[DetroitSky]

Northville Downs residential redevelopment to cost $200 million

Randy Wertheimer, president and CEO of Farmington Hills-based residential developer Hunter Pasteur Homes, said construction on the 13-acre underdeveloped northern portion of the property should begin in the first quarter next year. Plans call for 300 apartments and 19,000 square feet of commercial space.

The $200 million cost hadn't previously been disclosed.

The second phase of the project on the remaining roughly 35 southern acres, where the track is located, presents more difficulty because of existing zoning that requires a planned unit development approval from Northville officials, Wertheimer said. That development is expected to be 50 single-family homes and 175 townhouses.

"We will revisit the southern portion later," Wertheimer said, adding that demolition of the track would begin in the first quarter of 2021 if all goes according to plan.

Moneyball Sportswear store coming to Southfield

Moneyball Sportswear, an East Lansing-based sports apparel store, will soon open its first metro Detroit location in Southfield.

According to a news release, the new Moneyball store will have a soft opening Friday at 1 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver. The official grand opening will take place Saturday from 12-7 p.m. and will feature giveaways, prizes and entertainment.

Moneyball will be located at 30215 Southfield Road, between 12 and 13 Mile Roads.

Dearborn's main library to close all summer for upgrades

The Henry Ford Centennial Library is getting new energy-efficient lighting and upgrades to its heating and cooling systems as part of a project that includes five other municipal buildings on the city campus off Michigan Avenue, said Julie Schaefer, deputy director of the Dearborn Public Library.

Library officials are also planning other upgrades, like renovations of the bathrooms on the second floor and the addition of a conference room and makers' space to the east side of the third floor. A digitization lab and computer lab will be moved to that area.

The first floor will get a new snack area. And the tired-looking original wallpaper is coming down.

The closure will begin May 20 and end sometime in September.

Macomb County gets plan for new $370M-$390M jail

Nearly two years after a study recommended sweeping reforms to the Macomb County Jail, sheriff's officials are suggesting building a new lockup at a cost of $370 million to $390 million.

County officials have not proposed or discussed how to pay for the proposed nine-floor facility that would be built on the property of the current jail in Mount Clemens, but it would likely require voters to approve a property tax increase through a millage or bond request.

A new jail would be built and the current one razed under the proposal shown to county commissioners Thursday. The site also would have space to build another tower with at least 300 beds if more jail space is needed in future years, according to the presentation.

A new jail would take about three years to build and would be expected to last for 50 years, commissioners were told during their committee meeting.

Truck lighting supplier to move HQ to Southfield

A truck lighting supplier is moving its headquarters from southwest New York to Southfield, state officials said this week.

Truck-Lite Co. LLC plans to invest $4 million into a new building in the Oakland County community and create 95 jobs after moving from Falconer, New York. The company cited proximity to supply chains and qualified workers as reasons for the move, according to the public-private Michigan Economic Development Corp.

The economic development corporation is providing the company an $855,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Since the grant is under $1 million, it did not require full approval from the Michigan Strategic Fund board, the corporation's governing body.

Burton-Katzman Announces up to 1.2M Square Feet of Industrial Space along I-94 in Chesterfield Township

Burton-Katzman in Bingham Farms, which invests, develops, and manages industrial, commercial, and residential properties across the country, has announced it has site-plan approval for 66 acres of land within an existing business park along I-94 in Chesterfield Township. The property can accommodate almost 1.2 million square feet of space.

Along with a sister company, Dominion Real Estate Advisors, the companies say available parcels start at 50,000 square feet and go up to 758,000 square feet for permitted uses that include distribution, industrial, and light manufacturing operations. An Amazon distribution center is nearby, while Ashley Capital, a multi-faceted real estate firm, has sold neighboring parcels in the Chesterfield Commerce Center.

The Burton-Katzman property is available in three separate parcels — up to 177,920 square feet on 10 acres; up to 215,000 square feet on 16 acres; and up to 758,000 square feet on 41 acres. The Chesterfield Commerce Center is located on the south side of I-94, between 23 Mile and 24 Mile roads. Construction is scheduled to start in the fall.

I recently photographed some developments in downtown Royal Oak. I'll post those photos soon, but I wanted to point out that it looks like foundation work for Billings Place is about to begin. The Griffin, on 10 Mile between Main and Woodward, is also currently under construction.


Billings Place


The Griffin