DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[DetroitMan]

This would be a major boost for the city and help City Airport have a viable future.
Detroit city airport a contender for Toyota-backed air taxi maker's new plant
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/city%20airport_KN-main_i.jpg
State and local economic development officials are working to land a Toyota-backed aviation company at Detroit city airport for a project that could bring a $500 million investment and up to 2,000 jobs, Crain's has learned.

The Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport is on Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Joby Aviation's short list of finalists for an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft manufacturing and research and development facility, according to people involved in the proposal who asked not to be named amid discussions with the company.

Michigan is competing with several other states for the project, and a decision is expected by June, the sources said. Mayor Mike Duggan is among those leading the charge on the deal, which also has incentives support from the Michigan Economic Development Corp., the sources said.

The bid for the Joby project coincides with the Michigan Central mobility district coming to life in Corktown as the city looks to establish mobility tech prowess. If the Joby project comes to fruition, it would also mean new life for the long-struggling airport on the city's east side.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/manufacturing/joby-air-taxi-startup-plant-eyed-detroit-city-airport

[Velvet_Highground]

Oh wow yea a major boost indeed this if this comes to fruition opening the door for knock on effect potentially across the region related to the aerospace industry. I would imagine competition will be stiff however the timing is favorable. The city airport redevelopment plan filed to the FAA has the Benjamin O. Davis Aerospace Technical High School reopening by 2025 along with improvements to airport infrastructure.

There’s been large scale successful manufacturing investment along Conner Ave corridor over the past several years while LaSalle College Park bordering the CAY to the east has quite a bit of potential high quality housing stock architecture and structural integrity.

More over on several fronts a major investment like this on the heals of Michigan Central coming online would be a major proof of concept success. Showing the city has right structural assets in demand that can leveraged for major innovative projects, even non-auto related ones.

[DetroitSky]

The Platform begins work on $38.2 million Piquette Flats project in Detroit (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2023/05/02/the-platform-begins-work-on-38-2-million-piquette-flats-project-in-detroit/70174184007/)

Detroit-based developer the Platform said Tuesday that work has begun on its $38.2 million project to redevelop the former Studebaker building in Detroit into a 161-unit affordable housing apartment complex.

Called the Piquette Flats, the 108,000-square-foot historic industrial building at 411 Piquette will house 71 studios, 87 one-bedrooms and three two-bedroom loft-style apartments. The development in the city’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood is expected to open in summer 2024.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/05/02/PDTN/4e050a53-c0af-46e8-992b-0e7c915ee397-2023_0327PiquetteFlatsExteriorView2Sky_.jpeg?width=748&height=561&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

[seabee1526]

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/BrushHouse-main_i.png


https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/50m-brush-house-apartments-scrapped-detroit?utm_source=morning-newsletter-friday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20230505&utm_content=article1-headline
$50M-plus Detroit apartment development scrapped

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/BrushHouse-main_i.png

[DetroitMan]

I'm glad to see the city being aggressive in going after the owners of these eyesores.

Abandoned shopping center on Grand River targeted for demolition in city lawsuit
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/mammoth-main_i.jpg
The Mammoth Building, the suit contends, has been abandoned for more than 20 years after Mammoth Department Store closed in 2000. The three-story, 135,000-square-foot former Federal Department Store building at 15401 West Grand River Ave., opened in 1949; it has a pedestrian bridge over the road connecting it to what was then the Montgomery Ward Department Store. The lawsuit names three people and three companies; the city said in its filing it was not completely clear who the owner of the building is. The individuals sued are Herbert Strather, Christine Strather and Carlotta Duraine Jackson, while the businesses are Grand River Place LLC, Greenfield Penthouse Manor LLC and Park High Apartments – Phase I Limited Partnership. None of the parties could be reached for comment or returned messages seeking comment about the suit.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/mammoth-shopping-center-targeted-demolition-city-lawsuit

[DetroitSky]

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/BrushHouse-main_i.png


https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/50m-brush-house-apartments-scrapped-detroit?utm_source=morning-newsletter-friday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20230505&utm_content=article1-headline
$50M-plus Detroit apartment development scrapped

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/BrushHouse-main_i.png

I noticed the city issued a new RFP for that site a few days ago. Unfortunate but it might be a blessing in disguise. The Brush House development called for two separate buildings constructed on that block because an individual who owned a SFH sized parcel on the east side of the block wouldn't, I'm assuming, sell to the city. With a 5 story apartment building on each side built to the lot line, that lot would be pretty much unusable or at the very least unlikely to be developed anytime soon. Hopefully this will give the city a chance to acquire that lot and possibly the vacant gas station also on that block to consolidate all the parcels for one project.

[Velvet_Highground]

It’s a shame that nothing could be done with the mammoth department store. The corner of Grand River & Greenfield is a unique slice of old Detroit however it’s in bad shape and depresses the value of the active retail establishments on the Montgomery Ward side. The Grand River corridor as a whole from Greenfield to the Redford border has the potential to become the next Livernois. GR from Southfield to Evergreen is already well along the path.

[DetroitMan]

Eastern Market says more than 300 housing units in the works

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/eastern%20market-main_i.png
Earlier this year, Eastern Market Partnership hired Dietrich Knoer, formerly of The Platform LLC, to run Eastern Market Development Corp., the partnership's development arm.

"From Midtown to downtown to Corktown, there is a market push for those three general areas and Eastern Market has been sort of left behind in that," said Craig Willian, vice president of real estate for Develop Detroit Inc., one of the developers working on Eastern Market area residential buildings.

Among the projects in the works, according to the Detroit City Council document:

• Cincinnati-based Pivotal is working on a two-phase, 100-unit project consisting of both workforce and senior housing, with affordability levels at 30% to 70% of the federally-designated Area Median Income, a federally designated figure that is controversial because it includes suburban incomes and therefore skews upward what is considered affordable to residents of a city that is one of the poorest in the nation. Crain's has previously reported that at least some of the housing would go on St. Aubin St.

• Harper Woods-based American Community Developers is working on an affordable and workforce housing project aimed at households earning 40% to 120% of AMI. The project would also include 4,000 square feet of commercial space. Half of that would be reserved for minority-owned businesses. ACD declined comment.

• Economic Growth Corp., a Rock Island, Ill.-based developer, also is working on another project several years out. The conceptual vision is for housing for refugee farmers.

• Develop Detroit, a nonprofit developer, continues to work on a housing project aimed at residents earning 30% to 80% of AMI. Willian said the project in the district's south end along Gratiot Avenue would include 78 units as part of an approximately $20 million first phase, and another $35 million to $40 million would be spent on a second phase with 136 units. Construction on the first phase could start early next year, contingent on solidifying financing.

• Firm Real Estate, run by Sanford Nelson, continues to work on a 25-unit redevelopment of the Atlas building on Gratiot Avenue. That project was announced in September 2020 but has not yet started. Crain's emailed Nelson seeking details.


https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/eastern-market-proposing-more-housing-units

[DetroitMan]

Former Chung's building sold to developer planning $3M-plus restoration
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/Chungs-main_i.jpg
American Community Developers closed on the sale Wednesday for an undisclosed price and intends to put one or more food and beverage operations in it.
Mike Essian, vice president of ACD, said water first needs to be removed from the building's basement and a new roof installed and then a full-scale renovation can begin. The project, including acquisition costs, is expected to cost north of $3 million.

"We're really excited to work with Midtown (Detroit Inc.) to save this building and to restore it as a food destination," Essian said. "Many people have fond memories of Chung's and we look forward to supporting new Asian-inspired dining options."

Axios Detroit reported a year ago that the building, located at 3175 Cass Ave. at Peterboro, was for sale for $1.5 million with Detroit-based O'Connor Real Estate as the brokerage firm.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/former-chungs-building-detroit-sold-developer

[DetroitMan]

Gilbert eyes Apple to fill 3 vacant Woodward storefronts

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/Apple%20space-main_i.jpg
Dan Gilbert's Detroit-based real estate company is trying to put the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant into the three recently-vacated retail spaces immediately north of the Shinola Hotel, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Bedrock has for more than a decade floated the idea of an Apple store — a kind of shopping Holy Grail — in the central business district and has considered several locations over the years, including the ground floor of 1001 Woodward, Chase Tower (which Gilbert referenced publicly a dozen years ago this month in a TV interview) and in the long-stalled Monroe Blocks development.

Messages were sent to Bedrock and Apple — which has stores in Somerset Collection in Troy, Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor and The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township — seeking comment on Wednesday morning.

If the store happens, it would sit in at least roughly 5,800 square feet that was previously occupied by Le Labo (1,000 square feet), Détroit is the New Black (2,300 square feet) and Madewell (2,500 square feet), all of which left the Shinola Hotel block starting in February 2022. The space is currently adorned with a window cling across the three storefronts saying "Stay tuned, Detroit ... it'll be worth it!" It's not known whether additional space is part of the proposal.

A marketing brochure for Gilbert's Ally Detroit Center office tower downtown by Farmington Hills-based Friedman Real Estate features a map of downtown with tenants identified. In the space where Le Labo, Détroit is the New Black and Madewell were located, it says "lease out" and "confidential."
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/bedrock-seeks-apple-store-woodward-storefronts

[Velvet_Highground]

I’ve lost touch with Palmer Woods since its traffic reconfiguration but the Archdiocese Mansion isn’t something you easily forget, cool to get a peak inside something I never expected. Props on the timing of the photography (Crain’s originally dropped the story but I let my subscription lapse) it offers a glimpse of the condition the estate was in as well as allowing the imagination to follow along with what the restoration will look like.

Detroit’s Most Expensive Home Is a $9 Million Manor That Once Belonged to the Catholic Archdiocese

Bishop Mansion, as it’s known, is in the middle of a large-scale renovation, but could still set a price record for Motor City

BY LIZ LUCKING
Mansion Global
MAY 8, 2023

https://images.mansionglobal.com/im-77424587

….

Built in 1925, Bishop Mansion was for many years reportedly the property of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit—there was even a Gothic-style chapel on the second floor.

“This property is so unique and special to Detroit not only because of its known pedigree and history, but it’s located in such a spectacular neighborhood of Detroit called Palmer Woods that is so rich with history,” said listing agent Amanda Uhlianuk of RE/MAX Complete. “The exquisite details and sheer size go unrivaled in metro Detroit and beyond, and that alone makes this house so wildly different and important.”

Today though, the more than 32,500-square-foot house is in the middle of a wholesale renovation.

https://images.mansionglobal.com/im-93634241?width=540&size=1.7762237762237763&pixel_ratio=1.5

….

“The renovation of the home has taken a lot of long hours and planning in terms of design, structural, mechanical and architectural planning which has all been completely laid out for the new owners and will come with the sale of the home,” Ms. Uhlianuk said.

“The main house is where most of the work is still needing to be done, while the carriage house is completely restored and move-in ready,” she added.

The 12-bedroom mansion home boasts grand fireplaces, beamed ceilings, wood-paneled walls and ornate ceilings, and has had many of the larger construction elements already addressed, according to the listing.

“It was critical that the core components and underground mechanicals were updated so that this house could properly function for the next 100 years,”

….

https://images.mansionglobal.com/im-71153995?width=540&size=1.7775800711743772&pixel_ratio=1.5

Not only does the mansion’s $8.999 million price tag make it Detroit’s most expensive listing, it also means it’s on track to be the city’s most expensive sale, Ms. Uhlianuk added.



https://images.mansionglobal.com/im-50468675

https://images.mansionglobal.com/im-37934060

https://www.mansionglobal.com/amp/articles/detroits-most-expensive-home-is-a-9-million-manor-that-once-belonged-to-the-catholic-archdiocese-50d316ae

[DetroitSky]

1st of 3 long-vacant apartment buildings reopens in Detroit neighborhood (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/05/22/vacant-apartment-buildings-piety-hill-detroit/70244940007/)

The first of three long-vacant 1920s apartment buildings on the same neighborhood block in Detroit has been fully rehabbed as affordable housing and is welcoming its first residents in years.

All three buildings are on Hazelwood Street in the Piety Hill neighborhood north of New Center.

The Weber, a four-story and 44-unit building at 655 Hazelwood, had been vacant since about 2016 and is now rehabbed and ready for leasing. The other two buildings — the Lee Arden (47 units) at 660 Hazelwood and Kingsley Arms (40 units) at 646 Hazelwood — stand across the street and are to be completed by spring 2024.

Local development firm Hazelwood Partners is rehabbing all three buildings — plus a neighboring vacant house that will offer five additional units when done. All 136 total apartments will be offered at below-market rents for those with qualifying incomes. Hazelwood Partners bought the four empty structures between 2021 and 2022.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/05/22/PDTF/3fda4a7b-dfd0-4722-9664-82b018347f99-pic3.jpg?width=2560
An apartment in The Weber

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/05/22/PDTF/69cea944-7cf0-4799-8ab2-72e318790bb9-pic.jpg?width=2560
The Weber

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/05/22/PDTF/ad35118f-9e62-4dc0-8d6e-9e5d8e321c77-pics.jpg?width=2560
The Lee Arden, left, and Kingsley Arms, right

[Velvet_Highground]

Sweet this is a great project fixing up these gems and putting them to good use.

