city is still shrinking. :titanic:

[LMich]

ANKO was the developer until a few years back; I believe they were the owner between the Pagan Organization (out of NYC) and the current owners, who I believe are local. The last I remember, the local company was some mom-and-pop investors based in Clinton Township, or something.

I have to disagree strongly with the criticism of city government, though. The city really isn't being too hard on developers, and the community benefits issue - which would only be for projects over a certain large size threshold - probably won't make it through. It's really still the private sector skeptical of funding projects in Detroit, and some incompetent developers or developers not on the up-and-up. I think this is a mostly made-up conservative talking point about red-tape. The truth is that if anything, Detroit often approves things by developers far too hastily with terms developers could only dream of in other towns. The Red Wings arena is a perfect example of where the city eventually gave away the store to the Ilitches, particularly when it came to all of the swapping of land between the city, DDA and the Ilitches. The terms for the new arena were even more favorable to the Ilitches than the already favorable terms they were given with the Joe, to be honest.

In a city as perpetually development starved as Detroit has been until recently, it has been rare for a project to ever be turned down, or even be significantly altered by the city, and the number and influence of NIMBYs in the city center is still about zero when compared to other cities. Detroit's city government has had a lot of problems, but approving of large-scale development hasn't really been one of them. In fact, that has been a criticism from the residential neighborhoods at least since the 80's.

[animatedmartian]

My feelings were more towards the impacts of the DEGC. Or maybe it's just my cynicism towards George Jackson. I dunno, I just feel that DEGC-affliated projects aren't as good as non-DEGC projects.

Anyway, according to DYES, the Michigan Theatre has already been bought. This morning it was scheduled to go up for auction but was mysteriously canceled according to news reports. If DYES is correct, then the Michigan Theatre has been bought by local developer, Dennis Kefallinos.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140715/BIZ03/307150054/Michigan-Building-no-longer-listed-auction

[The North One]

I suspect if they haven't gotten the tax abatement (or financing) yet, the next likely news to come out about the Book Tower is that it's up for sale or auction if not any progress on actual renovations.

Can you imagine how amazing book tower would look renovated?

If it ever happens I hope they don't clean it too well though, I've grown to like the gothic blackness of the façade.

[animatedmartian]

Can you imagine how amazing book tower would look renovated?

If it ever happens I hope they don't clean it too well though, I've grown to like the gothic blackness of the façade.

I'd rather see it cleaned. At the very least, have a fresh copper roof.

https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6012/6191080934_8067d8af09_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ar5UEJ)
Downtown (https://flic.kr/p/ar5UEJ) by southofbloor (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/8042035077_c048a36a7f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/dfDwRc)
Book Tower, Detroit (https://flic.kr/p/dfDwRc) by southofbloor (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr

:slob:

[LMich]

If DYES is correct, then the Michigan Theatre has been bought by local developer, Dennis Kefallinos.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140715/BIZ03/307150054/Michigan-Building-no-longer-listed-auction

Ouch! Locals almost spit when they say this guy's name, that's how much contempt he's held in. If he can fill up the Michigan Building, though, I guess it won't matter, but this is one case where I wish it'd have been someone from out-of-town. lol

I still wonder what kind of interesting usage they make for the actual theater portion of the complex, though. I imagine anyone would simply keep it as parking for the building, but I've always imagined carving it up into a laboratory or research facility or a planetarium given the vaulted ceiling. Of course, there would have to be a market there for something like that, and we're still years off, but a parking garage doesn't feel like a gross underutilization of the property no matter how cool of an experience - an incredibly brief experience, for sure - that may be for the customers.

Speaking of old theaters in this neighborhood, I wonder what's going on with the United Artists Theatre? The Ilitches did some basic clean-up and mouthballing work on this thing years ago and I haven't heard anything about it sense. That was around the Super Bowl.

[user062789]

The color scheme on the DuCharme building appears to be a cantina which fused with a generic apartment building, hopefully the final product will shy away from the lime green, orange, sea green and indigo windows.

[animatedmartian]

Speaking of old theaters in this neighborhood, I wonder what's going on with the United Artists Theatre? The Ilitches did some basic clean-up and mouthballing work on this thing years ago and I haven't heard anything about it sense. That was around the Super Bowl.

I suspect it won't see much action until Illitch gets his arena district up and going. Which also has seemed to be on the quiet side lately. I half at least expect when the date of construction (for anything) is going to be announced.

[hudkina]

OMG, the Book Tower absolutely needs to be washed. It would be a travesty to leave it dirty for the supposed "aesthetics" The Book-Cadillac and Broderick Tower both look infinitely better all spruced up. I can only imagine what the Book Tower would look like.

[LMich]

I suspect it won't see much action until Illitch gets his arena district up and going. Which also has seemed to be on the quiet side lately. I half at least expect when the date of construction (for anything) is going to be announced.

Well, this is the quiet time of a projects life, you know, the portion in between having been approved and then getting shovels in the ground. All the fine detail work is being done in this portion of the process. The good thing about this project, though, is that we know when the Joe is going to be shuttered, so at least we know a general time when they have to have the new arena up and running.

[animatedmartian]

But it seems like forevvvvvvvvver and I generally hate Illitch's secretiveness with not even any renderings or vision of what he'd want (even if it's not what's going to be built). Just to have something to look forward. /whine

Anyway, updated information on DuCharme Place. The changes in the rendering appear to be very subtle.


185-unit apartment development to begin construction this fall (http://modeldmedia.com/devnews/DuCharmePlaceConstruction.aspx)
MJ GALBRAITH | THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2014

What started as a community of town homes nearly ten years ago has morphed into a four-building, 185-unit apartment development on the edge of downtown. Keeping the original name DuCharme Place, architects McIntosh Poris Associates and long-time Detroit developer Walter Cohen have secured financing to start construction this fall. A late 2015 opening is expected.

....


http://modeldmedia.com/Images/Features/issue%20416/ducharme_place_west_lafayette.jpg

http://modeldmedia.com/Images/Features/issue%20416/ducharme_place_terrace.jpg

http://modeldmedia.com/Images/Features/issue%20416/ducharme_place_rear_1.jpg

http://modeldmedia.com/Images/Features/issue%20416/ducharme_site_plan_graphic.jpg

http://modeldmedia.com/Images/Features/issue%20416/ducharme_place_vicinitymap.jpg

[LMich]

Question, is the partial basement level parking? Because I don't see any surface lots.

It's really heartening this started off as more townhomes and was morphed into something more substantial. I even like the architecture for as simple as it is.

[animatedmartian]

Question, is the partial basement level parking? Because I don't see any surface lots.

It's really heartening this started off as more townhomes and was morphed into something more substantial. I even like the architecture for as simple as it is.

Yep, the ground floor is mostly parking with everything else built over top of them.

I like the architecture, but maybe not the colors. Grey isn't exactly working for this development.

Actually, I just realized that the colors are meant to be reflective of the Lafayette Towers. But I can't help but think this development would benefit by having a few contrasting dark shades to accent the grey.

[user062789]

At least the colors are more muted than before.

[animatedmartian]

Finally, Freep is expected to reveal plans for the arena and district tomorrow.

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/detroit/index.ssf/2014/07/new_detroit_red_wings_arena_en.html

[Funkie]

From The Free Press
Detroit’s new arena and entertainment district planned by the Ilitch family for the northern edge of downtown promises to be the city’s boldest and most significant development since the Renaissance Center of the 1970s — creating as many as 2,000 new residential units, dozens of shops, walkable European-style streets and perhaps the nation’s most innovative multipurpose arena.
http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20140720&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=307200114&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=90

http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/BUSINESS06/307200102/Ilitch-Red-Wings-arena-Midtown

I am pleasantly surprised by the design of the whole project.

[animatedmartian]

I made a dedicated thread for it. (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=212422)

https://38.media.tumblr.com/d604dc05e4f767ebf61e93a45a5ac9fb/tumblr_n90jgnRSA31tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Detroit Rink City: Ilitches' grand plan to supersize the entertainment district

A gargantuan 3-year plan: 5 new neighborhoods, a $450 million hockey arena and an accelerated timeline to complete it all

A DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION OF THE HEART OF DETROIT will begin in September, when the Ilitch family breaks ground on the construction of a $450 million Detroit Red Wings arena concurrently with another $200 million in apartments, restaurants, office buildings, parks and shops over 45 blocks. This is the city’s entertainment district, super-sized.
By Bill Shea. July 20, 2014

https://31.media.tumblr.com/f13ca50ac5654026aa35bfb47994c125/tumblr_n90jilKwre1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Planned is a gargantuan three-year construction project to create five new neighborhoods intended to stitch together the city where it’s divided by the trench-like Fisher Freeway underneath Woodward Avenue.

