DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[DetroitSky]

Poke Burri restaurant to occupy former Le Petit Zinc space in Midtown (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/poke-burri-restaurant-occupy-former-le-petit-zinc-space-midtown)

Poke Burri is replacing Le Petit Zinc in the Strathmore Apartments building in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.

Poke Burri replaces Le Petit Zinc in the Strathmore Apartments building. Some of its food concepts include sushi dishes shaped like doughnuts, pizza and corndogs.
The Atlanta-based sushi restaurant that creates things like sushi pizza, sushi corn dogs and sushi doughnuts in addition to its poke bowls and sushi burritos, is leasing about 900 square feet in the rehabilitated building, said Seven Chan, who co-owns the restaurant along with Ken Yu.

Mohamad Atwi of Dearborn is on board as an owner-operator, Chan said.

Chan said the restaurant will have 15 to 30 seats on the inside and about 20 to 25 seats on outdoor patio space when it opens in late summer or early fall. He anticipates build-out will cost less than $100,000 and annual revenue to be at least $750,000.

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6 Salon to open downtown Detroit location (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail/6-salon-open-downtown-detroit-location)

A hair salon company with locations in Oakland County is swooping into downtown Detroit while the city's retail prospects continue improving.

George Nikollaj, owner of 6 Salon, is planning to open a new 3,900-square-foot store at 1441 Woodward Ave. in September. He said a $600,000 build-out is scheduled to begin in the next two weeks.

The full-service salon will have 18 cutting chairs, two manicuring stations, two pedicure stations and two makeup stations. Nikollaj's 15-year lease with Bedrock is split into three five-year terms.

"I have this crazy love of being downtown," Nikollaj said. "Before I signed the lease, I spent a lot of time down there. It blew me away to be out there on a Monday afternoon, when it wasn't even nice out yet, and see the energy."

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Foundations give $2.5 million to improve early childhood education facilities in Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/foundations-give-25-million-improve-early-childhood-education-facilities-detroit)

Of the $2.5 million in new grants to IFF in support of the Learning Spaces program:

A $500,000 grant from Kellogg will provide continued facilities support for 10 to 12 home-based and center-based licensed early childhood education providers.

A $1 million grant from PNC will support IFF's work in Detroit neighborhoods by improving the quality of early childhood education facilities, providing targeted technical assistance and addressing specific needs of providers who would like to offer extended or after-hours care. Funding will also help support investments in the city's Brightmoor neighborhood on Detroit's northwest side, including home-based providers.

Another $1 million grant from Kresge will support citywide projects, especially in the Livernois-McNichols area, where the foundation supports neighborhood development efforts alongside the Live6 Alliance economic development organization and last fall made a $50 million grant, its largest ever to a Detroit neighborhood, in support of a
"cradle to college" plan on the Marygrove College campus.

Delta Dental donates $5 million toward playground at new west riverfront park (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/mackinac-policy-conference/delta-dental-donates-5-million-toward-playground-new-west-riverfront)

Delta Dental of Michigan is donating $5 million toward construction of a 5-acre playground along Detroit's west riverfront in the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, where construction is scheduled to begin next year.

The Delta Dental Play Garden "is going to be a game-changer for the families in Detroit and for folks who live in this region," said Mark Wallace, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

Goran Jurkovic, CEO of Delta Dental of Michigan, said the donation will be the largest in the dental-benefits management company's 62-year history.

"It will activate that area and hopefully bring a lot of kids to the riverfront," Jurkovic said in an interview at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference.

New York City landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and his firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates will design the play garden. Van Valkenburgh's previous major park projects include Gathering Place in Tulsa, Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City and Maggie Daley Park in Chicago along Lake Michigan.

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[DetroitSky]

Mayor Duggan pledges blight-free Detroit neighborhoods by 2024 (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/05/30/mayor-mike-duggan-seeks-200-million-bond-blight-demolition/1285027001/)

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is planning to ask voters to support a $200 million bond issue next spring to wipe out the city's blight by the end of 2024.

Duggan announced his plans Thursday morning during his keynote address at the annual Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island.

"We're going to take down 4,000 houses a year, and in five years by the end of 2024, we will not have a single abandoned house in any neighborhood in the city of Detroit," Duggan said to applause.

The city is positioned to post its fifth balanced budget and has paid down so much of its debt, Duggan said, "we could actually sell this bond issue with no tax increase."

Detroit has paid its back debt of schedule because revenues have been running higher than projections made during its bankruptcy. All the city will be asking voters to support is the authority to borrow off of its existing bonding capacity.

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[DetroitRises]

Has any read or heard of news on ground breaking for The Tcf/Chemical bank headquarters? When they announced the merger no mention was made of delaying start on the project and Tcf/chemical is paying for the entire project so financing is not an issue.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Has any read or heard of news on ground breaking for The Tcf/Chemical bank headquarters? When they announced the merger no mention was made of delaying start on the project and Tcf/chemical is paying for the entire project so financing is not an issue.

Was just thinking about this. I believe they mentioned starting work on in the q2 of this year. Could they possibly be working on a redesign?

[DetroitSky]

Has any read or heard of news on ground breaking for The Tcf/Chemical bank headquarters? When they announced the merger no mention was made of delaying start on the project and Tcf/chemical is paying for the entire project so financing is not an issue.

I know there was talk of the project potentially growing after the TCF/Chemical merger was announced. I also don't think any of the renderings we've seen so far have been more than conceptual. Either way, the Michigan Mutual Liability annex building needs to be torn down before construction begins, and its still standing and appears to be in use still. I haven't heard anything about when we should expect demolition to begin.

Italian automotive supplier plans new manufacturing plant in Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/manufacturing/italian-automotive-supplier-plans-new-manufacturing-plant-detroit)

An Italian automotive supplier plans to build a new manufacturing plant in Detroit.

Tiberina Group, a supplier of body-in-white and metal stampings for the auto industry, acquired 10 acres of land at the former American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings site on Holbrook Drive on the city's border with Hamtramck.

Tiberina purchased the land from Cleveland-based Industrial Commercial Properties LLC and California-based Industrial Realty Group LLC, who themselves acquired most of American Axle's 2.5 million-square-foot Detroit Manufacturing Complex in 2014. As part of that deal, American Axle demolished about 1.9 million square feet of the complex and leased back about 360,000 square feet.

The size of the manufacturing plant Tiberina plans to build on the site or what products it will supply to whom remains unknown at this time. Representatives from Tiberina and the real estate companies did not immediately respond to inquiries.

Realtors plan $1.12 million rehab of East Grand Boulevard building (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/realtors-plan-112-million-rehab-east-grand-boulevard-building)

Two Realtors are rehabbing a three-story building on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit after receiving a state grant that's assisting with an intensive renovation.

Jan Dijkers and Todd Sykes are vice presidents with Detroit-based Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, but separate from that work they're undertaking their first development.

It will cost approximately $1.12 million to undergo historic masonry restoration — including rebuilding porches and replacing missing decorative stone — and renovate the long-vacant building to reopen with a ground-floor commercial tenant and three apartments upstairs, Dijkers said.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. awarded Dijkers and Sykes, who plan to operate under D-Town Development LLC, $220,682 under the state's Michigan Community Revitalization Program, according to a state memo.

They plan to break ground within a couple months and expect work to take 8-10 months on the 4,560-square-foot building. Detroit-based Virtuoso Design + Build signed on as architect and Detroit-based ROK Construction Services LLC as construction contractor. The duo is seeking a commercial tenant for 1,185 square feet — likely an office or retailer, Dijkers said.

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Sneak Peek: The Corner development at old Tiger Stadium nears completion (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/5/31/18647315/the-corner-old-tiger-stadium-nears-completion)

Corktown is about to get a whole lot denser. On the east side of Trumbull Avenue, Elton Park will add retail and over 400 units of multi-family housing.

West of Trumbull, on the former side of the old Tiger Stadium, will be The Corner, developed by Larson Realty Group. When complete, it will add 111 apartment units and 34 townhomes.

Called The Towns @ The Corner, the two-story townhomes will be 1,588 square feet and have two bedrooms, a two-car detached garage, modern appliances and fixtures, granite countertops, a first-floor mudroom, and more. Some come with a rooftop deck.

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This Free Press article (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2019/05/31/tiger-stadium-site/1286855001/?fbclid=IwAR12X7-GdoIQ7L49gZ-1H5uCZHbZD4wICKrqLhs-FOe5iFH7L2d5Ar3B5AE) contains some exterior photos of The Corner's new construction and mentioned a development that hasn't been posted about called North Corktown 11 at 3303 Cochrane.

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The Corner

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Further afield, there are two other new condo projects in Corktown that are starting to take shape: The "Bagley 10" three-bedroom condos at 1336 Bagley St. and the "North Corktown 11" two-bedroom condos at 3303 Cochrane.

Prices range from $599,000 to $725,000 at the Bagley 10 and from $315,000 to $384,000 at North Corktown 11.

Among the new Corktown projects, North Corktown 11 is notable for its sub-$400,000 asking prices.

"Most of what we see coming to the market today is positioned at the very high end, with big price tags that most can't afford," said Todd Sykes, vice president of new development for Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices/The Loft Warehouse. "North Corktown 11 is aimed to fill that gap."

Here's some renderings from North Corktown 11's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NorthCorktown11/):

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[The North One]

Has any read or heard of news on ground breaking for The Tcf/Chemical bank headquarters? When they announced the merger no mention was made of delaying start on the project and Tcf/chemical is paying for the entire project so financing is not an issue.

I highly doubt you'll see it break ground before the merger is finalized which wont be until late this year.

[Jasoncw]

I'm really glad we're seeing more true townhouses (with front entrances on the street and individual back yards) being built. I think that's the ideal typology for urban neighborhood making.

This development in particular seems to have a really nice sense of scale as well.

[DetroitSky]

‘Fortnite' maker Epic Games to open office in Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/technology/fortnite-maker-epic-games-open-office-detroit)

Fortnite maker Epic Games is coming to Detroit. Not to shift development of the wildly popular online game from Epic's headquarters in Cary, N.C., to the Motor City, but to better serve its growing number of automotive clients using Unreal Engine.

Unreal Engine is an end-to-end game design toolset capable of rendering photorealistic imagery on the fly. Ford used an Unreal-powered VR experience as part of the 2020 Explorer's debut at the 2019 North American International Auto Show, while 1,000 Audi dealerships around the world have interactive Unreal-based car configurators accurate down to the last lug nut.

For Ford, VR is the best way for consumers to experience a prototype vehicle without them sitting in a prototype vehicle. The 2020 Explorer debut at NAIAS this year used an array of cameras to monitor the Explorer and sync visuals to changes in elevation and position as the SUV drove around a track. After six months of planning for the original demo in Detroit, it took six weeks for the automaker's creative agency, Imagine Media, to translate that to an experience that would work within smaller confines of the New York International Auto Show at Javits Center in Manhattan.

"You have to physically be here to be a part of the automotive industry," Kabodian said. "It's not a fly in, fly out industry."

Currently, Wenzcel is taking part in workshops, dubbed Unreal Academy, that teach interested programmers how to use a game engine for auto design. He's also attending related conferences and scouting office spaces.

Wenczel said Epic is currently hiring to fill 10-15 expert-level support staff positions, with a goal to open an office here by year's end.

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Southwest Detroit institutions aim to steer neighborhood on change's edge (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/southwest-detroit-institutions-aim-steer-neighborhood-changes-edge)

Amid concerns about how investment sparked by Ford's plans could transform the historically resilient region, locals are formulating separate ideas to guide development and benefit from increased interest in the area.

For one, the Southwest Detroit Business Association and Corktown Business Association joined forces to pitch the Ford Motor Company Fund, Ford's philanthropic arm, in a late February meeting at Ford's Dearborn headquarters.They're seeking funding that would aim to help revitalize Michigan Avenue — a corridor seen by some as having the best business argument for attracting investment that pushes outside the Ford-Corktown footprint.

Around 28 businesses, property owners and neighborhood representatives along the corridor are working to revive a Western Market Commercial District, the collective's leader, Christopher Hájek of The Hájek Firm PLLC, said in an email. They incorporated a nonprofit for the purpose and aim, initially, to make streetscape improvements between I-75 and West Grand Boulevard. Those could be funded in part by creating a business-improvement tax assessment zone.

And nonprofit Southwest Solutions is preparing a multi-pronged neighborhood development strategy for the Chadsey-Condon neighborhood on the north side of Michigan Avenue and the edge of Corktown.

Dewaelsche, the Southwest Detroit Business Association president, said the SDBA isn't "actively working" with either the Western Market or Chadsey-Condon groups on Michigan Avenue plans, though he's had preliminary talks with Western Market. But he said he sees the efforts as complementary and would like to either collaborate or "at least share information."


Hector Hernandez
Southwest Solutions is putting together a "robust" plan that would aim to "recreate a neighborhood," likely stitching together affordable housing, workforce and entrepreneur development, blight removal and vacant lot development with the goal of building prosperity, said Hernandez of Southwest Economic Solutions. It hasn't yet identified partners, but does have seed funding in Chadsey-Condon through a $2.5 million donation announced in September for affordable housing.

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^That bit about Western Market is very interesting. I noticed a sign announcing the market's rebirth on Michigan and 18th today. Most of the original market site is underneath I-75 now.

War of 1812 grave site, discovered before People Mover construction, receives marker (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/06/01/war-1812-grave-site-downtown-detroit-receives-historical-marker/1314652001/)

A War of 1812 grave site, discovered in the 1980s during an archaeological survey ahead of the People Mover's construction, was commemorated Saturday with a historical marker in downtown Detroit.

A years-long effort to raise money and plan for the marker's dedication culminated with a small crowd of about 21 people standing in the median of Washington Boulevard, across the street from the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, near the intersection with Michigan Avenue.

"I'm very thankful that this Michigan War of 1812 marker was installed," said Jim McConnell of the Michigan War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission. "The story of Detroit in the War of 1812 is truly an amazing story."

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[DetroitSky]

Detroit Golf Club plans $4.5 million clubhouse renovation after Rocket Mortgage Classic (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/construction/detroit-golf-club-plans-45-million-clubhouse-renovation-after-rocket-mortgage-classic)

As groundskeepers work to get the course at Detroit Golf Club in tip-top shape for the Rocket Mortgage Classic later this month, management is also planning a $4.5 million renovation of its historic clubhouse.

Work on the Albert Kahn-designed clubhouse, which was built in 1918, will include a new pro shop, redesigned dining room, patio overhaul and façade improvements, said Andy Glassberg, president of the private club in northwest Detroit.

It would be the first significant renovation at the clubhouse in 20 years, and is part of a larger vision that could include a total of $9 million of renovations at the club.

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Marrow, Folk owners craft joint venture as Corktown corner expansion planned (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/marrow-folk-owners-craft-joint-venture-corktown-corner-expansion-planned)

Nest Egg has two main plans. First, the 390-square-foot Farmer's Hand is set to close around July and reopen in a larger space. It would aim to brand itself as a more frequent shopping destination, aiming to increase competitiveness for high-quality local products and meet consumer demand more effectively, Louya said.

As for Nest Egg's other vision: When the Farmer's Hand closes, the group aims to start work to convert the pocket-sized space into Mink, a seafood-focused restaurant concept dreamed up by Welch and Ho. Their goal is to open in September, serving a small, rotating menu with unique wine pairings and around 20 seats.

The new, approximately 1,800-square-foot Farmer's Hand would open in 2021 in a yet-to-be-constructed Trumbull Avenue building planned by Louya and Foulkes' current landlords, Brian and Stacy Mulloy of Ballet Real Estate.

The Mulloys renovated the 1870s-built building at 1701 Trumbull Ave. that houses Louya and Foulkes' businesses, as well as Mama Coo's Boutique, Meta Physica Wellness Center and The Bearded Lady salon.

Following up on that investment, they want to construct two buildings in neighboring lots: 2,600 square feet on Bagley and 5,000 square feet on Trumbull. Brian expects a $1.25 million total price tag with a combined two apartments and two retail tenants (including Farmer's Hand).

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The two new buildings will be on the left and right of these corner buildings.

Nursery to break ground on Herman Kiefer site as sustainability conference spurs initiatives in Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/events/nursery-break-ground-herman-kiefer-site-sustainability-conference-spurs-initiatives-detroit)

As part of the conference, Detroit's planning and development department, along with Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit American Forests, are scheduled to break ground Tuesday on the new Herman Kiefer Health Complex Nursery, according to a media advisory.

"It's an exciting new model Detroit is piloting for reclaiming vacant land to help stabilize a community, grow trees for planting throughout the city and support careers for residents," the advisory said.

The project is a part of a larger plan to redevelop the sprawling, abandoned medical complex that includes a 460,000-square-foot main hospital and seven smaller buildings. The once city-owned hospital closed in 2013, and its property sold to a New York-based developer in 2015 for $925,000. Converting Detroit's abundance of vacant land into green space is a broad objective helmed by Maurice Cox, planning director for the city.

After purchasing the site, developer and architect Ron Castellano laid out a plan to invest $100 million to redevelop the 18-acre site, according to the city. No major work has taken place on the site.

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Eastern Market building to be largely demolished in change of plans for Bea's co-working space (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/construction/eastern-market-building-be-largely-demolished-change-plans-beas-co-working-space)

A former meat-packing facility in Eastern Market with a bright egg- and chicken-themed mural is expected to be largely demolished starting Tuesday, with one of its walls, its cornice and bricks from the facade preserved.

Beatrice and Eli Wolnerman originally planned to renovate the approximately 4,000-square-foot building at 1533 Winder St., but found that the walls weren't structurally sound and wouldn't last, Beatrice Wolnerman told Crain's.

The couple, whose business started as a gifting operation based out of their Grosse Pointe home, plans to construct a two-story building that incorporates elements of the old structure. They're aiming to keep the building looking "exactly the same, especially the front," Beatrice Wolnerman said.

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[DetroitSky]

Detroit to spend $2.76 million to reopen Joe Louis Arena parking garage (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/detroit-spend-276-million-reopen-joe-louis-arena-parking-garage)

Detroit plans to spend $2.76 million to reopen the Joe Louis Arena parking garage.

City Council on Tuesday approved a contract for the capital improvements that will be managed through the Detroit Building Authority.

The 2,600-space parking garage at 900 W. Jefferson is expected to reopen at the end of this year or first quarter of next year, Tyrone Clifton, DBA director, told the City Council.

A contractor has yet to be selected. Clifton said an RFP will be issued by late July/early August.

The large concrete structure, adjacent to the vacant former home of the Detroit Red Wings, closed when the team moved to Little Caesars Arena in 2017. Its fate has been uncertain as demolition plans move ahead for the arena. City Council approved the capital improvements unanimously, signaling the garage will remain.

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New $39M mixed-use development from Bedrock opens in Corktown (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/4/18652292/the-assembly-bedrock-detroit-corktown-mixed-use)

An enormous redevelopment project from Bedrock Detroit, and the company’s first residential project in Corktown, has officially opened.

Called The Assembly, the mixed-use building on Fort Street contains 32 apartment units, nearly 80,000 square feet of office space, and 7,814 square feet of ground-floor retail. According to Bedrock, The total development cost was $39 million and the project received $6 million in Historic Tax Credits.

Bedrock bought the building, formerly known as the Corktown Lofts, in 2016. The general contractor was Sachse Construction and McIntoch Poris lead architect.

The building offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom units on the fourth and fifth floors starting at $1,500 and ranging from 750 to 2,000 square feet. A three-bedroom penthouse with impressive views of downtown and 1,200-square-foot terrace might be one of the more expensive rentals in the city at $6,500 per month.

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City of Detroit issues RFPs for four sites in Brush Park (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/4/18652131/city-of-detroit-rfp-brush-park)

But there’s still plenty of vacant lots in Brush Park. And with four request for proposals (RFPs) issued for new construction projects, it’s clear the city would like to see even more housing in the historic neighborhood.

There were two RFPs issued for four lots, all on Watson Street between John R and Brush streets, that are seeking “new mixed-income housing” with a variety of unit types and sizes.

One address, 205 Watson, has its own RFP. The site is 10,805 square feet (0.25 acres) and has an asking price of $380,000.

The other three addresses—287, 295, and 301 Watson—are adjacent and come packaged as a single RFP. The total combined square footage is 14,985 (0.34 acres) with an asking price of $525,000.

[DetroitSky]

Pope Francis Center planning $19 million, short-term housing complex for the homeless in northeast Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/pope-francis-center-planning-19-million-short-term-housing-complex-homeless-northeast)

The Pope Francis Center, a downtown Detroit day center for the homeless, is developing a $19 million, short-term housing complex on Detroit's northeast side.

Plans for the block-long development of connected buildings call for 40 studio apartments to provide "bridge" housing for 90-120 days, a cafeteria, gymnasium, library, classrooms, a health clinic and heated, outdoor shelter space for those who aren't ready to go inside.

A rezoning request for the property, previously home to a school, is set to go before the Detroit Planning Commission on Thursday night.

The Pope Francis Center has an agreement to purchase just less than 6 acres of vacant land at 3769 E. Canfield St. near Mt. Elliott from the city of Detroit for $180,000, contingent on securing the rezoning, said the Rev. Tim McCabe, executive director of the center.

The 58,000-square-foot complex would be the first short-term housing development for the homeless in Detroit, McCabe said.

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Strong Detroit neighborhood proposals lead Kresge to boost grant round to $2.4 million for 25 projects (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/strong-detroit-neighborhood-proposals-lead-kresge-boost-grant-round-24-million-25)

Twenty-five community projects including a combined art gallery-cafe in Mexicantown and a neighborhood hub in an abandoned Woodbridge school are getting portions of a $2.4 million round of Kresge Foundation grants.

Troy-based Kresge originally planned to award $1.5 million in this round of the Kresge Innovative Projects: Detroit initiative, it said in a news release. But so many of the 163 applications were compelling that it drew in extra funding from Kresge's national Arts & Culture, Health and Human Services programs. Before this, the largest Kresge Innovative Projects (KIP) round was $2 million in 2017.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/styles/width_792/s3/Kresge%20projects%20map_DET1004-KIPD-2019-Map.jpg

Strategic Staffing Solutions hiring hundreds in Detroit to meet rising demand for remote IT, business services (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/news/strategic-staffing-solutions-hiring-hundreds-detroit-meet-rising-demand-remote-it-business)

Rising demand for information technology and business services employees from companies in the region and beyond has Strategic Staffing Solutions on track to add another 140 jobs at its Detroit headquarters during the second half of this year.

That's on top of the 160 IT jobs the company added to its Detroit ranks over the past year, said Executive Vice President Jeff Nelson.

The additions will bring the total number of S3 employees working from its downtown Detroit headquarters to 600 or more. S3 employs another 600-800, depending on contracting customer needs, on site at Michigan companies.

The increased demand for remote employees is coming from one local customer and two other U.S. companies seeking to keep jobs in the country by locating them in Detroit, Nelson said, declining to name those customers due to contractual terms.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/strategic%20staffing%20solutions-main_i_0.jpg

Expanded bike plaza part of improvements at Coleman A. Young Municipal Center downtown (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/construction/expanded-bike-plaza-part-improvements-coleman-young-municipal-center-downtown)

An expanded bicycle plaza, benches and widened walkways are included in $4.4 million of exterior improvements planned for the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in downtown Detroit.

Construction will begin in the next couple of weeks and wrap up by the end of the year, said Sharon Banks, spokeswoman for the Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority. The work will impact pedestrian traffic around the 19-floor government office building at 2 Woodward Ave.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/coleman%20young%20center%20shot_i.jpg

[uaarkson]

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but I found a neat little animation on the second phase of work being carried out MCS.

s3tBlI4VEvM

[DetroitSky]

HUD approves sale of Brewster-Douglass site to Gilbert for $23 million (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/hud-approves-sale-brewster-douglass-site-gilbert-23-million)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved the sale of the former Brewster-Douglass housing projects site in Detroit to an affiliate of billionaire developer and online mortgage giant Dan Gilbert for $23 million.

It's the latest key step to getting the site redeveloped more than five years after the demolition of the windowless towers that stood for years as one of the most recognizable symbols of Detroit's decline, along with Michigan Central Station in Corktown.

To replace the towers, Gilbert and his development partners plan a more than $300 million redevelopment with more than 900 residences with a mix of for-rent and for-sale units across about 22 acres.

"We are still working through our due diligence inspections on the Brewster-Douglass site and expect to close (on the purchase) in early fall," Gilbert's Bedrock LLC said in a company statement Monday morning. It released no additional details.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/BrewsterDouglass%20Rendering_Bedrock_i.jpg

Winning design for revamped Detroit cultural district envisions unified landscape, architecture and technology (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/arts-culture/winning-design-revamped-detroit-cultural-district-envisions-unified-landscape)

An international design team led by a French firm and several local partners has created the winning design for a new cultural district taking shape in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.

With its vision for Detroit Square, a team including Paris-based Agence Ter with Detroit-based Akoaki LLC, Harley Etienne, assistant professor in the University of Michigan Urban and Regional Planning program, and Ann Arbor-based Rootoftwo LLC was named the winner of the DIA Plaza/Midtown Cultural Connections international design competition Monday morning.

The team was chosen from 44 submissions that came from firms in more than 10 countries and 22 cities. Those were culled to eight finalists a year ago and then three finalists.

The Detroit Square design presents a new walkable concept for Detroit's 83-acre anchor cultural district that seeks to unify the landscape, architecture and technology to create a signature destination for the public.

The $75 million-$85 million vision for a 10-block area around 12 cultural institutions in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood includes possibly reducing the number of lanes on Woodward between the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Public Library, lush vegetation to create borders, a promenade, an artists' platform/stage for events and other features such as a Respect Café near the DIA, a canopy addition to the DIA's John R entrance and bioswales. Other features include new controllable lighting, wayfinding technologies and outdoor screens.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Detroit%20Square_Birdseye-01_i.jpg

Google plans $17-million expansion in Michigan, to add jobs in Detroit and Ann Arbor
(https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2019/06/10/google-detroit-ann-arbor-jobs/1408818001/)

Tech giant Google announced Monday that it will expand its Detroit and Ann Arbor offices and add new sales and technical support jobs.