From what I’ve seen there’s been a slow but steady stream of redevelopment in the inner NW side (west of the Lodge to 96 & north to Davidson. Notably Lasalle Gardens & the La Salle Blvd corridor going north into Russell Woods. Boston - Edison & Virginia Park acting as a focal point to which revitalization is building out from.

The area west of Linwood to Dexter is still sketch though the Dexter corridor especially along Dexter itself up to Joy and west to Grand River is seeing some renovation work. A good portion of the area is still in the early stage of rebirth density is being preserved with landlords securing and mothballing some homes that were becoming blighted with minimal upgrades while some renovation work is being done to a select few in certain areas. The of housing stock even in homes in a degraded state are beautiful & well built. With the extravagant blocks of Lasalle Gardens undergoing renovations near by the opportunity for those with the means and a tolerance for risk are there to invest in areas that match Virginia Park in quality and style.

Even with the Joe Louis Greenway now underway crime and the distance from the central urban core present a risk and a test to linking up New Center - North End with the University District - greater NW Detroit. Petosky-Ostego from North of Joy & west of Dexter roughly up to Elmhurst and west to a line running up Grand River then up to Livernois is a mess however.

The Oakman Blvd - Ewald Circle corridor west of Livernois & north of Davidson is has beautiful well kept homes and apartments/townhomes. While Russell Woods has slowly seen some new residents moving in over the past 7-8 years but the area has had a violent past, I’ve been warned off by a friend who lives near the university district and had friends experienced it. The area is heavily populated and has wealthy homeowners while neighboring areas are some of the poorest & roughest in the city (Petosky-Ostego) it’s the cross roads from the inner city on the way downtown to the University District & well kept NW Detroit.

The Davidson Livernois area is a keystone to reviving the inner westside the greenway will help bring a much needed quality of life improvement as well as a mobility component that opens up accessibility to the south Oakman Blvd - Aviation Sub & Dearborn. Further quality of life improvements are needed and the city would be wise to continue to work at a grassroots level with its citizenry who have a stake.

[Velvet_Highground]

Interesting development being reported by the Detroit News according to USGS estimates the Southern & SW shore of Lake Superior may contain more Nickel than Russia or Canada. Other precious metals have been discovered or are in the process of either being litigated like the Black 40 gold mine just north of Mauminee or are getting ready to start production such as the Copperwood Project near Ironwood. There is a likelihood of rare earth minerals as well such as manganese, cobalt & possibly lithium.

Besides the Back 40 gold mine which is tied up in court due to the potential contamination of the Mauminee River & Lake Michigan with arsenic seems a terrible idea. However if operated with high safety & environmental standards like the Eagle River mine has (America’s only Nickel mine) prospects of producing needed materials domestically and in the same geographic area that drove Detroit’s last auto boom are intriguing.

Not only would this be adding in another factor solidifying Detroit’s position as the place to be for the future of EV but the prospect of lithium so close to the already in place structural components for high tech industry here it would give Michigan a boost in the race for domestic chip manufacturing. There was a recent attempt to start a lithium mine in the eastern UP but the drilling results were disappointing and the company chose a European location instead to build its mine.

The last thing I want to see is the last large scale wildernesses in the eastern US and one of the most beautiful and wild places in the country despoiled like the state was with the logging and mining industries in the 19th & early 20th century. Im a troll and city folk to boot I can imagine the calculation is more difficult for Yoopers the near death of mining in the UP has left large areas with high unemployment and it’s youth fleeing for better prospects down state or out of state. Not to mention that the tribes are only being just now being brought to the table and not necessarily as full partners, some communities like Mauminee felt the same.

If there are 5 undiscovered sources of nickel and technology along with supply chain issues are making mining feasible again such as in the White Pine copper and silver mine in Silver City I hope we make the right choices. Making sure communities have long term benefits after the ore runs out along with turning down projects however lucrative that will cause irreparable harm to what makes the state and UP so special.

*P.S.* To quote a political observer on the recent Albertan election campaign, when resource prices are high it provides for budget surpluses. Investments can be made in infrastructure, education, social services while lowering taxes. “It’s like political magic” If a resource boom does happen to pan out setting up a fund like the Norwegian government did for part of its oil reserves would be a great way to make sure all benefit instead of political bickering and games every time the volatile resource market fluctuates. Now I’ll get back to counting chickens before they hatch, but man if the grove of 500 year old plus cedars recently discovered on South Manitou Island is anything to go by the way we managed our resources in the past is shameful it would be nice to get another chance.

States bordering Lake Superior could have as much nickel as Russia, Canada

The Detroit News
5–21-23
Riley Beggin

The Lake Superior region could be home to as much nickel as Russia or Canada, some of the largest nickel producers in the world, according to estimates by the United States Geological Survey. A mining company and federally funded researchers are now trying to determine whether Michigan could be a global mineral hub as part of separate hunts for undiscovered deposits that could help meet rising demand in the United States for battery-powered electric vehicles.
Talon Metals Corp. is citing USGS' estimates — which indicate potential for undiscovered nickel in northeast Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula — as it prepares to launch its exploration of 400,000 acres of the western U.P., and as it seeks exclusive rights to explore state-owned land in Baraga, Houghton, Iron, Ontonagon and Marquette counties. The company also is working to launch a nickel mine in northern Minnesota that would supply nickel for Tesla Inc. for the next six years.

….

Nickel mining comes with environmental risks due to potential acid leaching from exposed ore, even as mining practices and oversight have improved since the U.P.'s mining heyday. But as international experts demand major near-term changes to prevent the most disastrous effects of climate change, environmental advocates are weighing their concerns.
"There's a critical need" to ensure sensitive wilderness areas and the Great Lakes aren't harmed by any future mining there, said Michigan Sierra Club Chapter chair Anne Woiwode. But she added that there is "no question" the country needs to move away from gas-powered cars, trucks and SUVs.
"One of the big questions to be faced is: How do we achieve the clean energy goals with and without destroying the environment?"

….

There’s already an indicator that there’s nickel in the Upper Peninsula: It is home to the nation’s only nickel mine, Eagle, which is expected to close around 2026. Bitterroot Resources Ltd., another mining company, said it has also found more nickel nearby.
But Talon believes there’s likely even more, based in part on a USGS report from 1997 that showed similarities between the geology around Lake Superior and that found in major nickel-producing regions in Canada and Russia.
“Now they’ve doubled down and said there’s more to discover,” Goldner said. USGS researchers released a second analysis in 2016 that says there are likely five undiscovered deposits remaining in Michigan’s U.P. and two more in Minnesota.

….

Using funding from USGS, Michigan Geological Survey researchers and geologists at Michigan Tech University are conducting aerial mapping over 200 square miles of the western U.P. They’re looking for differences in the earth’s surface that may indicate mineral content — something Yellich called a “geophysical signature.” When they identify a spot, they take a core sample of the rock and send it to USGS to analyze its contents.
USGS says there may be graphite, manganese, cobalt and lithium in the state — all used to build EV batteries — in addition to other critical minerals. Cobalt would likely be produced as a byproduct of nickel mining, said William Cannon, a Scientist Emeritus with USGS specializing in the Upper Peninsula. Lithium "might be kind of a longshot, but it's a possibility."

https://www.reddit.com/r/TalonMetalsInc/comments/13oqucz/states_bordering_lake_superior_could_have_as_much/

[DetroitSky]

Book Tower in Downtown Detroit Announces Opening of ROOST Apartment Hotel (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/book-tower-in-downtown-detroit-announces-opening-of-roost-apartment-hotel/)

Following a $400-million, seven-year restoration, Bedrock and Method Co. have announced the opening of the Book Tower along Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit.

The first offering available to the public is ROOST Detroit, a 117-room apartment hotel that will officially open and is now accepting reservations for guest stays, starting June 1.

Bedrock and Method Co. additionally are unveiling Book Tower’s special events program, Anthology, an elevated hospitality experience spanning several event venues. The lodging, event offerings, and forthcoming food and beverage concepts, advances Book Tower’s emergence from its historic restoration as a desirable destination for travelers, locals, and those looking to host special events in downtown Detroit.

ROOST Detroit offers furnished studio, one and two-bedroom apartment hotel accommodations that blend the comfort and practicality of apartment living with the amenities of a boutique hotel.

https://cdn.dbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2023/05/BookTower800.jpg

Mayor Duggan, dignitaries celebrate Southwest Greenway pedestrian pathway opening (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2023/05/24/mike-duggan-celebrates-opening-of-southwest-greenway/70252269007/)

Several public officials and project partners officially celebrated the opening of the non-motorized Southwest Greenway on Wednesday stretching away from Detroit's evolving riverfront.

Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside Detroit Riverfront Conservancy Chairman Matt Cullen and several dignitaries, kicked off the grand opening in a community event with hundreds of attendees at the entrance of the pedestrian pathway. The greenway connects to the riverfront and several landmarks in the city.

"It would be probably fair to say that we were the worst riverfront in the United States 20 years ago," Cullen said. Now, we were voted the No. 1 riverfront in the United States three years in a row."

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/05/24/PDTF/c4b14b37-a314-48ab-a2cc-7fa0cb0565ae-05242023_Southwest_Gree9.jpg?width=1320&height=896&format=pjpg&auto=webp
That's the new garage for Ford's Michigan Central campus in the background

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/05/24/PDTF/2e92deb7-2c09-4815-ae64-59b90906bf2d-05242023_Southwest_Gree6.jpg?width=1320&height=878&format=pjpg&auto=webp

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/05/24/PDTF/4dbea3f8-4aad-461b-ad0f-76a45a200cc8-05242023_Southwest_Gree5.jpg?width=1320&height=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp

[DetroitMan]

Those photos look great! The Southwest Greenway is an amazing addition to the city's greenway system.

[DetroitSky]

2 Vacant Grandmont Rosedale buildings up for rehab (https://detroit.urbanize.city/post/2-vacant-grandmont-rosedale-buildings-rehab)

The city announced this week that two vacant apartments in northwest Detroit will be renovated, bringing 35 affordable apartments to Grandmont Rosedale. Dubbed Grandmont Rosedale Park Collective II, the $10 million project is part of the city's Strategic Neighborhood Fund.

The development will be led by Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation (GRDC) and Cinnaire Solutions. The apartments will be for those earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). At this level, a one-bedroom would start at $838 per month. Two units will be for those making 50% AMI, coming out to $667 per month for rent for a one-bedroom. The two-bedroom would go for $1,036 per month.

“This groundbreaking ceremony marks a significant milestone in our collective vision for a more inclusive and vibrant community,” said Michael Randall, GRDC’s Executive Director. “This development will not only provide safe and affordable homes for individuals and families, but it will also serve as a catalyst to enhance the quality of life for the Minock Park neighborhood and overall Grandmont Rosedale community.”

https://detroit.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_image_1140x538_retina/public/background/2023-05/gr-2_original.jpeg?itok=FjcxoXf8

[Velvet_Highground]

Makes me happy to see a project like that in Rosedale, it could have easily been a high end project equitable development in the areas that have benefited most. Long time residents need options in the communities they helped make what they are today.

Southwest Greenway
https://detroit.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_image_1140x538_retina/public/background/2023-05/SW%20Greenway1.png?itok=Cy4RLwoX
https://detroit.urbanize.city/post/southwest-greenway-opens-corktown

(11/22) community preview
https://michigancentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SW-Greenway-Street-nighttime.jpg

https://michigancentral.com/detroit-riverfront-conservancy-and-michigan-central-provide-community-with-preview-of-the-southwest-greenway-and-bagley-mobility-hub/

https://detroit.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/1140w/public/2023-05/SWG.2.png?itok=CLiUsvKP
https://detroit.urbanize.city/post/southwest-greenway-opens-corktown

[DetroitSky]

Here's some downtown updates I took a few hours ago:

Residences @ 150 Bagley
https://i.imgur.com/efnkRkvh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dsjoVF8h.jpg

1550 Woodward

https://i.imgur.com/Rs5aTj4h.jpg

Capitol Park Lofts addition

https://i.imgur.com/ynCgaSZh.jpg

Book Tower lobby

Washington Boulevard entrance
https://i.imgur.com/aPjVHeth.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LhvYVo4h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/eigOXwQh.jpg

Looking towards the Grand River Avenue entrance
https://i.imgur.com/c8SDUBjh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DTdYcFIh.jpg

[seabee1526]

With that facade being corrected and additional floors being added along with the Basco proposal to add floors to the First Independence Bank building, has there been anything been said about doing something with 1120 Griswold?

[DetroitMan]

Construction begins on future AC Hotel in Midtown Detroit
https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/08/PDTF/cf9dc361-2d71-42f9-b7cb-074f4abef21d-high_res.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Construction has begun on a long-awaited 154-room Marriott International AC Hotel in Midtown Detroit that will incorporate the historic Bonstelle Theatre as a bar and event space.

Developer Roxbury Group announced Thursday that work on the new 10-story building is officially underway and could finish in the fourth quarter of 2024. The AC Hotel was first announced in early 2020, on the eve of COVID-19, and construction was subsequently delayed by the pandemic and its effect on the travel and hotel industries.

