METRO DETROIT | Development & Projects

[LMich]

They should go here.

[Docta_Love]

Well if we're all on board to keep this thread going I've got a few projects I've come across here a couple interesting new ones. The history of Japanese in Metro Detroit is actually a pretty interesting story, according to Wikipidea..


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor..._Metro_Detroit

The first Japanese people came to Detroit in 1892. There were no particular waves of immigration.

However, after World War II ended and the Japanese internment camps were disbanded, the first significant wave of those with Japanese origins came to Metro Detroit,with many coming from California. By 1951 there were about 900 Japanese in Detroit. A concentration of Japanese existed in Highland Park and others were throughout the city of Detroit.

...

By the mid-1980s, anti-Japanese sentiment in Detroit had decreased. The level had especially decreased among young working age people. Leaders in government and business had toned down remarks regarding Japan. Japanese cars became increasingly common in Detroit, including within blue collar communities. In 1991 Sharon Cohen of the Associated Press wrote that anti-Japanese sentiment had largely decreased from 1981 and American automobile industry trade union members were working for Japanese companies. She added that "Japan-bashing" still occurred in Metro Detroit, with politicians and Iacocca making public statements against the Japanese automobile industry.

In a ten-year period ending in 1992, the Japanese population in Metro Detroit had tripled. Sharon Cohen wrote in a 1991 Associated Press article that "The Japanese community [in all of Michigan] is tiny and transient: estimates range from 6,000 to 8,000." In 1990, there were 3,500 Japanese expatriates in Metro Detroit.In 1992 there were about 5,000 Japanese nationals in Metro Detroit and there were estimates of up to 270 Japanese companies there. By 1990, Chrysler was purchasing steel from Mitsui which had an office in Southfield. By 1990, since the number of Japanese companies with Detroit branches had increased to almost 300, with most of them related to the automobile industry, major accounting firms including the "Big Six" hired Japanese employees and catered to the new Japanese business populations. For the same reason Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen & Freeman, one of the largest law firms in Detroit, hired Japanese employees. Area hospitals began catering to Japanese patients. A hotel in Novi, the Sheraton Oaks, hired a "director of Japan marketing". By 1990, the Saturday Japanese school operated in three locations.

In the 1990s, several Japanese automobile firms had opened offices along M-14. Nissan Motor Co. opened its Farmington Hills office in November 1991. In addition, Toyota established a technical center in Ann Arbor. In 1993 the Consulate-General of Japan, Detroit, was established partly due to an increase in the numbers of Japanese businesses and residents in the states of Michigan and Ohio. In 1996, 4,084 Japanese nationals lived in Metro Detroit. By 1997, the number of Japanese nationals in Metro Detroit was 4,132. In 1999, the majority of the 8,100 Japanese in Michigan lived in a corridor in southwestern Oakland County along Interstate 696 consisting of Farmington Hills, Novi, and West Bloomfield.

There's actually a house in my neighborhood here in FH that was owned by some Japanese company fitted out for families who were transferred to the area.

Retail, residential plan targets Asian population

Aikens' Novi plan would turn 15 acres south of Twelve Oaks into 'Asian Village'

By SHERRI WELCH
Crain's Detroit Business
May 13, 2018

-A $50 million-$60 million, mixed-use "Asian Village" is taking shape in Novi
-Project will give Japanese, other Asian residents a place to gather and shop for specialty items
-Also expected to be a destination for others in the region



Oakland County's Novi area is home to the largest Japanese population in Michigan, and as a whole, the state is home to the second-largest Japanese population in the Midwest.

But up until now, there hasn't been a dedicated retail, restaurant and entertainment area for Japanese and other Asian populations.

The city of Novi last week approved the $3.15 million sale of just less than 10 acres of land it assembled for the project to Sakura Novi LLC, an affiliate of Birmingham-based developer Robert B. Aikens & Associates LLC. The deal is contingent on creation of a brownfield plan and approval of a Planned Rezoning Overlay plan from the city.