The expansions will involve new hires across Google's two Michigan locations: its Detroit office next to Little Caesars Arena and its primary Michigan office on the north side of Ann Arbor.

The company declined to specify how many new jobs are coming, but said there will be a "significant" addition. Google currently employs about 600 people in Michigan, mostly in advertising sales and technical support for services such as Google's cloud-computing platform.

Google plans to spend $17 million on the expansion work and is not seeking any development subsidies. The company is making similar investments in 13 other states.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/01/07/PDTF/45ef98c0-9e37-4efb-9f96-cbd48a26b844-Google.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

[detroiterforlife]

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but I found a neat little animation on the second phase of work being carried out MCS.

s3tBlI4VEvM


Love that Ford is giving frequent updates on this site. SE Michigan has huge emotional ties to MCS due to what it has represented over the last 30 years, and I'm glad theyre restoring it so beautifully.

I wish bedrock would offer these types of updates on the hudson site construction timeline

[DetroitSportsFan]

An article was recently published about the Hudson Site. They’ve been hitting pieces of the Hudson’s foundation while drilling which has caused some delays. They have drilled about 74 of the 105 required caisson holes for the block portion. Once those are finished sometime in August, they’ll start drilling them for the tower portion. We should supposedly start seeing the block portion rise above grade first sometime early spring next year, with the tower following after.

[DetroitSky]

Ulysses S. Grant home finally heading to Eastern Market (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/06/13/ulysses-grant-home-eastern-market/1442247001/)

Now it's on the move again – to Eastern Market.

The Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan History Center and the Eastern Market Partnership on Thursday announced details of the historic home's long-planned move and renovation.

The home, where Grant lived with his wife, Julia, will be relocated to the corner of Orleans and Wilkins streets and include gardens and a small orchard.

According to officials, the setting will complement the house, whose major attraction – according to a letter Ulysses sent to Julia – was “a garden filled with the best kind of fruit ... a long arbour grown over with vines that will bear fine grapes in abundance for us and to give away ... currents [sic] and plum & peach trees.”

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/a98a624de7c393bee55318166953890fd5c0f5a5/c=136-0-2264-1600/local/-/media/2015/03/11/DetroitFreePress/DetroitFreePress/635616953823570278-UlyssesGrant-031115-07-MW.jpg?width=540&height=405&fit=crop

Detroit to showcase art and heritage of Russell Woods, Nardin Park (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/06/13/detroit-strategic-neighborhood-fund-plans-russell-woods-nardin-park/1420104001/)

Detroit — The city of Detroit seeks to showcase the memories and music of one historic neighborhood in west Detroit with plans for park updates and a strengthened retail corridor presented to residents Thursday.

The projects in Nardin Park and Russell Woods are part of the city's Strategic Neighborhood Fund, an initiative to reinvigorate areas outside downtown and Midtown with the help of philanthropic dollars. The neighborhood, once home to the Supremes and other influential artists, is one of seven the city identified to attract investment.

"We listened to this community over the last 12 months to really kind of understand what is the most important thing for them right now based on the money we have," said David Walker, design director for Detroit's western region. "We're really celebrating their arts, their culture, their heritage, which residents have defined to us over and over again how important it is."

That includes removing blight and activating vacant lots with programming. It means creating gateways into the historic neighborhoods and infusing parks, commercial buildings and crosswalks with art.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/13/PDTN/bed13fa2-322a-4ae8-95be-6da94708cab9-Proposed_ZussmanPark.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Zussman Park upgrades

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/13/PDTN/968b7e55-a8d6-469c-9cc9-a4606efb38f6-Proposed_DexterAve_Retail.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Dexter Ave

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/13/PDTN/1e50d231-b012-4b07-8546-f3775be785c6-Proposed_GatewayatLeslie2.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Russell Woods gateway on Leslie Street

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/13/PDTN/482980a6-6f0a-4841-ae22-cab5292ed15e-ProposedHouse_NardinPark.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Several two, three and four family homes along Elmhurst Street in Nardin Park will be rehabbed by 2021.

Detroit seeks to connect riverfront to Campau Greenway (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/06/12/detroit-breaks-ground-joseph-campau-greenway/1430027001/)

Detroit — Construction workers broke ground on the Joseph Campau Greenway Thursday morning, a 1.2-mile-long pathway that will connect Vernor to the city's Riverfront.

The $4.9 million project will include a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists, new benches, updated storm water infrastructure and recreational features such as playgrounds.

The project is part of a larger effort to make the city's waterfront more accessible to residents in the area, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy President Mark Wallace said.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/12/PDTN/24f162b5-09e9-47ea-90ea-683ee4a24364-Riverwalk-3.JPG?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Construction begins on Belle Isle garden by renowned landscape designer Piet Oudolf (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/13/18677736/belle-isle-oudolf-garden-detroit-construction)

Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf has worked on some of the most significant gardens in the United States—the High Line and Battery Park in New York City, Millenium Park in Chicago—and many more across Europe.

His most recent commission? Belle Isle in Detroit. In just over a year’s time, a grassy, 2.5-acre site outside the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon Tower will soon become a flourishing garden with thousands of plants and a walking path.

A groundbreaking took place on June 11 to signify the beginning of construction of the hardscape and preparation of the topsoil.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TyELM8HaInYlOtPokDPYiBdUi-s=/0x0:1024x683/920x613/filters:focal(431x261:593x423)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64000559/IMG_42731_1024x683.0.jpg

Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit plans major overhaul of clubhouse (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/bayview-yacht-club-detroit-plans-major-overhaul-clubhouse)

Management at Bayview Yacht Club is planning a $3.7 million to $4.3 million overhaul of the private sailing club on Detroit's east side as it looks to turn the tide on declining membership.

An extensive renovation of the historic club at 100 Clairpointe St. is scheduled to begin this fall, with the 12,688-square foot club complete by July 2020, said Brad Kimmel, a member of the club who served as its commodore last year.

"The whole project is to capitalize on the view of the Detroit River — see the river, see downtown from anywhere inside the clubhouse," he said.

Large windows, natural light and open air will influence the design of the new club house. There will also be conference and banquet rooms added to make it more than just a bar and restaurant, Kimmel said. Another bar will be built, but the beloved original bar, or "mahogany altar," as it is sometimes called, will remain.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Bayview%20Yacht%20Club_rendering-01_i.jpg

[Docta_Love]

That's great news about Grant's home I had no idea it was still at the state fairgrounds! I wasn't even aware he lived in Detroit until recently when I was reading Grant by Ron Chernow. The structure was originally located on East Fort Street between Russell and Rivard, Lafayette Park today. Grant and his wife spent a year and a half in this home while working as quartermaster he was briefly shipped out to a small outpost on Lake Ontario in upstate NY but was reportedly happy to return after a cold and lonley 4 month winter. Upon arriving he decided to relocate closer to work fittingly enough in the area of the original Eastern Market.

Hopefully they will return the home to its original appearance once it's moved Orleans and Wilkins.


Over the years well wishers and preservationists have contributed to the upkeep and relocation of the home.

https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/790386/stock_20150427/raw/2015035501ec38ded5e.jpg?width=705
https://patch.com/michigan/grossepointe/detroit-home-where-ulysses-s-grant-slept-homeless

Postcard of the Fort St. home during the Gilded Age.

https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/postcard/front/7000/sidebar_slim_east191.jpg
https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/ulysses-s-grant-house

[DetroitSky]

IBM moving to Gilbert building downtown (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/ibm-moving-gilbert-building-downtown)

IBM Corp. is moving into the Ally Detroit Center in downtown Detroit later this year.

The New York-based company confirmed it is "awaiting new office space in Detroit which is scheduled to be ready later this year," without providing additional details when asked.

A source familiar with the matter identified billionaire real estate mogul Dan Gilbert's Ally Detroit Center skyscraper as the ultimate location, in a little more than 10,000 square feet.

IBM would join the likes of fellow tech companies Microsoft Corp., Google and LinkedIn in opening large downtown Detroit office presences in recent years.

Crain's reported Tuesday that IBM's Southfield location had closed and that signage from its Southfield Centre building had been taken down.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/AllyDetroitCenter_i.jpg

Detroit Axe to expand to Corktown, Mall at Partridge Creek (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/entertainment/detroit-axe-expand-corktown-mall-partridge-creek)

Owners of Detroit Axe in Ferndale will swing into Detroit's Corktown neighborhood and Clinton Township with a pair of new locations as they carve out a larger footprint for the ax-chucking company.

A new 7,000-square-foot location in Detroit got the thumbs up from the city's building department this week. Construction on the leased property at 1375 Michigan Ave. is expected to start in the next couple of weeks, said Brian Siegel, co-owner of the business with Geoff Kretchmer.

At the same time, work on the location at the Mall at Partridge Creek is expected to start soon. The business partners signed a long-term lease for a 3,700-square-foot space across from Bar Louie.

Both are expected to open sometime in October.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/detroit%20axe%20rendering%20final-MAIN_i.jpg

Work now underway on $20 million center for city's homeless (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/06/14/work-underway-20-million-dollar-homeless-center-detroit/1450431001/)

Detroit — The Neighborhood Service Organization broke ground Friday on what it says will be a transformative project with the mission to end homelessness in the city.

Construction began on the estimated $20 million Clay Center campus on Mack near Gratiot despite Ilitch Holdings Inc. earlier this year backing out of a $1.5 million deal to buy NSO’s homeless crisis shelter building in Cass Corridor — a transaction that was to be a source of funding for the new campus.

The project will be done in two phases. The center is named for Sheilah Clay, who retired as the Detroit-based nonprofit’s CEO last year.

Mayor Mike Duggan on Friday credited the vision of Clay, who spoke up in a meeting with city leaders years ago when it was apparent that efforts to reduce homelessness weren’t working.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/14/PDTN/6d21f1f2-abba-43e7-a358-92a25917eafc-061419-tm-Clay_Center037.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

‘Female-focused’ coworking space to open downtown location in the fall (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/14/18678954/femology-downtown-detroit-coworking-space)

Detroit’s only “female-focused” coworking space is expanding. Femology, which has been operating out of a 500-square-foot office on East Jefferson Avenue, will open an approximately 3,000-square-foot downtown space in the fall.

The exact location hasn’t been announced yet. Femology says there will be a groundbreaking event later in the summer.

The company did release some details about the new location. In addition to both shared and private office space and conference rooms, there will also be a wellness room with space for yoga, a podcast room, and lactation space for new moms.

The design of the new space is being lead by two Detroit-based women: Imani Day, a designer with Gensler, and architect Chandra Moore, founder of coG-Studio.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0Bd1qr3vbOHd8rAMplOIglPhRIU=/0x0:1280x960/920x613/filters:focal(538x378:742x582)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64005570/femologyexpan1.0.jpeg

[subterranean]

One of the last grants I made when I worked for the state housing authority was to move the Grant house. That was over 4 years ago. Crazy to think it hadn’t happened yet.

[subterranean]

by Jay Koziarz

After more than a year of interior demolition—and souvenir scavenging—crews have begun the process of dismantling the gray exterior panels of downtown’s iconic Joe Louis Arena. The process started last week and is scheduled to continue for the next two to three months.


Source: https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/18/18682782/demolition-joe-louis-arena-red-wings-cranes?fbclid=IwAR2whLRa1DPkLCUTQUof1JTIONxKyWU2oTu1CIKuSdiPFopx-B47w-8Nwts

[DetroitSky]

Speaking of the Joe...

Additional 18 months sought for Joe Louis Arena redevelopment plan (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/additional-18-months-sought-joe-louis-arena-redevelopment-plan)

A delay in Joe Louis Arena demolition getting underway is prompting a bankruptcy-era holdout creditor responsible for the property's redevelopment and the city to seek yet another 18 months to produce a redevelopment plan.

Gotham Motown Recovery LLC, which is a subsidiary of New York City-based Financial Guaranty Insurance Corp., and the city are asking City Council to approve giving Gotham Motown until June 15, 2021, to submit a plan for the 9-acre JLA property.

The current deadline is 5 p.m. Jan. 15, 2020, under terms of a mediated settlement reached between the two parties in July 2018 after Gotham Motown sued in federal court in February 2018 for more time. The original deadline was Nov. 21, 2017, under terms of a settlement of Detroit debts reached in federal bankruptcy court in October 2014 when the city was under emergency management.

An extension agreement to be considered by City Council says that although demolition of Joe Louis Arena is now underway, that and environmental remediation won't be complete within a required one-year time period, necessitating the need for the extension. The Planning and Economic Development committee is to consider the measure on Thursday.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/JLADemolition_i.jpg

Oakland University explores bringing educational programs to Marygrove campus (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/education/oakland-university-explores-bringing-educational-programs-marygrove-campus)

Oakland University is exploring the idea of bringing for-credit and non-credit programs to the campus of Marygrove College on Detroit's northwest side.

If it did so, it would be the second university to come into the P-20 or "cradle-to-career" educational model taking shape there. The University of Michigan is leading efforts for a first-of-its kind teaching school modeled after doctor residency programs as part of the plan announced last fall for Marygrove's campus.

The Marygrove Conservancy, which owns the campus property and is leading the P-20 efforts, is committed to that model and the early educational partners on it, including UM, Detroit Public Schools Community District and Starfish Family Services, said chair Sister Mary Jane Herb, who is president of Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which founded Marygrove College.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Madame%20Cadillac%20Hall_Marygrove%20C_i_0.jpg

Rush Bowls to open first Michigan location in new District Detroit entertainment block (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/rush-bowls-open-first-michigan-location-new-district-detroit-entertainment-block)

Fast-casual concept Rush Bowls will open its first Michigan location along Columbia Street in the planned promenade and entertainment block in The District Detroit, the first of five scheduled to open in the state.

The restaurant will take a 1,000-square-foot street-level space along the south end of the Fox Theatre, a news release said.

Crain's reported in December that Rush Bowls was looking to expand in Detroit.

Rush Bowls will sell healthy meals in a bowl and all-natural smoothies made with fruit and vegetable bases, including acai, kale and avocado.

Plum Market to open downtown Detroit location July 3 (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail/plum-market-open-downtown-detroit-location-july-3)

Plum Market says it will open its new downtown Detroit location July 3.

The 8,000-square-foot store on the first floor of the Ally Detroit Center at 500 Woodward Ave. will have fast casual dining with beer and wine, event space, a patio, and of course, a market.

It will function as an upscale market with "a condensed collection of grocery and apothecary essentials," according to a Wednesday media advisory from the company.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Plum%20Rendering-%20Exterior_i.jpg

Southfield tech company opens downtown Detroit center to nurture startups (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/entrepreneurship/southfield-tech-company-opens-downtown-detroit-center-nurture-startups)

Altimetrik Corp., a Southfield-based technology services company, has opened a startup support center in downtown Detroit.

Called the Altimetrik Collider, it's in 3,000 square feet of the Bedrock LLC-owned Wright Kay Building on Woodward Avenue, above upscale retailer John Varvatos. It opened June 10 and a bigger kick-off is planned June 27.

Altimetrik software engineers will be stationed at the workspace to help companies invent, work on ideas for products or services and create product prototypes, a news release said. The center will host meetups, hackathons and panels as well, aiming to bump participating tech enterprises and other software engineers to their next level of growth.

"We chose Detroit as our first Collider location given the immense talent potential in this market," Abhinav Vattikuti, manager of Altimetrik Collider, said in the release. "My focus is on making this space as exciting and engaging as possible for the local software engineering community ... The goal is to enable creative collisions around the tech and entrepreneur community here in Detroit."

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Altimetrik%20Collider-main_i.jpg

Real Estate Insider: MDOT gearing up for Amtrak property RFP in Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices-kirk-pinho/real-estate-insider-mdot-gearing-amtrak-property-rfp-detroit)

The Michigan Department of Transportation is nearing a request for proposals for a key property in Detroit's TechTown area.

The end result would be a new intermodal transportation facility, the department said, and developers have long salivated over tacking some mixed use on the property along with it across its 3.1 acres. That's about 50 percent larger than the Hudson's site downtown.

The MDOT site — on the west side of Woodward Avenue between Amsterdam Street to the south and Baltimore Avenue to the north — has been of developer interest for years as the QLine streetcar was built and eventually completed in 2017. I wrote about it most recently in January 2016, and the department said at the time that it planned its RFP around then, but it kept getting kicked down the proverbial road.

MDOT spokesman Jeff Cranson said last month that a meeting of key stakeholders — including MDOT, the city, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, Amtrak, Greyhound, Indian Trails, the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan, Detroit Department of Transportation, M-1 Rail and the Suburban Mobility Authority on Regional Transportation — was held April 10.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/AmtrakStation-main_i.jpg

Ford information center in Corktown to share development updates (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/06/19/ford-information-center-corktown-michigan-central-depot/1495415001/)

One year after Ford made the announcement that it had bought the Michigan Central Station, the automaker has opened an information center to share updates for its $740 million Corktown campus.

“This is just our first foray into opening the doors and saying come in, learn and share with us what you want and need,” said Mary Culler, Ford’s Detroit development director. “It will evolve overtime.”

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/06/19/PDTN/5fe0c6df-5de4-4686-9ecd-b90dab8db3af-2019-0619-dg-info0064.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Belle Isle Conservatory reopens after $2.5M structural renovation (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/19/18691930/belle-isle-conservatory-open-renovation-repairs)

Belle Isle’s historic Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory reopened to the public Wednesday following a $2.5 million renovation project started last fall.

The work focused on swapping the 21-foot-tall water-damaged steel trusses that support the dome of the building’s impressive palm house with galvanized steel replacements. Construction was scheduled to be completed in July, but finished nearly a month early, according to a statement from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ExAnyGtzHJptzmXe35yr0qsiC-E=/0x0:4032x3024/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4032x3024):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16386549/Palm_Trees_within_Palm_House_ASW_Conservatory.jpeg

MBAD African Bead Museum celebrates new exhibit space following renovation (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/18/18683444/african-bead-museum-renovation-lorcan-oherlihy-architects)

Located in a cluster of former townhouses adorned with mosaics of colorful glass and mirrors, Detroit’s MBAD African Bead Museum is one of the city’s most eye-catching and unusual cultural institutions. And, thanks to a recently completed renovation, the Northwest Goldberg attraction has a bright future ahead.

Despite the museum’s popularity, the facility needed some work: ceilings leaked and the building at the corner of Grand River and West Grand Boulevard saw its roof completely collapse. But as a result of $100,000 in fundraising, the future looks bright for the Northwest Goldberg attraction.

Phase one of the project, overseen by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA), completed urgent repairs and stabilized the buildings. It also converted an old storage room into a new 600-square-foot gallery and community gathering area and added new windows, mechanical systems, and a much-needed public restroom facility.

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[DetroitSky]

Downtown demolition to clear path for 20-story Chemical Bank HQ (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/21/18701025/downtown-construction-chemical-bank-headquarters-demolition)

The Michigan Mutual Liberty Annex building at 25 W. Elizabeth Street won’t be around much longer. Built in 1951, the vacant 10-story structure will soon bite the dust for Chemical Bank’s new 20-story headquarters, designed by Detroit-based architecture firm Neumann/Smith.

Although an exact date for the old building’s demise has not been set, construction on the new tower will start within the next 90 days, Tom Wennerberg, the bank’s chief marketing officer, told the Free Press. The Historic District Commission signed-off on the demolition plans in December, Crain’s reported at the time.

The new, $104 million high-rise is expected to take roughly two years to construct and will eventually house ground floor retail, approximately 300 parking spaces, and more than 500 employees. The project will also replace a surface parking lot along Woodward Avenue.

^^^All of our exremely high quality local news outlets are calling it the Michigan Mutual Liberty Annex, but it's called the Michigan Mutual Liability Annex. These little errors always annoy the crap out of me. It takes two seconds to Google...

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Eastside residents welcome new community rainscape garden in Chandler Park (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/20/18692771/chandler-park-hamilton-rainscape-garden-climate-resilience)

Residents of Detroit’s Chandler Park neighborhood recently came together to cut the ribbon on a new outdoor amenity designed to serve as a community focal point and a vital piece of flood-mitigating green infrastructure.

Known as the Hamilton Outdoor Rainscape and Learning Lab, the project at 5315 Newport comes from Eastside Community Network (ECN) in collaboration with InSite Design Studio, the Kresge Foundation, the Knight Foundation, and the Institute for Sustainable Communities.

Rainscape projects can bring climate resilience to areas that are coming under increased risk of urban flooding. They work by slowing the flow of stormwater into neighborhood sewers by absorbing rainfall that runs off roofs, sidewalks, driveways, and impervious surfaces. In the case of the Chandler Park rainscape, excess water is directed to a new community garden.

Organizers envision the revitalized vacant site as an outdoor classroom for students of nearby Hamilton Academy Elementary School. The project will also provide participants in Eastside Community Network’s workforce development program, known as the Green Team, with training on how to manage and install green infrastructure.

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Celebrate the grand opening of Riverside Park’s new skatepark (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/21/18701437/riverside-park-skatepark-grand-opening-event)

Riverside Park’s multiyear revitalization is ready to cut the ribbon on its latest addition: a new 15,000-square-foot skatepark. With the Ambassador Bridge looming in the background, the waterfront facility—designed by Seattle-based Grindline Skateparks—is arguably one of the most picturesque places to skateboard in the city.

The grand opening takes place on Saturday, June 22, at 3621 W. Jefferson Avenue. Skate demos begin at 10 a.m. ahead of a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Though the official opening takes place this weekend, the park’s concrete surface dried weeks ago, allowing locals—as well as 51-year-old skateboarding legend Tony Hawk—chances to sample the riverfront facility early.

$19 million short-term housing project for homeless in Detroit secures rezoning (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/19-million-short-term-housing-project-homeless-detroit-secures-rezoning)

The Pope Francis Center's plans for $19 million, short-term housing complex for the homeless on Detroit's northeast side are moving forward.

Detroit's Planning Commission on approved rezoning for the project on Thursday night.

Architectural firm Fusco, Shaffer & Pappas sought the rezoning on behalf of the Pope Francis Center, a downtown Detroit day center for the homeless, which is developing the housing complex.

The Planning Commission approved rezoning the 6-acre parcel bounded by Mt. Elliott, East Garfield, Ellery and East Canfield streets to a planned development classification from low-density residential, the center said in a release.

The project now goes before the Detroit City Council for approval, something that's expected to happen by late summer, said Carolyn Artman of Mort Crim Communications Inc., speaking on the center's behalf.

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Premier Pet Supply set to open full-service store in downtown Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail/premier-pet-supply-set-open-full-service-store-downtown-detroit)

Beverly Hills-based Premier Pet Supply is set to open a full-service pet store in downtown Detroit with an eye toward smaller living spaces and the needs of the urban pet.

The 2,500-square-foot store will be on the ground floor of the seven-story City Club Apartments CBD Detroit project at Washington Boulevard and Park Avenue, which began preleasing its apartments and penthouse last week, according to a news release.

Premier Pet Supply sells a wide selection of natural and holistic foods, treats and supplements for cats, dogs, fish, small animals, birds and reptiles.

The location will have two "do-it-yourself" dog washrooms, where patrons can use elevated tubs, grooming tools and washing supplies for $15 at a time, according to President and CEO Michael Palmer. The store will also have a call-in delivery service for residents in the building, he said.

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A once-blighted Fitzgerald home is finding new life as an early childhood learning center (https://www.modeldmedia.com/features/fitzgerald-brilliant-detroit-061819.aspx)

The new Fitzgerald house, which celebrated its grand opening on June 8, is the latest in a series of innovative neighborhood child learning centers set up by Brilliant Detroit in the city over the last several years.

“Brilliant Detroit is an organization that helps to create kid success neighborhoods, where kids and families have what they need to be school-ready, reading at grade level by third grade, and healthy,” says Cindy Eggleton, the organization’s co-founder and CEO. “And how we do that is we create neighborhood hubs out of houses that we repurpose to bring in activities programs and fellowship.”

Brilliant Detroit's services are geared toward children 8 years old and younger and their parents. Programming is evidence-based and holistic family support is an integral part of the nonprofit's efforts.

https://www.modeldmedia.com/FilterD/images/nh_20190608_2984.jpg

[DetroitSky]

Construction to begin soon on Woodbridge townhome development (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/27/18761575/woodbridge-crossing-townhome-development-detroit)

Soon joining the mix will be new townhouses attempting to fit in with the neighborhood’s historic character. Woodbridge Crossing will eventually be 12 homes in six buildings on Lincoln Street between Canfield and Calumet streets, just outside the Woodbridge Historic District.

Construction will begin the first phase of six homes in the next thirty days. The developer, Scripps Park Associates, hopes to have the buildings done within 10 months. Scripps Park also recently completed the massive, 467-unit Woodbridge Estates, a mix of affordable and senior housing east of Gibson Street.

Developer Eric Gold says the first three homes were financed with equity, though they’re close to securing a loan from Chemical Bank that will likely be used for the second phase of construction.

Gold also says the homes were designed to share features with others in the neighborhood, like wraparound porches, dormer windows, brick exteriors, and similar heights and scales. They also come with a two-car garage separated by a breezeway.

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Detroit to invest $500M over five years to upgrade city’s water and sewer systems (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/27/18761272/detroit-water-sewerage-department-dwsd-upgrades-500m)

Detroit’s Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) announced today that it will make a major investment in overhauling the city’s water and sewer systems. In a press conference in Russell Woods, where work is currently being done to replace a main water line, Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside DWSD President Gary Brown and Deputy Director Pelancia Mobley, said the city would spend $500 million over five years in upgrades.

The bulk of the money will be spent on replacing Detroit’s water and sewer pipes; Mobley said the average age of the city’s water mains is around 90 years old. As the city replaces water mains, it will also replace any lead service lines at no cost to homeowners.

In part, this is being undertaken to get ahead of the state’s revised “Lead and Copper Rule,” which requires taking action if lead levels exceed 15 parts per billion. Brown said Detroit’s levels, at around 4 parts per billion, are safe.

Detroit’s water system has around 2,700 miles of pipes, its sewer system around 3,000 miles—DWSD plans on replacing around 1 to 2 percent of those pipes per year, which Mobley said is much higher than most cities. For 2019, the city has planned 29 miles of water line replacement and 19 miles of sewer line replacement at a cost of $57.4 million.