AC Hotel is a mid- and upper-level, European-inspired brand that began in Spain and has been owned by Marriott since 2011. The Midtown location will be the second AC Hotel in Michigan after Grand Rapids.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/06/08/construction-begins-ac-hotel-midtown-detroit/70303244007/

[DetroitMan]

While not development news per se, MSU has brought a majority stake in the Fisher Building. In addition to buying this stake, the university also purchased tow adjacent surface parking lots and a parking garage. I could see the university developing these properties as residential or mixed use in the future.

Michigan State endowment buys majority stake in Fisher Building

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/FisherBuilding-main_i_2.jpg

In addition to buying the Albert Kahn-designed tower affectionately referred to as "Detroit's largest art object," the endowment has purchased two surface parking lots adjacent to the 441-foot tower as well as the Baltimore Garage previously controlled by Detroit-based developer and landlord The Platform LLC, which is run by Executive Chairman and CEO Peter Cummings. In an interview, Phillip Zecher, CIO for Michigan State, said the endowment paid $21 million for a 79% ownership of an entity that now owns the four properties. The deal, in discussions for more than a year, closed Monday.

The remaining 21% is now owned approximately 50-50 by The Platform and Michigan State University Federal Credit Union. The new joint venture between the endowment, The Platform and the credit union is taking out a loan from the credit union to retire existing debt and pay for exterior restorations, building operations and leasing activities like tenant improvements.

Southfield-based Bernard Financial Group arranged the financing.

Zecher said that since he joined the university in 2016, he has been "looking for ways that the endowment could participate in sort of the rebirth of Detroit." "It just seemed kind of obvious to invest in your backyard if there are good opportunities," Zecher said, noting that approval for the deal is not needed from the MSU board or the endowment board.

It's a major move for the East Lansing university's endowment and comes five months after MSU and Henry Ford Health further detailed plans for a $100 million to $150 million research center, which is one component of a planned $2.5 billion investment by the health system, MSU and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores to build a new hospital tower across from the existing hospital on West Grand Boulevard, as well as 500-plus residential units and commercial space in the surrounding area.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/msu-buys-majority-stake-detroits-fisher-building

[DetroitSky]

^I'm curious what exactly they plan on doing with this purchase. I hope we'll see some new builds on those parking lots!

Detroit nonprofit crowdfunding to open art studio, gallery for adults with disabilities (https://www.wxyz.com/news/positively-detroit/detroit-nonprofit-crowdfunding-to-open-art-studio-gallery-for-adults-with-disabilities)

DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Progressive Art Studio Collective is working to move to a new location in Detroit through the help of crowdfunding.

The PASC is currently housed inside the Services to Enhance Potential Detroit Resources Center program (STEP) building at Beaufait Street near Forest Avenue.

As a part of their core mission, STEP works to place community members with careers and to build life skills for independence. The PASC program, which launched in January 2021, is a leg of that mission.

The PASC currently has three art studio spaces in Detroit, Westland and Southgate where around 150 artists are able to create paintings, drawings, sculptures and mixed medium work.

The nonprofit recently launched a crowdfunding campaign in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to build a new art studio and gallery where artists can share their work and potentially be compensated for it. The MEDC says if the organization can raise $50,000 by Aug. 5, they will award them with a matching grant.

https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/19c7d62/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1784x911+0+0/resize/2560x1308!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb7%2F86%2F952f1c8d4c40b4b10a0ea4291fe7%2Fpasc-aerial-rendering.jpg

[VegasMatt]

Could be a nice addition to the riverfront:

https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ed0f1e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2297x1292+4+0/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F52%2Fa0%2Fc515051b4f3ea3f031e71ad50b8f%2Fscreen-shot-2023-06-14-at-6-51-19-am.png

https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/88c6294/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2300x1292+0+0/resize/1280x719!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F23%2Fe492d90d46bfa0e07de9689601c1%2Fscreen-shot-2023-06-14-at-6-51-03-am.png

https://www.wxyz.com/news/the-parade-company-unveils-campaign-for-new-45m-headquarters-along-detroit-river

[DetroitMan]

A few development updates. A new plan has surface to redevelop the Brewster Recreational Site in Midtown. The plan calls for 200 apartments.

New Brewster Wheeler plan would bring 200-plus apartments to site
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/Brewster%20Wheeler%20V4-1-Main_i.jpg
Bingham Farms-based affordable housing developer MHT Housing Inc. is attempting to buy the 6-acre site off I-75 south of Mack Avenue from KC Crain, CEO of Detroit-based Crain Communications Inc., the parent company of Crain's Detroit Business, for an undisclosed price.

As part of the overall vision, MHT would build 52 units of supportive housing for people who have aged out of the foster care system and provide wraparound services provided by Greater Grace Temple, run by Bishop Charles Ellis III, and Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. Those services include counseling, and training in life and job skills, financial literacy and conflict resolution. In subsequent phases, three more 53-unit buildings with mixed-income housing would be constructed.

There would be 78 one-bedroom units averaging 600 square feet and 81 two-bedroom units averaging 750 square feet in the three other buildings. There would be 48 units available at 30% of Area Median Income, 24 units at 40% of AMI and 87 units at 80% AMI.

In addition, the historic recreation center — where boxer Joe Louis once trained and the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team once played — would be renovated and returned to its original use, said T. Van Fox, president of MHT, which owns or manages nearly 50 residential properties in Detroit. Restoration of that building, at 2900 St. Antoine, would begin late summer.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/brewster-wheeler-plan-aims-build-200-plus-apartments

New 9-story apartment building proposed for downtown Detroit with historic facades
Also, the Lofts at Broadway project downtown has an updated development plan.
https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/14/PDTF/7739739d-d21f-4107-97f0-051fbabd5a3b-3_storefronts.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
A developer is looking to build a new nine-story apartment building in downtown Detroit that would incorporate the facades of two old and empty buildings and raze a third that is thought to be too damaged to save.

The development, dubbed Lofts on Broadway, would replace the interiors of all three buildings with new construction containing the apartments and ground-floor retail space. The side-by-side three-story facades have the addresses 1322 Broadway, 1326 Broadway and 1332-1336 Broadway. The project was given a "notice to proceed" in February 2020 from the Detroit Historic District Commission, although progress stalled amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the approval eventually expired.

Developer Roger Basmajian, president of Basco of Michigan, initially sought to save and refurbish all three historic facades while demolishing each building's interior to make way for the new high-rise. The original plan called for 75 apartments.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/06/15/new-apartment-building-detroit-facades/70321786007/

[DetroitMan]

The Ribbon 'affordable' apartments project breaks ground on Detroit's east side

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/RIBBON_FOUR_16x8-main_i.jpg

An $8 million "affordable" apartment building is now in the pipeline for an east-side Detroit neighborhood.

The project's developer and various local dignitaries on Wednesday broke ground on The Ribbon, an 18-unit apartment development along East Warren Avenue in the East English Village area and with rents targeted at those making 60% and 80% of the area median income, or between $41,400 and $55,200 a year.

The mixed-use project is being developed by Detroit-based Flux City Development, with financing coming from:

a $600,000 loan from the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund;
a $1.4 million grant from the city's Strategic Neighborhood Fund;
$338,199 in preferred equity from the DHFF
$2.2 million from Capital Impact Partners;
CIP Equitable Development Initiative grant of $75,000;
and $1.3 million from Michigan Economic Development Corp.
"I can't think of a better first project for Flux City," developer Edward Carrington said in a news release. "I am grateful for the support of both the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund and the Strategic Neighborhood Fund and other partners that helped make this a reality. I'm also thankful for the support of my new neighbors along the East Warren corridor. This is going to be the place to be in Detroit."
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/ribbon-mixed-use-project-breaks-ground-detroit

[DetroitMan]

Long read, but really great article about how MSU is increasing their presence in the city.
MSU president on Fisher Building deal: ‘Stay tuned’ for more Detroit moves
Michigan State University is hoping for spin-off development and additional investment in Detroit's New Center area following its endowment's purchase of majority ownership of the iconic Fisher Building and more real estate in the neighborhood north of downtown.

How precisely that plays out is anybody's guess.

But the East Lansing university has laid the groundwork — if it chooses — to be part of an even broader evolution of the area, rather than a semi-passive investor with $21 million invested into a 79% ownership stake of the Albert Kahn-designed gem plus two adjacent surface parking lots and a parking deck south of West Grand Boulevard. In the eyes of the endowment, it's an opportunity for return on investment down the road. That depends on a variety of factors, including the state of the still-COVID-shaken office market — which is far from recovered from the effects of the global health crisis — and what, if anything, ultimately gets built on the undeveloped land and other factors.

It has ramped up its holdings and could play a part in new multifamily housing, along with its developer partner The Platform LLC, or other uses on the surface parking.

"You'll have to stay tuned for what will be happening there," MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff said in an interview with Crain's.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/msus-teresa-woodruff-fisher-building-deal-detroit-plans

[DetroitSky]

I have a feeling they're going to miss these deadlines. I'd love to be proven wrong though:

City reaches deal with stalled megachurch developer, drops nuisance lawsuit (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2023/06/16/marvin-winans-megachurch-lawsuit-dismissed/70331404007/)

The city of Detroit and Pastor Marvin Winans have reached a deal to resume construction of the long-delayed mega-church at 7 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue on the north side.

Detroit agreed to drop a lawsuit against Winans and Perfecting Church, at 19150 Woodward Ave., on Friday morning, giving the developer extended deadlines to respond to the requests laid out in a January letter. The developer will need to provide a building status report by June 30, apply and obtain various city approvals by July, submit various relevant documentation and evidence of financing, then begin construction within 30 days of closing on financing, depending on weather conditions.

"The church and its Board of Directors looks forward to working cooperatively with the city to complete this important project," Winans said in a statement.

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2019/10/03/PDTF/1670ffa4-8346-4810-af5f-da40a2ae1721-megachurch.jpg?width=1320&height=882&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

[deja vu]

^ Wow, that church is pretty ugly (most mega churches are, in my opinion). I guess I don't know anything about the history of it though. Why has it been 18 years and still not completed?

In other news / in addition to the announcement about the opening of ROOST Apartment Hotel in the Book Tower, it was also recently named one of the world's 11 most beautiful repurposed buildings by Architectural Digest. Only two other buildings in the US made the cut -

The World’s 11 Most Beautiful Repurposed Buildings (https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/most-beautiful-repurposed-buildings)
Charlotte Collins | Architectural Digest
May 4, 2023

The restored glass in the atrium is otherworldly -
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ctnjfr74990a9m5/2023_02_09_Detroit_Book%20Tower%20Atrium.JPG?raw=1
Source: Architectural Digest | Bedrock Detroit (https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/most-beautiful-repurposed-buildings)

[animatedmartian]

^ Wow, that church is pretty ugly (most mega churches are, in my opinion). I guess I don't know anything about the history of it though. Why has it been 18 years and still not completed?


No money. Though the reason that's been up for so long is probably helped by the fact that as a church, it isn't taxed like other properties so they aren't really losing any money by not completing it.

The neighborhood next to it is kinda already at rock bottom so there's not really any harm in the church being incomplete (there's always at least 1 security guy there as far as I can tell) but it just seems kind of annoying that such a big building is going unused. I don't know if it'd necessarily do anything to revitalize the area even if it was complete, so it's just kind of a whatever project in a forgotten part of town.

[DetroitSky]

Some park news:

Clark Park unveils fresh look: What's new in southwest Detroit (https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2023/06/23/detroit-park-renovations/70350195007/)

On Thursday, the southwest Detroit community gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the recently renovated Clark Park, located just minutes from nearby Mexicantown. The $3.3 million renovation marks one of many recent park improvement initiatives within Detroit. Here's what you can look forward to the next time you visit one of Detroit's oldest green spaces.

Clark Park's newest features

Clark Park's 2023 refresh includes the addition of plenty of new amenities, including ADA-compliant landscapes which make it one of the most inclusive public parks in Detroit. Updated park elements include:

ADA-friendly playgrounds and splash pad
Revived park benches and tables
New picnic shelter and gathering areas
Replacement trash and recycling bins
Freshly planted trees throughout the park
Rejuvenated Vernor streetscape, which includes a brand-new sidewalk along the entirety of the park's edge, flower beds, small plazas and entry arches into Clark Park
New sporting amenities including three new tennis courts, a futsal court, junior basketball court, areas for bag toss and ping pong and assorted outdoor sporting equipment

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/23/PDTF/07a8a2d1-ddba-4a59-8055-9972b0ed1eda-Clark_Park_SBM_008.jpg?width=1320&height=881&format=pjpg&auto=webp\

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/23/PDTF/de5774fd-aa1c-40e1-9109-22723f57620b-Clark_Park_SBM_004.jpg?width=1320&height=881&format=pjpg&auto=webp

Detroit, NAACP unveil MLK statue on 60th anniversary of "I Have a Dream" speech in Detroit (https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/detroit-naacp-unveil-mlk-statue-on-60th-anniversary-of-i-have-a-dream-speech-in-detroit/)

(CBS DETROIT) - Sixty years ago Friday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech for the first time in downtown Detroit.