The 650,000-square-foot hockey and events center and the new neighborhoods — including hundreds of apartments to be built both outside Comerica Park and the new hockey arena — are scheduled to be ready by summer 2017.

A 2013 deal between the Ilitches, through their Olympia Development of Michigan, and the city’s Downtown Development Authority to build the arena at the largely vacant and blighted area of Woodward at I-75 obligated the family to spend at least $200 million in ancillary development within five years of the venue’s opening.

But the Ilitches are accelerating that timeline, and upping the ante.

The Ilitches, the Little Caesars pizza chain founders who have owned the hockey team since 1982, told Crain’s last week that their construction timeline has been radically moved forward so the investment can have a maximum catalytic impact for the city.

“We think the impact on our community will be exponential if it’s all done at once,” said Chris Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings and son of Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch. “This project takes on a much bigger scale. There is nothing like this going on in our country.”

https://38.media.tumblr.com/1a580b93e1092246a3b17fde0b9cb05b/tumblr_n90jfius0N1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Ilitch said cost isn’t the first consideration as the planning has evolved for a project with a very large vision for the whole entertainment district.

“This is more than a development; this is our passion,” he said.

Additionally, the Ilitches are now promising to spend “tens of millions” more for infrastructure improvements in the district, mainly around Cass Park west of the arena site to create mixed-use neighborhoods, Ilitch said, but he declined to specify a total.

“This is not part of our agreement with anyone. We’re just doing it,” he said, adding that Olympia has been in talks with the mayor’s office on the necessary approvals.

The additional spending will be used to fix roads, streetlights, landscaping and other aesthetic work within a 45-block area aimed at creating a clean, desirable slate from which to build five neighborhoods with unique identities.

“It frees the city up to spend its resources on other priorities,” Ilitch said.

DTE Energy Co. and other utilities will be asked to make any fixes or upgrades in the area while Olympia has the streets torn up, he said.

“This is an investor’s playground,” Ilitch said.

All together, the area stretches from Charlotte Street, the street north of Temple Street, south to Grand Circus Park, east to the existing stadiums and to a northwestern boundary abutting MotorCity Casino Hotel, owned by Marian Ilitch.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140720/NEWS03/140719845/detroit-rink-city-ilitches-grand-plan-to-supersize-the-entertainment

[hudkina]

This looks like it is facing the corner of Columbia and Witherell. That means they're finally filling in those lots.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=C4&Date=20140720&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=307200114&Ref=PH&Item=3&Maxw=620&Maxh=465&q=90

[LMich]

https://38.media.tumblr.com/1a580b93e1092246a3b17fde0b9cb05b/tumblr_n90jfius0N1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Jaw Drop

This is way better than I expected. It even appears that they are going to add some space on the westside of the Woodward Avenue bridge over the Fisher for a new structure.

And, yep, that's Columbia and Witherell, and it's about damned time. lol In fact, it looks like they are finally going to implement what they sought to build on Columbia west of Woodward, too, in the planning of Comerica Park.

This thing looks like a literal beating heart for that area. I am honestly shocked by the layout of this at the very least. They did just about everything right. They hid the parking as best they could for a city without a mass transit system up to snuff, yet. They've literally integrated the arena into the surrounding neighborhood. They shied away from putting up more superblocks than they absolutely had to. They'll be upgrading the existing infrastructure of the area. Really, they went all out. This is so atypical of how things usually turn out in Detroit; we're talking a first class project, here, not some sloppy seconds or development that's "good...by Detroit standards."

[user062789]

This is beautiful, we just need the Piston to move down and share this arena now.

[LMich]

Olympia isn't couonting on the Pistons coming to this new arena, nore does it need the Pistons for it to work. As a multi-purpose venue, it will already get more use than the Joe, which does just fine. I'm actually a little confused as to why people are so hard up on the idea that the Pistons to set up shop, here. It'd be nice if they come back to the city, but the it's not some make-or-break proposition for downtown, anymore.

Anyway, the Freep put out an article, yesterday, on how this will help alleviate the housing crunch in the greater downtown area:

Red Wings arena project would add hundreds of new market-rate apartments downtown (http://www.freep.com/article/20140720/BUSINESS06/307200105/detroit-ilitch-arena-downtown-midtown-apartments)

By JC Reindl | Detroit Free Press

July 21, 2014

Apartment hunters could have as much reason to cheer as hockey fans when construction starts this fall on Detroit’s new arena project.

Included in plans for the $200-million entertainment district are hundreds of market-rate rental units in at least four new mid-rise buildings that are set to go up around the arena as well as near Comerica Park. The apartments are expected to be ready for tenants by summer 2017.

The precise number of units is still being determined and is anticipated to exceed 500. As the district attracts interest from other housing developers, the number of new units in the footprint could reach 2,000 within a decade, according to Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings.

That influx of units would help to ease a housing crunch that has gripped Detroit’s core for the past two years, frustrating those who desire to live in the increasingly trendy Midtown, Corktown and downtown areas, which have gained new coffee shops, restaurants, niche retailers and a busy Whole Foods market.

Strong demand for those downtown-area neighborhoods has resulted in leased-out buildings and long waiting lists. Developers have announced new developments to meet the demand, but those take time to finance and build. Meanwhile, landlords are raising rent prices.

“Today we don’t have enough capacity to meet demand for rentals in Detroit,” Ilitch said. “It’s 100% filled right now.”

...

[animatedmartian]

Historic Corktown hotel to re-open by summer 2015
MJ GALBRAITH | TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2014

http://www.modeldmedia.com/Images/Features/issue%20417/roosevelt_hotel.jpg

Since purchasing the Roosevelt Hotel in 2010, Detroit real estate developer Dennis Kefallinos has offered little information on his plans for the historic and long-neglected Corktown hotel. It's now confirmed that the Roosevelt Hotel will once again operate as a hotel, opening somewhere within a year's time.

While details of amenities remain vague, Kefallinos's senior project manager Eric Novack says that construction crews are currently working on the building infrastructure. The hotel will have 76 rooms and feature commercial space on the ground floor.

Kefallinos owns and manages a number of buildings and businesses throughout the city, including the Lafayette Lofts and the Russell Industrial Center. Though the Roosevelt could have been redeveloped as an apartment building, Kefallinos has long-wanted to open a hotel and the Roosevelt's floor plans remain well-suited for that. Larger rooms lend themselves to extended stay customers, a situation the company sees happening often.

"This has been quite a while in the making," says Novack. "We haven't been resting on our laurels. We've been doing the work in the background like with the historic preservation people to get approval for new windows for the building."

Not wanting to suggest an opening date for fear of it being pushed back, Novack says that people will once again book rooms at the Roosevelt sometime in the next six to twelve months. It's infrastructure work in the meantime.

...

http://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/RooseveltHotelDevelopment.aspx

The hotel as of last year.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/9407156342_1c8ea22312_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/fkh8QJ)
Abandoned Roosevelt Hotel (https://flic.kr/p/fkh8QJ) by Sean_Marshall (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr

[hudkina]

I definitely won't hold my breath, but it would be great to see it come back to life. I can't remember if those two abandoned houses are still standing. I'm sure if they are they'll be torn down to make room for parking. I'm guessing he owns the brand new parking lot on the other side of the building, but you can never have too much parking in Detroit.;)

[Black Star]

Your new arena is gonna be a beast:cheers:


Go Motown.......

[LMich]

I believe the remaining house is still standing. Last I checked, Imagination Station was still planning on trying to make their little art project work, there, but I can't even place when it was I last heard that. I'm glad to see the Roosevelt being reused as a hotel. There are so many neighborhoods in the city that could benefit from having a small hotel. I wonder what kind of price-point they are looking at, though? Are they talking about some exclusive boutique hotel or somethng more affordable?

I really think with all of the small businesses clustering around residential places in the city that Detroit could really benefit from some small budget hotels, maybe some extended-stay type of things given the transitory nature of a lot of these small, experimental business. My worry is that this concept has the potential to fall prey to acting as flophouses or seedy motels like in the past. But I think if you raise the price-point just high enough, you could deter that and still have nice rooms which simply wouldn't be chocked full of "amenities."

[animatedmartian]

Cobo to get 'new front porch' (http://www.freep.com/article/20140723/BUSINESS06/307230157/Cobo-streetscape)
By John Gallagher. July 23, 2014.