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Pedini showroom opens in Detroit (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/6/26/18760666/pedini-showroom-opens-downtown-detroit)

The modern, high-end kitchen designer Pedini has opened up a flagship store in downtown Detroit. The Italian-based company offers highly-customizable kitchen templates for both a single customer or developers looking to outfit an entire project.

The eight showrooms in the U.S. prior to Detroit’s location have been in more expensive markets like New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. But Pedini of Detroit co-owners Stefano Mularoni and Rami Chhatwal feel the city’s burgeoning loft market makes it a prime location for a flagship store.

“This market is ripe for this product,” Chhatwal says.

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Dossin Great Lakes Museum to get event space, riverfront trail in $4.9 million upgrade (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/dossin-great-lakes-museum-get-event-space-riverfront-trail-49-million-upgrade)

Belle Isle's maritime museum is getting a $4.9 million outdoor upgrade.

Construction is expected to start Monday on a four-phase project that would change the site the Dossin Great Lakes Museum has sat on since 1960, according to a news release from the museum's operator, the nonprofit Detroit Historical Society.

The historical society renovated the museum in 2013, but this latest project is the first time the whole museum property will be used for "historical interpretation and recreation," the release said. It comes after the Dossin has more than doubled attendance in the past five years, according to the society.

The society has raised $1.9 million of the total needed so far.

The first phase, $1.5 million, will run through November, the release said. It includes improving visitor amenities, outdoor artifact displays and signs; building a kayak launch; creating a Lost Mariners Memorial with a garden and seating; adding a riverfront event patio; and adding a riverwalk and observation telescope. Also being built in are elements to connect the museum campus with the under-construction Iron Belle Trail spanning the state — including bike racks and a cycle service station.

The construction contractor for the amenities phase is Detroit-based L.S. Brinker Co. and Detroit-based SmithGroup is overseeing design.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Event%20patio_i.jpg

Nightclub, restaurant from Oakland County restaurateurs to open in Greektown Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/nightclub-restaurant-oakland-county-restaurateurs-open-greektown-detroit)

A restaurant and rooftop nightclub set to open in Greektown in coming weeks brings together Oakland County drinking and dining industry professionals with eyes on Detroit.

Christopher Johnson of New American restaurant The Meeting House in Rochester partnered with Anthony Mancini of Hamlin Corner and Pronto bar in Royal Oak to create a two-level venue on a prominent Greektown corner.

The Friend & Associate restaurant is expected to open in about two weeks in the former Santorini Estiatorio restaurant space on the corner of Monroe Avenue and Beaubien Street, according to Patti Kukula, executive director of the Detroit Public Safety Foundation and an investor in the venture. Mancini and Johnson are the main co-owners.

Friend & Associate is to occupy the 6,600-square-foot ground floor space, with Delmar Detroit in 5,400 square feet on the rooftop level above. Delmar debuts Friday and will be open Friday and Saturday nights to start.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/santorini%20building-01_i.jpg

JPMorgan Chase's Detroit investment growing to $200 million (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/jpmorgan-chases-detroit-investment-growing-200-million)

Banking giant JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to increase its targeted investments and philanthropy in Detroit to $200 million, growing an initiative that began in the midst of the city's bankruptcy five years ago and has reached into entrepreneurship, job training and neighborhood redevelopment.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon will be in Detroit on Wednesday to announce the bank has already exceeded its $150 million pledge and plans to spend another $50 million by the end of 2022.

This marks the second time Dimon and his team have increased the bank's commitments in Detroit after pledging $100 million over five years in 2014 in the middle of the Detroit's record-setting municipal bankruptcy reorganization.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/duggan%20and%20scher_i.jpg

[DetroitSky]

Real Estate Insider: 511 Woodward may get dramatic exterior redesign (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices-kirk-pinho/real-estate-insider-511-woodward-may-get-dramatic-exterior-redesign)

"Wild."

That was my one-word text to Zaid Elia last week when I saw the rendering of the building at 511 Woodward Ave. in downtown Detroit that he is in the process of buying from Wayne County for $4.65 million.

To be sure, if the project gets completed, the 30,000-square-foot building will look dramatically different when all is said and done. Elia envisions floor-to-ceiling windows and a unique screen wall covering most of the building's Woodward frontage.

"I wanted to have a modern building in the city that was a little different than any other building surrounding it, but it was within the context of the community," Elia said Monday. "Because it is a four-story building at the footstep of the Guardian Building, I needed to differentiate the look."

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MotorCity Casino parking deck deets (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices-kirk-pinho/real-estate-insider-511-woodward-may-get-dramatic-exterior-redesign)

The document says the expansion "will exist harmoniously with the existing garage," meaning that casino-goers would be able to go from one to the other seemlessly.


Jacci Woods, a spokeswoman for MotorCity Casino, said the expansion is also needed "to help with higher demand periods" such as "weekends, special events and prime concert nights."

It would take about 12 months to build, and how to adorn the deck is still being discussed, she said.

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Ilitches miss development plan deadline for Woodward/I-75 property (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/ilitches-miss-development-plan-deadline-woodwardi-75-property)

The Ilitch family has missed another deadline as part of its District Detroit project.

The Detroit Economic Growth Corp., the taxpayer-funded quasi-governmental city development agency, on Monday confirmed that Olympia Development of Michigan has not yet filed a development plan for the northwest corner of Woodward Avenue and I-75 as required.

"There is no plan before the (Downtown Development Authority) for the development of this parcel but we are currently in ongoing discussions with (the) developer to identify next steps," Charlotte Fisher, spokeswoman for the DEGC, said in an email. She did not answer questions about any penalties Olympia, the Ilitch family's real estate company, will face for missing the extended June 28 deadline that was approved last year.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/OlympiaWoodwardI75_i.jpg

^^^I'm guessing it surprises no one the plans for Motor City's new garage is moving along quicker than new buildings in the District Detroit. What a joke.

Nonprofit support hub opens in New Center (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/7/2/20680066/co-act-detroit-new-center-nonprofit-hub)

Co.act Detroit hopes to help with this problem. As part of a $5 million grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, the nonprofit hub officially opened the doors to its 6,500-square-foot space at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard in rapidly-developing New Center.

Co.act, which occupies the first floor of the Midtown Detroit Inc.–owned building, has a number of well-furnished spaces for organizations to rent. There’s a main flex-space, a communal table, a conference room, and smaller rooms for one-on-ones. The rooms have names like “Peanut Butter Block” and “Bumpy Cake” in reference to the building’s past tenant, a Sanders Candy store.

The space was smartly designed by McIntosh Poris Architects. Doors can slide open or closed to provide a sense of openness or privacy as needed. Walls double as white boards. Many of the rooms are wired for projectors and screens. There’s even two showers to support bike culture.

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[Docta_Love]

Wild is right! I really love the 511 Woodward redesign concept.

[DetroitSky]

Dakkota Integrated Systems to bring $55 million plant, 625 jobs to Detroit to supply FCA (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/automotive/dakkota-integrated-systems-bring-55-million-plant-625-jobs-detroit-supply-fca)

In what's likely the biggest new supplier deal to come alongside Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' east-side Detroit assembly plant investments, Dakkota Integrated Systems LLC announced Tuesday it plans to build a new $55 million plant on former Detroit school properties.

Dakkota plans to build a 600,000-square-foot facility employing 625 people on 32 acres at the former Kettering High School property along Van Dyke Avenue and nearby Rose Elementary School site. The school district sold the properties for $2.6 million last month.

Dakkota company leaders, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. agency announced the project late Tuesday morning in front of the shuttered Kettering High School building on Detroit's east side.

The Kettering and Rose schools are to be razed to make way for the new manufacturing plant that would supply "major components" for FCA US LLC's new Jeep assembly plant on Mack Avenue, Dakkota CEO and president Andra Rush said. But Dakkota has pledged to preserve the big blue letter "K" in front of the Kettering building along Van Dyke Avenue near I-94.

The news comes as the city angles for suppliers to expand in Detroit alongside Auburn Hills-based FCA's $2.5 billion investment and 5,000 new automotive jobs planned at two east-side plants. Duggan has previously hinted that the city was in talks with logistics and supplier teams to create more jobs on top of Fiat Chrysler's.

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Columbus-based Condado Tacos to add second Michigan location in Midtown (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/columbus-based-condado-tacos-add-second-michigan-location-midtown)

A Columbus-based build-your-own taco chain has its sights set on the Creamery Building in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood, with plans to open a second Michigan location this fall.

Condado Tacos previously announced that it would open a restaurant at 310 S. Main St. in Royal Oak — formerly occupied by Michael Symon's B Spot Burgers — on Aug. 8.

Now, a second restaurant is set to open in the building at 634 Selden St. in Detroit this fall, Jenna Lorenz, a representative for the company, said in an email.

DSO launches effort to activate secluded courtyard behind The Max (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/dso-launches-effort-activate-secluded-courtyard-behind-max)

While a dozen cultural institutions move forward with a plan to activate the outdoor space in Detroit's 83-acre anchor cultural district a mile up Woodward Avenue, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is doing the same for a courtyard in its backyard.

The orchestra has secured over $1 million in grants for summer programs and planning efforts aimed at creating a more permanent stage in the secluded courtyard, which is tucked behind the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center on Parsons Street between Woodward and Cass avenues.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation "have shown interest in seeing us take advantage of this green space we own," said DSO President and CEO Anne Parsons.

The DSO has invited people to bring lawn chairs to events hosted episodically in the courtyard, like a concert during the annual Concert of Colors music festival or digital MaxCasts of live orchestra performances on the south wall of the Max M. Fisher Music Center. But it doesn't get used all the time, Parsons said.

"We're going to go through a reimaging process for that space," she said.

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Howe Bridge construction heats up (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/construction/howe-bridge-construction-heats)

The long-anticipated bridge construction project is starting to take shape on the Michigan side of the Detroit River, as cranes have been working along the riverfront in recent weeks.

The cranes were drilling test shafts into the ground that will determine the final design of the new span and its towers rivaling Detroit's 73-story Renaissance Center, said Aaron Epstein, CEO of Bridging North America, the consortium of international infrastructure companies that is building the bridge.

Excavators are tearing up what's left of concrete foundations from one-time businesses in Delray that were uprooted through condemnation proceedings to acquire the 167 acres needed for the U.S. Port of Entry customs of plaza that will connect the new bridge to I-75. Some 255 buildings have been demolished in Detroit to make way for the new international crossing.

Crane operators and construction companies are currently working to shore up the seawall along the Detroit River between Lafarge North America's riverfront aggregates plant and McCoig Concrete's plant where the new bridge will make landfall on the Michigan side.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1152x647/public/Copy%20of%20Riverfront%20work%205-Main_i.jpg

[uaarkson]

In Detroit, Tiny Homes Are More Than a Lifestyle Trend
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/07/11/housing-detroit-tiny-homes-trend-227274

https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/c90a079/2147483647/resize/1003x%3C/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F22%2Fbf%2F554e034a4029ba3178563371b0bf%2Fted-detroitsmallhomes-nemath-secondary3.jpg

Tiny homes have been used as emergency shelters or transitional housing in places like Seattle and Denver. Seattle runs 10 tiny house “villages,” which provide a range of social services along with a weather-tight and secure place to sleep. But Fowler’s project is different.

Her tiny homes (six more are under construction with six more planned), built to code on concrete foundations, are designed to be permanent living spaces not just transitional housing. At an estimated construction value of $45-$55,000, much of it built with donated dollars from corporations, foundations and a variety of Christian denominations, they provide an opportunity to build generational wealth for chronically poor people living paycheck to paycheck.

https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/79d5b93/2147483647/resize/1003x%3C/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F9f%2Fcf%2F67d18f804be3860e7574bfe04a53%2Fted-detroitsmallhomes-nemath-secondary2-1.jpg

[tracykurtz]

it's great to see one of these threads for detroit. it looks like there might be quite a bit more to add to it soon as well.

[PopulusRomanus]

Any word on progress at the Hudson's site?

[subterranean]

In Detroit, Tiny Homes Are More Than a Lifestyle Trend
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/07/11/housing-detroit-tiny-homes-trend-227274

https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/c90a079/2147483647/resize/1003x%3C/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F22%2Fbf%2F554e034a4029ba3178563371b0bf%2Fted-detroitsmallhomes-nemath-secondary3.jpg



https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/79d5b93/2147483647/resize/1003x%3C/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F9f%2Fcf%2F67d18f804be3860e7574bfe04a53%2Fted-detroitsmallhomes-nemath-secondary2-1.jpg

I know that is supposed to be a positive photo and story, but damn, something about the look on this man's face in front of that tiny home on what appears to be an empty fucking block just depressed the shit out of me. It's a moment of happiness no doubt, and I feel like I'm being judgmental, but to come to that? I think being here the last half decade has insulated me a bit from my days in the urban cities of Michigan, which was much of my life. You sort of start to forget about it after you've been away for awhile.

[The North One]

lol empty lots are sooo depressing, it's not like basically every exurban American lives by empty land or anything.

Meanwhile the mass homeless in your city will just keep rotting/dying on the streets, which is actually depressing. I'm glad I'm insulated from that.

[SupaK]

Stumbled across this pretty cool video of a recent drive through downtown Detroit.
A pretty good view of the One Campus Martius building expansion at 1:40 mark.

44Z4T_wRVmM

[subterranean]

lol empty lots are sooo depressing, it's not like basically every exurban American lives by empty land or anything.

Meanwhile the mass homeless in your city will just keep rotting/dying on the streets, which is actually depressing. I'm glad I'm insulated from that.

On the attack per usual, I see.

We have great services for the homeless here, free healthcare through OHP, and many progressive policies and services as related to other states, which is why are a receiver of homeless people from donor cities that are less hospitable than Portland. There's literally no way to catch up right now. Which is not to say we shouldn't continue to try, it's just the reality. My comment about the photo was more aimed at where they placed the houses. It's too bad it couldn't be located in an area that is more intact.

[DetroitSky]

Quicken Loans says it just had the best quarter in its history
(https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2019/07/16/quicken-loans-jobs-mortgages/1743783001/)

Detroit-based Quicken Loans announced Tuesday that it recently finished the best quarter in its 34-year history and is trying to hire for 1,300 open positions at its downtown headquarters.

The privately held company, which ranked as the nation's No. 1 mortgage lender by volume in the first quarter of the year, said it did $32 billion in mortgage originations during the newly completed second quarter, setting a new record.

What's more, each of those three months set records for highest closed loan volume, the company said, with June being the best month in Quicken's history.

Quicken Loans, which owns the Rocket Mortgage brand, is one of several large nationwide mortgage lenders that have reported exceptionally strong second quarter results, according to the HousingWire news service. Quicken has a roughly 6% market share in the highly fragmented mortgage market.

Three condos starting at $1.55M to be built in Hartz Building downtown (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/7/10/20688974/hartz-building-condos-for-sale-downtown-detroit)

Some of the highest-priced condos have just hit the market downtown.

Three yet-to-be constructed units will be built in the historic Hartz Building above the Detroit Beer Company downtown. Each condo will have three bedrooms and take up a single floor of the six-story building at 1529 Broadway Street.

The third-floor condo, which will be just under 3,000 square feet, is priced at $1.55 million. The fourth and fifth floors will be just over 3,000 square feet and are listed at $1.6 million and $1.65 million, respectively.

At over $500 per square foot, that’s certainly on the high end of the market in Detroit. For example, a two-bedroom unit at Fort Shelby a few blocks away is going for around $320 per square foot. (Midtown and Brush Park, interestingly, has some of the priciest condos on the market right now.)

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Construction ramps up on the greenest project in Detroit (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/7/12/20692129/eco-homes-midtown-for-sale-net-zero-energy)

In the next three to four months, the first ever net zero energy homes in Detroit will be complete. Construction has ramped up of late at the EcoHomes, 14 net zero energy residences on 4th Street in Midtown.

According to the listing agent, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Loft Warehouse, all but four of the homes in phase one have sold. The rest have just recently hit the market

As you would expect, the EcoHomes come with a variety of energy efficient features, like pitched roofs with solar panels, a thermal envelope, energy-efficient windows, LED fixtures, and programmable thermostats.

But they’ll be green in other ways as well. The’ll also have rain water barrels and rain gardens to help with stormwater management, low-VOC paints, low-flow toilets, and more.

Given that the new-build homes have these pricey features, and are being built in a hot real estate market, they’re not cheap. But at around $300 per square foot, they’re far from outrageous for Midtown these days either. Of course, having a net zero energy house will also reduce utility bills dramatically.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kNTAoiMMHntqF6m56egxBgw-EV0=/0x0:4000x3000/920x613/filters:focal(1680x1180:2320x1820)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64718490/Lots1_4_SEView_RenCeninbackground.0.jpg

$15 million early childhood center planned for ‘cradle-to-career' campus at Marygrove (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/education/15-million-early-childhood-center-planned-cradle-career-campus-marygrove)

The new "cradle-to-career" school planned for Marygrove College's campus in northwest Detroit will include a $15 million Early Childhood Education Center expected to open in fall 2021.

Once complete, the 28,000-square-foot building on the 53-acre campus will provide integrated health and human services to about 144 children under 5 years old and their families, according to a Monday news release. Inkster-based nonprofit Starfish Family Services will operate the center.

Details of the new school, also being called a P-20 education center, come a month after Marygrove College announced it will close after 92 years. It had been suffering an enrollment decline for several years and ended undergraduate programs in 2017.

Despite the demise of the private Catholic school, the Marygrove Conservancy has forged ahead with plans, announced last September, for a $50 million investment in the campus and a commitment from the University of Michigan to help develop the curriculum and station teaching residents at a high school planned there.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/marygrove%20rendering_i.jpg

[DetroitSky]

Any word on progress at the Hudson's site?

This YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hM6xX2XvGOLiIOs1ZawzA) posts construction videos almost every weekday.

It's hard for anyone not living/working in a surrounding building to get photos into the pit.

Gilbert's Bedrock buys Courtyard by Marriott across from Renaissance Center (https://www.freep.com/story/money/2019/07/17/courtyard-marriott-detroit-bedrock/1760360001/)

Businessman Dan Gilbert's Bedrock real estate arm has purchased the 260-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel across from the Renaissance Center for an undisclosed price.

Andrew Leber, vice president of hospitality for Bedrock, said the hotel market in downtown Detroit has a good future.

"We bought the asset because we're really bullish on the lodging market," Leber told the Free Press. "We're excited about where Detroit's headed. We're excited about how many visitors are coming here every day, every year, and we wanted to diversify our portfolio. That's really the strategy here."

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/17/PDTF/9ad1627c-51ea-4f8c-9407-7c03a888c4fe-Courtyard.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Old Tiger Stadium apartments are finally done: Here's what they look like (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2019/07/17/corktown-apartments-old-tiger-stadium/1744002001/)

The former site of Detroit's Tiger Stadium will soon welcome its first rent-paying residents.

The Corner, a four-story and 111-unit apartment complex at Michigan and Trumbull, on the grounds of the long-gone baseball stadium, is set to open next week for its initial wave of tenants.

The building offers market-rate studio apartments starting at $1,000 per month, one-bedroom apartments at $1,585 and two-bedrooms between $2,315 and $2,730. Those rents are a bit over $2 per square foot, which is roughly the going rate in many newer or newly redone apartment buildings in and around downtown Detroit.

The units come with kitchen and laundry appliances and about 40% of them have been pre-leased, said Karen Matkovich, a director at property management firm Village Green. The gated, on-site parking costs an extra $175 per month.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/16/PDTF/0d12992f-5820-448a-891a-4411b25961de-071619_The_Corner_rg_02.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Chemical Bank, TCF deal receives final regulatory approval (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/mergers-acquisitions/chemical-bank-tcf-deal-receives-final-regulatory-approval)

Chemical Financial Corp.'s $3.6 billion all-stock deal to acquire TCF Financial Corp. received its final approval Tuesday, paving the way for the deal to close officially Aug. 1.

The Federal Reserve System gave the OK for the two banks to combine, according to a Tuesday news release. This follows regulatory approvals from the U.S. Department of Treasury's Comptroller of the Currency and shareholders of each company.

"With the support of our shareholders and approval from our regulators, we are ready to leverage the complementary strengths of both organizations as we come together to create a premier Midwest bank," Gary Torgow, Chemical's executive chairman, said in the release. Torgow will become executive chairman of the new holding company that will own both banks.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Chemcial%20Bank%20rendering_real-01_i_0.jpg

Affordable housing project in Detroit's Oakman Boulevard neighborhood completed (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/affordable-housing-project-detroits-oakman-boulevard-neighborhood-completed)

A $26 million affordable housing development in Detroit's Oakman Boulevard neighborhood has reached completion.

The two-phase development, led by Harper Woods-based American Community Developers Inc., is a blend of new construction and rehabilitated units. The first phase features 72 newly constructed townhomes, called Oakman Townhomes. The second phase rehabbed 74 units called Ryan Court, according to a Wednesday news release.

The older units were renovated with new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, windows, appliances and roofs, among other things.

The 146-unit development, which is fully leased with a long waiting list, features a 5,000-square-foot community building, the release said. American Community Developers bought several overgrown neighboring lots that will be maintained as open green space for the tenants.

$16.8 million apartment complex planned for Banglatown as Detroit seeks more neighborhood redevelopment (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/168-million-apartment-complex-planned-banglatown-detroit-seeks-more)

The city of Detroit is seeking developers to fix up more buildings in Banglatown as it tries to push forward ambitious revitalization plans in the fast-growing neighborhood north of Hamtramck.

The city's Housing and Revitalization Department and Planning and Development Department issued a request for qualifications for the redevelopment of a city-owned building at 12449 Conant St. due Aug. 30. The two-story building is 2,760 square feet with 250 square feet of parking space along a busy thoroughfare, according to a city document.

At the same time, another new development, the Carpenter Apartments, is being planned for the empty lot at the northeast corner of Charest Street and Carpenter Avenue. Bingham Farms-based MHT Housing Inc. plans to build a $16.8 million apartment complex with 50 affordable units, according to the document.

More information on that development was requested from MHT and the city Wednesday.

Additionally, the city plans to issue a request for qualifications to rehab the vacant Washington Trade School at Dequindre and Lawley streets. It would require the reactivation of a 100,000-square-foot site by this fall or winter 2020, the city said.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/banglatown%20rendering-main_i.jpg
12449 Conant St rendering

Report: Metro Detroit’s Office and Industrial Markets Grow During Q2 2019 (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/report-metro-detroits-office-and-industrial-markets-grow-during-q2-2019/)

Newmark Knight Frank, a large commercial real estate advisory firm with an office in Detroit, today released its second quarter 2019 office and industrial trends data for the Detroit region. According to the reports, metro Detroit’s office market vacancy rate fell 30 basis points to 15 percent during the second quarter of 2019, as just over 216,000 square feet was absorbed.

Overall, demand remains healthy in Detroit, as well as in a few of the suburban submarkets of Southfield, Troy, Farmington Hills, and Birmingham. Ann Arbor’s office market also is seeing a surge in office demand. On the flip side, Novi is seeing large vacancy upswings after losing two major office users. In Livonia, demand remains soft.

“The city of Detroit continues to see large gains in high-tech office users such as Microsoft, Waymo, LinkedIn, and Google Inc., which is now expanding its presence,” says Fred Liesveld, managing director of NKF’s Detroit office. “Significant investments by the automotive industry into autonomous and smart vehicles should support additional growth of these tech companies in Detroit.”

On the industrial front, the metro Detroit market vacancy rate fell 10 basis points to 4.1 percent during the second quarter of 2019, as just over 800,000 square feet was absorbed. Year-to-date absorption totaled just over 2.0 million square feet, compared with 2.7 million square feet during the same period last year.

[DetroitSky]

Nice infill development coming to Woodbridge:

Boutique condo development to soon break ground in Woodbridge (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/7/18/20699784/levels-commonwealth-woodbridge-condos-for-sale)

Levels Commonwealth will bring three boutique condominiums covering one story each to 4530 Commonwealth Street near Forest Avenue. It’s set to break ground in August and slated for a spring 2020 completion.

Each 1,087 square feet unit will come with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and share the same features and floor plan. There will be a combination of wood and concrete flooring, quartz countertops, low-e glass windows, a private terrace, and a detached garage, to name a few.

They units will start $349,000 and go up with successive floors.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0Q7HEkEWSY229H4SSkXw26Dngms=/0x0:1920x1500/920x613/filters:focal(821x650:1127x956)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64759491/2019_07_11_Exterior_Proof_V2.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PXhmBTDT157gUgVB66keaXZSkuA=/0x0:1620x1080/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1620x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18319767/2019_07_11_Interior_Proof_V2.jpg

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Popular soup and salad spot the Green Room set to open Monday (https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/07/19/green-room-open-detroit-guardian-building/1779685001/)

The much-anticipated reopening of the Green Room is set for Monday, according to a post on the popular soup and salad spot's Facebook page.

In December, they announced had secured a spot in the Guardian building on Griswold. .

Their move from the carry-out only spot downtown on Congress street was prompted in January 2018, when they were told by the owners of the Ford building they needed to find a new home.

Now located in the promenade level of the historic Guardian building, the space is nearly triple the tiny 300-plus-square-foot size of the former location.

Detroiter returns home to open dental practice on city's east side (https://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/DiamondSmilesGrandOpening.aspx)

City officials and community members of the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Diamond Smiles Dentistry earlier this month.

While new bars and restaurants often receive a majority of the media spotlight, a new neighborhood dentist has the potential for greater impact. Diamond Smiles becomes only the second dental practice in the 48215 zip code, says Pierre Batton, interim vice president for Small Business Services of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.

Detroit native Aisha Akpabio, D.D.S., opens the business on Jefferson Avenue after practicing in Los Angeles and New York City.

https://www.modeldmedia.com/FilterD/images/diamond_smiles_dentistry_grand_opening_1.jpg?s=f

[DetroitSky]

State awards low-income housing tax credits to 5 Detroit projects (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/state-awards-low-income-housing-tax-credits-5-detroit-projects)

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority has awarded low-income housing tax credits to five projects in Detroit that would attract more than $100 million in new investment and create or preserve 536 housing units.