The area slated for the "Asian Village" project is bounded by Grand River Avenue to the south, Town Center Drive to the west and 11 Mile Road to the north. Only a few miles from Novi's Twelve Oaks Mall, the site is zoned for office, service, commercial and light industrial.

Anchored by a new market/food hall concept by One World Market, the pocket Asian Village will span about 15 acres and include 75,000 square feet of lifestyle retail, with lifestyle services, such as exercise facilities and salons and soft goods stores, Japanese, Korean and Chinese restaurants and entertainment such as a Japanese karaoke bar.

Apartments and townhomes and possibly 15,000 square feet of office space are also part of the project.

Those developments would be nestled into a walkable, open-air retail development wrapped around a four-acre lake with Japanese gardens, a walking path and pavilion area surrounding the lake.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ian-population

Mahindra makes giant leap into Detroit area

By Anisa Jibrell
Automotive News
May 13, 2018

-Investing $230 million in three Detroit-area operations in Pontiac, Troy and Auburn Hills
-Strategy embraces an area shunned for new plants in recent decades
-Sees the advantages in metro Detroit critical mass of engineering resources



For the past 30 years, new competitors have shunned Detroit as a manufacturing site. The last non-Detroit 3 automaker to open an assembly plant in the Detroit area was Mazda in 1987, in a product-sharing deal with its then-part owner, Ford Motor Co.

By itself, the 150,000-square-foot vehicle plant represents a modest investment of $22 million. But Mahindra, a Mumbai, India, industrial conglomerate with annual sales of approximately $19 billion, has bigger visions for Detroit.

The plant will begin building the Roxor, a retro off-road-only vehicle similar to a Willys Jeep. But Mahindra is also one of five manufacturers in the running for a $6 billion contract to design and produce mail carrier vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service. And longer term, Mahindra officials said they want to make use of their new Detroit engineering, manufacturing and supply chain facilities to develop other vehicles for the U.S. market.

The company said additional projects in the pipeline will generate approximately 400 more jobs and an additional $600 million in local investment.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...o-detroit-area

[Docta_Love]

Metro Detroit home buyers face lower inventory, higher prices

By TYLER CLIFFORD
Crain's Detroit Business
June 14, 2018

-A 23 percent decrease in listings helped drive metro Detroit's median sales price up 8 percent
-Buyers are lining up as soon as homes hit the market
-Realtors cannot predict when the trends may change

The competitive market is being driven by a growing demand for homes and a metro Detroit inventory that is down by 23 percent compared to the same time a year ago. Fueled by a low unemployment rate and an economy that has proven to be formidable in recent years, buyers and Realtors alike are running into challenges.

While Detroit saw inventory drop about 4 percent in the past year, Oakland, Livingston and Wayne counties have seen listings drop by about 20 percent. Macomb's decline reached 30 percent.

"The low inventory is insane right now, it's unbelievable," said Wilson, who also focuses on the Royal Oak and Ferndale areas. "They are letting people bid on a house to the point where they may not even appraise. At this very moment, it has begun to get a little frustrating."

Realcomp CEO Karen Kage is surprised that the total number of home sales has stayed steady despite the steep decline in on-market listings in each county.

"Days on market continues to drop, which is another telling sign. When these houses hit the market, it has a line out the door," she said. "We don't want to get into the same position we were in 10 years ago when prices went up, up and up."

Some sellers are hesitant to put their homes on the market because they worry about being able to purchase another home, which also strains the market, Kage said. Until more homes can be built, it is unclear how long the low inventory and high demand trends will continue to affect the market, she said.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-higher-prices

Michigan State Fair grows indoors in expanded Showplace in Novi

By ANNALISE FRANK
Crain's Detroit Business
June 13, 2018

-180,000-square-foot Novi venue to finish expansion in August
-Fair to grow, set up carnival rides indoors
-Expansion construction costs estimated at $12 million-$13 million


NEW FEATURES
New features of the Suburban Collection Showplace expansion include:

-14 more meeting and banquet rooms
-mezzanine/upper-level viewing area
-new parking and outdoor event areas
-90,000-square-foot event center, contiguous to existing space
-16,000 square feet of upper and lower level side space

Michigan State Fair LLC will bring carnival rides indoors this year as its now roomier venue, the Suburban Collection Showplace, completes an expansion costing more than $10 million.