Now, the city is honoring the civil rights icon with a statue in Hart Plaza.

The Walk to Freedom march took place on June 23, 1963, in Detroit, as more than 125,000 people walked down Woodward Avenue.

https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2023/06/23/cfa010b7-0db3-49d9-84d0-f0ebd45bb61d/thumbnail/1240x698/d4676ad04472fd5ffa9c191d96ce182f/kingggg.jpg?v=74b410729cdff54299e4158e8919d920

[deja vu]

Both look great!

[DetroitSky]

Vertical farming infrastructure proposed in Detroit to support local food system (https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2023/06/27/vertical-farming-infrastructure-proposed-in-detroit-to-support-local-food-system/)

DETROIT – Detroit-based Bedrock and indoor farming company Vertical Harvest announced today plans to explore building a vertical farm in Detroit.
The 60,000 square foot structure would stand 74 feet tall in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. The 205,000 square-foot growing canopy would produce around 2.2 million pounds of fresh vegetables year-round, including lettuces, petite greens, microgreens and herbs.

The vertical design would create 100 acres worth of output on half-an-acre of land. Vertical Harvest would also distribute over 70% of the food grown at the location within 100 miles of Detroit.

https://res.cloudinary.com/graham-media-group/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/c_scale,w_900/v1/media/gmg/KKU4WDLOJJBDBGLT245YFILKRM.jpg?_a=AJFJtWIA

https://res.cloudinary.com/graham-media-group/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/c_scale,w_900/v1/media/gmg/E65L3NHRBRBHRMJ6GD2ZUJ2E24.jpg?_a=AJFJtWIA
The site looks to be the northeast corner of John R and Piquette

[mousquet]

^ I believe very much in that kind of projects.

Only, it will require skills different from those of traditional farming from the related workforce.
Those facilities are likely to feature machines to grow the crops.
In a nutshell, robots will grow and collect organic crops with great efficiency, while people will be in charge of developing and maintaining AI slaves to serve them.
You know, they've been working on that kind of systems for some time already.

It's a whole new kind of economy coming up. It is exciting as far as organic farming goes, likely to bring affordable quality food to the people, while showing more respect for the environment as a whole.
That's how good new technology can be.

Now distributing it within a 100-mile radius sounds a bit outdated. It is too demanding as far as logistics goes and lacks efficiency.
Here in Paris, we have the supposedly world's largest fresh food wholesale market (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxOsahJPm5A) (you may watch the documentary when you have time if you will, it is interesting) located in a southern inner suburb called Rungis. I'm not sure that type of logisitcs is still relevant today... It is very complicated and requiring from professionals, making them waste some of their time.
In fact, depending on population density, there should be such facilities every 20 or so miles, that would also manage wholesales.
Guess you could envision something like that on the long run.

[DetroitMan]

$12M from Michigan Legislature could jump-start Detroit cultural center plan
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/detroit%20square-main_i.jpg
Midtown Detroit, Inc. asked for $15 million for the cultural center plan, said Susan Mosey, its executive director. The first phase of the plan is expected to cost $38 million to complete, and fundraising from philanthropic sources and other donors is ongoing.

"Just having a signal from the legislature that they think this project is important means a lot," Mosey said. "This key funding allows us to gauge the interest of other supporters."

Phase one of the proposed cultural center plan would rebuild a long-abandoned underground parking deck on Farnsworth Street that's owned by the Detroit Institute of Arts. A February presentation about the plan says its completion, at an expected cost of $33 million, would add 336 parking spaces to the area. When it opens, that parking deck would allow a surface parking lot on John R Street near the DIA to be converted to green space, part of the project's second phase. Phase one work also includes storm water enhancements and landscaping. The area has a history of severe flooding, Mosey said. Storm water improvements that include underground water storage, regrading and the planting of native gardens will help protect the area from future rain events, said Annmarie Borucki, the director of arts and culture for Midtown Detroit.
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/map%20midtown%20cultural%20center-01_i.jpg
Mosey said she expects a year of pre-development work and 18 months of construction in the first phase, once the money is raised. She described the initiative as a "big, robust plan" with a lot of underground infrastructure.

The overall plan was completed about a year ago and seeks to better connect a dozen cultural institutions, from museums to universities. The February presentation details more greenspace, connective walking trails and fewer driving lanes in the area.
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/detroit%20square-02_i.jpg
"The idea is to create a much more approachable, welcoming cultural campus here," Mosey said. "We want a district that's more intimate and more connected, that promotes a lot more walkability."
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/politics-policy/midtown-cultural-center-gets-12-million-michigan-budget

[DieselXL]

Great video showing the progress on a few Detroit projects
youtube video courtesy of Frostohsi drone videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opyzQxGxXzk

[Velvet_Highground]

Frostohsi‘s got a good eye & artistic sense, imo some of the scene transitions rhythm are a bit off but it feels more as if it’s coming from them trying fine tune & polish their style. The Regardless I’m impressed Roosevelt Park video it’s got a great vibe and really captures the ambiance of the warm summer night in the inviting park with Michigan Central looking electric.

[DetroitMan]

Target set to open supply chain facility at former Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit
https://www.detroitnews.com/gcdn/presto/2023/07/10/PDTN/6c716f87-214c-4172-9c46-daf883821650-2023-0710-dg-target0002.jpg?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Target Corp. intends to open a supply chain facility in Detroit on the site of the former Michigan State Fairgrounds in an area where a historic building recently was razed, the retailer confirmed Monday.

The facility will be approximately 180,000 square feet on property at 20250 Woodward Ave., a Target spokesman wrote in an email to The Detroit News. A sign at the site says the future facility will open in June 2024.

The Minneapolis-based company, which does not currently operate any stores in Detroit, provided no further information about the future building. Not everyone is happy about the plan, though, because an historic building was recently demolished on the site close to where the Target distribution center will be located. The former Agricultural Building, 1120 W. State Fair, was one of three former state fairground buildings listed on the federal National Register of Historic Places.
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2023/07/10/st-louis-world-juniors-bid-2026.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_5&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

[seabee1526]

http://https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/Broadway-Lofts-main_i.jpghttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0xLgthXwAMAWEi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

A swwwwiiiiiiing and a miss

http://https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0xLgthXwAMAWEi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096


https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/Broadway-Lofts-main_i.jpg

[lambe160]

What makes you say that?

[DieselXL]

http://https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/Broadway-Lofts-main_i.jpghttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0xLgthXwAMAWEi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

A swwwwiiiiiiing and a miss

http://https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0xLgthXwAMAWEi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096


https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/Broadway-Lofts-main_i.jpg


I think it would look better if the residential portions weren't set back from the street face facade personally.

[animatedmartian]

I think it would look better if the residential portions weren't set back from the street face facade personally.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think that's a byproduct of preserving the facades of the original building(s).

The only way to not have the setback would be to demolish the facades completely and rebuild them integrated with the new structure.

[jonwylie]

I think it would look better if the residential portions weren't set back from the street face facade personally.

I believe the setback is something that the Historic District Commission generally prefers on these types of projects, as it keeps the old buildings more original looking and the new part as more separate.

[Innsertnamehere]

Setbacks like that are standard game in Toronto where older storefronts like that are retained. The City requests a 10 metre setback (30ft) - but often accepts less.

If you don't do it, you get it looking like this, and it looks fake:

https://i.imgur.com/lPCOBRN.png

providing a larger setback makes the buildings look a lot more "real":

https://i.imgur.com/F9g4DrJ.png

[Velvet_Highground]

Yikes that first one looks sad. Proportionality needs to be considered with setbacks that said I think as a general rule of thumb Toronto has it right with the 10m setbacks with flexibility. Though the relative height and size of the corresponding buildings factors into finding that golden ratio.

[seabee1526]

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/hdc-staff-reports/2023-07/%2323-8393_1322-1336%20Broadway%20-Revisions%20to%20Previously%20Approved%20Design%20--%20ADDENDUM%20Staff%20Report%20JULY%202023.pdf

This document mentioned the 'open design'

[animatedmartian]

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/hdc-staff-reports/2023-07/%2323-8393_1322-1336%20Broadway%20-Revisions%20to%20Previously%20Approved%20Design%20--%20ADDENDUM%20Staff%20Report%20JULY%202023.pdf

This document mentioned the 'open design'

Honestly looks pretty good. Though personally the rebuilt facade for the fire damaged portion looks really dark, but otherwise pretty good.

[seabee1526]

That could be a nice part of town if some height be given to the buildings directly behind this on Randolph. Sad that Monroe Blocks is dead and no information on this “Cadillac square “

[isoamazing]

That could be a nice part of town if some height be given to the buildings directly behind this on Randolph. Sad that Monroe Blocks is dead and no information on this “Cadillac square “

Monroe Blocks isn't dead last I heard, I thought they were waiting until after the draft to start construction.

[towerpower123]

http://https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/Broadway-Lofts-main_i.jpghttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0xLgthXwAMAWEi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

A swwwwiiiiiiing and a miss

http://https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0xLgthXwAMAWEi?format=jpg&name=4096x4096


https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/Broadway-Lofts-main_i.jpg

That honestly looks pretty good!

[Innsertnamehere]

some photos from around town on Friday:

https://i.imgur.com/2BBo6fDh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NuvRmamh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/EGcDQTqh.jpg

[seabee1526]

Ilitches to tear down Cass Avenue building once part of Detroit's historic Chinatown

[gratiotfaced]

Does anyone know if CODA Brush Park has started yet? I haven't had a chance to swing by and look, but the developer told the Free Press a few months ago that they would break ground in June..

[subterranean]

Is it just me, or did anyone else expect MCS to be whitewashed like the Book Tower? Or is that part of the project yet to come?

[Velvet_Highground]

Thanks for posting those Insertnamehere, dig the updates. There’s no way the concourse won’t be as for the tower that’s a question that’s been bothering me. My running assumption is that the front has been the focus of replacement of delicate stone work, perhaps historic windows will be included as part of a finalization of the facade work, I hope. The color has been a bit of a mystery, it definitely hasn’t gotten the Book treatment yet though with the attention to detail the project has it would be bizarre not to.

Here’s what the back & sides look like on a bight sunny day seems cleaner to me though hard to tell if it’s a trick of the light.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2CA-E4wjbKY/maxresdefault.jpg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2CA-E4wjbKY

Gotta give a proper shout out to Historic Detroit they have really put in the time and effort to capture the recent changes at Detroit’s finest, Fisher, Book & MCS. https://historicdetroit.org/galleries/michigan-central-station-post-renovation-photos
https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/7295/Y1080545-Pano.jpg
Photo by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/7303/X1080373-HDR.jpg
Photo by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/7305/X1080404-Edit.jpg
Photo by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/7306/X1080395-HDR-Edit.jpg
Photo by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/7438/H1010503-HDR.jpg
Photo by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

[DetroitMan]

Historic Detroit school building could be converted to apartments
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/Higginbotham-main_i.jpg
The Detroit Planning Commission on Thursday is considering a request to rezone the former William E. Higginbotham School at 20119 Wisconsin St., in the Garden Homes neighborhood near Eight Mile and Wyoming, so it could be turned into apartments by Detroit-based Urge Development Group.

The vacant school would be converted into 40 apartments while a pair of new garden-style apartment buildings would have 60 units across them, according to plans being considered today. In the school, there would be 10 studios, 24 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments, while the new buildings would consist of 24 studios, 24 one-bedrooms and 12 two-bedroom units.

Urge Development owner Roderick Hardamon said there would be a mix of affordable housing, with some units affordable at rates between 50 to 80 percent of the Area Median Income, perhaps with some at 40 percent, as well.

That federally designated figure is sometimes controversial because it includes suburban income figures and therefore skews what is considered "affordable" upwards in a historically poor city. Generally, units at 50-60 percent at or below AMI levels are considered more within reach.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/historic-higginbotham-school-proposed-apartment-use

[DetroitSky]

Construction begins on “The Beauton,” a new $7.3M mixed-use affordable housing project in North End Neighborhood (https://detroitmi.gov/news/construction-begins-beauton-new-73m-mixed-use-affordable-housing-project-north-end-neighborhood)

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit developer Charles Dickerson III, officials, funders and community members today celebrated the groundbreaking of a new multi-family affordable housing development in Detroit’s North End. “The Beauton,” a $7.3 million mixed use building will bring another 29 units of brand-new affordable housing to Detroit.

The Beauton will provide 29 new affordable apartments: 10 micro-studio units, 15 studio units, 2 one-bedroom units, and 2 two-bedroom units. Many of the units are well below market rate to make them affordable to Detroiters living in the area. Units will have rents based on 50-120% of area median income (AMI), with over half of the units at or below 80%. Rents for the micro units will be as low as $700 per month. Under the agreement, affordability of the apartments is guaranteed for the next 12 years.

“North End has been seeing a lot of new investment and that can bring with it rent pressures for existing residents,” said Mayor Duggan. “The Beauton will bring 29 more units of much needed affordable housing to North End to help make sure residents of all income levels are able to live in a growing and thriving neighborhood.”