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20140723&Category=BUSINESS06&ArtNo=307230157

The Detroit Downtown Development Authority board approved the streetscape project known as Cobo Square today, which will create a new traffic pattern and decorative paving as part of Cobo’s remade Washington Boulevard frontage.

...

According to Cobo Hall's construction schedule, the 'front porch' is scheduled to be completed this December. The connection to Atwater Street will be removed.

Picture from July 17th.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/14490750359_c946e08833_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/o5uTer)
Cobo Hall (https://flic.kr/p/o5uTer) by KevinStandlee (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr

[animatedmartian]

Also not really much new news, but more of a confirmation. And a rendering.


How Corktown came out on top in search for home for $148M manufacturing institute (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140723/BLOG016/140729921/how-corktown-came-out-on-top-in-search-for-home-for-148m)

July 23, 2014. Kirk Pinho.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/05236209c4f88c5d6005c361eb8d2dc4/tumblr_n96vhfK5mm1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg


The $148 million American Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute will locate this fall in a vacant 99,000-square-foot Corktown building instead of a Canton Township location that was previously pitched.

Crain’s reported last month that Corktown — and specifically the building at 1400 Rosa Parks Blvd. announced today — was the location the institute was considering after German 3-D printing company Voxeljet AG leased the space that the institute wanted in the Haggerty II Corporate Park near Haggerty Road and Michigan Avenue.

We also heard a month ago that Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration had been lobbying the institute to come to Detroit after learning that the Canton site fell through, real estate sources told me at the time.

“To win a competitive process for a project of national significance is a major win for the city,” Duggan said in a statement Wednesday. “Detroiters should expect to see us win a lot more in the future.”

....

https://38.media.tumblr.com/b2f295fea6542f81b42baf217408937c/tumblr_n96vhrlHAU1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg
(building currently)

[LMich]

That's an interesting redo for the areas in front of Cobo, though, I'm still kind of confused of the street configuration in that area to begin with, and I'm not sure what is street and what is a pedestrian plaza in that rendering. I can't tell from that rendering exactly how they cut it off from Atwater, because the rendering doesn't seem to go to Civic Center Drive (the connection to Atwater).

Glad to see they are going to redo facade - if even minimially - for the American Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute. I really thought they were just going to clean-up the outside and move in. This is kitty-corner (or maybe just acorss the street, even) from the Quicken Tech Center going up, right?

[animatedmartian]

That's an interesting redo for the areas in front of Cobo, though, I'm still kind of confused of the street configuration in that area to begin with, and I'm not sure what is street and what is a pedestrian plaza in that rendering. I can't tell from that rendering exactly how they cut it off from Atwater, because the rendering doesn't seem to go to Civic Center Drive (the connection to Atwater).


It's not a pedestrian plaza, specifically. It's a decorative driveway that has bollards (traffic poles) instead of curbs. At least that's what it looks like. Random example:

http://streets.mn/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/target-field-station-plaza-500x375.jpg
http://streets.mn/2014/07/03/free-parking-at-target-field-station/

The grassy area on the left of the rendering is where Civic Center Drive would be. Coming from Atwater, Civic Center Drive will be cutoff to make a cul-de-sac in front of the UAW Ford building. At least, that's how it's described on the Cobo website.


Glad to see they are going to redo facade - if even minimially - for the American Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute. I really thought they were just going to clean-up the outside and move in. This is kitty-corner (or maybe just acorss the street, even) from the Quicken Tech Center going up, right? Yep, yep. Speaking of the cleaning up part, most of that was done by Mayor Duggan to entice ALMMII to move into Detroit after word got out that a Canton deal fell apart. So you can thank Duggan for stepping up to the plate and seizing an opportunity. :tup:

[LMich]

Kind off topic, but the knock against Duggan has always been that he's the consummate county insider, and I say fine to that. For a lot of folks, that's a turn-off, but so long as the experience isn't coupled with corruption and/or incompetence, I couldn't care less. And, really, it's often an asset. I like that he's using his decades-worth of contacts to move the city forward. In fact, it's one of the main reasons I was for the guy from the beginning.

[animatedmartian]

Two Modern, Mixed-Use Buildings Close to Landing in Midtown

4145 Cass
https://31.media.tumblr.com/047dca507c8af7930781fbc5c8a0b999/tumblr_n9jhj8Egtc1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://31.media.tumblr.com/ee1a3ef1ce6910183febe8aa9a095ef3/tumblr_n9jhwfwqj01tv48zjo1_1280.jpg


441 Willis
https://33.media.tumblr.com/bbe361ff13424c94a9de8051f6585ad3/tumblr_n9jhmeC8MG1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://31.media.tumblr.com/a4f837408100a8ee5090870c53995678/tumblr_n9jhvbihkg1tv48zjo1_1280.png

...

Both of the 6,000-square-foot buildings will contain a retail space on the ground floor, with just four residential units up above. In an email to Curbed Detroit, Lars Graebner of VolumeOne Studios said that the units will be "comfortable, spacious and modern," with "ample light and open, flexible floor plans." Each unit will contain about 1,000 square feet.

According to Lars, the design "consciously omitted exuberant or expensive details in order to maximize the building's efficiency, the quality of construction, and longevity." Basically, these are high-end structures built to last. The renderings make the facade look like its covered in wallpaper from Ikea, but plans call for a baked, grey-colored brick. The result will be a classy, natural-looking texture.

Construction on such a small scale is expensive, and its appearance in Midtown is encouraging. According to Lars, the goal is to keep the cost of each building around $750K.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/two-modern-mixeduse-buildings-close-to-landing-in-midtown.php

[detroit_alive]

I really like how this project fills in the Willis street wall. The Cass building is less successful and looks really awkward in the middle of all of that parking. That said, I really can't complain. Now let's fill in some more parking lots.

[animatedmartian]

Crain is speculating on probable development to occur on the parking lot that's behind the Detroit Club and Free Press building on Fort and Cass. What's interesting is that the Detroit Club and the parking lot (which also has underground spaces but don't seem to be used) are up for auction (both by Uralli) but the parking lot is currently at a higher bid than the Detroit Club.

As of this post, the parking lot and Detroit Club are at $2 million and $1.2 million respectively. That seems like a lot for a small parking lot and probably why Crain is speculating on it. :sly:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140730/BLOG016/140739975/downtown-parking-lot-for-sale-holds-development-possibilities

[LMich]

I like these clean, simple infill projects, particularly juxtaposed against the surrounding historic neighborhoods. It'd be really great to see this stuff outside the core. Since it's already stripped down, you could put this stuff up just about anywhere in the city, really, and maybe breath some life back into some sleepy, low-income areas.

The parking lot story is interesting. Like they said, someone could sit on this for a few years since it's produces quite a bit of revenue, but ultimately, you could really make quite a bit more off the site with an improvement.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CD/20140730/BLOG016/140739975/AR/0/AR-140739975.jpg&MaxW=620&v=201405231302
Costar

[animatedmartian]

Update on Gameday Detroit. Nice little project that does a good job of recreating Olympia.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/ab60baa32e187018b11b851bd8ec1ccc/tumblr_n9ldhnfrBT1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg
http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/gameday-detroits-new-building-honors-old-red-wings-arena.php

[animatedmartian]

The parking lot story is interesting. Like they said, someone could sit on this for a few years since it's produces quite a bit of revenue, but ultimately, you could really make quite a bit more off the site with an improvement.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CD/20140730/BLOG016/140739975/AR/0/AR-140739975.jpg&MaxW=620&v=201405231302
Costar

After the auction was done today, the final price on the Detroit Club building and parking lot behind it were $2.9 million and $4.9 million dollars respectively.

In a previous Crain article, they stated that the parking lot usually generates $600,000 annually. The potential buyer of the parking lot wouldn't make their money back for at least several years. I suspect it most definitely will be developed by then. :tup:

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140731/BLOG016/140739961/detroit-club-building-parking-lot-auctions-yield-7-8m-in-bids

[LMich]

I think that the parking lot is pulling in bids so much higher than the actual building is very telling. The City Club building is not looking long for this world. :(

[animatedmartian]

To be fair, this parking lot is also fetching a higher price than the next door Free Press building did. That building only sold for $4.2 million. Also, the Detroit Club building is in pretty good shape especially since Uralli renovated it a bit (Freep says he redid the flooring, bathrooms, and restained all the woodwork). The Detroit Club won't become dust anytime soon even if it's not sold.

[LMich]

If it's sold, it's more likely to be brought down, not less. My point was that I seriously doubt that they just develop the parking lot. I imagine the whole idea is to use that full half of the block for development; it seems pretty clear from the bids the two properties are getting that the "improved" site (i.e. the actual building) is less valuable than the parking lot.