The 9 percent low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) will subsidize the construction of 235 housing units in Detroit, 218 of which will be reserved for individuals earning between $16,050 and $42,800 annually, according to a news release from Mayor Mike Duggan's office. The other 318 are already classified as affordable, but will have their comparatively low rents extended for another 45 years.

The tax credits will go toward subsidizing housing projects in areas of the city where rents have been steadily rising in market-rate apartments and condos: Midtown, East Jefferson's Riverfront, Milwaukee Junction and Brush Park.

Among selected projects is a $27.3 million, 150-unit building planned for vacant, east-side riverfront land by Novi-based Ginosko Development Co. It is receiving approximately $1.78 million through the state program. The unnamed development at 7850 E. Jefferson Ave. will have two phases of 75 units each built in tandem on a slice of land between the River Tower Apartments and the United Auto Workers' federal credit union, said Amin Irving, owner of Ginosko Development Co.

^First we've heard of this development, I think. The UAW "federal credit union" building they're talking about is Solidarity House, the UAW's headquarters. Hopefully we'll get renderings soon.

Other Detroit recipients are:

$7.2 million project led by Bingham Farms-based MHT Housing Inc. and the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance to build 25 units at 258 E. Milwaukee in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. Twenty of the units would be designated affordable, costing between $573 per month and $1,146 per month. The LIHTC award was $570,203.
A $19.1 million American Community Developers-led project at Brush and Watson streets in Brush Park, with 48 out of 60 of the units reserved for residents with an annual income of $16,050 to $42,800 or 30 percent to 80 percent of the area median income.
The 236-unit Cathedral Tower Apartments on East Hancock Street in Midtown will be preserved as affordable housing for residents earning between $21,400 and $42,800 annually. The building's 236 units will be renovated at a cost of $27 million, with the project receiving a $1.5 million low-income housing tax credit.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/low%20income%20housing%20credits%20photos_i.png

And some "anti-development" news. I suspect a new parking lot is coming soon to Cass:

Large fire strikes vacant legendary rock club Gold Dollar in Detroit (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/07/22/large-fire-burning-legendary-rock-club-gold-dollar-detroit/1801512001/)

Detroit fire crews battled a large fire Monday night in Midtown at the vacant legendary rock club the Gold Dollar.

The building, a former drag queen bar at 3129 Cass Avenue, is where the Grammy-winning band The White Stripes played its first show. It was part of a mass buyup of land by an entity linked to the billionaire Ilitch organization and near Little Caesars Arena.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/23/PDTN/6899796d-617e-4d84-9ef3-80b11d182701-2019-0722-jg-GD-FIRE-003.JPG?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

[deja vu]

I heard City Council did an about-face and voted to keep Spirit Plaza, at least for the near future.

Detroit City Council votes to keep Spirit Plaza open in a last-minute reversal (https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2019/07/23/detroit-city-council-votes-to-keep-spirit-plaza-open-in-a-last-minute-reversal)
Maryam Jayyousi | Detroit Metro Times
July 23, 2019

Actually, it looks like downtown Detroit's Spirit Plaza isn't going anywhere after all. The Detroit City Council moved to preserve the Spirit of Detroit Plaza for five more years in a 5-4 vote Tuesday morning. The pedestrian gathering space — which has closed off a section of Woodward Avenue between Jefferson Avenue and Larned Street since 2017 — will remain open, and roads will stay closed to automotive traffic...

Of note,

The council also approved a measure to remove the street medium and spend $800,000 on landscaping, street furniture, an eating area, stage, and a playground.

[DetroitSky]

^^ I'm personally not a fan of all these street closures and I'd much rather see the money spent on the Randolph/Gratiot plaza that was created at the same time as Spirit Plaza. A lot of people seem to be happy about this development, though. Maybe seeing the plaza in a permanent state will change my mind.

'The Mid' hotel, condo space secures $58M in tax reimbursements (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2019/07/23/tax-incentives-the-mid-hotel-condos-detroit/1799391001/)

After a medical office building never came to fruition in Detroit's Midtown, a $377 million hotel and condominium development is taking its place — and its tax incentives.

The governing body of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. on Tuesday approved the addition of The Mid development on Woodward to a previously approved brownfield incentives packages. The amended work plan increases reimbursementsto the city of Detroit from $8 million to more than $58 million through the tax capture of eligible activities over 30 years that began in 2015. The reimbursements ultimately will go to the project's developers.

The Mid is a 1.1 million-square-foot, five-building project expected to include multi-family, luxury, co-living and affordable housing when it opens in December 2020, developers previously said. The development at 3750 Woodward will sit across from Orchestra Hall and is just north of Whole Foods. The vacant land there formerly was the location of the Wayne State University Physicians Group. There will be space for retail, parking and public areas for residents and visitors.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/03/21/PDTN/09d92286-ba7e-4dd1-8b09-32bbc99c460c-TheMid1.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

This article also mentions phase 1 of the SOMA development, a parking garage and building renovation:

Erskine redevelopment

The incentives packages were among several totaling $625 million in capital investments in Michigan that will create 555 new jobs.

"They will help build on efforts to make Michigan communities vibrant places to live, work and play," Amanda Bright McClanahan, the Michigan Economic Development Corp.'s chief operating officer, said on a phone call with reporters Tuesday.

The economic development corporation approved reimbursement of nearly $10 million through the tax capture of eligible activities over 30 years starting in 2021 for the creation of a six-story, mixed-use parking structure to support the rehabilitation of an existing 57,000-square-foot office building at 115 Erskine in Detroit's Midtown.

Vacant Midtown building reimagined as Latin American restaurant Vecino (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/vacant-midtown-building-reimagined-latin-american-restaurant-vecino)

With its restaurant concept dubbed Vecino — Spanish for neighbor — a family team aims to bring Brazilian, Peruvian and a combination of other Latin American cuisines to a long-vacant Midtown Detroit building.

The planned restaurant's ownership includes a Troy-based lawyer and former Mexican restaurant purveyor. They expect to spend $500,000 to $1 million building out a gutted, 1926-built building west of Woodward and next to independent theater Cinema Detroit.

The project is self-funded, said co-owner Luke Wietrzynski, an attorney with Michigan Injury Advocates PC, and will likely take a year to finish.

They plan to serve "Latin American fusion-type cuisine" with influences from Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Argentina and other countries, Wietrzynski said. He conceived of the concept — featuring live music, an open kitchen and South American liquor — with his wife, Adriana Wietrzynski-Jimenez, also of Michigan Injury Advocates; and mother-in-law, Eva Lopez-Jimenez. Lopez-Jimenez previously ran Arandas Restaurant and Tapatio Mexican Grill in Waterford.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/s3/files/styles/width_792/public/vecino_i.jpg

Detroit statue finds a barefoot, undaunted Viola Liuzzo walking again for civil rights (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/07/23/statue-civil-rights-icon-viola-liuzzo-dedicated-detroit-park/1806238001/)

Her face looks young, her expression determined, and there's a certain kindness to her eyes and mouth. She walks barefoot, shoes dangling from her hand.

Her steps are taking her away from the Ku Klux Klan hood that lies flat on the ground behind her. Her path is toward a better future.

On Tuesday, a statue of Viola Liuzzo was dedicated at the neighborhood park on Detroit's west side that bears her name. A few hundred people gathered for the ceremony to commemorate her ultimate sacrifice 54 years ago when the Detroiter became the only white woman to die for the civil rights movement.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/23/PDTF/8c15f981-de58-47b7-8e47-d30f07d6b690-viola_liuzzo_072319_14.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Detroit’s Motor City Match Brings 10 Businesses to Detroit’s New Center (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/detroits-motor-city-match-brings-10-businesses-to-detroits-new-center/)

Already open:
The new additions include: The Kitchen, by Cooking with Que, which is owned by Quiana Broden. The business was awarded $60,000 through the program. The vegan café includes a rentable kitchen and live demo space.

Ferne Boutique, owned by Laura Howarth, was awarded $10,000. It was opened in August 2018 and is a women’s clothing boutique.

Yum Village was awarded $50,000 and is owned by Godwin Ihentuge. It is an Afro-Caribbean restaurant that opened in January 2019 and offers dine-in, delivery, and retail.

Banner Sign Co., a family-owned and operated large-format digital and textile printing business, was awarded $45,000.

Batch Brewing Co., a microbrewery, received $65,000.

Coming soon:

Baobab Fare, owned by immigrant Hamissi Mamba, was awarded $50,000. The East African restaurant will employ immigrants and sell handmade products and African arts and crafts from the refugee community. It is expected to open later this year.

Textures by Nefertiti, owned by Angela Nefertiti Harris, was awarded $70,000 and is a full-service hair spa.

The Gathering Coffee Co., owned by Emily Steffen, was awarded $30,000.

See You Tomorrow is a casual dining restaurant that was awarded $35,000.

D-Town Grand, a historic building with local business tenants, won a $50,000 cash grant.

Juice and oxygen bar, street food restaurant open in Rosedale Park (https://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/RosedaleParkOpenings.aspx)

Not one but two restaurants are celebrating their grand openings in Rosedale Park.

Though Street Cuisine and Ocean’s Fresh Juice Bar have been operating under soft openings, a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, July 25.

The two establishments neighbor each other on McNichols Road. One focuses on street food special to various regions throughout the world, while the other offers cold-pressed juices and smoothies, as well as an oxygen bar.

Both are owned and operated by Rosedale Park native Ari Shah.

https://www.modeldmedia.com/FilterD/images/rosedale-park-biz.jpg?s=f

[animatedmartian]

^^ I'm personally not a fan of all these street closures and I'd much rather see the money spent on the Randolph/Gratiot plaza that was created at the same time as Spirit Plaza. A lot of people seem to be happy about this development, though. Maybe seeing the plaza in a permanent state will change my mind.


If the location makes sense and there's decent alternates for traffic, I think they'll work. The only thing is I wish there was a food stand installed otherwise it's more like Hart Plaza in how there's not really any reason to spend time there other than just to sit for a minute on your way to some place else.

[Tiorted9]

Incredible before-and-after photos of the Metropolitan Building

https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/7/24/20708824/metropolitan-building-downtown-detroit-before-and-after

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DxrnPr7Aw17iN2Gg0puqt5zuVuM=/0x0:3000x2000/920x613/filters:focal(1260x760:1740x1240):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64818448/Metropolitan_Lobby_Stairs_After.0.jpg

[Jasoncw]

I don't think Spirit Plaza is a good idea and I think it's part of the endless line of the city chasing trendy streetscaping projects, over basic maintenance and general quality.

For basic wayfinding, one would expect Woodward to go all the way to Jefferson. There are also very few roads that cross through downtown from midtown. Woodward and Cass are the only two way streets that do, and Cass ends at Cobo, and now Woodward ends before Jefferson as well. (The same problem exists for going east and west through downtown, the Congress/Larned pair is the closest thing but it doesn't reach the west side of downtown.)

The problem with that area, for pedestrians (and cars as well), is the poor design of the intersections. There's too much left turns and lane merging going on in one area. Blocking off the intersection at Woodward and Jefferson around the fist helped this, and I would personally advocate reconfiguring Jefferson to force Michigan lefts at Woodward and Griswold, and then having some basic attention to detail in consideration of pedestrians (curb extensions at pedestrian crossings, pedestrian refuges between local and freeway lanes, barriers/landscaping, etc.).

And then there's not really any justification for more plaza space in the first place. Hart Plaza and Campus Martius are right there. Woodward has wide enough sidewalks for street furniture and some activation, not to mention the large open areas around the City-County building.

And then as DetroitSky said, there are opportunity costs. There are so many traffic engineering and pedestrian experience and park problems downtown that $800,000 could make more of an impact with.

Also partially related, I think there are too many buses getting funneled in that area. I think either they should all go to the Rosa Parks Transit Center, or they should make another bus station on the east side of downtown.

[DetroitSky]

With brownfield financing approval, Midtown high-rise project targets September start (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/brownfield-financing-approval-midtown-high-rise-project-targets-september-start)

A large development that's planned to include a pair of high-rise buildings on a vacant Midtown site has received $58.3 million in brownfield reimbursement incentives.

In addition, its community benefits agreement and rezoning have been approved, setting the stage for what the developer of the project known as The Mid says is a September start to construction.

The Michigan Strategic Fund board approved the financing layer for the project at Woodward Avenue north of Mack Avenue on Tuesday, and the Detroit City Council approved the rezoning and community benefits agreement the same day.

Sitting on 3.78 acres of vacant land sandwiched between the Whole Foods Inc. grocery store and The Plaza apartment redevelopment of the former Hammer and Nail building, The Mid project cost has also grown to $377 million, up from the $310 million estimated cost that was disclosed in March when the project was first announced.

"The $377 million associated with the development accounts for all the construction, financing, rezoning and land costs," Emery Matthews, founder and owner of Detroit-based master developer Real Estate Interests LLC, said in a statement.

The Mid's first phase is slated to include a 25-story hotel and condominium building with 225 hotel rooms and 60 for-sale units. As part of a second phase, a 27-story residential tower with 180 apartments is planned, smaller than the 30-story, 250-unit residential tower that was anticipated in March, according to an MSF board briefing document.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/TheMid-main_i.jpg

^Unfortunate the residential tower shrunk by a few floors, but great construction is planned to begin soon!

Oakland Housing shifts middle-class affordability focus to North Corktown in Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/oakland-housing-shifts-middle-class-affordability-focus-north-corktown-detroit)

A nonprofit developer founded in the wake of the Great Depression to create housing affordable for autoworkers, has been quietly developing and financing affordable housing for the middle class in Oakland County for decades and, more recently, in Detroit.

Now it's shifting its focus to Detroit's North Corktown neighborhood.

Oakland Housing Inc. is constructing a $3 million, 14-unit condominium complex to enable middle-income earners to make a permanent home in the neighborhood as property values rise with Ford Motor Co.'s development of the nearby historic Michigan Central Station.

One of the biggest challenges nationally and in Detroit is that construction costs are rising faster than incomes, and that's pricing middle-income people out of homes, Oakland Housing Executive Director Kate Baker said.

There are government programs to help low-income people get into home ownership, she said. Those programs assist people who earn 80 percent or less of area median income. Oakland Housing provides housing and financing targeted to people earning 80 percent-120 percent of median income to ensure mortgages for homes in desirable areas are affordable.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Rendering%20Oakland%20Housing%20Pine%20Street%20Town%20Homes-main_i.jpg

Construction photo from the Detroit News (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/07/25/housing-development-north-corktown-targets-middle-income-earners/1814033001/):

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/25/PDTN/3006b3cb-1056-406d-b094-ede2aeaa4bdb-072519-tm-Oakland_Housing006.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Local developer wants to buy Joe Louis Arena site (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/07/25/local-developer-wants-buy-joe-louis-arena-site/1825263001/)

Detroit — Even as the vacant Joe Louis Arena is dismantled, the plan to figure out what happens next at the riverfront site has taken another unexpected turn.

The bond insurer that gained the property as compensation for losing $1.1 billion in Detroit's bankruptcy no longer wants the property. Bond insurer Financial Guaranty Insurance Co., or FGIC, is in talks with an unnamed local development group that wants to buy the arena site and an adjacent parking garage and find a new use for the site.

FGIC "would like to remove themselves from the city of Detroit and sell their interests," said Matthew Walters, the city's deputy group executive for jobs and the economy.

Under the current deal with the city, FGIC needs to find a development partner for the site. The potential new arrangement would mean FGIC exits the deal, said Walters, who briefed an economic committee of Detroit City Council on the plan for the site last week.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/25/PDTN/6dd326fe-6eb2-4b26-9c45-7f64d430793b-xx.jpg?crop=3732,1779,x0,y548&width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

[DetroitSky]

Historic Farwell Building in Detroit reopens after 30 years of vacancy (https://www.freep.com/story/money/2019/08/01/farwell-building-detroit-capitol-park/1877573001/)

Another long-vacant Detroit building has been restored to active use. The Farwell Building, an early 20th Century commercial structure of mostly offices at 1249 Griswold in downtown's Capitol Park district, has reopened after more than 30 years of vacancy.

Originally designed by noted architect Harrie W. Bonnah, the building had a top-to-bottom restoration developed by Richard Karp of Lansing with his partners Richard Hosey and Kevin Prater. Kraemer Design Group of Detroit handled architectural duties.

The building now features a mix of retail, office and residential spaces.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/31/PDTF/fa9f4d91-7289-4987-8134-382d36859ff6-073119_AMB_FarwellGall001.JPG?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/31/PDTF/f1b45d7a-d245-4b06-ac16-5f46b9cae8e7-073119_AMB_FarwellGall004.JPG?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/31/PDTF/0d5c9d11-e17d-4993-9470-55437245577f-073119_AMB_FarwellGall006.JPG?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/31/PDTF/9e32a995-2d0f-4329-898d-94ebbd28e17d-073119_AMB_FarwellGall008.JPG?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Piquette Plant museum drives toward brighter future with improvements, expansion plans
(https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/piquette-plant-museum-drives-toward-brighter-future-improvements-expansion-plans)

As part of an ongoing effort to create as new exhibit every year to educate guests about Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co., the museum is also working to add a display that would re-create what a Ford dealership looked like in 1910, Shotwell said. The new exhibit is expected to be completed by December.

The automaker, which is not affiliated with the museum, is communicating with the museum on what was required in a dealership during that time period.

"Our visitors may be amazed that Ford recommended that a palm tree be in each dealership. Yes, you will see lots of palm trees in our photographs of dealerships and yes, you will see a large palm tree in Piquette's exhibit," Shotwell said in an emailed statement. "More research has shown that Ford competitors often had palm trees as well in its dealership showrooms."

The museum takes up 38,340 square feet on the second and third floors of the 67,000-square-foot building. It is shaping up plans to take over a portion of the first floor, now occupied by General Linen & Uniform Service, whose lease expires in 2021. That will bump up its total footprint to 50,300 square feet.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1152x647/public/1909%20Ford%20Model%20T%20in%20front%20of%20the%20Piquette%20Plant_i.jpg

Large international brokerage Savills opens Detroit office (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/large-international-brokerage-savills-opens-detroit-office)

Savills plc, one of the world's largest commercial real estate brokerage firms, has opened an office in Detroit.

Formerly Savills Studley Inc. until March, the London-based company is open in WeWork space at 19 Clifford St. downtown following the hiring of Gregory Bockart Jr. and Peter McGrath from the Southfield office of Colliers International Inc.

It's the latest large international brokerage to set up its own outpost in the area, following Avison Young and Cushman & Wakefield in the last several years. Other new brokerages have emerged as well.

"Detroit has experienced an exciting transformation that has reimagined downtown and shifted market dynamics over the past 10 years," George Kohl, executive vice president who oversees Midwest operations for Savills, said in a press release. "Bringing on exceptional talent like Greg and Peter reflects the firm's commitment to delivering local expertise globally and deepens our investment in Midwest business hubs."

TCF, Chemical Bank finish merger with eye out for buying more banks (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/banking/tcf-chemical-bank-finish-merger-eye-out-buying-more-banks)

Chemical Bank completed its "merger of equals" with TCF Bank on Thursday, assuming the TCF brand in becoming the largest Michigan-based bank — one that's got its eyes open for the next acquisition and is aiming to go head-to-head with national banks for commercial banking business in metro Detroit.

"We want to be acquisition-ready," David Provost, the new executive vice chairman of TCF Financial Corp., said in an exclusive interview with Crain's.

But first TCF will be focused on integrating two Midwestern banks with about 500 branches across nine states and building up the TCF brand under a marketing campaign that, in Detroit, is expected to center on the renaming of Cobo Center as TCF Center and building a new downtown Detroit headquarters tower on Woodward Avenue.

The new Detroit-based TCF Bank, which has $47 billion in assets and $35 billion in deposits, becomes the 27th-largest bank in the country following Thursday's financial close of the $3.6 billion all-stock deal.

New 'Smith & Co.' restaurant & Nain Rouge Brewery to open in Midtown Detroit (https://www.wxyz.com/news/new-smith-co-restaurant-nain-rouge-brewery-to-open-in-midtown-detroit)

DETROIT (WXYZ) — A new restaurant and brewery are heading to Detroit's Midtown neighborhood with the expectation that they will open in the fall. Smith & Co. will open at 664 Selden St. between 2nd and 3rd avenues in September.

According to a press release, the new restaurant will have a menu that focuses on the cultural blend that makes Detroit unique, with local ingredients and a Detroit vibe.

Smith & Co. will be a casual dining restaurant and open every day for dinner, with lunch on Saturdays and Sundays with brunch specials.

The news release also said that craft beer will be part of the new restaurant, featuring Nain Rouge Brewery and a hidden draft list featuring hard-to-find selections from other small, Michigan brewers.

The brewery is also expected to open in the coming months adjacent to Smith & Co., and the two will share a patio with beer sold exclusively at the restaurant, the release said.

https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f102df6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x720+0+24/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fewscripps.brightspotcdn.com%2F91%2F7f%2F23483ad847a3bbf9acac9931b3bd%2Fsmith-co.%20outside%20rendering.jpg

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German LiDAR Supplier Ibeo Automotive Systems Establishes U.S. Subsidiary in Detroit (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/german-lidar-supplier-ibeo-automotive-systems-establishes-u-s-subsidiary-in-detroit/)

Ibeo Automotive Systems, a LiDAR sensor supplier based in Hamburg, Germany, has opened a subsidiary in Detroit to address the growing demand for LiDAR technology among locally based automakers and suppliers.

Located in the PlanetM Landing Zone at 19 Clifford St., the new entity is called Ibeo Automotive USA Inc. Paula Jones, the former director of Gentherm Inc.’s customer business unit, is the new company’s president.

Jones, a University of Michigan graduate, has more than 20 years of experience and has held various executive positions within the automotive and technology sectors.

“We want to achieve greater growth in the U.S. market,” says Mario Brumm, director of global operations for Ibeo Automotive Systems. “Alongside China, it is one of the most important markets for autonomous driving. The incorporation of Ibeo Automotive USA Inc. was a logical next step for us.

DDOT and SMART awarded $2.6 million in federal grants for electric buses (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/1/20750196/ddot-smart-electric-buses-southeast-michigan-transit)

The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) were just awarded $2.6 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation for no emission bus technology. The Federal Transit Administration grants were part of its Low- or No Emission program and will enable the Southeast Michigan transit agencies to purchase six electric buses and build charging infrastructure.

The buses will be purchased from Proterra, a California-based electric bus manufacturer, and DTE Energy will support building the charging infrastructure. The buses will replace some older, diesel buses that the agencies have been using. They’re expected to be deployed in 2021.

DDOT has also been updating its fleet in recent years with newer buses equipped with Wi-Fi.

[animatedmartian]

Local developer wants to buy Joe Louis Arena site (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/07/25/local-developer-wants-buy-joe-louis-arena-site/1825263001/)



https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/07/25/PDTN/6dd326fe-6eb2-4b26-9c45-7f64d430793b-xx.jpg?crop=3732,1779,x0,y548&width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

By the way, here are some drone shots from the current demolition progress. The stadium is now completely see through and both sets of stair entrances are gone.

xNefT-NP7e0

[animatedmartian]

Also, the Helen Deroy apartments at WSU is almost completely demolished. This is this is how it looks as of August 2nd.


https://i.imgur.com/ETUpkH3.jpg?1
https://app.oxblue.com/open/gilbane/helenlderoydemo

[davidberko]

By the way, here are some drone shots from the current demolition progress. The stadium is now completely see through and both sets of stair entrances are gone.

xNefT-NP7e0

Thanks for sharing the video! Cool footage. I have memories as a kid going to the Joe for a red wings game and eating crappy Caesar’s pizza lol. Good memories really. But it’s time to move on from the steel barn that thing was. The city can much better use the site for some other TBD use. I’m also GLAD that the insurance company is selling their rights to develop the site. They clearly didn’t want to (asking for extensions over and over again). Hopefully we’ll get a winner with whatever is built there.

[DetroitSky]

Crews install the last panels of pizza-slice glass at Little Caesars HQ, finally (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2019/08/05/final-pizza-slice-windows-little-caesars-hq/1921865001/)

After a year's delay, construction crews Monday were installing the final glass panels in on the upper floors of the new Little Caesars headquarters on Woodward Avenue near the Fox Theatre.

Originally expected to be opened last summer, the building was delayed over an apparent problem with the unique pizza-slice wedges of glass that form the facade.

The Ilitch family's Olympia Development has never commented on where the problem lay. There has been speculation that the tower's heating and air conditioning system was causing a vibration that damaged the glass panels.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/08/05/PDTF/cd1412f4-c847-4314-b5eb-43c60cd67c91-IMG_1671.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/GRCMoreWindowInstallation_i.jpg
Source (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/construction/more-pizza-shaped-windows-going-new-little-caesars-hq-after-year-plus-installation)

Life Remodeled's one-stop Durfee center adds tenants, nears full occupancy (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/life-remodeleds-one-stop-durfee-center-adds-tenants-nears-full-occupancy)

Life Remodeled has made a name for its ability to mobilize 10,000 volunteers each of the past three years for its six-day cleanup of central Detroit.

But its largest impact in the neighborhood could be yet to come.

The nonprofit has secured lease commitments from three new organizations for the repurposed former Detroit Public Schools Community District school building it's converted into a community center, with public use of gym and auditorium spaces and services to help lift people in the neighborhood out of poverty.

Those leases will bring it to 27 business, government and nonprofit service provider tenants in the Durfee Innovation Society center, and depending on final agreements, could bring occupancy up to 89 percent, founder and CEO Chris Lambert said. He's looking to bring the 143,000-square-foot center to full occupancy by year's end.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/Durfee%20Streetview-01_i.jpg

Wayne State, Michigan Mobility Institute to launch new mobility center in TechTown (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/education/wayne-state-michigan-mobility-institute-launch-new-mobility-center-techtown)

Wayne State University is partnering with the Michigan Mobility Institute to create a new mobility center focused on autonomous driving, connectivity, smart infrastructure and electrification.

The Center for Advanced Mobility will be folded into the Detroit-based university's College of Engineering and launch this fall, with new course work being rolled out gradually, said Jessica Robinson, executive director of the Michigan Mobility Institute. It will offer a master of science degree in robotics beginning fall 2020.

The center will be housed in the school's 45,000-square-foot Industry Innovation Center, which the university bought last year, in the city's TechTown neighborhood.