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2023-07/Beauton%20Pic1.jpg

https://detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitmi.localhost/files/2023-07/Beauton%20Pic4.png

New have info on the multi floor restaurant being built as 1550 Woodward:

New sports bar coming to Downtown Detroit will honor Dan Gilbert's late son (https://www.wxyz.com/news/new-sports-bar-coming-to-downtown-detroit-will-honor-dan-gilberts-late-son)

A new sports bar planned along Woodward Ave. in Downtown Detroit will honor Nick Gilbert, the late son of Rocket Mortgage Founder Dan Gilbert.

Bedrock Detroit, one of Gilbert's companies in the Rock Family of Companies, announced Monday that Gilly's will open next year at 1550 Woodward Ave., just south of Grand Circus Park.

Nick Gilbert helped create the initial concept and design for the project before he passed away at the age of 26 in May.

https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/58735e8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/480x270+0+1/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4a%2Fd0%2Fdc74dd6041249226cdd4bf91c4dd%2Fr-1550woodward-20230713.jpg

Catch a Glimpse of the Bars and Restaurants Coming to the Dramatically Restored Book Tower Downtown (https://detroit.eater.com/2023/7/19/23797639/book-tower-downtown-japanese-french-rooftop-bar)

TheThe Book Tower, the historical architectural gem downtown designed a century ago by Louis Kamper currently undergoing a $300 million-plus restoration, is expected to welcome its first food and drink tenants as early as later this summer.

Brought on to come up with several dining and drinking options within the site’s 38 stories is Method Co., the hospitality group behind several spots outside of Michigan, including Wm. Mulherin’s Sons and Hiroki both out of Philadelphia, Charleston’s The Pinch, and The Quoin in Wilmington, Delaware.

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Dpl_B7QGXA4-H1R3amyhd03CEvA=/0x0:3200x1800/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3200x1800):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24797591/Book_Tower___Le_Supreme___Dining_Room_1.jpg
Le Suprême

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0ruZOJEgFapVd7mPw28nGUjpoTo=/0x0:4000x2656/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4000x2656):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24797592/Book_Tower___Bar_Rotunda.jpg
Bar Rotunda

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WdKY4mVQz5hz9iK3w1Ca3ww8_K8=/0x0:3600x2024/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2024):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24797593/Book_Tower___Kamper_s.jpg
Kamper's

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NEXQJ8cD2fKhnWGgJsHAmVwgUD4=/0x0:3649x2672/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3649x2672):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24797595/Book_Tower___Kamper_s_1.jpg
Kamper's

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dE9tEGd6fyQNgU2jit2Dn2hH-lI=/0x0:2800x1575/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:2800x1575):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24797597/Book_Tower___Hiroki_San.jpg
Hiroki San

[delts145]

Bellissima!!!


https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/7295/Y1080545-Pano.jpg
Photo by Helmut Ziewers (www.ziewersphotography.com) of HistoricDetroit.org

[DetroitMan]

Chris Webber scales back $175M Detroit cannabis plan as market sours
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/webber%20development-main_i.png
Chris Webber's planned $175 million marijuana development in Detroit remains unfinished in southwest Detroit nearly two years since it was announced.

The NBA Hall-of-Famer and University of Michigan Fab 5 basketball star had planned an industry training complex, a 180,000-square-foot cultivation site, consumption lounge and dispensary at 2599 22nd Street south of Michigan Avenue. Webber's Players Only broke ground on the site in September 2021 and originally planned to finish the first phase of the build-out in March 2022.

But market conditions that sank marijuana prices by more than 56% between breaking ground and now have kept Webber from advancing on the project. He said the company still has plans but is scaling them back.

"The cannabis industry has really shifted in Michigan," Webber told Crain's. "Since the landscape has changed, we've had to adjust because we would not be smart to go with that plan."

Webber said prices remain too low in the state to follow through on planned investment.

"Where do the prices settle? The bottom of the ocean?" Webber said. "I am from Detroit and I love the city, the environment and the people. But this would not be the best time for the community or us in Detroit to have a profitable outcome."
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/cannabis/chris-webbers-players-only-cannabis-plan-hold-detroit

[The North One]

As if that was ever going to happen.

[robk1982]

My aunt took this pic flying into Detroit last week.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53055937010_48479cc8ae_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oQnxCE)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2oQnxCE) by kratzrob (https://www.flickr.com/photos/83092107@N04/), on Flickr

[Velvet_Highground]

Very cool!

The Coachman June 2023
https://www.oconnordetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/TheCoachmanJuly2023-199.jpg
https://www.oconnordetroit.com/property/the-coachman-carriage-house/

*Edit; It’s remarkable how much Corktown has evolved over the past year or two. It’s a bit cathartic watching the area add density & height. Before the auto boom shifted into high gear a century ago downtown was slated to expand west along Michigan Ave instead of the broad expansion capped off with the construction of New Center.

The west side of downtown’s skyline is a bit of a mess looking at it from Michigan Avenue, nice to see the area starting to get built up. I’ve seen renderings for the Ralph C Wilson Park with height & density around it envisioned for the future.

[seabee1526]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid029FyP1jLX7ThTRn4GtfVVrQZbyPq1cik2THd1qginho4TA7TtDJuwKi1mZXZKovyEl&id=100063490992463&eav=AfaMRW-vf69kTXVpMb8wK6pbSR1YhXd_xNPf1Absdeb20uicYEyKiJGYjH1qT3wJHL0&m_entstream_source=timeline&anchor_composer=false&paipv=0

Did they plan on taking this down?

Pochelon Building

[Velvet_Highground]

If I had to make a less than fully informed guess, I would hazard to wager that its fate is tied to plans for perhaps phase 2 of the redesigned Monroe Blocks.

Recent shot of Washington Blvd with the Hudson Tower rising in the background :cool:
https://www.trulia.com/pictures/thumbs_4/zillowstatic/fp/d1de208bb03c9e90e261f33fb9e436c4-full.jpg
https://www.trulia.com/MI/Detroit,Downtown/

[DetroitSky]

Architecture firm McIntosh Poris posted this project on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100026627665513) today:

Situated in the heart of Corktown, 1350 Michigan Avenue consists of the transformation of the 20,000-sqft Spaulding Building and a 60,000-sqft ground-up residential development on adjacent vacant land. The existing Spaulding building was once home to a fine furniture maker before being converted into an electrical parts manufacturer in the early 1900s.
MPA is preserving the existing masonry structure and historic character while incorporating ground floor retail off Michigan Avenue, 18 walkup units, and six modern rooftop additions and terraces.

https://scontent.fdet1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/365436203_1188051818759062_4891782405271150699_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=9hWZDW1qC9AAX9xKZGt&_nc_ht=scontent.fdet1-1.fna&oh=00_AfBU2zofCUnavrQrv-Y-bcUpX7SwjchWWqDHOkA9CLxCSg&oe=64D24249

Former NBA Star’s Fixins Soup Kitchen to Open Location in Downtown Detroit (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/former-nba-stars-fixins-soup-kitchen-to-open-location-in-downtown-detroit/)

A ceremony announcing the opening of the Detroit location of Fixins Soul Kitchen, a full-service soul food restaurant, took place Wednesday, at its future location at 1435 Randolph St., in Detroit’s historic Paradise Valley neighborhood.

The restaurant is scheduled to open in mid-December.

Fixins was founded by Oak Park native, former NBA All-Star, and 55th mayor of Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Johnson (KJ) and his wife, Michelle. He was joined at the opening by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, landlord and architect Rainy Hamilton Jr., and guests from Detroit’s business community.

[isoamazing]

That's a nice fill-in project

[Velvet_Highground]

A few recent highlights

https://storage.googleapis.com/historic-detroit-prod/uploads/photo/photo/5243/X1010418-1.jpg
Helmut Ziewers - (www.ziewersphotography.com) for HistoricDetroit.org

https://resources.atproperties.com/images/REALCOMP/20/221/055267/64b96fcd711cc/2.jpg
https://www.atproperties.com/20221055267/330-gratiot-avenue-1601-detroit-michigan-48226-realcomp

https://docomomo-us.org/resource/desktop/medias/image/image_147sff3z9j0jzgmq0.jpg
https://www.docomomo-us.org/register/mcgregor-memorial-conference-center

https://i.etsystatic.com/5542456/r/il/63d1b5/4844160987/il_fullxfull.4844160987_i1i4.jpg
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1203221078/penobscot-building-pugn0418-detroit

[DetroitMan]

I'm skeptical of this development actually happening, but we shall see....

Developers have ambitious plans for Detroit’s old Mammoth Building

https://media2.metrotimes.com/metrotimes/imager/u/blog/33817397/screenshot-2023-08-07-at-9.27.08-am.png?cb=1691415418
After being abandoned for more than two decades, the old Mammoth building on Detroit’s west side could finally be revitalized.

According to a news release, Mammoth Building Investors (MBI) has proposed the name “GrandRiverTown” for the project and surrounding area.

Built in 1949, the building served as the Federal Department Store until the 1970s. Then in the 1980s, Kingsway Department Stores used the building, which was later replaced with the Mammoth Department Store until its closure in 2000. It has since fallen into disrepair.

In May, Detroit sued the owners of the building, saying that its blight had become a “danger to the public” and that it failed to adhere to city code on numerous occasions throughout the past year. The lawsuit stated that Park High Apartments bought the building in 2002, allowing it to deteriorate. The city pushed for demolition.

The development group MBI has since come in to save the building, announcing plans for the revitalization of the area surrounding the old building at Grand River Avenue and Greenfield Road.

According to a news release, MBI has proposed the name “GrandRiverTown” for the area.

The developers aim to transform the location into a mixed-use facility anchored by a development called “The Experience!” which will include 100 modern apartment units as well as 80,000 square feet of retail space.

Additionally, the building would include two restaurants, as well as a facility for education and entertainment with a Family Entertainment Center and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) center.

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/developers-have-ambitious-plans-for-detroits-old-mammoth-building-33817002

[Velvet_Highground]

Yeah this proposal does seem a bit sketchy. The property is under court order to be redeveloped or demolished, now all of a sudden “Mammoth Building Investors” come swooping in to save the day. There’s no details about the group I can find other than they “came in to save the building”.

Grand River between Southfield & Evergreen is catching up to Livernois as one of the most vibrant commercial districts in the city. Certainly in the outer neighborhoods, there are precedence for redevelopment of this kind at 6 & 7.

I’d like to see this happen but almost seems too good to be true, wait and see indeed.


Didn’t notice this project going forward on the border of Grosse Pointe & Jefferson Chalmers. I imagine the city is pissed at GP for the unilateral moves it’s made over the years. Building a shed in middle of Kercheval was a dick move. Though the authorization GP gave its water & sewer development to start discharging raw sewage overflow into Lake St Clair via fox creek & its island communities is another matter altogether.

The city has put a lot of resources into Jefferson Chalmers and it’s starting to pay dividends especially along Jefferson. The city just won its battle with FEMA to get the (River) flood plain designation removed. Initially the suggestion was to block off fox creek at the river, ruining the water quality & recreational access.

There’s nothing special about the building that was being torn down I’m getting the feeling that this situation is being used to set a precedent for border cooperation. Unfortunately it’s coming at the expense of a project that will do good for the area.

Detroit green lights demolition of building at heart of performing arts center controversy
The city sued a nonprofit last month for razing the structure without a permit (https://www.metrotimes.com/news/detroit-green-lights-demolition-of-building-at-heart-of-performing-arts-center-controversy-33035155)


Detroit filed a lawsuit against the Urban Renewal Initiative Foundation last month after it began razing the former Grosse Pointe Park Department of Public Works building without a demolition permit.

The building, which is partially located in Detroit and Grosse Pointe at the corner of East Jefferson Avenue and Alter Road, is being demolished to make way for the A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Center for the Performing Arts.

In the lawsuit, the city alleges the nonprofit is moving forward with plans to construct the center without getting permission from the Detroit Historic District Commission (HDC) to build on the Jefferson-Chalmers Historic Business District.

City officials authorized the demolition last week after the nonprofit “provided an engineering report showing that the structure remaining as it is poses a hazard and needs to come down,” said David Bell, director of the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department.

The authorization, however, does not mean the Urban Renewal Initiative Foundation can begin building the performing arts center. The nonprofit needs approval from the HDC, which has not taken up the issue.

Without permission from the commission, it’s illegal to modify the land because it’s designated as historic

Under the nonprofit’s plan, the group would build the performing arts center and an adjacent art gallery, with a parking lot and loading dock on Detroit’s historic land.

[DetroitMan]

Tax credits boost more low-income housing projects in Southeast Michigan

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/s3/files/styles/1024x512/public/Midtown%20West%20rendering_16x8_i.jpg

Among the projects in Detroit to receive LIHTC in this most recent funding round are a long-planned second phase to the Midtown West development just east of the John Lodge Freeway and in between Brainard and Selden streets in the Midtown/Cass Corridor area. The $1.3 million project will have 33 LIHTC-financed units. The developer is Procida Development Group LLC out of the New York City area.