[animatedmartian]

I'm not sure what you're saying. I mean, I can sort of see what you're saying (it certainly would be easier to develop the whole half block), but I don't see how changing the owner indicates possible demolition. There's still a few unknown variables that don't indicate what could happen to Detroit Club. If that weren't the case, then other recently auctioned buildings would be at just as much risk.

[animatedmartian]

Microapartments?

New prescription for Shapero Hall: Studio apartments slated for ex-WSU building (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140803/NEWS/308039964/new-prescription-for-shapero-hall-studio-apartments-slated-for-ex)
By Kirk Pinho. August 03, 2014.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/CD/20140803/NEWS/308039964/AR/0/AR-308039964.jpg&MaxW=620&v=201405231302

Big building, tiny apartments.

That's what to expect if plans for the vacant 151,000-square-foot Shapero Hall, a former Wayne State University pharmacy school building near Detroit's Lafayette Park, come together as the developers intend.

A new plan for the site calls for 180 units to be ready for occupancy by the end of 2015.

Eric Novack, senior project manager for developer Dennis Kefallinos' Detroit-based Boydell Development Co., said construction crews will soon start installing windows and fixing the roof on the building located at 1010 Rivard St., south of Antietam Avenue.

The developers have a building permit to establish a multifamily dwelling and received electrical and plumbing permits in June and July, said John Roach, Mayor Mike Duggan's communications director.

The demand is there for the smaller units, which would be 400 to 500 square feet and rent for $560 to $700 per month, Novack said.

"We are going to have demand for it with (the employees) Quicken (Loans Inc.) is bringing downtown and what Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is doing. We are seeing a market of younger professionals and minimalists," he said.

According to data from Washington, D.C.-based real estate information service CoStar Group Inc., the vacancy rate for the central business district's 10,551 apartment units stands at only about 1.9 percent.

Austin Black II, president of City Living Detroit, a Detroit-based real estate brokerage firm, said the new units "will definitely fill up" because of increased interest in living downtown.

But he also expressed reservations.

"With microapartments, you're targeting a smaller, more transient market, so people may be right out of college getting their first place," he said.

"My main concern with a microapartment trend in Detroit is if every developer ends up doing that you are leaving out a large market of people that want to be downtown but don't want a microapartment."

Jerome Huez, president of Detroit-based downtown residential brokerage The Loft Warehouse Inc., said small rental units "make a lot of sense" in high-density areas if the units have easy access to public transportation, shops and entertainment.

However, Huez said, "the location of Shapero Hall and the Boydell development strategy are not really supporting that model."

The site is within a few blocks of both Gratiot Avenue and Jefferson Avenue, and Novack said he is unaware of any other microapartment developments in the city.

....

"His goal was to utilize or repurpose the building, so he went at it to ensure that it got off the demolition list and we moved forward," Novack said of Kefallinos' efforts to save the building.

Boydell originally planned for Shapero Hall to become a hotel, but that was scrapped after residents of nearby Lafayette Park successfully blocked the rezoning that would have allowed that plan to move forward.

Novack said bridge financing and public subsidies will not be needed for the project. But he declined to disclose the redevelopment cost.

...

[hudkina]

I'm surprised that NIMBYs would have rather had an empty building than a hotel...

[animatedmartian]

I can only think that they opposed it because of possible traffic around the hotel, but hotels aren't really traffic generators of themselves... are they? I dunno. LP residents seem increasing against anything that might draw traffic through the area which seems opposite of what the area should be given that it's directly next to downtown. But then, that's kind of how LP was designed.

[BnaBreaker]

Man, I am so thrilled with all of the amazing things happening in Detroit right now. I was just over there last week to see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds at the Masonic Temple. Before the show, we got a few drinks at the Temple Bar across the street, which was bad ass, and before that, we enjoyed some amazing pizza at Supino in Eastern Market. I gotta say, I was so impressed with that neighborhood. It wouldn't take much to really turn that into a first class neighborhood. Does anyone know what they're putting in between Winder/Market/Russell Streets? According to Google Maps, it was previously a parking lot. What an amazing place for a little park or something.

[animatedmartian]

Does anyone know what they're putting in between Winder/Market/Russell Streets? According to Google Maps, it was previously a parking lot. What an amazing place for a little park or something.

I believe that is just streetscape improvements. That spot will remain a parking lot but with some improved sidewalks and traffic flow.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/e59c20c49bbbcadb3fa73735b41b471e/tumblr_n9rikhmf041tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

http://www.detroiteasternmarket.com/page.php?p=1&s=173

[BnaBreaker]

Huh, well that's disappointing. They must be redoing the parking lot then, because it was just a dirt lot, completely torn up.

[animatedmartian]

Yea, the southern part of Eastern Market isn't really expected to see any new development anyway. If there's going to be anything new to be built, it's going to be north towards Wilkins. There's plans for new sheds and a market center at Wilkins and Russell along with residential development north of there, but there's no definite timetable and it seem dependent on a better economy if we'll actually see them get built.

[LMich]

The Shapero Hall renovation really came out of nowhere. I know they've been wanting to do something with it for years, but it had really gone quiet. That they plan to have it open by the end of next year and that it won't require any subsidies seems unusually ambitious for development in Detroit, so I won't believe it until I see it.

Seems like Lafayette Park is popping back up on the map as development spreads all throughout the core. Lafayette Park always seemed like an obvious near-in neighborhood that would be part of the rebirth, but it had really been left alone for whatever reason. However, I do think the city will have to rethink the road infrastructure and traffic patterns in the neighborhood as things get more crowded there and in downtown. I think we are already seeing this with the I-375 rethink, but the neighborhood does have some poor traffic patterns (basically, poor north-south flow, and fast-paced east-west flow) and is kind of roped in by the freeways. They intended the neighborhood to be an island, but that's not how city-center development is viewed, anymore.

BTW, I wonder where CoStar's 10,551-unit count comes from? It seems that "downtown" is defined so differently from source-to-source sometimes only including the downtown core within the freeway loop, while other times is stretches haphazerdly all the way to places like Woodbridge, Elmwood Park and the east side Villages.

[animatedmartian]

Hmm. Well I came across CoStar's submarket maps. Only, it's for office space and the most recent date on them is 2006. Obviously there's no way to tell if the residential definitions are the same and/or if the boundaries have changed since then but I'm assuming that these are current.

http://gateway.costar.com/imageviewer/GetImage.aspx?webpimage=subMktMaps/15/osdnc.jpg

http://gateway.costar.com/imageviewer/GetImage.aspx?webpimage=subMktMaps/15/oscbd.jpg
http://www.costar.com/about/SubmarketMaps.aspx


I've tried to calculate it and I'm pretty sure CoStar includes an area outside of just the CBD. Counting most of the apartments I could think of in the CBD, the number barely edges above 2,000 units (give or take). The area would have to include Midtown/New Center for the extra 8,000 units. If there's at least 2.1 people per household, then a 10,000 unit number would seem about accurate for the Midtown/Downtown area (since a combined population of the area is around roughly 20,000-25,000).

[LMich]

Oh, I was just kind of musing out loud on that one. I knew it didn't include downtown proper (which, BTW, had 4,572 housing units at the 2010 Census. Folks have to remember that most of downtown is singles, which is why the city-wide residents-per-household number won't work). It's just that once you get outside of downtown proper, I've seen different organizaton pick and choose different sets of neighborhoods are "downtown."

Anyway, if about 4,600 of those 10,000 units are downtown proper, is strikes me that CoStar may not even include all of Midtown. Maybe, even, they stretch "downtown" east-west instead of north-south.

[animatedmartian]

I know plenty of people would not like to hear this.

Recreation center where Joe Louis trained could be demolished (http://www.freep.com/article/20140805/NEWS01/308050027/Detroit-Joe-Louis-Boxing-hearns-Brewster-Douglas)

http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20140805&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=308050027&Ref=AR&MaxW=600&Border=0

A storied Detroit recreation center where Joe Louis trained and a host of basketball and boxing legends sharpened their skills will be demolished within a few months unless someone comes up with a workable plan to save the deserted building, the city told the Free Press on Monday.

The Brewster Wheeler Recreation Center dates to 1929 and is adjacent to the Brewster-Douglass public housing projects that are in the final days of demolition now. Detroit officials are beginning to make plans for what will happen next at the sites.

The city will soon issue a request for proposals for redevelopment ideas in adjacent Brush Park, a historic but underpopulated district in Midtown, according to John Roach, a spokesman for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.