The Michigan Mobility Institute, which is the marquee initiative of nonprofit Detroit Mobility Lab, will advise Wayne State on its mobility curriculum through partnerships with companies in Southeast Michigan and beyond, Robinson said. The classes will be administered by Wayne State. The goal is to create a bridge between the classroom and field by "bringing together OEMs, suppliers and startups."

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/wsu%20mobility%20center_i.jpg

Brilliant Detroit opening 7 new neighborhood sites this year in expansion push (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/brilliant-detroit-opening-7-new-neighborhood-sites-year-expansion-push)

The free programs are geared to children from birth to age 8 or third grade and their families. They range from breast feeding support for new mothers and community baby showers to developmental and educational programs, parenting and financial literacy programs for adults.

There are also family bonding activities like movie, karaoke and game nights and "literacy nights" that turn reading into fun, like using a recipe to make a tasty treat, outdoor play areas for children, community gardens and a signature orange door at each house.

Central to the model is buy-in from the community. Brilliant Detroit builds relationships in the neighborhood, then seeks an invitation to bring its programs there. It hires local residents to help renovate its houses, seeks their input on unique needs in the area and hosts monthly dinners to build community.

Located near Livernois and McNichols, the house in the Fitzgerald neighborhood is Brilliant Detroit's seventh in the city and the third it's opened so far this year.

Brilliant Detroit plans to open four more before year's end, and by the end of 2023, another 13 for a total of two dozen homes across the city to help fill gaps in high need areas, co-founder and CEO Cindy Eggleton said.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_280/public/brilliant%20house-01_i.jpg

[DetroitSky]

Well, we got some disappointing, yet not terribly surprising, news today. Regardless of what gets built there, it will be nice to have another occupied block downtown. I personally feel like it might end up being the state's tallest, just not 912 feet.

Hudson's site tower may not be the city's tallest after all, Bedrock says (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/john-gallagher/2019/08/07/hudsons-detroit-tallest-building/1943037001/)

Detroit's planned tallest new building may no longer in fact be the city's tallest when it opens on the old Hudson's site in a few years.

Officials from the Bedrock real estate firm said Wednesday that switching the programming of the planned skyscraper tower on the Hudson's site from all residential to partly a hotel may change the height of the tower, depending on the needs of whatever hotel operator is chosen.

Renderings shows the design for Bedrock's planned Hudson's site project.
Renderings shows the design for Bedrock's planned Hudson's site project. (Photo: Bedrock)
"I think it's fair to say it's open," Joe Guziewicz, vice president of construction for Bedrock, said Wednesday during a media briefing and hard hat tour of the Hudson's construction site.

The planned height has evolved over the past two years, from an initial estimate of 734 feet (just a few feet higher than the Renaissance Center), then perhaps 800 feet tall, and finally about 912 feet. But all the previous estimates were viewed as approximate until a final program was fixed.

Bedrock now estimates that the Hudson's site project will open in 2023, about a year later than was estimated at groundbreaking in 2017.

During a wide-ranging discussion of Bedrock's four "transformational" projects mapped by business Dan Gilbert in the heart of downtown Detroit, Guziewicz and other Bedrock officials also said:

With the switch of the Hudson's tower to partly hotel, the idea for a public observation deck at the top has been scrapped, Guziewicz said. Building the viewing platform would have required one too many elevator shafts that would have cut down on usable space lower in the tower.
The office, retail and residential mixed-use project on the Monroe Block is undergoing design revisions. Actual construction, which was to have been underway by now, is scheduled to start in early 2020.
Bedrock's addition to the rear of the One Campus Martius building, formerly the Compuware headquarters, is about 60% complete. The extension should be ready for occupancy late this year and will include office and rentable event space.
Renovations continue to the historic Book Tower, a vacant office tower that dates to the 1920s. Exterior restorations are nearly complete and interior renovations are ongoing, with completion scheduled for 2022.

And now for some less frustrating news:

Market opens in former liquor store near Little Caesars Arena that sold for $3.25 million (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail/market-opens-former-liquor-store-near-little-caesars-arena-sold-325-million)

A former party store in The District Detroit that sold for $3.25 million two years ago is seeing new life as a market.

ZZ Market & Grill opened Tuesday at 210 Henry St., around the block from Little Caesars Arena. The high-end market will cater to the downtown lunch crowd and fans attending sporting events with fresh grab-and-go meals, snacks, beer and liquor.

The new market occupies prime real estate that netted big bucks after the previous owners of Paul's Place liquor store held onto it while the arena district took shape around it. Salem and Ayser Toma bought the building in 1999 for $200,000 and it sold for $3.25 million in 2017, according to city property records.

The buyer was IWH Real Estate Ventures LLC, which is registered to Isaac Hanna. Hanna is chairman of Madison Heights-based Wireless Giant, which operates 60 mobile phone stores around the country.

Isaac Hanna's nephew Dominic Hanna manages the market. Dominic Hanna said restoration of the building, built in 1890, began about one year ago and cost nearly $2 million. He said he "is sure" his uncle received offers from developers to buy the property, but he and his uncle saw an opportunity in creating something the neighborhood lacked.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/zz%20market%20exterior_i.jpg

This Crain's article (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices-kirk-pinho/real-estate-insider-demolition-ilitch-owned-former-gold-dollar-bar-start-soon) mentions a new residential development by the DMC:

A Grand Rapids-based developer plans to enter the Detroit market with a $5 million residential project in Midtown.

Mosaic Homes aims to start construction in October or November on 10 for-sale condominiums on the southwest corner of John R. Street and Forest Avenue, across from the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center. The complex will also include 1,000 square feet of live/work space, said Brad Rottschafer, president of Mosaic.

The development, consisting of six townhomes and four lofts with rooftop decks, is expected to take about a year to construct. Rottschafer said the project has received all approvals and just a construction permit is needed to proceed.

The residential units will cost $300,000 to $600,000. They have not been sold yet.

The same article has photos of the Henry Glover House project and the Buhl Building's facade work:

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/HenryGloverHouse-03_i.jpg

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/BuhlBuilding-06_i.jpg

First unit in ‘reverse gentrification’ fourplex is complete, lists for $620K (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/6/20757468/islandview-detroit-reverse-gentrification-home-for-sale)

Last year, builder Joe Ventimiglia and designer Michael Coffindaffer began renovating a fourplex on East Grand Boulevard in Islandview, but there was a catch. While three of the four units were vacant, the fourth was still occupied by owner Lorraine Griffin, who’d been in the home nearly 50 years.

Instead of pressuring Griffin to sell, they decided to renovate her home, for free, along with the others as part of the group’s Saint Paul on the Blvd development. The group installed new windows, a roof, a facade, and electrical system.

“Because she stuck it out, she deserves to enjoy the rebirth of the building. She also has the opportunity to have the value change from $10,000 to $300,000 for her,” Ventimiglia told Fox 2 Detroit last year.

Moreover, the developers say they’ve hired over a dozen local residents to work on the project, many of whom had few carpentry skills and got on-the-job training.

Because of how the developers have included residents in the development, they’ve dubbed the process “reverse gentrification.” As neighborhood home values increase, they’re hoping this is a way for locals to stay, as opposed to be displaced.

The first of the three completely-rehabbed units has just finished and is listed through Max Brook Realtors for $620,000. The other two will hit the market in the fall.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f78ixQdRiRtl1y_N1HZXKY-ZHm8=/0x0:4200x2800/920x613/filters:focal(1764x1064:2436x1736)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64924804/370_E_Grand_Blvd_Detroit_MI_print_059_060_370_E_Grand_Blvd_Detroit_4200x2800_300dpi.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BexagTg7AICCFLKDwUAPRge9_ZE=/0x0:4200x2800/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4200x2800):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18938073/370_E_Grand_Blvd_Detroit_MI_print_007_007_370_East_Grand_Boulevard_4200x2800_300dpi.jpg

^This stretch of East Grand has a lot of renovations going on besides this one. It's really encouraging.

Detroit job growth puts it among 20 ‘superstar’ cities in U.S. (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/7/20758740/detroit-superstar-city-job-growth)

Detroit is regularly said to be in the midst of a “revival.” Certainly there have been plenty of buildings undergoing construction, businesses opening, and changes to the city’s infrastructure. But how else to quantify it?

Using federal data, Reuters analyzed 378 metropolitan areas in the United States from 2010 to 2017 and found that Detroit was among the top 20 cities to experience significant job growth. It was one of only two from the Rust Belt, the other being Grand Rapids.

The analysis found that nearly 40 percent of all new jobs generated in the U.S. went to the top 20 metro areas. A significant drop-off takes place from there—the next 20 only accounted for 10 percent of new jobs.

Metro Detroit came in at number 10, accounting for 1.73 percent of job growth. Los Angeles-Anaheim at 4.79 percent was the area with the highest percentage of total job growth.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GJV0UEq2yZyo9CIKJ0CwOVhy7Bg=/0x0:2400x1600/920x613/filters:focal(1008x608:1392x992)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64930315/downtown.0.jpg

[The North One]

They're literally taking a soundbite from Bedrock that mostly deflected the question with "maybe, probably" and running it into headlines. We already knew the tower was still under design changes, this is nothing new.

[DetroitRises]

Well, we got some disappointing, yet not terribly surprising, news today. Regardless of what gets built there, it will be nice to have another occupied block downtown. I personally feel like it might end up being the state's tallest, just not 912 feet.

I agree that 700-800 sounds likely based on how bedrock was talking to the press today. The cost is the same so the height hopefully wont be lower than the 1st plan of the tower that was 727ft

[DetroitSportsFan]

They're literally taking a soundbite from Bedrock that mostly deflected the question with "maybe, probably" and running it into headlines. We already knew the tower was still under design changes, this is nothing new.

Exactly. All he really said was that the final height will largely be determined by the needs of whatever hotel goes into the tower. They have about 500,000 sq ft of space in the most recent design of the tower set aside for hotel. I’m guessing that if they can’t find a hotel operator that is willing to take up that much space, then the tower will be shorter.

[DetroitSky]

I don't have a photo right now, but it looks like work has begun for the Cambria Hotel. The parking lot is being broken up.

A reminder of what it will look like:

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/03/22/PDTF/9498132f-c42c-4fc9-818b-be581c2f0189-ashton.jpeg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Source (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2019/03/22/detroit-ashton-at-the-cambria-hotel/3246829002/)

[jmcilreavy]

I don't have a photo right now, but it looks like work has begun for the Cambria Hotel. The parking lot is being broken up.

A reminder of what it will look like:

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/03/22/PDTF/9498132f-c42c-4fc9-818b-be581c2f0189-ashton.jpeg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Source (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2019/03/22/detroit-ashton-at-the-cambria-hotel/3246829002/)

Thank you for the update. Drove by it last week and was beginning to get worried it was another Ashton fail.
Saw work has started on the parking garage on the SoMa site by the soon to be West Elm Hotel on Woodward.

[DetroitSky]

Troy-based Rehmann to open Detroit office in newly renovated Farwell Building (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/news/troy-based-rehmann-open-detroit-office-newly-renovated-farwell-building)

Troy-based financial services firm Rehmann is opening its first office in the city of Detroit to appeal to employee preferences and grow its client base.

The company will begin to pull workers from its offices around metro Detroit to a 6,000-square-foot space in the newly renovated Farwell Building in Detroit's Capitol Park. After Labor Day, the office is expected to be fully operational with 30 employees, said Bryan Kearis, principal of the firm.

"A lot of our associates are interested in working in the city," he said. "We felt it was a great strategic move for us. We've always done business in Detroit, and we will continue to penetrate the Detroit market."

The employees will come from offices in Troy, Farmington Hills and Ann Arbor. Rehmann has a total of 900 employees at more than 10 offices in Michigan, Ohio and Florida. About half of them work in Southeast Michigan, Kearis said.

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Ima owner plans new restaurant in Midtown at former Sweet Lorraine's site (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/food-drink/ima-owner-plans-new-restaurant-midtown-former-sweet-lorraines-site)

The owner of Ima is planning a new Japanese-inspired restaurant in Midtown in the former space of Sweet Lorraine's Fabulous Mac n' Brewz.

Ima Midtown will open in the 3,700-square-foot building at 4870 Cass Ave. as the largest restaurant yet for chef Mike Ransom, who also owns Ima locations in Corktown and Madison Heights. Ransom said the new restaurant will open in the fall.

The full-service restaurant will feature a Japanese-focused menu with staples from the other locations, including noodle soups and small plates. The Midtown restaurant, however, will have a larger snack menu and entertainment on the weekends to cater to the student crowd.

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^This photo's a few years old. The building has had its original brick and limestone facade restored.

Longtime barber opens her dream business on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/08/13/new-salon-detroits-avenue-fashion-shows-districts-resilience/1975942001/)

And on Monday, Dawn Sanford, with a $55,000 award from Motor City Match, joined current store owners seeking to keep the district's history alive amid hopes of growth and change.

Sanford, a Saginaw native and barber in Detroit for 32 years, is opening Shears & Shaves Barber and Spa, a grooming and spa service she hopes will serve residents in the neighborhood. By choosing the Avenue of Fashion for her new venture, Sanford will continue to seek compassion through barbering, she said in a news release.

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Frozen custard counter now open in downtown Detroit (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/08/12/soft-serve-ice-cream-custard-counter-now-open-downtown-detroit-huddle/1990061001/)

A new custard shop will start handing soft serve cones and floats through a service window in downtown Detroit Monday.

Huddle Soft Serve is a new venture from Lea and Kyle Hunt, the folks behind Gather restaurant in Eastern Market. Expect vanilla, chocolate and twist frozen custard topped with sprinkles, sea salt or mini chocolate chips for 50 cents more. Choose a cup or a cone for $4, or upgrade to waffle cone for $5.

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SpaceLab Detroit opens a second co-working space (Orletta Caldwell runs a nonprofit consulting business from her west-side Detroit home and often drives to meet with clients at co-working spaces in downtown and midtown.

Caldwell now has another option with SpaceLab 7Mile, a co-working space housed inside Detroit Cabinet Manufacturing at 12908 W. Seven Mile, near Outer Drive West.)

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Units at modern townhome development in North Corktown hit the market (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/14/20805969/detroit-north-corktown-11-townhomes-for-sale)

Developed by Michigan-based Bondy Construction & Design, the North Corktown 11 is—you guessed it—11 townhomes on Cochrane Street in North Corktown. The homes start at $337,000 and go up to $417,000.

All the units have fairly similar floor plans that range in dimensions from 1,179 to 1,566 square feet. Each has a first floor with a living room, kitchen, half-bath, and porch; and a second floor with two bedrooms and en suite bathrooms. There’s an optional upgrade for a rooftop deck and wet bar on the third floor.

The townhomes are fairly customizable and can be outfitted with a suite of extra finishes, fixtures, and upgrades. Each comes with a detached one-car garage.

The developer declined to say how much the development will cost, though it is receiving a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax abatement for new construction which will be passed on to any buyers that become owner-occupants. HOA fees will be $240 per month.

Currently three of the 11 units are already reserved.

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C3 Industries in Ann Arbor Opens Detroit Cannabis Dispensary, California’s STIIIZY Expands to Michigan (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/c3-industries-in-ann-arbor-opens-detroit-cannabis-dispensary-californias-stiiizy-expands-to-michigan/)

Ann Arbor’s C3 Industries, a cannabis producer and retailer, has opened its first dispensary, High Profile, in Detroit. This is the first of 15-20 dispensaries the company plans to open in the next two years, and the next two locations will be in Ann Arbor and Grant (north of Grand Rapids).

The Detroit location is at 20327 Groesbeck Highway, near Eight Mile Road.

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Detroit’s Las Vegas Stone & Flooring Opens New, 6,000-square-foot Showroom (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/detroits-las-vegas-stone-flooring-opens-new-6000-square-foot-showroom/)

Detroit-based Las Vegas Stone & Flooring has opened a new, 6,000-square-foot showroom at 11343 Schaefer Highway on the city’s northwest side that features more than 12,500 unique items from around the world.

Inspired by the one-stop-shop concept, the showroom offers customers a vast selection of products that have been hand-selected by Las Vegas Stone & Flooring’s experts at wholesale prices.

^This building looks abandoned on aerial maps. Glad another unused building has been brought back to life.

Exclusive: Detroit FinTech Bay to Open in TechTown Detroit, Launch Flagstar Mortgage Tech Accelerator as First Cohort (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/exclusive-detroit-fintech-bay-to-open-in-techtown-detroit-launch-flagstar-mortgage-tech-accelerator-as-first-cohort/)

Detroit FinTech Bay today announced it will open its doors in TechTown Detroit on the campus of Wayne State University. The first cohort will be the Flagstar Mortgage Tech Accelerator, which will launch in September.

The partnership comes a year after the global firm FinTech Consortium announced the presence of a Bay in Detroit.

Renovation of Jeffersonian Houze Apartment Building in Detroit Completed (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/renovation-of-jeffersonian-houze-apartment-building-in-detroit-completed/)

Barbat Holdings in West Bloomfield Township has completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of the historic Jeffersonian Houze. Amenities include a co-working space, dog spa, Olympic-sized swimming pool, volleyball courts, fitness center, yoga room, 24/7 concierge, and up to three-bedroom floorplans.

The building is located in the so-called Gold Coast at 9000 E. Jefferson Ave., and is close to the Detroit River, Indian Village, Pewabic Pottery, and Waterworks Park.

“Where some of the other properties in the Houze Living portfolio are capturing the millennial demographic who want a true urban lifestyle in a walkable neighborhood, Jeffersonian Houze attracts a wider range of people who want to be part of the vibrant and growing riverfront community,” says Joe Barbat, chairman of Barbat Holdings.

Detroit’s Rebel Nell, York Project to Open Joint Brick-and-mortar Location (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/detroits-rebel-nell-york-project-to-open-joint-brick-and-mortar-location/)

Detroit’s Rebel Nell, which creates jewelry using fallen chips of street art and employs women facing barriers, and York Project, a streetwear company that helps those who are homeless, plan to open a brick-and-mortar retail space in Detroit.

A grand opening ceremony will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, at the new location – 1314 Holden St. (three blocks south of Henry Ford Hospital). Regular business hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

Report: Detroit, Grand Rapids Included in the Top 20 Metro Areas Nationwide (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/report-detroit-grand-rapids-included-in-the-top-20-metro-areas-nationwide/)

In a recent ranking of metropolitan areas by Reuters, Detroit and Grand Rapids were recognized among the top 20 “superstar” metro areas nationwide.

Reuters analyzed federal data to rank the top 20 out of 378 metropolitan areas by how their share of national employment changed from 2010 to 2017. This data also revealed that 40 percent of the new jobs generated during that time went to the top 20 places, along with a similar share of the additional wages.

Those cities ranked in the top 20 represent about a quarter of the country’s population and are concentrated in the fast-growing southern and coastal states, with the exception of Detroit and Grand Rapids.

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Jazz revival: Bringing back Red's Jazz Shoe Shine Parlor in North End (https://www.modeldmedia.com/features/reds-jazz-speakeasy081319.aspx)

Unfortunately, a major setback happened last year when the roof caved in. Although the space had been shuttered for four years, the roof’s condition was a surprise. The area was cordoned off as they decided what to do; supplies were destroyed as the space wintered without cover.

But the delay, Hebron says, allowed them to take another look at the plans. Plans for a flat roof have been replaced with plans for a green roof to capture storm water and provide water for the white birch alongside the building. The space will also use solar power.

The updated plan is to complete the roof first, and then proceed with building out the space. Remaining Kresge funds of $75,000 will help, along with funds from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, but there are more dollars to be raised to get the space stabilized and open, says Hebron. Despite the major work to be done, she still sees a 2020 opening.

The community will then look for additional funding for the design of the speakeasy in the back of the building.

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[DetroitSky]

The historic bell tower at Mariners' Church of Detroit is being restored (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/news/historic-bell-tower-mariners-church-detroit-being-restored)

The tower that holds the church bell that chimed 'til it rang 29 times is being renovated.

Work on the bell tower at Mariners' Church of Detroit at 170 E. Jefferson Ave. is scheduled to be completed by the first week of September, weather permitting.

It holds the Brotherhood Bell, best known for chiming 29 times to commemorate the lives lost in the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck of 1975 on Lake Superior (and referenced in the 1976 Gordon Lightfoot song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald").

Improvements include repairs to the structure of the bell's frame, along with a new controller and carillon, and new roofs above and below the bell enclosure, according to Ken Morse, trustee and chairman of Mariners' Church.

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Atwater Beach opening soon, extending Detroit's network of family friendly public spaces (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/john-gallagher/2019/08/16/kids-and-families-getting-new-spot-fun-along-detroits-riverwalk/2007118001/)

When the new Atwater Beach opens along Detroit's east riverfront in a few weeks, it will create more than the latest new attraction on the popular RiverWalk.

It will also create the latest installment in Detroit's growing network of non-motorized public spaces that includes new parks, greenways, protected bike lanes, and more.

To be sure, Detroit's public space network remains fragmentary in many ways, and the policy of creating more is subject to political dissent, as was seen in the recent 5-4 vote at City Council to make Spirit Plaza in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center permanent. Certainly the city's embrace of protected bike lanes and other greening strategies have drawn plenty of criticism from motorists who don't like sharing the road.

But Mayor Mike Duggan's team and its partners, including philanthropic foundations that put up the cash and nonprofits like the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, which builds and operates the RiverWalk, continue to push ahead. And the more venues like Atwater Beach that are added, the more valuable the public space network as a whole becomes.

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First look at 64 Watson, new luxury condos in Brush Park (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/15/20807627/64-watson-brush-park-detroit-construction-complete)

A unique development in Brush Park is nearly complete.

The Devon Building on Watson Street, built in 1905, was torn down and a new one rebuilt in its place that faithfully recreated the original’s facade. Now, construction has wrapped up on 64 Watson, which contains six luxury condos, and the first tenants are set to move in soon.

The three-story building has an attractive brick and stone cream exterior with an arched front entrance. The units themselves range in size from a 734-square-foot one bedroom for $384,900 to a two-story, 2,450-square-foot penthouse with a private elevator that costs $1.57 million.

All the units have nice finishes and features—quartz countertops, kitchens with waterfall edge islands and nice appliances, hardwood floors, a bathroom with a soaking tub, etc. They also come with a parking spot (the penthouse has two) in a detached garage, and many have downtown-facing private balconies.

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[DetroitSky]

Even though a lot of the developments we get in Detroit aren't as major as most other cities, I personally find smaller bits of news like this really encouraging:

Detroit Body Garage plots to move, double space in Detroit's Villages area (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/construction/detroit-body-garage-plots-move-double-space-detroits-villages-area)

Detroit Body Garage, a gym in the West Village neighborhood, is moving from a former bank building to an actual garage.

Founder Terra Castro plans to uproot her business late this year, moving its collection of fitness classes to a 2,400-square-foot car garage on the edge of the near-east-side Villages neighborhoods. Castro would more than double her space, allowing her to offer two classes at once and grow community programming.

Detroit Body Garage has outgrown its 1,000-square-foot gym in a former Detroit Savings Bank on Kercheval Avenue at Van Dyke, about a mile away, Castro said. Her current landlord is Detroit-based Banyan Investments LLC, led by Aamir Farooqi. Crain's requested comment from Farooqi regarding future plans for the building, which was also vacated last year by wine bar Brix.

As well as business growth, Castro said rent price was "absolutely a factor" in her decision to move. But she declined to disclose financial specifics.

"I'm going to find what keeps my business financially healthy," she said. "It's about this business growing and not getting in the hole."

Detroit Body Garage grew sales by 30 percent over the past year, said Castro, who sees the themes of her business as "movement and community." As of June, it was seeing around $11,000 in sales a month. The gym gets more than 1,000 visits per month. Last summer it saw around 800-900 visits in a month, Castro previously told Crain's.

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New location at 8635 Mack

Big Sean has happy kids on his hands as he unveils studio at Boys & Girls Club in Detroit (https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2019/08/17/big-sean-has-kids-happy-he-unveils-studio-boys-girls-club/2040630001/)

Big Sean's latest Detroit investment was already humming with action Saturday, as eager neighborhood kids filled his new production studio on the city's west side.

The rapper's $100,000 facility at the Dick & Sandy Dauch Boys & Girls Club had them donning headphones, manning audio workstations, tinkering with DJ controllers, and running the lighting gear on a small performance stage. Big Sean looked on smiling as young singers and dancers covered songs by Lizzo and others.

Funded by his Sean Anderson Foundation, the remodeled space follows a fully equipped recording studio he opened at his alma mater Cass Tech in 2015.

“The west side of Detroit is my old neighborhood," he said Saturday, an afternoon full of selfies and hugs with young fans as he unveiled the facility. "It’s a full-circle moment when your neighborhood supports you and holds you high, and you’re in a position to be able to hold it up in your own way and take it further.”

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Millennial Detroiter to open brunch 'loft' in Rivertown (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/08/20/millennial-detroiter-open-breakfast-loft-rivertown/2020751001/)

One of the city's newest restaurant owners is 24-year-old Micah Jenkins, and she wants to up the game when it comes to brunch in Detroit.

For the past several months, she's been working on the Breakfast Loft, a brunch and breakfast restaurant on the third floor of 1440 Franklin in Detroit's Rivertown neighborhood. The building is also home to Steve's Soul Food; owner Steve Radden is Jenkins' mentor, she says.

Micah Jenkins will officially open the Breakfast Loft for brunch and breakfast on Sept. 8 in Detroit's Rivertown.
Micah Jenkins will officially open the Breakfast Loft for brunch and breakfast on Sept. 8 in Detroit's Rivertown. (Photo: Jasmine Graham)
Her parents know Radden, who opened his restaurant more than 30 years ago, and he hired Jenkins to help him with some branding for his businesses. Jenkins studied advertising and marketing at Michigan State and has her own marketing business.

"We started just bouncing ideas off each other," she said. "What if there was this place where we can kind of bring in the older generation and the younger generation and I thought the best thing (was) to do it over breakfast."

First privately-negotiated CBA in Detroit’s history signed for NW Goldberg development (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/19/20812394/grasso-holdings-community-benefits-northwest-goldberg-detroit)

A bit of development history was made in Detroit today.