Other Southeast Michigan projects receiving funding, according to the Whitmer announcement:
A $1.5 million, 63-unit development by Avalon Nonprofit Housing Corp. and Ann Arbor Housing Development Corp. at 121 Catherine St. in Ann Arbor;


$1.3 million for the Cabot Apartments in Detroit with 84 units developed by Trice Development Company LLC and Cove Investments;


$1.3 million for 60 units for seniors at the John Grace Arms, a former school building in Southfield. The project is a collaboration between Southwest Housing Solutions Corp. and the Southfield Nonprofit Neighborhood Corp.;


MHT Housing Inc. and Renovate Detroit LLC received just less than $1.2 million for 49 units in Detroit's North Corktown neighborhood;


$1.5 million for 70 units for the first phase of Park Meadows Village in Detroit by RAD Conversion Specialists LLC and Resurrection Community Development Corp.


Meanwhile, the Orchard Village Apartments in northwest Detroit that broke ground Thursday is a $15.7 million development by CHN Housing Partners and Detroit Blight Busters. All of the units will be for residents with qualifying income at 30%-60% of the area median income, and expected rents will be between $492 and $915, according to a release from Duggan's office.


https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/tax-credits-boost-new-low-income-housing-projects

[seabee1526]

I guess we all knew this would happen

https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/08/09/olympia-district-detroit-construction-timeline/70557063007/

[DetroitMan]

New Latin coffee shop and cantina ‘Encarnacion’ planned for Detroit’s West Village

https://media1.metrotimes.com/metrotimes/imager/u/blog/33877080/image1.jpeg?cb=1692035078

The owner plans to open a coffee shop called “Encarnacion” in the next few weeks and then launch a Latin street food cantina in the same building shortly after.

“I want to be able to bring some of the food staples that we have, that are casual bites, that you can find in any streets of the countries that we come from – the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela,” he says. “And our coffee beans are going to be strictly Latin American.”

Initially, he says he didn’t plan to name the coffee shop after himself, but one day he stumbled upon the definition of his last name “Encarnacion,” which he says means “a spiritual being taking the shape of a human,” and felt that it resonated with people’s relationship to coffee, which wakes you up and makes you feel alive.

He claims he was not a coffee drinker at all until he went back to college in 2014 and says he needed it to get through school and “being an adult.” Living in Miami at the time, he fell in love with Cuban cortaditos.

In July 2019, Encarnacion moved to Detroit, partially because of his work flipping houses, and found a home in West Village a few months later.

During the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to take a class on how to make latte art using a French press, which is when the idea of opening a coffee shop first sparked. Now, he has built up a small following on Encarnacion’s Instagram page showing his time learning about the art of coffeIn April 2021, Encarnacion purchased a building at 8016 Kercheval Ave., but the journey to actually opening the cafe’s doors has been difficult, which the owner says has mainly been due to an increase in costs because of inflation.

“We have been pretty much self-funded and it has been quite of a ride since we purchased our own building,” he says.

Finally, now, most of the necessities for the space have been sorted out, apart from an elevator to make it accessible and a kitchen hood, which he says he should be able to get in the coming months.

“Our space is going to be a dual concept. We’re going to have two countertops, two POS systems, one is going to be the coffee shop and the other one is going to be the cantina,” Encarnacion says. “There are going to be some visual differences there, so you might feel like you are in two separate places depending on where you site making.

Encarnacion hopes for the inside of the shop to have an intimate, cozy atmosphere, mixing West Village’s “vintage-ness” with modern design.

Encarnacion says he moved to Detroit from Miami because he felt the city had a “window of opportunities,” with lower costs. He still feels that way and says he often complains to local Detroiters that city residents aren’t taking advantage of investing in their hometown.

“I think Detroit is a bag full of opportunities,” he says. “We have probably 10 years worth of opportunities to just lose the fear and go and I’m super excited with what’s happening as far as the investment infrastructure. I think Detroit, for those who are willing to give it a chance, is going to be a very rewarding city.”

https://www.metrotimes.com/food-drink/new-latin-coffee-shop-and-cantina-encarnacion-planned-for-detroits-west-village-33877076

[DetroitMan]

United Artists development gets $5M in additional state funding
https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/web_150%20Bagley%202022%20Rendering_i.jpg
An ongoing redevelopment project in downtown Detroit received more than $5 million in additional state funding.

Those working on the redevelopment of the United Artists project — which broke ground in March 2022 — say the added tax increment financing, approved Tuesday by the board of the Michigan Strategic Fund, was always intended to be part of the capital stack.

That funding was not initially sought when the project received previous incentives in 2020 — a $7 million loan — because of the complex financing nature of the deal, according to Dan Duggan, a vice president at Southfield-based Bernard Financial Group, which worked on the financing for the nearly $73.5 million project.

On Tuesday, the MSF board — administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and which controls the state's economic development dollars — approved a request by Detroit-based Bagley Development Group LLC to amend the terms of the 2020 loan to match the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. and will defer payments during the remainder of the original 28-month interest-only period of the loan, according to a briefing memo from the MEDC.

Additionally, the state is further supporting the project by greenlighting more than $5.32 million in Brownfield Tax Increment Financing, a type of incentive that allows the developers to recoup some of their costs.

Developer Emmett Moten with Bagley Development Group declined to comment for this report.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/economic-development/united-artists-project-gets-5m-additional-state-funding

[DetroitSky]

Godfrey Hotel opens new location in Detroit (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/08/23/godfrey-hotel-detroit-location-opens/70657105007/)

Detroit's newest boutique hotel is now officially open.

The Godfrey Hotel Detroit, 1401 Michigan Ave. in Corktown, is a newly constructed building and has 227 rooms, as well as a grand ballroom and a rooftop bar and lounge with a retractable glass ceiling, known as the I∣O Rooftop lounge.

Later this fall, the hotel also will house a new bar and restaurant, Hamilton's, which will offer classic American fare.

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/26/PDTF/8ad4ecbd-f43d-4a11-9c96-7efb63db9df3-_RS17986.jpg?width=1320&height=878&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/06/26/PDTF/6981522e-8681-4965-b055-ea76f948d5fb-Detroit_Bed_Wide_Right.jpg?width=1320&height=882&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

[DetroitMan]

Southern-style beer hall known for its fried chicken headed to Woodward and Mack

Cincinnati-based Thunderdome Restaurant Group plans to bring its Southern-style eatery The Eagle Food & Beer Hall to Detroit on Sept. 8. Located at to 3461 Woodward Ave., the restaurant will be a few blocks north of Thunderdome's Bakersfield Tacos, which opened in 2017.

The new Woodward storefront will be Thunderdome's seventh Eagle location, joining spots in Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Charlotte, Pittsburgh and Oxmoor, Ky.

The menu focuses on house-brined, hand-dredged fried chicken, as well as sandwiches, salads and other comfort food sides. It also serves a variety of craft beer.


"We felt so much love from the city after opening Bakersfield, and we always knew we wanted to bring a second concept to the area," Joe Lanni, co-founder of Thunderdome Restaurant Group, said in a statement.

The Eagle's name and design draws inspiration from the restaurant's original location inside a defunct post office in Cincinnati. The Detroit location will feature a large bar and an abundance of seating, ownership said.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restaurants/eagle-food-and-beer-hall-restaurant-opening-midtown

[TylerJ]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid029FyP1jLX7ThTRn4GtfVVrQZbyPq1cik2THd1qginho4TA7TtDJuwKi1mZXZKovyEl&id=100063490992463&eav=AfaMRW-vf69kTXVpMb8wK6pbSR1YhXd_xNPf1Absdeb20uicYEyKiJGYjH1qT3wJHL0&m_entstream_source=timeline&anchor_composer=false&paipv=0

Did they plan on taking this down?

Pochelon Building

Both buildings are being torn down in addition to the national theater (not the facade). The gargoyles, etc, will be kept and reused in some way. There were thoughts of trying to reuse brick and/or arches from one or both buildings. Nothing set in stone (pun intended).

[seabee1526]

Both buildings are being torn down in addition to the national theater (not the facade). The gargoyles, etc, will be kept and reused in some way. There were thoughts of trying to reuse brick and/or arches from one or both buildings. Nothing set in stone (pun intended).

And as of right now the only plans are for three low rise buildings, no towers or anything of significant height correct?

[DetroitSky]

Auto insurer opens Detroit office with 60 employees in Bedrock-owned building (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2023/08/30/cure-auto-insurance-opens-detroit-office-with-60-employees/70712889007/)

Two years after entering the Michigan market, CURE Auto Insurance has opened an office in Detroit.

The office, inside Bedrock's The Icon building on the city’s east riverfront, is the company’s first physical location since it began serving Michigan in July 2021, following passage of the state’s auto insurance reform law. The company says it insures 75,000 motorists in Michigan, with 58% being Detroit residents.

“I think the statistics speak for themselves,” Eric Poe, CEO of CURE Auto said during a livestreamed ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday. “With 75,000 people joining us in the last two years, it shows the need that our products had. The most important stat I think is that 94% of all the people that buy car insurance from CURE are choosing an option that was introduced under this new law.”

Another Ford acquisition at Michigan Central (https://detroit.urbanize.city/post/detroit-development-notes-august-23-2023)

While we await the opening of Michigan Central Station (we've seen the revamped Roosevelt Park and Book Depository this year), Ford has bought another property in the vicinity. The company has recently acquired St. Paul's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, most recently owned by Assemble Sound. It does need work and preservation efforts. Ford has plans to restore the steeple, and preserve the 1873 building. Uses for the building have not been determined yet.

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/assemble%20sound-main_i.jpg
Source (https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/ford-buys-former-assemble-sound-corktown-church-property)

Sullivan’s Steakhouse at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel Set to Open in September (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/sullivans-steakhouse-at-the-westin-book-cadillac-hotel-set-to-open-in-september/)

Sullivan’s Steakhouse, which is set to open in September in the first-floor space formerly occupied by Roast at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, has been completely renovated with new furnishings, fixtures, and artwork.

The 303-seat restaurant kept the same basic layout, with a 10-seat private room to the right of the lobby entrance, a U-shaped bar, an expansive dining room, and a semi-open kitchen. But all of the furnishings and fixtures are new save for a glass-enclosed wine wall behind the bar, along with four semi-private booths behind the wine wall.


The booths have been updated, and each space is themed to one of the city’s four professional sports teams. In addition, during the season, Sullivan’s will offer 45 seats within a new outdoor patio along Washington Boulevard. An exact opening date was not provided.

The Yunion Nonprofit Unveils New Youth Rec Facility in Detroit (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/dbusiness-daily-update-the-childrens-center-to-host-autoglow-presented-by-ford-motor-co-and-more/)

After 20 years, The Yunion, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and uplifting youth, has moved into a new state-of-the-art recreational facility at 1129 Oakman Blvd. in Detroit.

The $700,000, newly renovated, 15,000-square-foot building is a former charter school and allows The Yunion to expand its The Cave of Adullam Transformational Training Academy (CATTA), and other programs and services to metro Detroit youth and families, and house its dedicated staff and volunteers.

“After two years of renovations, we are proud and excited to finally open the doors to our new facility and continue our mission to positively impact the lives of even more youth in metro Detroit,” says Nicole Wilson, executive director at The Yunion. “The Oakman Boulevard community is the perfect location for our headquarters and will allow us to support 800 young boys on CATTA’s waitlist and make a lasting impact.

Crowdfunding Campaign Launched for Lincoln Street Art Park in Detroit (https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/dbusiness-daily-update-michigan-based-makers-collaborate-on-limited-edition-apple-pie-vodka-and-more/)
The Lincoln Street Art Park in Detroit will activate a vacant greenspace and create an environmental and educational learning center on its property through the anticipated success of a crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) and local nonprofit Green Living Science announced.

The campaign is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $25,000 by Oct. 29, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program.

[TylerJ]

And as of right now the only plans are for three low rise buildings, no towers or anything of significant height correct?

The recent announcement should include all of the details. Its an office tower, a residential tower, a theater, and a market hall. The residential tower and associated parking garage will be on the land occupied by these buildings.

[DetroitMan]

Long article, but good read...

In the shadow of Henry Ford Health's massive expansion, a blighted neighborhood sees resurgence

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/1024x512/public/NW%20Goldberg_Hecla_NM_i.jpg

While acknowledging Henry Ford's large presence within the neighborhood and on the immediate periphery, the goal is not to be a neighborhood real estate developer and the hospital has been disposing of properties within NW Goldberg for years, Habitz said.

Henry Ford Health came to own land in the area over the years through myriad circumstances, he said.

Now it plans to continue engaging with a number of stakeholders in the area — ranging from small businesses such as Marble Bar to the Motown Museum to Washington's group — to help at the neighborhood level. "I think we can work together to do more streetscape enhancements than what would have happened if not for the campus coming in," Habitz said. "And it means that we're able to save and protect and rehab all the rehab-able buildings that are along that corridor. And we've got enough site control to kind of dictate that the neighborhood can come back to what it once was and redensify according to its historic layout."