A similar request was made early in the year, but officials decided to give developers a chance to update their designs in light of new developments, particularly the Ilitch family’s plan to erect most of Detroit’s new $650-million arena and entertainment district by mid-2017.

The city-owned rec center is structurally intact but in disrepair and awaiting the wrecking ball.

“It just kills me. It takes away another piece of history from this city of ours,” said Dr. Stuart Kirschenbaum, founder and president of the Michigan Boxing Hall of Fame and a former state boxing commissioner. “It’s almost sacrilegious to see that nothing was done to at least save something — a stairway, an entranceway.”

....

As recently as a year ago, then-Mayor Dave Bing said the Brewster center would be spared as the city considered possibilities for eventually re-opening it as a community amenity for youths and seniors.

The red brick building contains a gymnasium, pool, auditorium and other space, and lots of history.

But Duggan’s spokesman said Monday that the site was added to the demolition list. “So it is slated to come down this fall unless someone presents a workable redevelopment plan,” Roach wrote in an e-mail.

He said people from several city departments who inspected the property reached a consensus for demolition.

....

Along the subject of the Brewster Projects, there's only two towers left and they look more than halfway done.

https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10580004_830125890354457_4898017599530510185_n.jpg?oh=3ee2a5f83641279a73c171c3ef0e7c27&oe=5450C473

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10592999_830125887021124_6003733315730783880_n.jpg?oh=c5ceed5ed67462c004ea7f3e8390b60d&oe=5448AB4F&__gda__=1413529977_16835550dc4953340ce52de3b2d0a6c7

Via Detroiturbex (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.639777512722630.1073741839.109210839112636&type=1) on August 4.

[LMich]

Oh, Duggan. Sigh. And, he was doing so well, too. The guy that put a stop to the "demolish everything" policy of the previous administration, and he's going to put this up after it was promised for renovation, no less?

Yeah, not too happy about that. lol Forget about the historical aspect of it for a second, this would be a significant amenity for the future neighborhood they plan to build in this neighborhood all by itself.

[animatedmartian]

Well see, previous administrations "promised" development on the expectations that a developer would step up at some point. Duggan is a little more realistic in that the city can't exactly hold to these properties forever until it's convenient for developers to use them. He puts a deadline on the property and developers have ample time to decide whether to propose plans for it or not.

If it's not for the historical aspect, then couldn't a new rec center just be built in its place? The historical aspect is probably the biggest and only reason for preserving it. I would rather have an actual confirmation of a new rec center being built rather than a possibility of this one being reused.

[LMich]

Looks like some good, well-placed complaining has gotten Magic Johnson's development of the fair grounds to pull it away from a strip-mall power center-type development, and towards something more urban. REDICO has hired SmithGroup, which has brought about a major reimagining of the original proposal. I can't wait to see what they've come up with. Good job on MetaExpo's part for pushing Magic towards something better. As a fully built-out city, Detroit doesn't get these opportunities on vast single-owner sites often, so when they do, it's best they really try and do something fitting.

Berman: Ex-State Fair site plans get makeover (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140805/METRO01/308050025/Berman-Ex-State-Fair-site-plans-get-makeover)

By Laura Berman | The Detroit News

August 5, 2014

The State Fair and its pig races are over. At the fairgrounds, it’s time for the controversy to begin.

Last October, Magic Plus LLC signed a purchase agreement for the 157-acre site, signing on Redico as the developer. Critics were able to pressure the state, forestalling any transfer of cash and land before the developer met a series of requirements.

It was a vision thing: Critics hated the vast open-air parking lots, scant green space and “strip mall” feel of the early plans. Jim Casha, an engineer and advocate for better use of the land, independently created a “MetaExpo” plan that created buzz behind the scenes, raising the level of expectations for design and transit planning, and slowing down the state’s plans to finalize the deal.

Sometimes making noise works.

Redico, the Southfield-based developer, has unveiled preliminary new plans and has hired SmithGroup, an architectural firm, and another global firm, Parsons Brinckerhoff, as a mass transit consultant — signaling that the firm is aiming higher aesthetically and conceptually as it prepares to meet a state requirement for a transit plan.

SmithGroup CEO Carl Roehling says the intention is “to do something special” that honors people’s memories of the fair and other events held on the site in the past, and to make the site walkable and exciting. He’s so enthusiastic about the project’s potential that he drove to Lansing last week to pore over the archival records.

With the success of the Meijer’s Gateway Project and the M-1 rail startup, “we do see this as a great opportunity for a transportation hub,” Redico CEO Dale Watchowski told me during an interview at the firm’s 16th floor office in Southfield.

...

“It’s not going to be a ‘big power center,’ said Kenneth Till, Redico senior vice president, responding to a phrase used by critics. “It’s going to be a very high quality development.”

The firm’s latest plan includes an American House senior center, 650 rent apartment units “that won’t be typical suburban apartments” and the intent to use three or four historic buildings on the site, including the Coliseum and the poultry building. “We would like to repurpose everything,” Watchowski said, but given the project budget — between $160 million and $200 million — and the high cost of re-inventing huge, old buildings, that prospect seems unlikely.

...

Buildings are being designed to wrap around parking areas, so the lots aren’t visible from the street.

...

[animatedmartian]

Somewhat more positive demolition news, at least you can't blame Duggan for not going after negligent landlords. :D I don't recall too many examples of past administrations bringing the hammer down on landlords who are known to be negligent.

Judge orders former AAA building near Statler Hotel to be demolished (http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2014/08/05/judge-orders-former-aaa-building-near-statler-hotel-to-be-demolished)
By Ryan Felton on Tue, Aug 5, 2014.

http://www.metrotimes.com/imager/b/blog/2214173/f2a8/IMG_1766.JPG?cb=1407252921

A Wayne County Circuit Court judge today ordered the owner of the former AAA building at 139 Bagley Ave. to demolish it by the end of next week.

In a 50-minute ruling from the bench this morning, Judge Robert Colombo said the 5,800-square-foot, five-story building located adjacent to the former Statler Hotel has deteriorated to the point "a high wind can easily knock the east wall down ... and injure or kill members of the public."

The terse ruling followed a contentious court battle that has quietly played out since late June. The city filed a lawsuit against the building's owner, Triple-A Venture, seeking demolition of the property — a decision that would facilitate a proposed $40 million development on the site of the Statler, which was demolished in 2005.

Triple-A's part-owner and decision-maker, Anthony Pieroni, said he saw potential for redevelopment at the site, in light of the Statler proposal and an anticipated $650 million new Detroit Red Wings arena and entertainment district — or, at least, what he considered a fair purchase price. As he put it on the stand last Friday, "Things have changed."

Colombo didn't buy it, even after Pieroni said he would possibly sign a consent agreement to redevelop the property, as proposed by a city attorney while he was on the stand last week — depending on the circumstances. Colombo said Pieroni has had eight years to begin renovations, with more than $1 million in settlement fees after damage to the building took place during the Statler's demolition. His recent work on the building, Colombo said, is "too late and totally insufficient."

Colombo said of Pieroni and the 76-year-old's responses to the city's previous efforts to demolish the structure: "He takes to intimidate you, that he'll use top law firms" to defend himself.

Colombo added: "Mr. Pieroni has no intention of renovating the building.

The building must be demolished no later than Aug. 15, at Pieroni's expense, Colombo said. If it's not torn down by then, the city can pursue necessary action to have it demolished.

Saying he was "pleased" by the outcome, Detroit Corporation Counsel Melvin Butch Hollowell said after the ruling that the city will take measures to ensure Pieroni reimburses whatever costs the city incurs — if he doesn't demo the building himself.

....

[LMich]

The [i]Police Athletic League[/b] updated Corktown on their plans for their headquarters along the Cochrane side of the site, and for the refurbishment of the field at the old Tiger Stadium site. The other parcels around the stadium will be developed as demand arises.

Development At Tigers Stadium: Playing Field Upgrades Planned (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/08/development-at-tigers-stadium-playing-field-upgrades-planned.php)

Last night's meeting largely focused on plans for developing and running the baseball diamond, for which OTSC hired Zachary and Associates to study the logistics of the plan, estimated to cost between $7-$10M. The best case scenario is that it could take at least a year to complete. Funding has not yet been secured but expect a hefty fund raising effort over the next several months.

An organization called the Police Athletic League (PAL) is going to be running the ball field, where where leagues from throughout Metro Detroit will pay to reserve playing time. There will be locker rooms, bathrooms, a ticket booth, PAL offices and a loungey meeting room inside a two-story pavilion.