The Novi exhibition center expects work on an additional 180,000 feet of event space to finish ahead of the Aug. 30-Sept. 3 agriculture event and festival.

With 20 percent greater indoor capacity, the state fair is substantially changing its layout and traffic flow this year, said Steve Masters, the fair's executive director. With more attractions indoors and with air conditioning, it'll now be less dependent on ever-changing Michigan weather, he said. The event lost a substantial amount of traffic one day last year due to rain and thunderstorms.

Forty-foot ceilings in a new column-free, 70,000-square-foot event hall will allow the state fair to bring rides indoors for the first time. The number of rides to be installed this year isn't yet set, but Masters said he expects to set up around 10 indoors — such as giant slides and a merry-go-round, for example, not a giant ferris wheel. The fair had 55 total rides last year.

State fair officials anticipates a 10 percent increase in attendance over last year's 151,000, Masters said. The total cost of the event won't be available until afterward, he said, and last year's figure wasn't immediately available.

Sponsor Ram Truck, a division of Fiat Chrysler, is in year two of a three-year presenting sponsorship agreement while The Kroger Co. returns as a major sponsor. New this year is Three Chord Bourbon, which will sponsor the beer garden.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...wplace-in-novi

Singh Development breaks ground on $65 million project at prime Royal Oak site

By TYLER CLIFFORD
Crain's Detroit Business
June 12, 2018

-West Bloomfield-based developer closes on deal for 4 acres for $2.5 million
-It expects to start to build 250,000-square-foot project this summer
-Development includes 245 residences and 10,000 square feet of retail

Singh Development Co. LP on Monday began construction of a $65 million mixed-use complex on more than 4 acres of vacant land at the south end of Royal Oak, Project Manager Avi Grewal said Wednesday.

The West Bloomfield-based developer closed on the $2.5 million sale of the property at Main Street, Woodward Avenue and I-696 on Friday, the Downtown Development Authority announced Tuesday. The deal had been in the works for two years to build housing there — the last piece in the puzzle for the city's DDA.

The Griffin will bring 240,000 square feet of residential and 10,000 square feet of retail space to the site that has been vacant for more than three decades.

Singh's construction crew will build 245 units, up from 225 as previously announced, that range from one- to three-bedroom apartments. The developer said it will cater to young professionals to empty nesters living an active lifestyle.

Residences would range from 550 to 1,800 square feet, according to the DDA. Homes will lease for between $1,500 to $3,000 a month, Grewal said. Barring a challenge with Michigan's labor shortage, he predicts that the first units will be ready in 2020.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...at-prime-royal

[Docta_Love]

Ford's announcement to renovate Michigan Central Depot came with a broader vision to weave together its main Dearborn Campus with its new Corktown campus & this effort will be tied into other mobility research centers along the Michigan Ave corridor out to Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor. A Detroit version of Sand Hill Road is what Bill Ford said he wanted to create and this is already having a knock on effect along Michigan Ave in cities that aren't thought of having a big Ford influence this project in downtown Westland is a good example.

Blighted Eloise psych hospital in Westland to see new life

By KURT NAGL
Crain's Detroit Business
June 21, 2018

-Property sold to Morgan Development for $1
-Developer contractually obligated to invest $20 million
-Blighted structures to be removed

Wayne County Commissioners approved Thursday the sale of the Eloise Hospital Complex — a sprawling, 28 acre property near Michigan Avenue and Merriman Road that it purchased in the late 1800s.

The developer, Southfield-based Morgan Development, purchased the entire property for $1 and the contractual promise to invest at least $20 million into it, starting within 18 months and completing within 42 months, said Khalil Rahal, assistant county executive for Wayne County.