Henry Ford officials provided Crain's with a lengthy list of neighborhood-level initiatives in and around its main hospital campus, which includes commercial façade grants to six legacy businesses on West Grand Boulevard, selling vacant homes it owns to investors and residents and developing a vacant lot near its cancer center into a pocket park with chess and ping pong tables for free community use. To Washington's point about depressed real estate values, a Crain's analysis of real estate listings shows that the handful of sales in the NW Goldberg neighborhood in recent months have been in the $30,000 range, largely homes that appear in need of substantial renovations.

But that tide appears to be shifting. For example, Washington and his nonprofit have renovated two neighborhood homes and each have pending sales at prices of $250,000 and $280,000, respectively, according to the listings. The latter is Washington's personal home, while the former is owned by the nonprofit.

Additionally, entrepreneur and developer Carlo Liburdi told Crain's he's acquired more than a dozen homes in the NW Goldberg neighborhood, a mix of single and multi-family properties.

Liburdi, the co-owner of The Kiesling cocktail bar in the nearby Milwaukee Junction neighborhood and an architect by trade, declined to give an overall development cost for his efforts in NW Goldberg. A Crain's analysis of property records in the area, however, show at least four properties tied to Liburdi, largely bought in recent months for between $20,000 and $65,000 each.

One home on Hecla Street, a three-bedroom, 1.5 bathroom property, has been fully renovated and is listed for sale for $212,000.

Hecla, Avery and Commonwealth streets are Liburdi's area of focus, and the investor told Crain's that the recently announced Henry Ford Health expansion to the north served as a partial impetus for his business interests in the neighborhood. But he pointed to other factors as well.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/henry-ford-health-plans-spur-activity-blighted-neighborhood

[DetroitMan]

Developer makes progress on Detroit home rehabs, but struggling with Herman Kiefer campus
https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/08/31/PDTF/31c81e48-c45e-4d83-9784-78d911e6369f-IMG_MAIN_Hermankieferhou_1_.JPG?width=660&height=464&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

A New York developer whose Detroit plans came under scrutiny has made progress in rehabbing dilapidated houses, although he is still struggling to find uses for the massive and deserted Herman Kiefer Hospital campus.

Developer Ron Castellano struck a deal with the city in 2015 to redevelop the old Herman Kiefer campus and rehab about 115 nearby Detroit Land Bank houses in the Virginia Park neighborhood. The campus is north of Henry Ford Hospital and visible from the Lodge freeway.

Castellano has until February 2025 to rehab all the houses, and to 2029 to find occupants for the old hospital campus. If he misses those deadlines, he potentially may have to give properties up. Two years ago, Castellano narrowly made a deadline for rehabbing an initial batch of 15 houses. At the time, some in the neighborhood criticized the city's deal with him and pushed for a chance for residents buy some of the houses under his control. (The city had given Castellano the right to buy the houses for $500 to $1,000 apiece, plus $925,000 for the Herman Kiefer campus.)

In a recent Free Press interview, Castellano said he is now working with local partners and community groups to finish the remaining rehabs and get the completed houses sold or rented out. Between his own operation and those of the new partners, more than 40 houses are now done, undergoing rehab or are slated for rehab, he said.

He and a business partner, Darius Smith, plan to showcase one of their rehabs on Pingree Street this fall in an episode of the "In With The Old" streaming series on HBO Max and the Magnolia Network. Castellano, who also has a Detroit residence, said he is on track for one of the deal's midway deadlines to rehab 20 houses by Nov. 30 — not counting the initial batch of 15.

As for the massive Herman Kiefer campus and its 11 buildings, Castellano said he has fielded a lot of inquiries, but has yet to score many commitments from prospective occupants. The 38-acre hospital campus also includes two nearby former Detroit public schools: Hutchins and Crosman schools. The campus has been vacant since Detroit's Health Department moved out in 2013. Castellano tried marketing the overall site as the Creative Commerce Campus Detroit, or C3D, but Detroit's post-pandemic market for office space has been challenging.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2023/09/02/herman-kiefer-hospital-developer-rehabs-detroit-houses-virginia-park/70701651007/

[DetroitSky]

Officials in deep negotiations with Ilitch organization over price of parking lots (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/09/04/district-detroit-negotiations-wayne-county-land/70737702007/)

Wayne County officials are in deep negotiations with the Ilitch organization over the price of key land parcels sought for The District Detroit development that recently appraised at $35 million.

The Ilitch organization's Olympia Development of Michigan is co-developing the $1.5 billion project with New York megadeveloper Stephen Ross' The Related Cos., and they need the land for at least three of District Detroit's 10 planned new buildings or building rehabs.

Each parcel is owned by the county through the Detroit Wayne County Stadium Authority, which also owns Comerica Park and Ford Field.

Talks between Olympia and a lead negotiator for the stadium authority, who was selected by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, have been underway since July.

https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/09/01/PDTF/ef8a06ed-da81-4488-97a7-1a75c04e1dfd-aerial_pic2.png?width=660&height=514&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

[VegasMatt]

https://archive.ph/5bubA/37cebc5f5c658f3b8d731486e438e54c5ea09036.webp

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofits-philanthropy/music-hall-plans-new-detroit-venue-next-existing-building

[subterranean]

Officials in deep negotiations with Ilitch organization over price of parking lots (https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/09/04/district-detroit-negotiations-wayne-county-land/70737702007/)



https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/09/01/PDTF/ef8a06ed-da81-4488-97a7-1a75c04e1dfd-aerial_pic2.png?width=660&height=514&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

Here I thought some greedy private company or citizen owned those sites, holding them back from their true development potential given such important locations. Turns out it was the county all along. How moronic.

[DetroitMan]

Gilberts contribute $375M to help bring rehab, research facilities to Henry Ford Health expansion

https://s3-rd-prod.crainsdetroit.com/s3fs-public/styles/crop_freeform/public/HFH%20%2B%20MSUHS%20Research%20Building%20Entry-02_i.jpg

Dan and Jennifer Gilbert today announced the Gilbert Family Foundation, Henry Ford Health and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab will bring a 72-bed state-of-the-art physical medicine and rehabilitation facility and neurofibromatosis research center to Detroit.

The rehab facility will become part of Henry Ford Health's campus expansion and be managed by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab of Chicago. The Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute will be created in partnership with Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University Health Sciences.

The construction and operation of the initiatives will cost an estimated $439 million over 10 years, according to a news release. The Gilbert Family Foundation will contribute nearly $375 million in grant funding.

The neurofibromatosis institute is named after the Gilberts' late son to house research advancing toward a cure for NF and increasing access to personalized care. Nick Gilbert died in May after a lifelong battle with the genetic condition.
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/health-care/gilberts-contribute-375m-rehab-research-facilities

[DetroitMan]

Plans unveiled to rehab long-empty apartment building near Detroit's Boston Edison
https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/09/08/PDTF/665cbab9-670d-4173-915e-a56b9224f825-clairmount2.jpg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Developers David Alade and Andrew Colom of Detroit-based Century Partners are planning a $9 million redevelopment of the four-story Clairwood Apartments, 100 Clairmount Ave., which has sat empty since 2005, despite multiple changes of ownership during that time. They intend to renovate and reopen the building with 42 apartments, all reserved at below-market rents for individuals and families making between 50% to 80% of area median income, which is currently $33,150 to $53,050 a year for one person or $47,350 to $75,750 for a family of four.

To achieve those affordable rents, the developers are seeking a Brownfield tax-capture valued at $472,750 over 19 years, and also plan to use a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax abatement. Alade gave a presentation of their plans Monday during a public hearing for the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. The meeting was held across from Clairwood Apartments in a meeting room in the new Ruth Ellis Center apartments for LGBTQ youth. The Brownfield proposal is still subject to several local and state-level approvals, including from Detroit City Council.

If and when all of those approvals come through, Alade said, they could start renovation work in November and possibly be ready to welcome the first new residents in late 2024.

The majority of the building's 42 units will be one-bedroom apartments, although there will be some studios, two-bedrooms and three three-bedroom apartments.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/09/11/plans-unveiled-clairwood-apartments-detroit/70821668007/

[Velvet_Highground]

Nice to see Gilbert getting into the Henry Ford - MSU campus.

^^ When I first heard about the hold up my mind when to the incomplete district detroit and all the tax breaks they got at a time Detroit was being nationally lambasted for giving them out. The whole massive funding package and tax incentives for LCA were predicated on the surrounding development. My first thought was they’re making sure they’re gonna get theirs no matter what if the development is drastically downsized.

I feel bad for Stephen Ross having to struggle so hard to get the innovation center off the ground. It wouldn’t surprise me if the University of Michigan board of governors are looking for a sign of commitment before giving the green light. Developing the parking lots in the middle of their own campus is at least a sign that they will do the bare minimum to make the greater campus a success. It’s all getting a bit frustrating, the board of governors is set to meet in November ostensibly to give the final go ahead the timing of the CoPa project getting settled first fits in with this line of thinking.


On a different note a new model of development is being embraced in Core City neighborhood. One of the biggest challenges knitting back the urban fabric of the city has been how to move forward in neighborhoods just outside the periphery of the core urban areas. Embracing the green nature of these areas is a great way to turn what is seen as a liability into an asset. We’ve seen success on a smaller scale over the last decade in areas with abundant land outside of downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods which are better suited to rebuilding a dense urban environment.

If it has a familiar ring to it don’t worry you aren’t hallucinating the park city concept was a core tenant to post war urban planning. This more organic grassroots approach however is something that’s been visualized since the Future City Detroit plan was released. Implementing it at scale however is something that we had yet to see so far. There are many other areas where such an approach in coordination with the community could help the revitalization take a tremendous step forward. McDougall - Hunt on the edge of Eastern Market, the North End, parts of the Lower Eastside & perhaps even Brightmoor could be potential areas to replicate this model.

Some may remember several years ago there was an attempt by developers to rebrand Core City as west corktown the historic black neighborhood stood up to keep its identity. It seems like a good balance have been achieved giving long time residents the benefits of green sustainable development without gentrification sweeping through and pricing them out. Side note the neighborhood is home to the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, which my Grandfather my mother and much of her family attended.

I think this development can be a model of what can be achieved without having to spend hundreds of millions to create a healthy sustainable vibrant urban space. There’s room for criticism because ideally residents should have access to resources to resources for similar projects. But I think the criticism towards the end of the article goes too far as there needs to be a balance between protecting vulnerable low income residents especially renters and being welcoming to outside ideas.

A creative focal point in core city doesn’t mean neighborhoods in the Midwest like Petosky - Ostego are all of a sudden going to be over run with mini Dan Gilbert’s. It’s valid to point that the development has catered to young creative types that have disposable income but we’re talking the Grand River corridor in core city. There are other parts of core city that have are doing their own thing that rejected efforts of big developers to enter into the neighborhood. I would like to see local communities empowered through one way or another to be able to create development that suits their needs and that should be a key priority but it’s much easier to accomplish with a successful template available.

There’s a menu of ideas successfully implemented in this project that can be applied as in various forms to other areas of the city, that’s why I find this effort so interesting.

Metamorphosis: Prince Concepts Reimagines Detroit’s Core City (https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/architects-rally-to-protect-ray-moriyama-landmark-ontario-science-centre/)

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Caterpillar-Exterior2-1024x576.jpg

Combining mixed-use architectural ambition, greenery and generous public spaces, developer Philip Kafka is building a city within a park.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/prince_concepts_cco_above_2022_summer-5-1024x575.jpg

As I cross the Ambassador Bridge from Canada, the Detroit skyline unfolds to my right. Past downtown’s tight cluster of 19th- and 20th-century skyscrapers, the Renaissance Center asserts a dramatic and slightly isolated presence. The knot of gleaming tubular forms designed by John Portman features a commanding 73-storey tower at its centre; it’s the tallest building in the city and in the state of Michigan. A couple of streets to the north, SHoP Architects’ ongoing redevelopment of the former Hudson’s Department Store site — owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert — will rise to nearly the same majestic height. I’m driving past it.

Just northwest of downtown, the evolving Core City is an entirely different milieu. As in much of central Detroit, the urban fabric is a patchwork. Driving up 16th Street, I see houses, apartment buildings and handsome churches interspersed with stretches of grass and broken sidewalk where homes, businesses and schools once stood. Then, an elongated Quonset hut appears; stretching out in front of the 59-metre span of shimmering steel is a wooden deck and a rich woodland landscape. Another block up, eight smaller Quonset huts are nestled among trees and grasses. I leave the car at the corner where 16th Street meets Grand River and Warren avenues, on a triangular lot; the parking spots are nearly swallowed up by a lush, permeable landscape of junipers, maples, sumacs and native flowers.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Azure-Motor-City-Meadow-1-1024x683.jpg
(At PARK(ing), vehicle spots are carefully integrated into a lush, permeable landscape.)