Ground Level:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53ea1b96f92ea12fde0009ad/Screen%20Shot%202014-08-11%20at%2010.58.20%20AM.jpg

Level Two:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53ea1b97f92ea12fde0009b4/Screen%20Shot%202014-08-11%20at%2010.59.19%20AM.jpg

Cross Section:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53ea1b99f92ea12fde0009be/Screen%20Shot%202014-08-11%20at%2010.59.50%20AM.jpg

[rihanageorge]

Yes, i've been waiting to get some info on detroit as well. The more rust belt the better.

[LMich]

Sigh

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20140815&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=308150030&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Detroit-targets-historic-Park-Avenue-Building-demolition
David Coates | The Detroit News

Detroit targets historic Park Avenue Building for demolition (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140815/BIZ/308150030/Detroit-targets-historic-Park-Avenue-Building-demolition)

By Louis Aguilar | The Detroit News

August 15, 2014

Detroit— One year after the former Charlevoix Hotel near Grand Circus Park was demolished, the city is taking legal steps to tear down the empty historic building next door: the Albert Kahn-designed Park Avenue Building.

The building is in one of the five new “neighborhoods” planned in a $650 million, 45-block district that would be anchored by the new home ice for the Detroit Red Wings as well as create hundreds of new apartments, offices and other mixed-use retail.

The 12-story Park Avenue Building is on the northwest corner of West Adams Avenue and Park. It has been empty since at least the late ’90s. The building was designed by famed architect Kahn in 1922, according to the city of Detroit planning department.

Last week, the city of Detroit Law Department described the condition of the building as “open, vacant and dangerous,” in a court filing in Wayne County Circuit Court. “It is the very definition of irreparable harm to the public,” the court filing said.

The building has a crumbling brick veneer, a damaged fire escape that could potentially fall off, and periodic open doors on the ground floor, the city attorneys said in the court filing.

The city wants Wayne Court Circuit Court Judge Robert Colombo Jr. to declare the site a public danger and issue a preliminary injunction against the private owner and order immediate demolition. Court records identify the owner as Ralph Sachs, doing business as Triangle Management.

Sachs also owned the former Charlevoix Hotel, which was razed last summer after years of legal battles with the city over the condition of the long-empty building.

Sachs faces a Sept. 19 hearing in the Park Avenue case. He could not be reached for comment. Attorneys for the city also did not respond to telephone calls and emails from The Detroit News.

...



I thought we were largely over this. These buildings were starting to take care of themselves. I hope the city is playing some 11-dimensional chess, and this is a way to get this thing to change ownership. Honestly, the building is in bad shape, but it's not the worst building even in downtown as far as safety is concerned. It also fills a corner, and would be an excellent reuse for the future district in the area.

[mousquet]

I think Detroit is some of the few most interesting places on Earth because it went through the most extreme conditions within a relatively short time (roughly 100 years). Glory, booming like few others (NYC owes the couple of its most legendary buildings to the Michigan companies), then too harsh struggle. But damn, this is showing they still lack just a little bit of experience. They just shouldn't be doing this. That's enough. They could reuse this thing, and make it real good looking in the middle of flattering contemporary materials. I just think it'd be a little plus for the city's future. But I'm truly sure it'll be fine anyway. :frog:

[animatedmartian]

Pontiac picking up the pace for its own resurgence.

Investor pool plans $40M Pontiac redevelopment (http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140817/NEWS/140819862/investor-pool-plans-40m-pontiac-redevelopment)
By Kirk Pinho. August 17, 2014.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/4289bc9fdf6b6c1fa173daa21b9b9a68/tumblr_nagdurdvml1tv48zjo1_500.jpg

Sometimes it actually does take a village to raise a child.

In this case, the child is downtown Pontiac, and the village is a group of more than 50 private investors, entrepreneurs and Pontiac supporters who are forming an investment pool to spend between $40 million and $50 million on a series of redevelopment projects for the historic but underused area being rebranded as Indian Hill.

The redevelopment — expected to take about three years and involve more than a dozen historic buildings owned or controlled by the investors — would be the latest in a spate of new projects for a city that just a year ago emerged from under four years of emergency manager control after swimming in tens of millions in debt.

But it would be among the first large investments downtown, which is only about one square mile in size.

....

https://31.media.tumblr.com/3c804012420b1cafb157a8d24b49ab87/tumblr_nage3sIGkO1tv48zjo1_500.jpg

Looking north on Saginaw Street last week, fellow project investor Bob Waun, vice president of business development for Core Partners, counts off about a half-dozen buildings and three parking lots that he owns.

Those buildings and a handful more are expected to be the investors' playgrounds, becoming the sites of a combination of multifamily residential, office and retail space — and possibly even a hotel.

All told, investors envision 175-225 residential units, between 50,000 and 75,000 square feet of loft and traditional office space, boutique and destination retail, and restaurants and entertainment space.

The largest of the projects would be a $15.6 million renovation of the 135,000-square-foot Oakland Towne Center at 28 N. Saginaw St., a 15-story building that would be converted into nearly 100 loft apartments and 40,000 square feet of Class A office space, plus retail and restaurant space.

The investors are under contract to buy that building, which was long known as the Pontiac State Bank Building.

The 61,000-square-foot Riker Building, at 31-35 Huron St., would be turned into a boutique hotel or mixed-use development with a $2.5 million to $4.8 million price tag. The investors are under contract to buy that, too. The vacant 31,000-square-foot building at 50 Wayne St., owned by Waun’s RE Fund LLC, would be turned from office space into 16 apartments, plus 6,000 square feet of retail and office space, for $3.7 million. At Waun’s building at 40 Pike St., the former 22,500-square-foot failed Sevin Nightclub building would be turned into office or creative flex space with a $1.25 million renovation, investors said. Smaller renovations to add loft office space, loft apartments and creative workspace are planned for other buildings, including the 12,000-square-foot building at 1 N. Saginaw, where the former JD’s Key Club and Coyote Club were located, and the 3,800-square-foot building at 9-11 W. Pike St.

....

https://38.media.tumblr.com/062b54dfa98db7ccaf33bed81b2c5646/tumblr_nage47BFqO1tv48zjo1_500.jpgg

[LMich]

Awesome. I've heard that Pontiac has made some amazing strides since the recession. And it's not just the downtown redevelopment, but blight removal in the near-in neighborhoods. It's good to see some grass-roots redevelopment of the county seat.

One thing I'd hope for it that they can find someway to creatively redo the Woodward loop, someday. I'm not sure if something that wide is really needed, particularly given the trend in making neighborhoods more pedestrian friendly. I also wish them well in the study concerning how to return the Clinton River in the area to a more natural state.

[animatedmartian]

Yea I believe Pulte is doing the demolitions in Pontiac similar to what he was doing in Detroit. It won't be long before Pontiac is considered a gem of Oakland County rather than a scar (one can hope).

[LMich]

In a county with places like downtowns like Birmingham, Royal Oak, and even Ferndale, I'm not sure it will be the gem of the county. That said, it can definitely be a solid downtown and not something Oakland County has to be embarrassed of as its county seat. It's also unique having with its larger historic buildings, and can find a niche. Not sure what that'll be yet, but it definitely has a different (heavier) built character than those other downtowns.

[hudkina]

I'd like to see it turn into an urban office center to rival Birmingham. There's a lot of land where the Phoenix Center is (or was... did they tear that down yet?) that could be used to develop an urban office complex.

I definitely think they should expose the Clinton River close to its original path, with a nice greenway running along the banks. That would be a nice touch to go with any new residential, office, or retail in the portion of Downtown.

[LMich]

An interesting concept:

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20140819&Category=BIZ&ArtNo=308190019&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Capitol-Park-project-boosts-area-s-arts-design-image
David Coates | The Detroit News

Capitol Park project boosts area's arts, design image (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140819/BIZ/308190019/)

by Louis Aguilar | The Detroit News

August 19, 2014

Detroit —Efforts to turn Capitol Park into an art and design enclave appears to be progressing with an international artists residency program and contemporary art space finding a permanent home in the small triangle downtown.

The co-founder of Passenger, a joint effort involving the non-profit Detroit Creative Corridor and the College for Creative Studies, said the program will set up shop at 119 State. On Friday, Passenger will host a preview exhibition in “pop-up studio” in the building, but a date has not been set for when the program becomes permanent.

“We won’t begin accepting applications until we have a final construction schedule worked out,” said co-founder Brian Barr in an email.

That schedule has not been set, he said.

...