Plans are for the complex's main building, the 150,000-square-foot Kay Beard Building, to be redeveloped into an affordable senior living home with 106 total units. The property's blighted buildings, including a power plant, vacant museum and charred bakery, are to be leveled and cleared away, per the contract.

It also stipulates that the family living center on the property, which currently houses 25 homeless families through the nonprofit Samaritas, will remain.

"In the grand scheme of things, this is a great amount of investment that hasn't seen this kind of investment in a very long time," Rahal said. "I think it speaks loudly for Michigan Avenue —from downtown to Midtown to Dearborn, now all the way to Westland.

Westland Mayor William Wild issued a statement in support of the project, saying it would serve as a catalyst for more development in the area.

"The addition of new housing will help to support a nearby commercial center and the developers have agreed to remove blighted structures that exist on the property as part of the redevelopment," he said in the statement.

Since closing in the early 1980s, the property has been largely abandoned, and the hospital has been subject to regular trespassing from ghost hunters who have flocked from all over to explore it. Local, national and even international media seized upon the folklore and have called it one of the most haunted places in Michigan.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...o-see-new-life

[Docta_Love]

A step in the right direction ... Novi's mayor is pushing for the wealthy outer suburb to join SMART. It's good to see Novi getting serious about transit as someone who lives next to Novi it's a place I avoid at all costs during rush hour even more so than I do the intersection of 12 Mile and Orchard Lake and that's saying something.

It's good to see but long over due however if Novi does join SMART the benefits of reducing traffic congestion will hopefully convince other large communities in the area to opt in such as Walled Lake / Commerce TWP.

Novi mayor gets on the SMART bus

CHAD LIVENGOOD
Crain's Detroit Business
June 19, 2018

Novi's mayor is calling for the affluent Oakland County suburb to join the SMART bus system, a significant development in the push to expand transit options into areas of the suburbs that have long been disconnected from the rest of the region.

Mayor Bob Gatt said Tuesday he's directed Novi's city manager to invite SMART General Manager John Hertel to make a presentation to City Council as soon next month on opting into the suburban bus system.

"I'm aboard the SMART train and hoping that I can get council to bring SMART to Novi," Gatt told Crain's.

Gatt moved to start debate on joining SMART at Monday's City Council meeting, four months to the day after I wrote about the often treacherous journey low-wage workers face in trying to get to a minimum wage job at Twelve Oaks Mall.

Last month, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans made a similar trek to the one I took to demonstrate how much walking along busy roads low-wage workers from Detroit endure in getting to retail and hospitality sector jobs in Novi. Evans had to take two buses and walk two miles to get to a Best Buy on Haggerty Road.

Because Novi is not part of SMART, buses drop off passengers at 12 Mile and Haggerty Road at the Farmington Hills border, forcing workers to walk the last mile or two to the mall and other nearby shopping centers.

"I didn't like to see people walking down 12 Mile from Haggerty to get to work," Gatt said.

Joining SMART, Gatt said, is "the right thing to do."

"And we're going to do it," he said.

By opting into SMART, Novi would add a 1-mill property tax to fund bus service, likely along Grand River Avenue and the mile roads that run east and west and currently stop at the city's border.

The Novi mayor said he still remains "100 percent opposed" to a proposed 1.5-mill property tax for the Regional Transit Authority.

"I got the ball rolling, and I believe that if/when the RTA issue is put to bed by not making the ballot, the SMART issue will gain steam," Gatt said.

Opting into SMART could be the compromise for getting some level of public transit in Novi, a city where 85 percent of its 37,000 workers do not live.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-the-smart-bus

[Docta_Love]

I'm going to do my best in my spare time to take some better than quick drive by pics of a few projects across the northern metro area that have piqued my interest now that I got with the 20th century and have a flicker account. haha

McLaren Oakland to open $14 million inpatient cancer unit

By JAY GREENE
Crain's Detroit Business
July 22, 2018

-McLaren Karmanos' 15th cancer unit will feature 21 private beds, its own ICU and dedicated staff
-Types of cancers treated will include breast, lung, ovarian and cervical
-More advanced care performed at Karmanos' main hospital in Detroit

McLaren Oakland in Pontiac will become the first hospital in the 13-hospital system based in Grand Blanc to add an inpatient cancer unit under the Karmanos brand, Crain's has learned.