For a soon-to-be-constructed development at Lincoln and Wilbur streets in Northwest Goldberg, the West Grand Boulevard Collaborative (WGBC) negotiated a community benefits agreement (CBA) with Philadelphia-based developer Grasso Holdings. The groups are calling it the first privately-negotiated CBA in the city’s history.

To date, all other CBAs came about through the city’s Community Benefits Ordinance, which requires developers to negotiate an agreement with a Neighborhood Advisory Council if a project costs more than $75 million or receives over $1 million in public benefits.

In the case of this development near the Lincoln Street Art Park, the parties came to the table willingly.

So far, few details have been released about the project, though Grasso said it’s going to be a mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and several stories of residential housing. The company hopes to start construction by the end of the year.

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^Well this came out of nowhere. I've always thought the area around Holden and Lincoln could be a really cool arts district.

New coworking space catering to artists opening on Detroit’s east side (https://www.modeldmedia.com/devnews/zab-collective-082019.aspx)

When she was in her 20s, Denise Moore was deeply engaged with her artwork, mainly landscapes. Then “life happened,” as she puts it. Now 30 years later, she’s not only getting back into art but creating a space for other artists with her new art gallery and coworking space in East English Village.

ZAB Cultural Collective at 16927 E. Warren Ave. is a space where “creatives can come and collaborate with other artists,” Moore says. ZAB will also offer workshops, classes, performances, spoken word poetry, which all are services “that a lot of people in our neighborhood probably can't have access to … (and we want to make everything really affordable. As far as the, uh, the events that we have in the workshops and things like that.”

Beyond the office area, there’s a performance space and gallery where member artists can have their own exhibitions.

In addition to the artists’ amenities, ZAB Cultural Collective will have the typical coworking features, such as desks to use for the day, dedicated desks, and free coffee, tea, water, and WiFi.

https://www.modeldmedia.com/FilterD/images/tbp-0919_(1).jpg?s=f

[The North One]

First look at 64 Watson, new luxury condos in Brush Park (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/15/20807627/64-watson-brush-park-detroit-construction-complete)

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The penthouse on here just closed yesterday for 1.4 million

[DetroitSky]

A couple places being renamed:

New $4 million Detroit riverfront park named for former Carhartt leader Robert Valade (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/new-4-million-detroit-riverfront-park-named-former-carhartt-leader-robert-valade)

The highly anticipated new $4 million Atwater Beach park along Detroit's east riverfront will be named Robert C. Valade Park in recognition of a donation from the late Carhartt Inc. leader's family foundation.

Officials say the park will open this fall following its groundbreaking one year ago. Once open, it will feature a bridge, 120-foot floating bar, 3,600-square-foot shed with food, musical garden, community pavilion, barbecue grills, and of course, a beach.

The 3.2-acre park takes the place of a former buoy storage yard and cement factory, according to a news release. It is the latest piece of a 5.5-mile redevelopment of the riverfront launched by the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy in 2003.

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TCF Bank set to replace Cobo Center name next week (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/news/tcf-bank-set-replace-cobo-center-name-next-week)

The four letters — COBO — that have adorned Detroit's convention center for nearly six decades are set to come down next week.

TCF Bank, which through its predecessor Chemical Bank, bought the 22-year naming rights to Cobo Center for $33 million and is set to formally affix its name to the 59-year-old riverfront convention hall Tuesday.

The Detroit-based bank, which completed a merger with Chemical Bank on Aug. 1, has scheduled a 10 a.m. news conference Tuesday in front of the convention center, followed by a community block party the bank is throwing throughout the rest of the day.

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Huntington Bank targets Warrendale-Cody Rouge with $5 million investment (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/huntington-bank-targets-warrendale-cody-rouge-5-million-investment)

Huntington Bank's $5 million commitment to Detroit's neighborhoods will be put toward improving the housing, parks and commercial areas of Warrendale-Cody Rouge.

The Ohio-based bank's contribution is part of the $35 million promised to the city by seven corporations last year. Huntington's $5 million investment will be spread across five years and support the city's Strategic Neighborhood Fund and Affordable Housing Leverage Fund.

"It's gonna leverage other investments," Mayor Mike Duggan said Wednesday during a media event at Brennan Pool on the city's west side. "It's gonna help businesses come in. It's gonna take storefronts on Warren that are vacant and get folks to move into them."

The corporate money will support two other city initiatives in the neighborhood, including an improved streetscape on Warren Avenue and a first-of-its-kind framework for making the area more kid-friendly. Led by the city's Planning and Development Department, the initiative was introduced by outgoing director Maurice Cox and aims to improve mobility, housing, education, health and public safety.

There are also plans to connect a greenway into the nearby Rouge Park, according to the city's website.

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Curbed Detroit has put out an updated list of 10 Detroit neighborhood developments to watch (https://detroit.curbed.com/maps/detroit-neighborhood-developments-construction)

[DetroitSky]

$6 million office, retail companion set to rise next to Detroit Shipping Co. (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/6-million-office-retail-companion-set-rise-next-detroit-shipping-co)

Another amalgamation of shipping containers is set to rise in the south part of Detroit's Midtown.

The developer that rehabbed 21 of them to make a food hall plans to add around 50 more to the mix in a $6 million companion project.

Detroit Rising Development announced Thursday its designs for a three-story building with office, "micro-retail" and possibly a brewery next door to Detroit Shipping Co., the restaurant hub and event space that opened in June 2018.

The planned 21,000-square-foot structure at 444 Peterboro St. near Cass Avenue is nearly twice as big as the original. It's owned separately from Detroit Shipping Co., but with some common partners,founding partner Jon Hartzell said.

Pending City Council approval of an approximately $360,000 land sale, Hartzell said he expects to start the 10-month construction process in November.

"Ultimately, we need more office, walkability, day crowd in the area," Hartzel said. "We looked at the land and did probably five to six iterations and mixes. Residential, residential-retail, more outdoor, and the answer for us, the best use at this time, was office and retail."

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Comcast invests $1 million in renovation, expansion in Midtown Detroit (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/property-development/comcast-invests-1-million-renovation-expansion-midtown-detroit)

Comcast Corp. is completing $1 million worth of expansion and renovation at its Midtown Detroit store and business office.

The Philadelphia-based telecommunications giant remodeled and modernized its 1,800-square-foot Xfinity store off Woodward, which now sells cell phones, including Apple and Samsung products, for the first time since it opened in 2015, spokeswoman Michelle Gilbert said.

"It's a complete remodel of our space in order to make it more user friendly for our customers and be able to showcase all of our products and services," she said.

The business office next to it was doubled to around 3,000 square feet, and about 20 employees from the company's metro Detroit office transferred there. The expansion is nearly complete, but the company was still waiting for furniture. Employees at the business office consist of community account and direct sales representatives, as well as Comcast Business account representatives.

Gilbert said the company plans to open another Detroit store in the last quarter of 2020. Locations are still being considered.

^Sounds like a Comcast store is coming downtown. Would be nice if their local offices moved downtown too!

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/comcast%20store%20pic-main_i.jpg

New details released for restaurants, bar atop RenCen to open in mid-November (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/new-details-released-restaurants-bar-atop-rencen-open-mid-november)

The new restaurant space planned for the top of the Renaissance Center will feature four food, drink and event components when it opens November 15.

Called the Highlands, the highest restaurant in the state will take up the 71st and 72nd floors of the General Motors Co.-owned skyscraper in downtown Detroit, which the revolving Coach Insignia occupied until it closed in January 2017.

Details of the restaurant were released Friday by the owners, who include James Beard Award-winning chef Shawn McClain and his partners Sarah Camarota and Richard Camarota.

The four concepts are:
Highlands Steakhouse: A steakhouse with an "epic collection" of wine and "backdrop of blazing stoves." The sommelier is Nick Hetzel.
Hearth 71: A "funky, casual" restaurant with locally sourced dishes and local microbrews
High Bar: A bar and lounge with cocktails from mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim
Highland Events: A private event space filled with "highly-curated" events.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/rencen%20shot_i.jpg

Six new ‘tiny homes’ financed, another six nearly complete (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/29/20838618/tiny-homes-detroit-new-dexter-linwood)

Detroit’s cluster of tiny houses is expanding.

For the last few years, nonprofit Cass Community Social Services (CCSS) has been developing the 250- to 400-square-foot homes for people who make between $7,000 and $15,000 a year between the Lodge and Woodrow Wilson Street. So far, it’s completed 13 with the goal of 25 in the first phase of development.

Impressively, CCSS has financed the homes without using any public funds. Support, materials and labor have come from grants, private donations, and volunteers.

At a groundbreaking ceremony on August 29, CCSS announced that the next six homes will be financed by Epitec, a Southfield-based tech staffing agency, and celebrated the completion of six more on Monterey and Elmhurst Streets.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HDC7c2fw_aTBAXOYV8bVtyzugSI=/0x0:4032x2688/920x613/filters:focal(1694x1022:2338x1666)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65135565/IMG_0871.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S6kK6ny743TSDrNOKR56rip-54o=/0x0:4032x2688/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4032x2688):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19129349/IMG_0907.jpg

City unveils plan for $800K upgrade of Spirit Plaza (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/8/29/20838295/spirit-plaza-downtown-city-of-detroit-upgrades)

Last month, Detroit City Council briefly failed to approve a five-year extension for the Woodward Avenue closure between Larned Street and Jefferson Avenue known as “Spirit of Detroit Plaza.”

One week later, after absent Councilmember Andre Spivey added his vote, the plaza was made permanent. City Council also approved $800,000 in additional funding.

Yesterday the city unveiled the upgrades to Spirit Plaza, which will include…

Removal of the Woodward Avenue median
Expansion of green space and landscaping
Creation of a performance stage
Installation of playground equipment and stationary musical instruments
Installation of new tables, chairs, charging stations, and drinking fountains

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ubNav3t7XBBg6Y4h9SMqZlmhggY=/0x0:5843x3895/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5843x3895):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19128729/Spirit_Plaza_Site_Plan__1_.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lDfeucdiGG1Iv-HvAj6TYbv8zN0=/0x0:2550x1650/920x613/filters:focal(1071x621:1479x1029)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65133604/Spirit_Plaza_Rendering.0.jpg

[Docta_Love]

Groundbreaking for more new Corktown infill, the North Corktown infill section dates from April 2019. I think someone may have posted some photos back in the spring as part of a larger North End infill update but i'll throw em in too.

CHRISTIAN HURTTIENNE ARCHITECTS

08-23-19

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5490bafce4b0eb806723e3e7/1566590091235-HNZCQU5332KVHVBIZUT2/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kMQaYGXyg-N6JfkGZU_vUuh7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1Ua-QcdPMv7DZk0rFJhD0QcLp1hGP0pmbMZ97jVyMcY6d4AE22lpcLzlaiGAl25fo5g/EXTERIOR3.jpg?format=1000w
Bagley Street - Corktown, 2020

The site has been excavated and foundations are being poured at Bagley and 8th Streets in Corktown for our Bagley 10 condominiums. We discovered that the site previously held a beautiful Victorian duplex that was destroyed by fire in the 1970s. More construction photos to come as we work towards a Spring 2020 completion of this modern addition to Detroit’s oldest neighborhood.

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5490bafce4b0eb806723e3e7/1566589079172-NZ78PRET1BRFFNUMEK7L/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJuxZ_tRrTdTG-kuUpdANUV7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z4YTzHvnKhyp6Da-NYroOW3ZGjoBKy3azqku80C789l0r9YoV8ytu8SWDj21Bt3yU_NYz1yEwa7xtsTt0X-fR7PwQxTKfqssQnahHT1f-O3WQ/20190813_124929.jpg?format=1000w

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SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES GROW IN NORTH CORKTOWN

We’ve been working over the past three years with individual homes owners along with the Detroit Land Bank Authority to construct modern custom homes in Detroit’s North Corktown. Our sister company, Christian Hurttienne Construction is administering the construction process and homeower coordination with the General Contractor, Stroyko Construction. We’re coming out of the Michigan Winter nearing completion on three beautiful new homes for the neighborhood.


The Cox House features a 1.5-story tower that leads to an expansive roof deck with sweeping views of downtown Detroit and Michigan Central Station.
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5490bafce4b0eb806723e3e7/1555620345512-X9JI9L9Q8FF8YVR4V56F/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kIIFsYAJJX10OgNkc4SuD20UqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIIIbLZhVYxCRW4BPu10St3TBAUQYVKce0j9vvU4chI_bB_CjBNrJapSKkBorzMUDpE1NYw5XxnDgGKGBETQKcT3bo-auxwM/DJI_0188.JPG?format=1000w

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5490bafce4b0eb806723e3e7/1555620383038-RYLD99PDG5B8TOOA7K6I/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kEWP3-hvREnweJ050wvhyvB7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UdrULnJwJtUwRUNy9fIMUJZw9x8WqpJ4rfPF_qYxQ1vxK19DM50qGfsFZg32uC5Iyw/DJI_0196.JPG?format=1000w

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5490bafce4b0eb806723e3e7/1555620405794-3CWQ5QU5VRTGA4KYP418/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kEWP3-hvREnweJ050wvhyvB7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UdrULnJwJtUwRUNy9fIMUJZw9x8WqpJ4rfPF_qYxQ1vxK19DM50qGfsFZg32uC5Iyw/DJI_0191.JPG?format=1000w

ASH HOUSE

The exterior of this home features a deep charred wood cedar shiplap siding from Northern Michigan, and a fiber cement mural wall that will bookend an adjacent urban pocket park.
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5490bafce4b0eb806723e3e7/1555620459904-2PK27K0TG87EDE9X09K5/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kEWP3-hvREnweJ050wvhyvB7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UdrULnJwJtUwRUNy9fIMUJZw9x8WqpJ4rfPF_qYxQ1vxK19DM50qGfsFZg32uC5Iyw/DJI_0175.JPG?format=1000w

DAVIES HOUSE

This streamlined design will be clad in a unique composition of large format fiber cement panels and corrugated metal cladding.
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5490bafce4b0eb806723e3e7/1555620818321-BD5QX2DJOQ8P0NOA8WCL/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kEWP3-hvREnweJ050wvhyvB7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UdrULnJwJtUwRUNy9fIMUJZw9x8WqpJ4rfPF_qYxQ1vxK19DM50qGfsFZg32uC5Iyw/DJI_0180.JPG?format=1000w

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NORTH END INFILL HOUSING RISES

Our multi-building project in Detroit’s North End neighborhood is moving along at a steady pace. The five single-family houses and three 3-unit triplexes will be complete very soon. Develop Detroit has spearheaded this neighborhood transformation, branding the development Revolution Homes. We are happy to see the new buildings are integrating well with the existing early 20th Century traditional architecture of the neighborhood.

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http://www.cha-c.com/news

[The North One]

There's also two fairly large row-home style projects going on.

North Corktown was really sneaked up under the radar with it's developments.

[DetroitSky]

There's also two fairly large row-home style projects going on.

North Corktown was really sneaked up under the radar with it's developments.

You're thinking of these two, I believe:

North Corktown 11 (https://northcorktown11.com), which hasn't broken ground yet but is currently for lease:

https://northcorktown11.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/North-Corktown-11-Front-Street-view.jpeg

And North Pine Street Townhomes (https://oakland-housing.org/homes/), currently under construction:

https://oakland-housing.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nps1.jpg

While not townhomes, there's also this sizable development that was mentioned in a Detroit News article last March. (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2019/03/14/corktown-real-estate-still-heating-up/3052225002/) 5 floors of apartments over ground floor retail. It would be built on Pine and Trumbull:

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/03/14/PDTN/49507533-6814-493e-a924-c8bc50333e6b-new_north.png?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp


I wouldn't be surprised if North Corktown and Core City became a lot more dense in the next few years as downtown, Midtown and Corktown get filled up. They're really the only areas near downtown zoned for single family homes and I believe that adds a bit of attraction as well. I'm sure were not too far off from seeing Poletown East re-densify as well.

[DetroitSky]

Architect announced, new renderings released for Book Tower redevelopment (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/4/20849130/book-tower-detroit-bedrock-oda-architect-renderings)

Bedrock Detroit announced today that New York City–based ODA will be the lead architect on the redesign the Book Tower. It’s the firm’s first project in Detroit.

“This is the most meaningful project you can hope for,” Eran Chen, founding principal at ODA, tells Curbed Detroit. “It has all the components that we like to work with—it’s a historical building with amazing attributes.”

The Dan Gilbert–owned development company bought the building on Washington Boulevard in 2015. For the past two years, it’s been restoring the exterior of the 38-story Italian Renaissance masterpiece—power washing the brick and stone, replacing the 2,483 historically-accurate windows, and fixing up the cornice and caryatid statues.
Bedrock and ODA have now revealed more extensive plans. The 486,760 square-foot structure will be mixed-use in the truest sense—there will be retail, office, residential, and a high-end hotel.

This blend of public and private space will be an interesting challenge for the design team. ODA says it will open up the lobby to the public through multiple entrances and attract tenants like a cafe or gallery. The three-story glass skylight in the atrium will be resurfaced, creating a warm and welcoming space.

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Berry Gordy donates $4M to Motown Museum expansion (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/4/20849447/berry-gordy-motown-museum-detroit-expansion-donation)

The Motown Museum just got a big boost to its expansion efforts thanks to the individual to most responsible for the sound it documents.

Berry Gordy, founder of the Motown record label, has donated $4 million to the expansion, making it the single largest individual donation to the project.

“There would be no Motown legacy, Motown Sound, or Motown Museum without Berry Gordy. He has given the world a soundtrack to live by; Detroit a legacy of pride; and our youth an example of entrepreneurial and creative excellence,” Motown Museum Chairwoman and CEO Robin Terry said in a release. “Now with this transformative and generous gift to the expansion campaign, Berry Gordy advances our vision of making the expanded museum a world class entertainment and educational destination that will ensure the inspiration of Motown lives on for generations to come.”

Another Milwaukee Junction project coming soon:

Owners of Detroit's Chartreuse peg Milwaukee Junction for new fine dining restaurant, bar (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/owners-detroits-chartreuse-peg-milwaukee-junction-new-fine-dining-restaurant-bar)

The business partners who launched the popular Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails in Midtown have nailed down a building in Milwaukee Junction where they hope to spread their culinary wings.

Restaurateur Sandy Levine and chef Doug Hewitt purchased a vacant building at 2929 East Grand Boulevard, where they plan to open a fine dining restaurant and cocktail bar called Freya & Dragonfly. Buildout at the 5,400-square-foot corner property is to begin in the next few weeks and be completed sometime next year, Levine said.

The 40-50 seat Freya — the goddess of love in Norse mythology — is imagined as a "tasting menu concept with flexibility," designed to spoil patrons with a premier guest experience but not break the bank, Levine said. Dragonfly, which will take up less space, will be more casual and offer "bright and vibrant" cocktails with a full wine program.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/freya%20and%20dragonfly%20restaurant-MAIN_i.jpg
The building on the left here is being turned into Rebuild Group's offices. The new restaurant space is also right across the street from the Chroma development.

New high school is first step in larger Marygrove College project (https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2019/09/03/marygrove-college-high-school-detroit/2152841001/)

The Marygrove College campus will get a new batch of freshman Tuesday, but these students aren't ready for college just yet.

They are ninth-graders in the inaugural class of the high school portion of the School at Marygrove, a partnership between the Detroit Public Schools Community District, the University of Michigan and the Kresge Foundation, which has committed $50 million to a project to transform the longtime Catholic college into a community hub of learning and neighborhood revitalization.

The 120 freshman enrolled at the School at Marygrove join thousands of other students who return to classrooms across the state Tuesday. Many private schools returned to class in August as did some public schools, which received special permission from the state to start before Labor Day. But for most kids in Michigan, Tuesday's the day school starts.

The School at Marygrove will eventually serve what organizers call P20, for pre-school to age 20, sometimes dubbed cradle-to-career. It's a partnership that includes a child-care component, after-school and summer programs and a teacher residency program, where rookie teachers can hone their craft by working with more experienced mentors.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/02/PDTF/8b0ae1f3-0a4b-4ca7-b8e2-2e75aced4fa4-Marygrove_082819_ES02.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

$150M development in Detroit's Corktown opens first phase (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/09/04/150-m-development-detroits-corktown-opens-first-phase/2204047001/)

Detroit — A little more than two years after breaking ground on a $150 million mixed-use development, the first phase of Elton Park Corktown is complete.

Developer Soave Real Estate Group, Mayor Mike Duggan and community members celebrated Wednesday the new 151 residential units in an area just east of the old Tiger Stadium site.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/04/PDTN/4a4454ea-17bd-4136-8e06-dae3e48ce158-090419-tm-Elton_Park135.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

[seabee1526]

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchResults.jsp?action=searchProposedCases&pageNum=41

Page 41 Shows proposals for cranes with the FAA. Not sure what projects these belong to.

[animatedmartian]

https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchResults.jsp?action=searchProposedCases&pageNum=41

Page 41 Shows proposals for cranes with the FAA. Not sure what projects these belong to.

These are all for the Hudson's site, specifically the mid-rise portion. It looks like multiple cranes will be used at different times, probably a couple for the underground parking then a couple for the above grade portion. The rest of the permits are for the various roof heights of the building itself.

[DetroitSky]

So yesterday Bedrock held a small public tour of the Book Tower. Here's some photos from a Free Press article (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/09/07/book-tower-renovation-tour-bedrock-detroit/2250243001/):

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/07/PDTF/d56e7ed1-21d5-4fc2-ae37-da2de15855cf-BookTowerTour_090719_ES24.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/07/PDTF/99260b07-022d-483e-92f7-2d37f545beff-BookTowerTour_090719_ES03.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp
View from the 32nd floor

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/07/PDTF/7d13213f-be3b-49ba-be93-6c5d9cef1996-BookTowerTour_090719_ES21.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp
2nd floor

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/07/PDTF/50c652d9-4f4b-4813-8379-7b11509fef51-BookTowerTour_090719_ES19.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/07/PDTF/2cd64bd4-64d0-4b27-8745-644d379cae78-BookTowerTour_090719_ES14.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp
Lobby skylight

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/07/PDTF/195a7b8a-cea5-4817-8746-5d449f86088f-BookTowerTour_090719_ES13.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp

In more minor news, Discount Candles has left their longtime home in the Viola Building for a nearby location. A hookah cafe is moving into their old space. Some of you might remember about a year ago the Viola Building underwent a brief renovation and there was talk of booting out Discount Candles.

Discount Candles leaves Viola Building for nearby space; hookah shop to move in (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/discount-candles-leaves-viola-building-nearby-space-hookah-shop-move)

Discount Candles Inc. is moving from its longtime home in the Viola Building near Eastern Market to a storefront just a block north, but the space it is vacating won't be empty for long.

The candle store is moving from 1400 Gratiot, owned by real estate investor Manoj Manwani, to 1480 Gratiot, owned by FIRM Real Estate, whose principal is Sanford Nelson. The candle shop opened Friday, owner Star Lamar said in an email.

Meanwhile, Take Out Hookah Cafe, owned by Detroit entrepreneurs and couple Zaakir Nelton and Jasmine Gillette, will open at 1400 Gratiot. The pair took the 3,800-square-foot space Wednesday and is undergoing a $100,000 to $150,000 build-out to ready for a grand opening on Halloween, Nelton said.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/viola%20building%20new%20shot-MAIN_i.jpg

Magnet, Plant-centric Restaurant Featuring Simple Selections, to Open in Detroit’s Core City This Month (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/magnet-plant-centric-restaurant-featuring-simple-selections-to-open-in-detroits-core-city-this-month/)

Magnet, a restaurant featuring plant-centric dishes, is opening in a 2,100-square-foot former radiator shop in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood later this month. Brad Greenhill, executive chef, creative director, and partner, and Philip Kafka, partner and developer, are aiming for simplicity, discovery, and an escape from the world’s noise.

The food is designed to be straightforward, simple, and delicious. While meat will be available, Kafka says Greenhill’s artistic challenge is to make vegetables taste great.

“It’s relatively easy to make a steak taste good,” Kafka says. “Fat tastes good.” Kafka and Greenhill already opened Takoi, a Thai-inspired restaurant in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

Lowell at DetroitYes posted this photo of City Club Apartments CBD Detroit from Labor Day weekend recently:

https://www.detroityes.com/mb/attachment.php?attachmentid=38884&d=1567910439

[DetroitSky]

$21 million development with apartments, parking garage, retail planned on polluted site on Jefferson (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/21-million-development-apartments-parking-garage-retail-planned-polluted-site)

The owner of the former Leland hotel in downtown Detroit is leading development of an apartment building, parking deck and renovation project on the edge of the east-side West Village neighborhood.

The $21 million commercial and residential project is seeking public financing through the city's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to assist with environmental cleanup, according to public documents and the Leland owner, Michael Higgins.

Pending city approvals, Higgins and investors he would not name plan to renovate four vacant buildings on Jefferson Avenue between Van Dyke and Seyburn streets near the bridge to Belle Isle. They would demolish an unused, approximately 80-year-old parking deck. In its place they would build a 136-space parking structure and a four-story, 36-unit apartment building on top. About 15,000 square feet of commercial space is also planned, including a restaurant and a center for a nonprofit.

Construction would start in November or December and finish in about a year and a half on the approximately 1 acre property at 7891 and 7903 E. Jefferson Ave. The construction manager is Troy-based O'Brien Construction Co. Inc. and architect is Berardi Partners, which has offices in Columbus, Cleveland and Detroit.

Overall, the project would house 42 apartments priced at between 50 percent of the area median income and 120 percent. As of April, the Wayne County figure for one person's rent at 50 percent of AMI was $668 per month and 120 percent was $1,605.

This article also has a Leland Hotel update:

Higgins has also owned the former Leland hotel for years and plans a $125 million renovation with an approximately $18 million, 650-space parking deck to wrap around the downtown Detroit building. Crain's reported on the plans in early 2018. Higgins said Monday he expects to break ground in early 2020.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/jefferson%20van%20dyke-main_i.jpg

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/jefferson%20van%20dyke-02_i.jpg

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/jefferson%20van%20dyke-01_i.jpg

[DetroitSky]

The Chemical Bank/TCF Bank headquarters project has some final renderings out. (https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/events/2019-09/%2319-6429_25%20W.%20Elizabeth_Revision%20of%20Approved%20Design%20-%20Staff%20Report.pdf) The final height is 311 feet and the official name is TCF Tower.