Passenger was founded by artists Barr and Lauren Rice. It will be a residency program that provides national and international artists with a live/work space and monthly stipend.

“The residency program will have three national and international artists at a time for up to four months. We will occupy the building along with a couple partners to be named in the future,” Barr said.

...

[animatedmartian]

Remember the fiasco with The Griswold senior apartments? Well, there's likely more situations like that to come.

Detroit's Midtown, downtown redevelopment threatens senior housing (http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2014/08/troubled_move_of_seniors_from.html)
August 18, 2014. By David Muller.

http://imgick.mlive.com/home/mlive-media/pgmain/img/detroit/photo/2014/08/18/-c5d62eca2e44c472.JPG

Hershel Welch was visibly confused surveying his new surroundings.

The 61-year-old man was touring a new apartment with a social worker assigned to help low-income seniors move out of downtown Detroit’s Griswold apartment building, which was converting to market-rate units.

"To find this man toward the end of this process, I still get choked up," said Claudia Sanford, of the United Community Housing Coalition, who worked to help Welch move to Rivertown Assisted Living in Detroit. "I took him to Rivertown and he had a real moment of profound confusion."

Welch didn't make the move. He was found dead two weeks after the deadline for tenants to vacate the building at 1214 Griswold. His body was found amid the construction to convert the building from senior housing in The Griswold into market-rate apartments developed by Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services, Inc., which renamed the building The Albert.

Wayne County Medical Examiner records confirm Welch was found dead in apartment 1109 at 1214 Griswold on April 14. The cause of death is listed as "natural causes/heart failure."

Welch's death galvanized a coalition of Metro Detroit housing experts to study what went wrong, and where it could happen again. Their findings, so far:

• At least a dozen senior apartment buildings in Detroit's Midtown and downtown areas could convert to market rate apartments in the next 10 years, forcing thousands of seniors to find new homes.

• There is a strong incentive for building owners to capitalize on high demand for apartments in Midtown and downtown.

• Right now, there's no set system to move seniors or preserve low-income housing credits.

....

"This is a national problem, it's not unique," said Tim Wintermute, executive director of the Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation. "What's interesting about Detroit is people don't think it would happen in Detroit."

Wintermute and the coalition have identified more than a dozen properties in Midtown and downtown where low-income subsidies for senior housing - paid by HUD - are set to expire in the coming years. Most pressing on the list: Orchestra Towers, at 3501 Woodward Ave., where vouchers on 248 units are set to expire Sept. 30. Other properties still have several years left in the subsidy-based contracts with HUD or MSHDA.

Preserving senior housing in Midtown and downtown will be difficult for the coalition, which ideally would like to get senior housing apartments into the hands of mission-driven nonprofits. But intense demand for apartments in the city’s high-profile neighborhoods - both occupancy rates above 95 percent - have private owners taking note of young professionals’ desire to pay premium rents to live in the city’s business, entertainment and university districts.

....

Conversely, the seniors' departure shows the resurgence of downtown Detroit real estate. Many of the senior apartment buildings were filled in the 1980s when no one wanted to live downtown, according to experts. Senior subsidies paid by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were one way to keep any sort of density in the central districts.

Today, stories of young professionals being unable to find affordable housing in downtown Detroit are heralded as proof of downtown Detroit's comeback. Displacing subsidized apartments - albeit units housing seniors - with market-rate apartments like The Albert can be seen as a sign of economic health.

....

[JonathanGRR]

If no other developers come forward, could the former Herman Kiefer Hospital complex be turned into a new senior living home for those being displaced...?

[LMich]

Remember the fiasco with The Griswold senior apartments? Well, there's likely more situations like that to come.

Very interesting read. Duggan needs to get some city department on this to develop a plan. It just shows how fast the inner-city is rising in value; kind of amazing to see it's happening this quickly. The good thing is that there is plenty of land and vacant or underutilized properties not that far outside the core that could fairly quickly be developed for such housing.

[LMich]

The Detroit Transportation Corporation announced a few days ago that it's finally closing down the Grand Circus Park People Mover station for a complete reconstruction. I'm sure the timing of this was spurred by the on-going renovation of the connected David Whitney Building, but the ostensible justification is to make it completely ADA compliant. Along with making it so, they are also doing both an interior and exterior renovation.

I believe they are currently putting out a bid for a general contractor, so I'm not sure if the new station has even been design yet. It'll be interesting to see what they come up with, but it will be certainly be better than the current outdated design. This general area will become quite a small transit hub in the future. The station will be joined by the south-bound streetcar station directly to the south, and eventually the Woodward BRT south-bound station to the north.

[animatedmartian]

I hope they keep around this guy.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4055/4295307168_1f149a7271_z.jpg?zz=1 (https://flic.kr/p/7xyzb9)
Read all about it (https://flic.kr/p/7xyzb9) by Steve Pepple (https://www.flickr.com/people/22958259@N03/), on Flickr

[animatedmartian]

The city has issued (and re-issued) RFPs for the Brewster Rec Center and properties in Brush Park. Crain hints a possible upcoming RFPs for the rest of the Brewster site as the last tower is nearing demolition completion this week.

http://www.degc.org/degc-news/pdd-seeking-qualified-developers-for-former-brewster-recreation-center

http://www.degc.org/degc-news/pdd-seeks-qualified-developers-for-brush-park-redevelopment

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140824/NEWS/308249970/developers-see-prime-real-estate-in-razed-housing-site

[LMich]

Wha? Didn't we just get through discussing that the city was looking to tear down Brewster-Wheeler? What changed that quickly? Or, was it that they were either looking at renovation or demolition, and I misunderstood?

In other news:

Metro Detroit home construction permits at highest level since 2006 in July (http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2014/08/metro_detroit_home_constructio.html)

DETROIT, MI – There were 469 single-family home building permits issued for Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties in July, marking the highest total for the month since July 2006.

That’s according to the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan and reported in the Southeastern Michigan Residential Building Activity Report, released Monday. In 2006, there were 718 new single-family home construction permits approved for four-county area.

The July 2014 rate, a rise of 6 percent over July 2013, also marked the fourth consecutive month that single-family permits exceeded a 400-permit threshold.

Oakland and Macomb counties accounted for a large chunk of the new construction permits, at 215 and 191 permits, respectively.

The HBA/ASA New Housing Permit Forecast projects 2,296 permits to be issued from August to January of this year, which would represent an annual increase of 7 percent.

The title is kind of misleading, but the main point being that housing (and thus population) continues it's steady comeback in Metro Detroit. Kind of weird that this particular organization includes St. Clair County instead of Livingston. I'd expect the numbers to be even stronger had they included Livingston instead of St. Clair.

[animatedmartian]

Wha? Didn't we just get through discussing that the city was looking to tear down Brewster-Wheeler? What changed that quickly? Or, was it that they were either looking at renovation or demolition, and I misunderstood?


Well, the way the city put it: "If no one comes up with a plan, we're going to demolish this building."

So basically, if no proposals come through for this RFP, then it's kaputs.

But the thing is that the quote was made a good week or so before the RFP was put out. So it pretty muched looked like the city was more eager to demolish it before any possible proposal could have came up.

They'll learn to nuance words and actions a little more carefully in time, I guess. :shrug:

That makes me wonder, then, what their actual plan with Park Avenue is.

[LMich]

The more I think about it after my post, the more I imagine this is just them going through the motions. I'd take the administration's first words at face value. You'd hope this blight removal push is a way to scare developers into redeveloping these properties, or at least properly securing them. But, that doesn't seem to be the intention. The intention actually seems to be demolition.

The guy from Preservation Detroit made a really good point about the push to demolish the Park Avenue, and that is that you're essentially rewarding the slumlord for his negligence in that he may have to eventually pay the demolition costs (and that's been a really big "if" in Detroit), but in both the short and long term, he knows gets a site free of a building he can now develop. That, and he has to pay less taxes on an empty site, so there is really no major downside to the property owner.

I think Brewster-Wheeler will be harder to save, so I guess I'm less disappointed by that, now, if that's the route they are going. The push for the Park Avenue, however, seems incredibly short-sighted, particularly considering the occupany/vacancy rate for apartment buildings in the greater downtown area. Redeveloped, this building would be filled in a few months at the very most.

[animatedmartian]

I keep hearing suggestions that Detroit ought to be more forceful with blight-penalization rather than outright demolition. Though haven't the slumlords caught on that they can just argue with the city in court over those? It does seem like a lose-lose situation for the city and the slumlord has more power than he should. Plus Michigan prevents the city from seizing property purely for economy reasons. I really can't imagine how else to city could go about doing handling this.