Across the street, at Cafe Prince, I meet Philip Kafka, the developer behind the Quonset huts, the parking lot and much of the surrounding neighbourhood — including the coffee shop where we drink espresso and eat raw carrots. An erstwhile professional tennis player turned New York City billboard entrepreneur, Kafka is an unconventional local real estate mogul. His company, Prince Concepts, now owns some seven contiguous hectares of land in Core City. It’s an evolving urban landscape of creative mixed-use typologies, contextually sensitive adaptive re-use projects, and ample and attractive green spaces, all with an emphasis on social interaction — and inventive design.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Caterpillar-Aerial1-1024x648.jpg
An aerial view of Core City Detroit, with Caterpillar and True North visible along 16th Street, and Core City Park seen to the left of Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Azure-Motor-City-Meadow-Hero-Image--1024x576.jpg
(Core City Park (left corner) is situated directly across the street from PARK(ing)

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Drone-Overview-of-Prince-Concepts-Core-City-Projects-845x1024.jpg
The elongated caterpillar (bottom right) and True North (centre left) stand our in a drone view of Core City.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/prince_concepts_true_north_complete_2018_summer-9-1024x575.jpg
Comprising eight Quanset huts and shared green space, True North was completed in 2017.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/True-North11-1024x684.jpg


Down the block, the “Caterpillar” building, designed by local architect and Undecorated founder Ishtiaq Rafiuddin and completed in 2021, adapts the Quonset hut into a more urban scale. The mixed-use volume comprises eight suites — two live–work spaces, including Undecorated’s own office, and six apartments — and, like True North, harnesses the simple efficiency of the semicylindrical steel form to create high-ceilinged, open interior spaces. Two rows of dormer windows welcome ample natural light and introduce passive ventilation to each suite, while simple plywood finishes and streamlined white tile bathrooms round out the generous interiors. Framing the whole of the 59-metre-long building, a broad wooden deck creates a sort of communal front porch, one that invites interactions between residents, visitors and workers.


https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Caterpillar-Exterior-010-1024x683.jpg
A communal front porch spans the length of Caterpillar.


Caterpillar is embraced by a woolly thicket of greenery designed by D.I.R.T. studio founder Julie Bargmann — a landscape architect renowned for drawing out the beauty and distinctive character of industrial and often toxic environments. To complement the street’s majestically gnarly old catalpa trees, Bargmann introduced a careful layering of new plantings, what she describes as a “misfit forest” made up of trees from a local nursery that was liquidating its castoffs at $25 a pop. The result is an eclectic landscape punctuated by the concrete pavers that link the deck to the sidewalk.


https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Caterpillar-Interior3-1024x683.jpg

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Bosque-Apartments7-1024x768.jpg


Throughout Core City, Bargmann’s pragmatic, humane and often playful ethos — and Kafka’s passion for greenery and public space — continues to shape an evolving terrain. Up the street, she recently worked with Prince’s in-house designer, Andrew Schwartz, to create a parking lot like no other in North America. Aptly dubbed PARK(ing), the 2,230-square-metre site combines a verdant landscape of 78 trees with a porous 28-spot lot that absorbs rainwater and mitigates the impacts of urban flooding; it mediates the reality of a car-dependent community within a welcoming, pedestrian-oriented environment.


https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/PARKing24-1024x575.jpg
PARK(ing) stakes a prominent place at the corner of 16th Street and Grand River Avenue.


The nerve centre of Kafka’s endeavours, however, is right across the street. The 743-square-metre Core City Park is a bona fide urban woodland under a leafy canopy of 87 trees, including flowering dogwoods and locusts. Salvaged bricks and concrete from the adjacent buildings — which were being redeveloped at the same time — have been ingeniously re-used here as the permeable paving for the plaza, its pedestrian paths and its oversized concrete benches.


https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Powerplant-Aerial-View1-1024x575.jpg

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Core-City-Park-Detroit-MI-Spring-2021.-Photo-courtesy-Prince-Concepts-and-The-Cultural-Landscape-Foundation-21-45-1024x576.jpg
Re-used bricks and outdoor furniture by Hay animate Core City Park – along with 87 new trees.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Core-City-Park-Detroit-MI-Spring-2021.-Photo-courtesy-Prince-Concepts-and-The-Cultural-Landscape-Foundation-21-48-1024x684.jpg

Flanking Core City Park, Kafka’s adapted commercial properties include a mix of retail, hospitality and offices. At the east end of the park, Prince and Undecorated converted a defunct radiator shop into Magnet, an upscale bar and restaurant featuring vivid blue tile surfaces, a sunken bar and bold monochromatic lighting — all with a minimalist aesthetic rigour echoing that of the nearby residential interiors.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Barda-Exterior-1024x684.jpeg
Facing Core City Park, Barda lights up in neon in the evenings.

At the west end of the park, the conjoined structures of The Pie and The Sawtooth (previously vacant commercial properties redeveloped by Prince and Undecorated in 2018 and 2019, respectively), feature new offices, including Prince’s own headquarters, that benefit from street-level amenities like Cafe Prince (which is operated by Kafka’s firm), a bagel shop, and a commercial kitchen and event space. On the north end of the park, another former industrial building, The Power Plant, has been converted into loft-style offices anchored by a local hub for popular language learning app Duolingo.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Powerplant-Interior6-2-1024x684.jpg

“I like to do adaptive re-use projects on buildings with no perceived architectural significance,” says Kafka. “I find a lot of character in them.” To that end, Prince Concepts’ most radical and inventive project to date is arguably 5000 Grand River Avenue. Rafiuddin and Bargmann adapted a long-vacant former grocery store, transforming the deep — and dark — 1,254-square-metre floor plate by carving out a trio of inner courtyards from the rusted-out roof, bringing sunlight and fresh air deep inside.

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Azure-5000-Grand-River-Offices-12-e1692648739697-1024x683.jpg

https://www.azuremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Azure-5000-Grand-River-Offices-10-e1692648755375-1024x683.jpg

The admirable work continues. On 15th Street, Prince and EC3 are building 24 new rental homes. Their footprints are carefully planned to preserve existing trees while balancing privacy and openness along a shared pedestrian laneway. Nearby, another pair of vacant industrial buildings are gradually being adapted for new uses, and Kafka, Bargmann and Schwartz are at work on a second major Core City park. So far, excavation has revealed a treasure trove of concrete below the soil. The team is using the blocks to build a public plaza at the heart of the green space. As Bargmann puts it, the aim is to “bring forth the landscape that’s already there.”


Yet Kafka has also been criticized for gentrifying the area. For starters, the homes he builds are relatively high-end properties, where rents start at $1,350. As Aaron Mondry writes in Detour Detroit, Prince apartments are “not affordable to nearby residents or many Detroiters — the median family income in the census tract is estimated at $28,029.” The restaurants have faced similar scrutiny. Reviewing Core City’s swanky Magnet in Detroit Metro Times, Jane Slaughter wrote that “if any restaurant is more emblematic of this decade’s gentrification, I have yet to visit it.”


For his part, Kafka hopes to build more affordable housing in the future. “I’m not good enough at what I do yet to make my housing affordable,” he tells me, explaining that relatively high prices offer an economic buffer that makes development viable. Speaking to Brooker in BridgeDetroit, he expresses a similar sentiment regarding a grocery store. “I don’t have the skills to do that right now, and eventually we will, but we’re not there right now.”

[DetroitSky]

Plans unveiled to rehab long-empty apartment building near Detroit's Boston Edison
https://www.freep.com/gcdn/presto/2023/09/08/PDTF/665cbab9-670d-4173-915e-a56b9224f825-clairmount2.jpg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2023/09/11/plans-unveiled-clairwood-apartments-detroit/70821668007/

The area around Woodward and Clairmount is becoming a nice little hub of redevelopment. Nice to see another property brought back to life in that area.

[Velvet_Highground]

I’m always excited to hear about a project like this one especially in the area. Reviving this apartment is going to continue to boost the greater north end. There’s a lot going on west of Woodward between B-E & New Center. There’s a lot of density in the area as well. East of Woodward is a bit less dense and a bit further behind building out from Arden Park but with the attention East Grand and Milwaukee Junction have been getting recently I would imagine there’s a number of smaller plans in the works already. The waste to energy incinerator being close and imploded along with the new justice center going up south of Milwaukee Junction is a big step forward for the east side of Woodward.

https://i.redd.it/6edhjw9j5qr71.jpg
https://www.reddit.com/r/Detroit/comments/q29ce9/view_of_lodge_freeway_in_bostonedison_looking/

[DetroitSky]

This project has begun construction:

Detroit developer plans $14 million mixed-use building in Midtown (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/09/12/detroit-developer-plans-14-million-mixed-use-building-in-midtown/70835851007/)

Detroit-based Greatwater Opportunity Capital shared its plans Tuesday for a new mixed-use development in the city’s Midtown neighborhood.

The $14 million project at 3740 Second Ave. is the first new construction project for the firm, which has redeveloped properties in Detroit for affordable housing for the past decade.

https://www.detroitnews.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2023/09/12/PDTN/70836098007-230830-3740-corner.jpg?width=1320&height=684&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

https://www.detroitnews.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2023/09/12/PDTN/70836148007-3740-aerial-01.jpg?width=1320&height=744&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

[DetroitMan]

Construction begins on newest 1.6 miles stretch of Joe Louis Greenway
https://www.detroitnews.com/gcdn/presto/2022/09/26/PDTN/52256aa9-0be1-40bd-85ae-77b2c9ab2a30-JLG_artist_rendering.jpg?width=612&height=612&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
The newest portion of the greenway, which will span 1.6 miles and link the cities via biking path, is expected to cost $20 million. It's being funded with a portion of Wayne County's allocation from President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act, pandemic relief funds.

In total, the Joe Louis Greenway, named for Detroit's boxing legend, is expected to cost $240 million and 40,000 people will be within a 10-minute walk to the greenway. The construction of the pathway is slated to be completed in 5 to 10 years, dependent on funding, officials have said. The next outreach meeting is 5 p.m. Sept. 21 for updates in southwest including installing bike lanes on segments between Lonyo to Green Street and Clark to West Jefferson.

The greenway isn't just about recreation but community engagement and economic development, supporters say.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2023/09/13/construction-begins-on-newest-1-6-million-stretch-of-joe-louis-greenway-recreation-path/70834188007/

[gratiotfaced]

RFP put out for Harmonie Park, the Gratiot Plaza, and the alleyway between Centre and Broadway.

http://paradisevalleydetroit.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/PVC-Design-RFP-FINAL-8.23.202362.pdf

[seabee1526]

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-estate/olympia-development-gets-extension-district-detroit

The deadline, originally Tuesday, will now likely be in 2029 or 2030.

[Velvet_Highground]

Miracle in Eastern Market today as part of the Del Bene collapsed leaving only one with minor injuries but sent possibly a hundred people running. DFD officials don’t have a cause yet for the collapse which left a hole in the upper two floors of the building at the corner of Russel and Winder.

Part of building at Detroit's Eastern Market falls on busy Saturday (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/09/16/eastern-market-building-falls-saturday/70876855007/)

https://www.detroitnews.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2023/09/16/PDTN/70877390007-0916-kk-building-collapse-05.jpg?width=748&height=500&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

[Rizzo]

^ this is my worst fear and why I inspect the facade of my 4 story building annually. Any bit of loose mortar and it’s taken care of ASAP. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt. That’s gonna be an expensive fix because not only does that one section need to be rebuilt but the whole facade will probably require inspection and maintenance. I also see contractors not use the right mortar mixes for older (turn of the century) buildings which can cause walls to fail. High lime mortars are more flexible, self repair, and last longer and bond correctly with soft clay bricks

[DetroitSky]

That building underwent a pretty thorough renovation maybe 5 years ago. Crazy. That could have been much worse.

[DetroitSky]

Miracle in Eastern Market today as part of the Del Bene collapsed leaving only one with minor injuries but sent possibly a hundred people running. DFD officials don’t have a cause yet for the collapse which left a hole in the upper two floors of the building at the corner of Russel and Winder.

Part of building at Detroit's Eastern Market falls on busy Saturday (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/09/16/eastern-market-building-falls-saturday/70876855007/)

https://www.detroitnews.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2023/09/16/PDTN/70877390007-0916-kk-building-collapse-05.jpg?width=748&height=500&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

The News is reporting that an emergency demolition order has been issued. (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2023/09/17/emergency-demolition-ordered-after-partial-collapse-of-eastern-market-building/70885694007/) I hope the site doesn't remain vacant for long. Meh. Foreseeable but unfortunate.

[subterranean]

Wow, it has to been a good month for Dan Carmody.

[seabee1526]

https://twitter.com/kirkpinhoCDB/status/1703770967044968804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1703770967044968804%7Ctwgr%5E46a1ecc494ab134cdbd494cae4474363c01f2d4a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skyscrapercity.com%2Fthreads%2Fdetroit-development-news.403460%2Fpage-320

Lookie there

First vertical steel has been installed at the AC Hotel site on Woodward. Photos courtesy of The Roxbury Group and Treefort Hospitality.

[DetroitSky]

About time

Chipotle Mexican Grill to open downtown Detroit location (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2023/09/19/chipotle-mexican-grill-to-open-downtown-detroit-location/70904127007/)

Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to open its first downtown Detroit location next spring.

Annie Gradinger, a spokesperson for the chain, said the restaurant will be at 630 Woodward Ave., Suite 620. It will occupy space in a Bedrock-owned building in the same block as Shake Shack.

The restaurant will offer a dine-in option as well as a walk-up window that Gradinger says will allow guests to conveniently pick up digital orders.