A DetroitYes user posted this photo of the Cambria Hotel site today:

https://www.detroityes.com/mb/attachment.php?attachmentid=38914&d=1568120240

WeWork to more than double Detroit footprint with new TechTown space (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/wework-more-double-detroit-footprint-new-techtown-space)

The New York City-based company, whose parent is We Co., has signed a lease for more than 91,000 square feet at 6001 Cass Ave. at York Street, Dan Austin, a spokesman for Detroit-based developer and landlord The Platform LLC said Wednesday evening.

That adds to the more than 85,000 square feet WeWork has spread across 11 floors in a pair of Dan Gilbert-owned buildings downtown: 1001 Woodward Ave. (four floors) and 1449 Woodward Ave. (seven floors).

It's not known precisely when WeWork will have space available for users on Cass, but it will take part of the first floor, along with all of the second through fifth floors, Austin said. Tata Technologies, the Novi-based division of Tata Group, is leasing the sixth floor for its new headquarters that's expected to open this fall. The building, which is about 130,000 square feet, is also slated to house a Wayne State University art gallery.


Constructed in 1927 as the Cadillac LaSalle sales and service building, the building is expected to house more than 150 Tata Technologies workers following their move from their current location at 41050 11 Mile Road east of Meadowbrook Road.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/6001Cass_i.jpg

Hammer Time Hardware to reopen on Detroit's east side as new owners grow chain (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail/hammer-time-hardware-reopen-detroits-east-side-new-owners-grow-chain)

If Detroit neighborhoods outside downtown are really on the rebound, then residents are going to need a lot of help fixing up houses and commercial buildings in disrepair.

That's been the thinking of cousins Adnan Gobah, 46, and Bassam Gobah, 37, who are expanding their modest hardware store chain with a new one in the MorningSide neighborhood on the city's east side.

The True Value-branded shop called Hammer Time Hardware replaces one by the same name that closed in 2017 and left a hole in the community's commercial district — a familiar occurrence for hardware stores in the city.

Chicago-based True Value Co. is aiming to open 10 additional stores in Detroit as soon as it can identify investors, said Bob Smith, retail consultant with the company. It has around eight True Value-branded stores in the city now and 50 in Southeast Michigan.

The corporation's model differs slightly from a typical franchiser, Smith said. For the Gobahs' new Warren Avenue store, True Value invested around $150,000, offered site selection and floor planning support, and allowed the business to use its name. In exchange, the owners agree to buy inventory from True Value for at least seven years.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/hammer%20time%20hardware%20exterior-MAIN_i.jpg

Starbucks planned for District Detroit at Woodward and Montcalm (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/09/11/starbucks-headed-woodward-and-montcalm/2289448001/)

The announcements of new food and retail business in the District Detroit continue with news Wednesday that a Starbucks will open next to the Fox Theatre

The 3,000-square-foot space will be the third on Woodward. The Seattle coffee giant also has cafes at Woodward and Mack and another outside of Campus Martius. This Fox Theatre location at Woodward and Montaclm, formerly a Johnny Rockets restaurant, is expected to open before the end of the year.

A release from Olympia Development touts that some of the District Detroit restaurants will be opening before 2020 starts. The company has received criticism over the lagging progress of the development project.

[DetroitSportsFan]

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/events/2019-09/%2319-6411_445%20Ledyard_New%20Construction%20-%20Staff%20Report.pdf

Found this when I was on the Historic Commission website. Don’t remember hearing anything about this before. Looks like some possible new development near LCA though.

[uaarkson]

https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/12/20863248/detroit-planning-commission-rezoning-ordinance-code?fbclid=IwAR0FXlyWvFprRs6rPKHqY2uXlmHsiIA0wlBr2oF94g8Z1VEJT6r7-ABV_eU

Detroit is finally getting on board with 21st century planning. Exciting shit.

[The North One]

Exclusive: Ford’s radical new corporate campus is a glimpse into its future
Walkable streets. Reclaimed marshland. Very, very few parking spaces. The architects at Snøhetta are helping Ford imagine what an office with fewer cars would look like.

The firm’s plan for Ford, shared exclusively with Fast Company, signals a serious departure from midcentury thinking. The biggest fundamental shift is that the new Ford campus will eliminate a vast majority of its parking lots, which currently take up a whopping 40% of the 350-acre campus. The new design calls for parking and drop-off areas to take up just 8% of campus real estate. That one change creates a domino effect in the design that opens opportunities for increasing energy efficiency and green space.

The buildings themselves enable nearly twice the personnel capacity existing structures do today—allowing Ford’s current campus of 11,000 employees to expand to a total of 20,000 in the future. The architecture features flowing, organic forms, with buildings reaching up to six stories tall. Windowed walls and center courtyards bring natural light in. Despite their complex appearance full of curving edges, much of what you see in the buildings is actually clever veneer. As Dykers explains, the structures at their core are all just your typical rectangles, shaped in Xs and Ys. This crossing layout creates courtyards naturally. And as an added bonus, where joints meet make natural hubs, or meeting points, between various offices and disciplines of people. Where Ford’s studios were once siloed from one another, creative friction and collaboration are baked right into the circulation of the building design.

https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_1153,ar_16:9,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,q_auto,fl_lossy/wp-cms/uploads/2019/09/i-3-90403857-exclusive-fordand8217s-new-campus-will-eliminate-most-parking-lots.jpg

https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_596,c_limit,q_auto:best,f_auto/wp-cms/uploads/2019/09/i-1-90403857-exclusive-fordand8217s-new-campus-will-eliminate-most-parking-lots.jpg

https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_596,c_limit,q_auto:best,f_auto/wp-cms/uploads/2019/09/i-2-90403857-exclusive-fordand8217s-new-campus-will-eliminate-most-parking-lots.jpg

https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_596,c_limit,q_auto:best,f_auto/wp-cms/uploads/2019/09/i-4-90403857-exclusive-fordand8217s-new-campus-will-eliminate-most-parking-lots.jpg

https://images.fastcompany.net/image/upload/w_596,c_limit,q_auto:best,f_auto/wp-cms/uploads/2019/09/i-5-90403857-exclusive-fordand8217s-new-campus-will-eliminate-most-parking-lots.jpg

https://www.fastcompany.com/90403857/exclusive-fords-radical-new-corporate-campus-is-a-glimpse-into-its-future

Better look at the plan and video on Snohetta's website: https://snohetta.com/projects/457-ford-dearborn-master-plan

[DetroitSky]

^^^^^That should have been posted in the Metro Detroit thread, not this one. Looks like an awesome project though.

[The North One]

Dearborn is the closest/most connected suburb to the city and it relates to the Corktown development so I thought this was more appropriate.

[DetroitSky]

DDP report: Nearly 5 million square feet being built, completed downtown
(https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/ddp-report-nearly-5-million-square-feet-being-built-completed-downtown)

The Downtown Detroit Partnership says there is nearly 5 million square feet of space being developed or recently completed in the city's central business district.

In a report released Wednesday to attendees of Detroit Homecoming, which is produced by Crain's Detroit Business, the nonprofit organization says the new development totals at least $2.12 billion, ranging from residential, office, institutional and hospitality space under construction or that has finished being built recently.

Eric Larson, CEO of the DDP, said Tuesday that many of the downtown core's existing historic buildings have been rehabbed and new construction is underway, making the development climate seem busier than in recent years.

Henry Ford-Detroit Pistons sports medicine complex in New Center to open next month (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/health-care/henry-ford-detroit-pistons-sports-medicine-complex-new-center-open-next-month)

Construction began in October 2017, around the same time the Pistons played their inaugural game at Little Caesars Arena. The new sports performance facility and affiliation with Henry Ford Health System was part of a deal between Pistons owner Tom Gores and the city when Gores officially announced in November 2016 he was moving the NBA franchise back to Detroit.

The 185,000-square-foot Pistons headquarters cost a total of $90 million to construct and build out, team spokesman Kevin Grigg said. That part of the development will also open in October, when 200 or so employees will transfer from the Palace of Auburn Hills site. Other details are still to come. A Blink Fitness and Plum Market will also open on the Pistons' side, but dates have not been announced.

The $37 million sports medicine center is connected to the Pistons practice center and headquarters by a 125-foot glass-enclosed walkway. The development also includes an adjacent 370-space parking structure that is jointly owned by the two organizations.

Detroit-based Platform LLC is the general developer of the project. Christman-Brinker, a joint venture of The Christman Co.'s Detroit office and Detroit-based L.S. Brinker Co., is the construction manager, and Detroit-based Rossetti is the architect.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/William%20Clay%20Ford%20Center%20for%20Athletic%20Medicine_i.jpg

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/s3/files/styles/width_792/public/FINAL%20-%20detroit%20pistons%20henry%20ford%20development-03_i.jpg

Somerset Collection tenants to get rotating space in new downtown hotel (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail/somerset-collection-tenants-get-rotating-space-new-downtown-hotel)

Tenants at the Somerset Collection in Troy will be able to use temporary, rotating space in the Element Detroit hotel in the Metropolitan Building in downtown Detroit.

Nate Forbes, managing partner of the Southfield-based Forbes Co., which owns Somerset Collection, said in a Tuesday interview that a five-year lease will allow the swank mall's 180 or so retailers to take space in 1,400 square feet that's being built out with anticipation of opening before Christmas.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/SomersetMetropolitan-main_i.jpg

Real Estate Insider: Wigle project now to start construction in the spring (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices-kirk-pinho/real-estate-insider-wigle-project-now-start-construction-spring)

The developer behind a long-in-the-works project on the site of a former city-owned rec center is seeking $8.28 million in brownfield financing.

The $55 million-plus first phase of Midtown West is expected to begin next year and bring a unique 175-unit building to the former Wigle Recreation Center site in Detroit bounded by Selden Street to the north, the Lodge Freeway northbound service drive to the west, an alley west of Third Street to the east and Brainard Street to the south.

It is to have eight studio apartments, 125 one-bedroom units, 38 two-bedroom units and four three-bedroom apartments, according to the brownfield plan submitted to the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. About 7,000 square feet of first-floor retail is anticipated as well.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/MidtownWest-main_i.png

Detroit seeks $250M in bond funding to speed up home demo program (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/16/20869146/detroit-duggan-home-demolition-program-bond)

Mayor Mike Duggan has made demolition of abandoned Detroit homes a cornerstone of his administration. That’s even more true after a new plan he released today.

Duggan outlined a proposal to Detroit City Council to remove the last vestiges of residential blight by 2025, which would require selling $250 million in city bonds. If approved by council, which has until December 17 to approve the language, it would go before voters as a ballot proposal in March 2020.

Most of the $265 million already spent on the initiative has been received through federal Hardest Hit funds, which are expected to be depleted sometime next year.

The city says the new proposal won’t raise taxes on Detroit residents. “The bonds would be repaid back over the next 30 years using existing tax revenue budgeted for debt retirement,” it wrote in a press release.

Historic Eastern Market church completes restoration of steeple and bell tower (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/16/20868673/st-joseph-oratory-eastern-market-restoration-detroit)

In October 2017, St. Joseph Oratory began a $2.5 million Historic Renewal campaign—the first significant restoration in the history of the nearly 150-year-old German Gothic church on Jay Street in Eastern Market.

According to the Catholic church, the bell tower was constructed in 1873, which made it the tallest building in Detroit at the time. The steeple was added in 1892.

For the restoration, the church replaced the wood underlayment, then added real slate and copper with a patina treatment. The work was done by Detroit Cornice and Slate.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SewY1unL0JlfBUy9-anj1-OLgeg=/0x0:2048x1365/920x613/filters:focal(1257x541:1583x867)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65254772/1828JaySt_131.0.jpg

Greektown seeks to modernize with plan that includes more mixed-use, public space (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/18/20872790/detroit-greektown-neighborhood-framework-plan-release)

The plan, which was created in partnership with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), a prominent urban planning firm that also worked on the East Riverfront Framework, has several main goals and consistent themes: improving connections to the rest of downtown, increasing density, creating a central corridor on Monroe Street, increasing public spaces and pedestrian access, and adding mixed-use elements.

A lot of these concepts are interconnected. For example, the framework recommends building on the numerous surface lots and supplementing parking with both above- and below-ground structures.

It also identifies four potential public spaces: a triangular plaza at Monroe and Randolph streets that could be the “gateway” to Greektown, an area called “Clinton Park” near Gratiot Avenue, a park on the south side at Saint Antoine Street, and a pocket park off Beaubien Street. There would also be activated alleys, wayfinding signage, and streets that could be easily closed off for public programming.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OtnCszeNLSmh4j0aVrafpYsdtxI=/0x0:3000x1697/920x613/filters:focal(1092x731:1572x1211)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65274017/monroe__1_.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_PZx9r1uI-iQCLosyytcGSz5sY8=/0x0:4500x2544/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4500x2544):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19212275/randolph__1_.jpg

Greyhound station near Corktown may soon be demolished for new development (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/13/20864339/greyhound-bus-station-detroit-demolish-mdot)

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), which owns the property, told the Detroit Free Press that a number of developers and even the city of Detroit, which has the right of first refusal, have expressed interest in buying the 2.2-acre site. The Free Press reports that…

MDOT’s Rob Pearson, who oversees intercity bus services in the state ... declined to discuss specifics but said the station would likely be demolished to make way for new development, such as apartments, a restaurant, a market, possibly even a parking structure.

The site is in prime real estate territory and, MDOT tells WDIV Local 4, the 31,000-square-foot building is in desperate in need of repairs and would be too costly to fix.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YKthjueXkrGegTC-I6hAe36jWXg=/0x0:2001x1334/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2001x1334):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19196475/greyhouse_bus.jpg

Back in April a company called BiggDesigns (https://www.facebook.com/BIGGDESIGNSLLC/?eid=ARB8wZYLnrTfaABrY9LqBkJY77NIfAKmdr6LpjG_AFuslU08fFJHg7D9-VrVQEWJeyQLgN8yXwjflnnW) posted renovation renderings of the old garage at 7740 Woodward. I drove by earlier today and this project is under construction:

https://scontent.fyip1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56289385_566962317146119_1356400025545998336_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_oc=AQmMxV0fBqa7yT5qXjcgOced95mfkWdPFl9PU69QirAc3N1ziC-nfpfLPaETi-l4i0c&_nc_ht=scontent.fyip1-1.fna&oh=e296dc80a10ec8b1f43f224f4e0ebead&oe=5DF393AD
As it stands now

https://scontent.fyip1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56737201_566962267146124_7659103896354160640_o.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_oc=AQnNQ7PNoqw7swQF8zxTWiL1Nw61frwrbSsayfxH0mfZZi7Qs80m3j_ow64fBXllWKM&_nc_ht=scontent.fyip1-1.fna&oh=98998590eae93c33563c6bb8372dc800&oe=5E394B81

[The North One]

^ That's nice, only seems big enough for a small convenience store though. What is going on with the grocery food co-op that's supposed to go in the North End? Also I feel like we're long overdue for one of your massive pic updates. ;)

[DetWin]

Yeah, I must say those development update pictures are very much appreciated

[DetroitSky]

I’ve been meaning to post a photo update for awhile but haven’t gotten around to it. I have new photos from the past two days I’ll try to post soon.

[DetroitSky]

Motown Museum to break ground Sunday on expansion project with stars looking on (https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2019/09/20/motown-museum-break-ground-sunday-expansion-project/2385768001/)

The Motown Museum is about to take the first big step into its new future.

Three years after announcing a $50 million expansion campaign, the historic Detroit institution will break ground Sunday on the first phase of construction as it begins its transformation into a 21st century complex. It's the first major physical addition in decades at a site that endures as the city's most iconic music landmark.

Motown artists and other dignitaries — many in town for this weekend’s 60th anniversary festivities — are expected to attend the 11 a.m. Sunday groundbreaking ceremony. Full details haven't been announced, and more information about the expansion project will be revealed at the event, museum officials said.

Construction will roll out in four phases as fundraising continues, said Robin Terry, the museum’s chairwoman and CEO. A museum spokeswoman declined to specify the costs of this first phase of work.

The initial work, which has already quietly started, will remodel three houses just east of the Hitsville, U.S.A., building that hosts thousands of visitors annually for tours of the humble headquarters where Berry Gordy Jr. began building his music empire.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/09/20/PDTF/8b474a1e-b57d-40b8-9d6f-81e73af8521b-20190903_Motown_Night_Rendering.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Historic Brush Park mansion to be saved, converted into eight apartment units (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/19/20874166/brush-park-mansion-erskine-redevelop-detroit)

A historic mansion in Brush Park, which somehow never faced the wrecking ball, will soon be brought back to life.

Method Development announced this week that it’s redeveloping the 8,000-square-foot mansion at 304 Erskine Street into eight apartment units. The total cost of the project is an estimated $1.8 million.

“This is a passion project for us,” Amelia Patt Zamir, cofounder of Method Development, said in a release. “We worked hard during the design process to maximize every square inch of space and to build something truly special while maintaining the home’s historic characteristics.”

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/agGx6Zj2S1uOvpTLiaaE77Gegeo=/0x0:4032x3024/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4032x3024):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19214467/Erskine_before_construction.jpg

^Wasn't someone trying to restore this place pre-recession? Crazy to think its been abandoned since the '70s.

[DetroitSky]

Alright guys, this is probably going to be the biggest photo update I've done so far. These date from August 20th to yesterday. Enjoy.

Downtown

https://i.imgur.com/nvN5PNYh.jpg
One Campus Martius

https://i.imgur.com/hUbm3HOh.jpg
Marquette Building

https://i.imgur.com/n8oACoKh.jpg
220 West

https://i.imgur.com/ZqZsdd6h.jpg
Buhl Building facade restoration

https://i.imgur.com/r7FWgaZh.jpg
Grounds updating at Coleman A. Young Municipal Center

https://i.imgur.com/8ASCMI5h.jpg
Work on Spirit Plaza recently began

https://i.imgur.com/2BwKMoBh.jpg
I was really surprised to see they've removed the tiles off the facade of the Checker Bar. It's nice to see the original brick. I really hope they plan on doing a full restoration. This is the Cadillac Square side.

https://i.imgur.com/TW1UKtnh.jpg
And this is the Congress Street facade

https://i.imgur.com/0BYOPIoh.jpg
The Randolph

https://i.imgur.com/YzfICdNh.jpg
WCCCD Downtown Campus expansion

https://i.imgur.com/FRxYzReh.jpg
The exterior of the Free Press Building is complete

https://i.imgur.com/cyExgmyh.jpg
Book Tower

https://i.imgur.com/EVFLjevh.jpg
It looks like renovations have began at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites

https://i.imgur.com/5E3OVLZh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5rNcaLqh.jpg
City Club Apartments CBD Detroit

https://i.imgur.com/CGXAcKKh.jpg
Detroit Beer Exchange in the Stevens Building

https://i.imgur.com/3cbHi8kh.jpg
Gabriel Houze

https://i.imgur.com/KWslFKoh.jpg
Women's City Club Building

https://i.imgur.com/XwBY7tph.jpg
New Starbucks on Woodward and Montcalm in the Fox Theatre Building

https://i.imgur.com/kd6g8Zwh.jpg
Site prep for TCF Tower. Demolition should be beginning soon on the Michigan Mutual Liability Annex

https://i.imgur.com/hR8HreQh.jpg
Little Caesars Global Resource Center

https://i.imgur.com/k8sIGFyh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/r4YrgiFh.jpg
H&M signs are up

https://i.imgur.com/XS2W1xRh.jpg
New restaurant moving into this little place on W. Lafayette and Cass

https://i.imgur.com/VieYcD0h.jpgMidtown
The former Arcade Bar/Bathtub Pub space is being renovated

https://i.imgur.com/W4h3MXWh.jpg
Cambria Hotel

Midtown

https://i.imgur.com/R4n6e1yh.jpg
The Mackenzie House has been placed onto its new foundation

https://i.imgur.com/8kbQv1Jh.jpg
Work has begun at 432 Prentis

https://i.imgur.com/hqmEGrph.jpg
WSU STEM Innovation Learning Center

https://i.imgur.com/xLH2QOQh.jpg
WSU's DeRoy Apartments are completely gone. The newly completed Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments is in the background

https://i.imgur.com/UCoFHBnh.jpg
Chatsworth Towers

https://i.imgur.com/lTqdrx0h.jpg
Detroit Masala, 4154 Third

https://i.imgur.com/kQWMfx7h.jpg
Eco homes

https://i.imgur.com/EzpxxXeh.jpg
Boulevard Hostel

https://i.imgur.com/3dBVyFFh.jpg
Temple Detroit

https://i.imgur.com/E2t5kOph.jpg
The former COTS homeless shelter is being turned into the Peterboro Arms Apartments

City Modern

https://i.imgur.com/HqXyEYph.jpg
440 Alfred

https://i.imgur.com/L8dt2Ljh.jpg
Alfred looking west from Brush

https://i.imgur.com/zGrfUnsh.jpg
2700 Brush

https://i.imgur.com/lkP0LEYh.jpg
287 Alfred

https://i.imgur.com/dDCEyKkh.jpg
295 Alfred

https://i.imgur.com/ZmkAUQzh.jpg
Alfred Street

https://i.imgur.com/x0ZFbCDh.jpg
The three Historic Homes

https://i.imgur.com/cWO8SqPh.jpg
2700 John R

Brush Park

https://i.imgur.com/U80pDZYh.jpg
The first phase of SoMA is underway. Renovations have begun on one of the former Red Cross buildings

https://i.imgur.com/b0lYnWvh.jpg
Foundation work is also underway at SoMA's first parking garage

https://i.imgur.com/xK6Nhw2h.jpg
The Kelemen looks complete and occupied

https://i.imgur.com/q258IkMh.jpg
Henry Glover House

https://i.imgur.com/8nIZ3Nth.jpg
2965 John R

https://i.imgur.com/93q638qh.jpg
206 Eliot

https://i.imgur.com/je6dIIWh.jpg
Patterson Terrace

https://i.imgur.com/MtM2q96h.jpg
Brush Park Village North

Corktown

https://i.imgur.com/m5oLGbXh.jpg
Ford's demolition of the old Lincoln Brass Works for new construction is complete

https://i.imgur.com/6mzcIT7h.jpg
Rowhouses on Leverette

https://i.imgur.com/xYNYqj6h.jpg
I can't remember what's going in here. This building is on West Elizabeth near Trumbull

https://i.imgur.com/XF9lwryh.jpg
Michigan Central Station

https://i.imgur.com/dTuU9h0h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/316COH9h.jpg
North Pine Street Townhomes

https://i.imgur.com/sTym4hWh.jpg
Towns at The Corner

https://i.imgur.com/Ajw2rDah.jpg
The Corner appears mostly occupied

https://i.imgur.com/BG3XTo4h.jpg
Bagley 10

https://i.imgur.com/qpa1F5th.jpg
1510 Trumbull

https://i.imgur.com/Eo59Uavh.jpg
1451 Trumbull

https://i.imgur.com/CXsptsjh.jpg
Parking garage being built for The Assembly

https://i.imgur.com/lWrAOY4h.jpg
Detroit Axe

Elton Park
These were taken about a week before this phase of the project was officially completed.

https://i.imgur.com/FmN86nNh.jpg
8th Street Row

https://i.imgur.com/960cviFh.jpg
2100 and 2120 Trumbull

https://i.imgur.com/aGVnkhhh.jpg
The Robertson

https://i.imgur.com/D1xakL0h.jpg
The Crawford

https://i.imgur.com/wefgTYsh.jpg
Checker Alley

New Center and Milwaukee Junction

https://i.imgur.com/oMyPtS4h.jpg
Woodward and W. Milwaukee

https://i.imgur.com/4OAPlM8h.jpg
6540 Woodward

https://i.imgur.com/jW1BHejh.jpg
820 W. Milwaukee

https://i.imgur.com/s5b7onlh.jpg
The Boulevard

https://i.imgur.com/Jzygngch.jpg
Albert Kahn Building

https://i.imgur.com/jJ3TC4Ch.jpg
Chroma

The North End

https://i.imgur.com/awWm2Ewh.jpg
7740 Woodward

https://i.imgur.com/KZ8qyN5h.jpg
319 Mt. Vernon

https://i.imgur.com/65MXfeJh.jpg
Quaker Apartments

https://i.imgur.com/sd5S3jih.jpg
204 E. Philadelphia

https://i.imgur.com/KcGIHFAh.jpg
E. Euclid near John R

https://i.imgur.com/ksSMJdQh.jpg
48 Mt. Vernon

https://i.imgur.com/zBVr4AZh.jpg
65 Mt. Vernon

https://i.imgur.com/gcSFFBoh.jpg
60 and 64 Mt. Vernon

https://i.imgur.com/aG9MMVuh.jpg
John R and Chandler

https://i.imgur.com/pKriLW0h.jpg
John R and Mt. Vernon

https://i.imgur.com/ykndjpAh.jpg
100 Marston

Eastern Market

https://i.imgur.com/XzZyyUgh.jpg
Hookah cafe moving into the first floor of the Viola Building

https://i.imgur.com/XUSsxIPh.jpg
2614 Riopelle

https://i.imgur.com/88dlykKh.jpg
Bea's Detroit

https://i.imgur.com/85NSJ7ch.jpg
Renovation on Division Street

https://i.imgur.com/wWgNrmVh.jpg
Work has begun on the former Detroit Water & Sewerage Department warehouse

Eastside

https://i.imgur.com/Eybagduh.jpg
D&D Storage, Mack and Van Dyke

https://i.imgur.com/alM6rUXh.jpg
242 Fischer

https://i.imgur.com/c0tB46Fh.jpg
Baldwin Street near St. Paul Street

https://i.imgur.com/ayX0hgkh.jpg
St. Charles Townhomes

https://i.imgur.com/F8bxkPch.jpg
2915 Mt. Elliott St

https://i.imgur.com/QXSQCz9h.jpg
3499 Mack Avenue

https://i.imgur.com/B0r8Mq4h.jpg
Regency at Chene

https://i.imgur.com/hAM3a3Eh.jpg
The Clay Center

Palmer Park and Highland Park

https://i.imgur.com/tk5IpR0h.jpg
Cambridge House

https://i.imgur.com/AmDQcAxh.jpg
Hampshire House

https://i.imgur.com/NnCoLS3h.jpg
47 Church Street, Highland Park

Mexicantown

https://i.imgur.com/Cjh2WhVh.jpg
1800 18th Street

https://i.imgur.com/E2IwAEch.jpg
Sicily's Pizzeria addition, 3554 W. Vernor

Westside

https://i.imgur.com/9vMdpiWh.jpg
I remember reading awhile ago that once the lease expired for the industrial tenant of 5757 Trumbull, the building would be remodeled into something else. It looks like the beginning of renovations is taking place.