[animatedmartian]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140826/NEWS/140829878/-61m-orleans-landing-project-approved-by-state-site-cleanup-planned

Orleans Landings, Ducharme Place, and the El Moore all got approval today by MSF. Construction on Orleans landings is expected to start next month.

[LMich]

I saw somewhere else that the site of Orleans Landing will have to be remediated before they can start any construction, but I'm happy to see all of this starting to pick up. Maybe, this will spur GM to revist their plans for their land next door to the RenCen (i.e. RiverEast). That was fairly close to happening before the recession hit, and the concept was pretty ambitious. It really does seem like a no-brainer, and GM is a developer with the means to make what they want happen.

[Docta_Love]

While this doesn't exactly measure up in size and scope to some other recent developments nonetheless this could do as much as a major office or residential development in terms of showcasing the rebirth of the city. Its just been announced that WXYZ-TV is opening up a new glass fronted studio in the Chase Tower fronting Campus Martius.

Here's a link

http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/wxyz-tv-to-expand-with-new-studio-in-the-heart-of-downtown-detroit

[EuphoricOctopus]

They snuck this project in the freep article:

“You have probably tens of thousands of people that ultimately want to live in downtown and Midtown. I think we’re a long way from a saturation of the market,” said developer Christopher Jackson. He plans to break ground next spring on The Mondrian @ Midtown, a $26.6-million building at 3435 Woodward.

http://www.freep.com/article/20140826/BUSINESS04/308260205/500-more-Detroit-apartments-under-way-state-approves-redevelopment-credits

[LMich]

Well, this was quick:

FD Lofts Building Has Sold 23 Condos Since June, 7 Are Left (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/08/the-fd-lofts-has-sold-23-condos-since-june-7-are-left.php#more)

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53fdfbdef92ea171b70078e4/FD%20Lofts.jpg
Curbed Detroit

Honestly, stuff like this makes you wonder if there will ever be a more organized effort to deliver more housing to the inner-city given the demand (apartments and condos, alike), or if we're just going to keep seeing these fits and starts by individual developers. And, then the other question is whether it would be better to center residential development in certain places to begin with, or if the organic model of what's going on is better.

[EuphoricOctopus]

They tore up the right side of Woodward almost to Warren. I guess for the light rail, although I thought they were just doing the overpasses and from CMart to Adams for now.

[animatedmartian]

They tore up the right side of Woodward almost to Warren. I guess for the light rail, although I thought they were just doing the overpasses and from CMart to Adams for now.

http://m-1rail.com/construction/construction-map/

[animatedmartian]

A few other other updates and under the radar projects.

VO5zsQCNg4o

zCGdMSf4NFI


Detroit’s Town Apartments Sold, Will Undergo 18-month Renovation (http://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/Annual-2014/Exclusive-Detroits-Town-Apartments-Sold-Will-Undergo-18-month-Renovation/)
By R.J. King. dbusiness.com

http://rivista-cdn.dbusiness.com/images/cache/cache_c/cache_5/cache_5/c557585cfa835e0eabc2b2b014067547.jpeg

Riding Detroit’s redevelopment wave, Triton Investment Co. has acquired the Town Apartments at First and Bagley in downtown Detroit, and will soon start a renovation that will include upgrades to most of the 255 residences, along with new finishes to the common areas, heating and cooling improvements, and the addition of new amenities.

The deal marks the ninth residential project in Detroit in recent years by Triton Investment, based in Greenwood Village, a suburb of Denver. Earlier this year, the company acquired five properties along and near East Jefferson Avenue — Kean Apartments, Hibbard Apartment Building, Van Dyke Manor, Parker Residences, and most recently, Trombley Lodge Apartments, a three-story structure that offers 40 units.

In turn, the company acquired and is nearing a complete renovation of Alden Towers along East Jefferson, which offers 381 luxury apartments, while Water’s Edge at Harbortown will offer 143 new luxury apartments (one, two, or three bedrooms) set within five-story structures at Harbortown. The latter apartments will be available for rent next summer. The company also acquired 23 homes in East English Village five years ago.

“Detroit is a great story, the city is coming back, and we see a lot of opportunity for people who want to live in historically-significant properties,” says April Sedillos, executive vice president of Triton Investment Co. “For Town Apartments, we’re still going over the layout, but we will upgrade the boilers right away. The timeline is 18 months (to complete the entire renovation).”

...


HopCat Is Nailing Construction In The Old Agave Building (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/hopcat-is-nailing-construction-in-the-old-agave-building.php)

https://33.media.tumblr.com/6172b93ea7599823be9574eddcf64066/tumblr_nbf1xvtkZV1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg
-Curbed Detroit

LTU Design Center Grew A Skeleton Over The Summer (http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/ltu-design-center-grew-a-skeleton-over-the-summer.php)

https://33.media.tumblr.com/03a13dd74a0c9b0579b1ae0ee0b38815/tumblr_nbf25mV9O51tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/00bd73663a83d576b4ffa55c89295ff2/tumblr_nbf254VUkS1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/c4a27c701a9987c6545ea4c5814ad88e/tumblr_nbf24vPKZ51tv48zjo1_1280.jpg
-Curbed Detroit


Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (MBRB) (http://facilities.wayne.edu/mbrb/index.php)
https://38.media.tumblr.com/cbdae4ef29a4dc65a468f1352a4688b9/tumblr_nbf2daASbZ1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/767ea81c10190abfbd952ab12fd6e7cb/tumblr_nbf2d13rrt1tv48zjo1_1280.jpg

Drove past this about a week ago so I'm pretty sure these images are pretty recent. It's in the middle of the night as I'm posting this so the webcams don't seem to be live.


DMC Heart Hospital at Mack and Brush. Opened July 29th. The parking garage and office building are built to look very similar and are connected by a skywalk. Details on Freep. (http://www.freep.com/article/20140729/BUSINESS06/307290209/New-Heart-Hospital-opens-DMC)

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/14732363044_ccfa2852a3_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/orRdgo)
DSC02560 (https://flic.kr/p/orRdgo) by DMC Heals (https://www.flickr.com/people/38235781@N08/), on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3879/14548043770_a81327be55_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oaywyS)
DSC02541 (https://flic.kr/p/oaywyS) by DMC Heals (https://www.flickr.com/people/38235781@N08/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/13445367914_8ddd826960_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/mu82sb)
DMC Heart Hospital (https://flic.kr/p/mu82sb) by DMC Heals (https://www.flickr.com/people/38235781@N08/), on Flickr

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2928/13936343039_581ebfbeec_b.jpg
(https://flic.kr/p/nevpfx)DSC_0082 (https://flic.kr/p/nevpfx) by DMC Heals (https://www.flickr.com/people/38235781@N08/), on Flickr

[LMich]

Anyone have any idea when we may be hearing anything about the Hudson block from either SHoP or Hamilton Anderson? It'll be a year since the announcement not too long from now that we last heard about this.

[animatedmartian]

Anyone have any idea when we may be hearing anything about the Hudson block from either SHoP or Hamilton Anderson? It'll be a year since the announcement not too long from now that we last heard about this.

I assumed it was all on Dan Gilbert when we would hear about it again. Not really sure what he could be waiting on. Speaking of which, there's plenty of projects I've been waiting for Gilbert to announce or present plans for.


Anyway, a few more updates.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10511237_10152645656078070_9164978496900054565_n.jpg?oh=d73c4e7b8d6b632445050c79eb1cb02f&oe=5486918A&__gda__=1418022383_d351e157f87ab637910d5c85d008eb75
Facebook ("https://www.facebook.com/DetroitNewsHub/photos/a.10150225227718070.336651.98050943069/10152645656078070/?type=1)

Rehab in progress at MLK and Cass. The Davenport in the foreground as well as the tall building in the background will be joining the building to the right on the block as active and no longer blight. Pic taken yesterday evening.


Facade improvements on the Metropolitan Building expected to start today.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/work-slowly-starting-on-metropolitan-building-facade.php


Kefallinos has acquired the Michigan Building and wants to restore it and make it a hub for start up tech businesses.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2014/09/slummy-landlord-kefallinos-now-controls-the-michigan-building.php


Habitat for Humanity built several homes on the east side near Mack and Alter.

http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=45a631f37884edb1fb51dca1c&id=5280986c9e

[hudkina]

I am glad to see the Town Apartments getting a refresh. It seems like it could be a really great location eventually.;)

[Docta_Love]

I had heard that the city had extended the time table that Dan Gilbert has to get the development of the Hudson Block started through 2017.