[The North One]

:worship:

I did NOT know about Cambridge/Hampshire House, wow. Those are both the ones on Covington drive yes?

[subterranean]

Several of the larger projects I didn’t know about, including the Buhl. Is Gabriel Houz the building kitty corner to the Book Cadillac? I always thought that would be the perfect building for an Apple Store.

Anyway, I saw on this site a few months back say they thought Detroit was the most overrated success story. I couldn’t disagree more. I am so damn impressed and it makes me proud to be a native Michigander. I miss home a lot and I look forward all the time to catching up on all the new happenings every time I’m there.

Cheers and thanks for the updates. Greatly appreciated.

[DetroitSky]

The North One, yes they’re on Covington. They look good!

subterranean, it is kitty corner from the Book Cadillac.

This is only a small fraction of projects underway, too. There’s so many I haven’t been able to photograph.

[e-dub]

Detroit the beautiful!

[Jasoncw]

Thank you!! :)

[DetroitSky]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed the photos!

Also, for those interested, this is about the only photo I can find of Checker Bar's original facade. It's on the far left edge of this photo. The Gayety Theatre and neighboring hardware store are a parking lot today. I believe the Gayety was torn down in the '50s.

https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A158225/datastream/IMAGE/view

[DetWin]

Another amazing thread! Thanks so much

[mousquet]

Not bad. Hey, I can remember, when I joined the forum long ago, I predicted the downtown area would recover from ruin. :notacrook:
Bon, frankly, you didn't have to be any fucking smart prophet to assume it, cause it was pretty obvious.

The rest of town seems pretty chaotic, less consistent, like a Paris suburb, or like messy planets in orbit around their burning star.
That's always the way it is.

[uaarkson]

The amount of redevelopment, especially renovations, happening in the core is nothing short of remarkable. People forget that only 6 short years ago the city was bankrupt, and the fate of many downtown icons was still up in the air. Several high-profile demolitions were still being planned/executed.

The city seems to be making all the right moves to maintain this trajectory. They've been making very smart, incremental changes in almost every neighborhood. The biggest ingredient now is time, and chance that the national economy doesn't fuck it all up. This new Detroit is already a success story whether you know it or not.

[RossDetroit]

Thanks DetroitSky. I always enjoy your updates so much. I live in Belgium and wait for the Hudson site to be finished. I love Detroit and shall certainly come back. Keep us posted please.

[DetroitSky]

Here's some restaurant news from around town. Not huge developments, but I'm all for a few less vacant storefronts.

Birmingham's Phonecia Opening Downtown Detroit Spot In October (http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/23288/birmingham_s_phonecia_opening_downtown_detroit_spot_in_october)

For more than four decades the Eid family has been operating Phoenicia, an upscale Lebanese restaurant on Old Woodward Avenue in downtown Birmingham.

Now the father-son team of Sameer and Sammy Eid plan to open Leila, a more casual version in Capitol Park in downtown Detroit. A debut the week of Oct. 14 is envisioned.

The 130-seat "cosmopolitan" restaurant will be in the Farwell Building at 1249 Griswold St. and will occupy 4,500 square feet. It will include a 20-person private dining room and lounge.

https://dd-res.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/1_lelie_38039.jpg

Midtown Detroit Is Cooking: Smith & Co. And Savant Restaurants Open (http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/23290/midtown_detroit_is_cooking_smith_co_and_savant_restaurants_open_friday)

It's come to this: Restaurant launches in the former Cass Corridor are so numerous they bunch up.

First-nighters on Friday have a choice of two openings less than a mile apart -- Savant on West Forest Avenue and Smith & Co. on Selden Street.

"A new restaurant opening in Midtown is hardly news these days," Detroit News food writer Melody Baetens acknowledges near the top of a Thursday afternoon piece on Smith & Co.

https://dd-res.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/Smith___Co._restaurant_38045.jpg

New In Detroit: Magnet Restaurant Features Wood-Fired Cooking And No Tips (http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/23265/new_in_detroit_magnet_restaurant_features_wood-fired_cooking_and_no_tips)

This addition, opening Friday in a former radiator shop on Grand River Avenue in the Core City neighborhood, features selections "kissed by a little bit of wood flavor," chef Brad Greenhill tells Annalise Frank of Crain's Detroit Business. All cooking will be done on a charcoal grill or a wood-fired oven.

He and partner Philip Kafka also are co-owners of Takoi, a Corktown hotspot a mile and a half away on Michigan Avenue. (Takoi's third owner, Courtney Henriette, isn't part of Magnet.)

The 78-seat restaurant's menu includes a whole grilled eggplant, a full cauliflower, topped flatbreads and celery root kabobs.

Pink Flamingo Food Truck Adds A Palmer Park Carry-Out Restaurant In Detroit (http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/23251/pink_flamingo_food_truck_adds_a_palmer_park_carry-out_restaurant_in_detroit)

Seven years after Meiko Krishok began serving food from an Airstream trailer on Vermont Street in North Corktown, her Pink Flamigo enterprise adds a counter-service restaurant this week.

Located near Palmer Park at 17740 Woodward Ave., the new quick-service restaurant will allow Pink Flamingo’s team to free itself from the constraints of Michigan winters and refocus on serving affordable, local food to the community all year.

It opens Sunday at 11 a.m. with a $20 brunch buffet until 3 p.m. (Tickets are here.) The menu has baked herb-and-cheese eggs, turkey-chicken patties, vegan white bean patties, roasted garlic and herb potatoes, grits, mushroom gravy, biscuits and cinnamon raisin walnut bread. Carryout selections become available at 3 p.m. opening day.

https://dd-res.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/Pink_Flamingo__FB_37978.jpg

[DetroitSky]

Wayne County to build housing for refugee resettlement in Hamtramck (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/24/20881670/wayne-county-hamtramck-freedom-village-refugee-homes)

A modest housing project for refugee resettlement is coming to a part of metro Detroit that’s become a hub for immigration and multiculturalism for decades.

Earlier this month, Wayne County announced that was looking to build three two-family homes in Hamtramck to be used as transitional affordable housing for refugees and immigrants. Called Freedom Village, the project is a partnership between the county, Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Samaritas, and the city of Hamtramck.

This week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded funding for the project. It’s expected to cost $1.2 million, none of which will come from the city of Hamtramck.

It’s slated for a summer 2020 opening.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XTLV_7elZCh8EcKi78HrIH4rHZc=/0x0:1972x1315/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1972x1315):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19228209/Screen_Shot_2019_09_24_at_10.32.55_AM.jpg
The site located on Faber Street

North End development gets $2 million in financing, incentives (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/north-end-development-gets-2-million-financing-incentives)

The planned redevelopment of the former Packard Automotive Showroom in Detroit's North End neighborhood has received approval for more than $2 million in loans and other financing.

RainCheck Development LLC, owned by Neal Check, has received a $1.4 million Michigan Community Revitalization Program loan for his planned $8.16 million redevelopment of the building at 40 Hague St. and Woodward Avenue and another $562,000 or so in brownfield financing.

The project, first reported by Crain's in April 2018, is anticipated to bring 38 apartments to the market, according to a Michigan Strategic Fund board briefing memoradum. The board approved the financing Tuesday morning.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/40Hague_i.jpg

Fauna Holistic ‘Working-class’ Massage Spa Opens in Eastern Market (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/fauna-holistic-working-class-massage-spa-opens-in-eastern-market/)

Fauna Holistic, a new therapeutic massage spa in Detroit’s Eastern Market, is targeting local service-industry workers and others who once may have thought massage therapy and bodywork to be too expensive.

Fauna Holistic is owned and operated by Fiona Maier, a licensed massage therapist from New York, who comes from a blue-collar family and says she wants to serve others who are in need of restoring their bodies after a hard day’s work.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Eastern Market community,” says Maier. “I was raised by a carpenter father and a mother who worked odd jobs and is now a librarian. I believe everyone should have access to massage. Fauna Holistic is geared toward working-class individuals. I really want to reach out to restaurant workers, many of whom I know personally and are sorely in need of bodywork. I also really want to get away from the expensive, luxury spa stereotype and provide an alternative space for everyone in need of massage services.”

https://www.dbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/09/FaunaHolistic-EasternMarket.jpg

Men’s Outdoor-inspired Fashion Line MuskOx Launches in Downtown Detroit (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/mens-outdoor-inspired-fashion-line-muskox-launches-in-downtown-detroit/)

MuskOx, a men’s fashion label designed to bring the features of outdoor apparel to everyday fashion, is launching in downtown Detroit. The line is designed to be wearable at everything from camping trips to the office. The company’s offices are located above The Fillmore Detroit.

Detroit’s North End Gains A Moroccan-Style Gathering Spot (http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/23317/detroit_s_north_end_gains_a_moroccan-style_gathering_spot)

An innovative cross-cultural project in Detroit’s North End area drew dozens of neighbors, supporters and discoverers to a three-hour event Sunday.

It was at a Moroccan-style riad, or community courtyard, marking completion of its first phase.

Visitors stood below stainless steel arches cut with Islamic patterns. The towering series of arabesques create a public space for art shows, performances, workshops and a garden. The next goal is to add vegetable plants, a fountain, "sculptural furniture" and food preparation capability by 2021.

Eventually, partners say, the decorative metal canopy will unite eight formerly abandoned buildings at East Euclid Street and Oakland Avenue, between Chicago and East Grand boulevards.

https://dd-res.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/riad_proj_sun_event_by_david_rudolph__IG_38098.JPG

https://dd-res.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/riad_proj_top__see_web_text_38097.jpeg

[DetroitSky]

$6.6M mixed-use building with artistic theme planned for Woodbridge (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/25/20883679/woodbridge-development-osi-art-apartments-grand-river)

Two Detroiters—one a gallery owner and another who cut his teeth in New York City finance—are planning a $6.6 million mixed-use development on Grand River Avenue at the edge of Woodbridge. Called the Osi Art Apartments @ West End, plans for the development were revealed in public records submitted to the city’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority earlier this month.

Plans for the over 26,000-square-foot Osi Art Apartments currently call for around 30 apartment units and ground floor retail, as well as parking behind the building. The site, which was purchased in May this year, is currently vacant and sits next to the Patterson Dog and Cat Hospital between Avery and Commonwealth streets.

Roderick Hardamon, founder URGE Development Group and one of the project’s partners, says he expects at least 50 percent of the units to be available to tenants who make 80 percent of the area median income (around $42,000 per year).

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JZcMLQZcXeUWY8YdnAfRWe-fhnA=/0x0:4272x2959/920x613/filters:focal(2083x1018:2765x1700)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65319008/Osi_Art_Apartments_Grand_River_Avenue_view.0.jpg

Random fact: Patterson Dog and Cat Hospital, founded in 1844, is the oldest small business in Detroit and the oldest veterinary practice in the US. (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/06/15/patterson-dog-cat-hospital-veterinarian/1429782001/)

Preservation of Ossian Sweet home underway (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/9/25/20883435/ossian-sweet-home-museum-michigan-marker)

Nearly 100 years after Dr. Ossian Sweet defended his home from a white mob, it’s set to be preserved for hopefully another century.

In August last year, the city of Detroit was awarded $500,000 from the African-American Civil Rights program of the Historic Preservation Fund, the National Park Service, and the Department of the Interior to turn it into a permanent visitation site.

Now, restoration work is underway on the home at 2905 Garland Street, as well as two across the street, on Detroit’s east side. According to the Detroit News, local restoration artists are upgrading essential features of the home—woodwork, painting, electrical and plumbing systems—as well as prepping the house for historic preservation.

Eventually, the basement will be turned into an interactive museum with information about the 1925 attack and trial.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3zY3ToGaKdzE1UfKU_8LDV1IVhM=/0x0:2000x1338/920x613/filters:focal(837x356:1157x676)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65317891/ossian_sweet.0.jpg

Auto parts maker Faurecia to invest $10.7M in Highland Park, create 500 jobs (https://www.clickondetroit.com/automotive/auto-parts-maker-faurecia-to-invest-107m-in-highland-park-create-500-jobs)

Officials say auto parts maker Faurecia is planning to invest $10.7 million and create 500 jobs in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park.

The planned investment was announced Tuesday as the Michigan Economic Development Corp. said the company is expected to get a $2 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Plans call for workers to assemble automotive seats, seat frames, foam cushions and seat covers.

https://bobcat.grahamdigital.com/image/upload/view?width=630&height=353&method=fit&url=https://media.clickondetroit.com/photo/2016/10/11/Hundreds%20of%20workers%20to%20lose%20jobs%20as%20Faurecia%20closes%20local%20plant20161011211408_8179150_ver1.0.jpg

Nonprofit developer, neighborhood group to rehab buildings in Detroit's Woodbridge (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/property-development/nonprofit-developer-neighborhood-group-rehab-buildings-detroits-woodbridge)

Cinnaire purchased the three-story building, built in the 1920s, from the Presbytery of Detroit for $330,000 in January. Its days as a bank predate Napier, who remembers taking her kids there for dance, acting and other extracurricular activities. Most recently, it was home to the nonprofit Barnabas Project, which moved out around five years ago and left unclaimed items such as golf clubs and old computers to collect dust.

Cinnaire is planning to invest nearly $1 million to renovate the building for a commercial tenant on the first floor and flexible office space on the upper two levels, said Ed Potas, development manager for Cinnaire. The neighborhood group is pitching in a big chunk of the $150,000 Kresge Foundation grant it was awarded in June for some cleanup and community engagement.

The partnership between the Woodbridge group and Cinnaire started in 2017 when the developer gave it a construction loan to renovate a house in the area. If all goes well with the bank building, the groups would like to continue elevating their work together with the revitalization of a ramshackle 18,000-square-foot former elementary school and nearby 8 acres of vacant land in the neighborhood.

Cinnaire bought the school building at 1780 W. Hancock St. from private owner Blair Evans for $1.7 million, according to city property records, along with acreage at West Forest Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard. Potas said that project is still being budgeted and presents bigger challenges due to the condition of the building.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/woodbridge%20old%20bank%20exterior-MAIN_i.jpg
Former bank at 3530 Grand River

Cuban-Influenced Burger Favorite Frita Batidos Opens Next Week in Detroit (https://detroit.eater.com/2019/9/24/20879659/frita-batidos-new-detroit-restaurant-opening-october-burgers-chef-eve-aronoff)

After more than four years of anticipation and many delays, Ann Arbor’s Cuban-influenced burger favorite Frita Batidos is scheduled to open the doors at its second restaurant in Detroit next week. Chef Eve Aronoff confirms to Eater that the restaurant will debut on on Wednesday, October 2 along the new pedestrian-friendly Columbia Street promenade in downtown Detroit near the Fox Theatre. Several invitation-only previews are scheduled for this weekend.

The Corner at Former Tiger Stadium Site in Detroit Opens (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/the-corner-at-former-tiger-stadium-site-in-detroit-opens/)

The Corner, a $31 million mixed-use development at the site of the former Tiger Stadium at Michigan and Trumbull avenues in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, opened yesterday.

It features 111 multifamily units of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, with 20 percent designated affordable at 80 percent of area median income.

The four-story building also will include 27,000 square feet of ground-level retail space, 60 percent of which will be at 50 percent of market rental rates. The first wave of businesses includes BUILD Institute, Plum Health, Skinphorea, and Vivid Space Yoga. There are three retail spots left.

The project also created more than 400 jobs, 50 percent of which went to Detroit residents. At least 121 of the 237 construction jobs and at least 90 of the 150 permanent jobs went to low-income people.

[DetroitSky]

A Facebook user in the Historical Detroit Area Architecture group posted this photo of the Eddystone yesterday. I haven't gone by yet to check it out for myself, but it definitely looks like some actual rehab work is underway.

https://scontent.fdtw1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70811662_10220631278237305_2749602470505218048_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_oc=AQmDahmz4HuDGpxoMqx8ZkN1NVFqWrNqH9BLD68YHm-O6AyAiIXiQ6eCAPU5Cjcytks&_nc_ht=scontent.fdtw1-1.fna&oh=9c674e986a38d684c16d1b40c70b6f17&oe=5E2AE5D8
Source (https://www.facebook.com/groups/412764338844049/?multi_permalinks=2498237870296675&notif_id=1569612942946691&notif_t=group_highlights)

DetroitYes user JonWylie also posted this photo yesterday of steel framing underway at DMC Sports Medicine Institute. This project is on Woodward and Sproat between Little Caesars Arena and Mike Ilitch School of Business.

https://www.detroityes.com/mb/attachment.php?attachmentid=38989&d=1569521993
Source (https://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?23304-DMC-at-LCA)

Hammer & Nail Brings Mid-Century Cocktail Vibes to Midtown in October (https://detroit.eater.com/2019/9/27/20886928/hammer-and-nail-new-cocktail-bar-opening-detroit-october-the-plaza-midtown)

A mid-century styled cocktail bar is preparing to open its doors at the base of the Plaza apartments in Detroit, sporting one of the building’s iconic neon hammer and nail signs. The bar, first teased back in 2017, is called Hammer & Nail and is on track to open by mid-October, Crain’s reports.

Hammer & Nail will be located in the lobby of the 12-story building in Midtown, formerly known as the Professional Plaza. The building was saved from demolition and underwent a $22 million rehab under the stewardship of the Roxbury Group beginning in 2016. In 2017, the company began leasing the Plaza apartments. As part of the redevelopment, Roxbury took down the famous hammer and nail signs, donating one to the Carpenter’s Union and refurbishing the other one to hang on the wall on the ground floor of the Plaza.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uiL0EYo-6xRed0D6Zm2HyiRBXwk=/0x0:2048x1431/920x613/filters:focal(861x553:1187x879)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65336064/ThePlaza_132.0.jpg

Bon Bon Bon to open Midtown location with dog treats, later hours (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/09/27/bon-bon-bon-open-midtown-location-dog-treats-later-hours/3788818002/)

The middle of Midtown will get even sweeter next month with the opening of a new Bon Bon Bon showroom.

The gourmet Detroit confectionery revealed that its third location will debut Oct. 8 at 441 W. Canfield, right near Jolly Pumpkin Pizzeria & Brewery and Third Man Records.

[dc_denizen]

some incredible renovations in detroit. can't wait to see the completely updated buhl building and book tower..

[Docta_Love]

Killer work D-Sky I havn't had enough time lately to get around and check out all that I've wanted to so the update is very much appreciated. You really hit just about every project that I could think to want an update on except the mixed-use on Livernois but that's small potato's compared to what you did cover. Had to throw out some props for the comprehensive tour, good looks man keep up the good work!

*Finally some actual work on the Eddystone it's embarrassing that in late 2019 the work has only just getting serious but hopefully the public pressure has gotten Chris Illitch to get off his ass and do right by his father's memory & planned legacy by at least doing the bare minimum ie renovating the abandoned buildings they own around Foxtown & GCP.

[DetroitSky]

^I missed a few other major projects I hope to include in the next one like the new Wayne County court and jail. There's so much going on its impossible to capture it all in one post. Glad you enjoyed the photos!

Blue Cross commits $5 million in Detroit's East Warren/Cadieux area (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/blue-cross-commits-5-million-detroits-east-warrencadieux-area)

The BCBSM investment will go toward improving neighborhood streetscapes and walkability and help jump-start local businesses, as well as expand and preserve affordable housing, the release said.

Blue Cross employs nearly 5,500 people in Detroit, about 50 of whom who live in and around the East Warren/Cadieux area, the release said.

The Strategic Neighborhood Fund and the Affordable Housing Leverage Fund account for $422 million in private and public support, the release said. Both are expected to leverage more than $1 billion in investment in the city's neighborhoods.

"This strategic investment will help build on the great progress we have begun to see in neighborhoods like Morningside, Cornerstone Village and East English Village, as well as along the area's commercial corridors," Duggan said in the release.

Detroit Rising: High-rise condos at The Mid could cost buyers up to $1 million (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices-chad-livengood/detroit-rising-high-rise-condos-mid-could-cost-buyers-1-million)

Developers of The Mid plan to break ground this fall on construction of a 25-story high-rise building on 3.78 acres of vacant land sandwiched between the Whole Foods Inc. grocery store and The Plaza apartments, across Woodward Avenue from the Max M. Fisher Music Center where Detroit Homecoming VI was held Sept. 19-20.

The 25-story building is the first phase of a two-tower development totaling $377 million and will include a hotel and 51 for-sale condo units on the higher floors.

In an interview at Detroit Homecoming for the Crain's "Detroit Rising" podcast, the master developer behind The Mid confirmed the condos could reach $1 million in price when phase one of the project is complete in the second quarter of 2021.

"It is potentially true," said Emery Matthews, founder and co-owner of Detroit-based Real Estate Interests LLC.

The condos atop of the 25-story tower "will probably be on the higher end in this market, more akin to what you might find in Birmingham," Emery said.

https://s3-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/width_792/public/TheMid-Main_i.jpg

Detroit City FC to debut women's team next year (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/sports/detroit-city-fc-debut-womens-team-next-year)

When Detroit City Football Club colors hit Keyworth Stadium in 2020, it won't just be men stepping out onto the field.

Club ownership will launch a separate women's team, DCFC was to announce at its game Saturday evening in Hamtramck.

The club's new semi-professional team will start spring 2020 in the United Women's Soccer league's Midwest Conference, making it a competitor with local teams Pontiac-based Detroit Sun, AFC Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids FC, Lansing United and Michigan Legends. The women's team will share Keyworth with the men's team, which is going pro next season.

The U.S. Soccer-sanctioned women's league founded in 2015 runs its seasons May-July. UWS is second division, under the professional National Women's Soccer League.

[DetroitSky]

Islandview is going to be one of the next neighborhoods to explode in popularity, I think. We keep hearing more and more positive news out of Islandview and its location definitely positions itself to grow:

Brewery Faisan set to open Oct. 24 in Detroit's Islandview neighborhood (https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/nightlife/2019/10/02/brewery-faisan-brewery-opening-detroit/3841888002/)

A new microbrewery is coming to the City of Detroit later this month.

Brewery Faisan, started by Rachel and Paul Szlaga, will begin serving beers with a focus on Belgian-style ales on Oct. 24 from its 2,000-square-foot taproom on 1087 Beaufait in Detroit's Islandview neighborhood, according to the brewery's Facebook page.

"The goal of Brewery Faisan is to produce and serve a selection of the highest quality craft beers brewed in the Belgian and American traditions for the responsible enjoyment of the Detroit community and beyond," the brewery said in a Facebook post.

The Szlagas purchased the property — which also includes a 4,000-square-foot production space that'll house a 15-barrel brewing system — in 2016, and spent the past few years "procuring drawings, funding, and building permits." They've been brewing since 2010, when they won a homebrew kit in a chili cook-off.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2019/10/02/PDTF/b911b69b-e1f5-4d00-b468-966f67c00bf2-maps.PNG?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp

Well, this is infuriating. A month or so ago it was announced this building was saved, but now its going to be demolished very soon for only 12 parking spots. The owner also owns at least 2 of the 3 parking lots already on the block. I don't understand why he's decided to demolish the second to last structure on the block instead of building a garage. The garage could also be directly attached to the Fort Shelby and he could gain extra profit from renting spots or retail space. But in typical Detroit fashion, the worst choice is made.

Detroit Saturday Night Building to soon be demolished, turned into 12 parking spots (https://detroit.curbed.com/2019/10/2/20894989/saturday-night-building-demolition-downtown-detroit)

A lengthy saga to save a historic downtown structure has failed.

For a long time, the owner of the luxury condominiums at the Fort Shelby Residences has been trying to demolish the Detroit Saturday Night Building at 550 W. Fort Street. The demolition would make way for a fourth surface parking lot to accommodate an additional 12 cars.

Building owner Emmett Moten has been trying to pull a demo permit since July 2018, and briefly did in November 2018 before it was rescinded. Again last week, Moten pulled a demo permit and heavy construction equipment was seen outside the building.

Preservations once rose to action to try and save the building, which was designed by Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls and opened in 1914. The latest attempt would make the building an interim local historic district, requiring a year-long study and likely delaying demolition.

But at a formal session of Detroit City Council on October 1, a resolution put forward by Councilmember James Tate to begin the study failed by a 7-1 vote (one member of council was absent).

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zfovVRvEQ_kLhDQ6nZM8pSwxxjs=/0x0:1920x1665/920x613/filters:focal(832x909:1138x1215)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65374235/Saturday_Night_Building1.0.jpg

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hQJnyu68tv87NsWwzBuFUJ260XY=/0x0:2048x1365/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2048x1365):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19252877/Saturday_Night_Building2.jpg

[LMich]

Islandview is definitely a diamond-in-the-rough, though one that's been seeing small-scale redevelopment for quite a few years, now. The location at the foot of East Grand Boulevard really helps it. The other big thing going for it is the nice mix of land-uses/zoning, so you have land for residential, commercial/retail, and industrial infill. The eastern end of the Belt Line railroad corridor cuts through the western end of the neighborhood. The track is no longer there, but you could redevelop the warehouses that remain into a lot of legitimately mixed-usages.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WjoEuaowlMM/UIhzpe9qV1I/AAAAAAAAM2I/tpflqNHQ-Js/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-10-24+at+6.02.36+PM.png

End of the physical line at Warren before going south into Islandview:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2b7ZJLgtkbs/UM6EEwrtKeI/AAAAAAAAM7g/A-DWdGSoZwY/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-12-17+at+2.30.52+AM.png

This could be a new trail, a future light rail connection, an alley...

[MN/WI]

Awesome updates.