The $14 million project is a complete renovation of the hospital's sixth floor west tower to create a 21-bed, 19,000 square-foot cancer unit, said Margaret Dimond, CEO of 328-bed McLaren Oakland. The unit is expected to open by early September with an open house Aug. 14.

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute was acquired by McLaren in 2014 with a promise to invest at least $80 million into the Detroit-based hospital and Southeast Michigan operations. Over the past five years, McLaren has converted 14 cancer units into Karmanos centers under Gerold Bepler, M.D., CEO of Karmanos. The Pontiac unit will be the 15th and first new one.

"Opening an oncology unit brings us closer to our strategic goal of setting new standards of health care for the community and our patients," Dimond said. "We are committed to providing exceptional inpatient cancer care to those requiring surgery or hospitalization for disease complications."

Plans for the cancer unit include single-bed rooms for privacy with extra space for family waiting and sleeping areas. The unit also includes rooms for an intensive-care unit and an intermediate-care unit staffed with clinicians who specialize in critical care. One of the hospital's six operating rooms will be outfitted for cancer surgery.

Dimond said 50 to 60 nurses, pharmacists and other employees are being hired to staff the new unit that projects to be 90 percent to 100 percent occupied once all 21 beds are open in the next six months. The new staff is being trained in Karmanos-styled care at the Detroit main hospital, she said.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...nt-cancer-unit

$47.5 million center expansion at Karmanos work in progress

By JAY GREENE
Crain's Detroit Business
June 03, 2018

-Lawrence and Idell Weisberg Cancer Treatment Center in Farmington Hills opens in 2021
-Owner McLaren pledges to spend $47.5 million on three-year renovation project
-Expansion to quadruple the size of the center, expand services and treat 70 percent more patients

This rendering shows the proposed $47.5 million expansion of the Lawrence and Idell Weisberg Cancer Treatment Center in Farmington Hills.

Seven years after Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute began planning to expand its outpatient center in Farmington Hills, new owner Grand Blanc-based McLaren Health Care Corp. committed $47.5 million to expand the size of the center, add critical services and hire more medical professionals and support staff.

"Patients love the facility, so do our physicians and our nurses," Karmanos CEO Gerold Bepler, M.D., told Crain's. "It has convenient access, but the facility has limited services."

In 1995, Karmanos Cancer Hospital was renamed after businessman Peter Karmanos Jr. donated $15 million to honor his late wife Barbara Ann, who died of breast cancer in 1989 at age 46.

Three years later, Karmanos began planning the $10 million Lawrence and Idell Weisberg Cancer Treatment Center that opened in Farmington Hills in 2001. But Bepler said the Weisberg center was at full capacity almost immediately after it opened.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...rk-in-progress

[DetroitSky]

Low-income housing coming to Oak Park, thanks to nonprofit

A Lathrup Village-based nonprofit aims to offer affordable housing in Oakland County to counter homelessness by building a 64-unit development in Oak Park on 4½ acres west of Coolidge Highway and just north of 8 Mile.

The $14-million project, which has been dubbed Coolidge Place, will offer town home and ranch-style apartments, a community center and green space just outside of Detroit for lower-income, working families.

15 new dining options coming to Detroit Metro

A $21 million construction project will bring 15 new dining options to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport's North Terminal beginning this fall.

The Wayne County Airport Authority Board, which manages the airport, announced Monday it has awarded 10-year contracts to four concessionaires to operate the food-and-beverage locations in the terminal.

The biggest contract was awarded to HMSHost. That contract, valued at $258 million, will bring nine new dining options, including Jolly Pumpkin Taphouse, Anita's Kitchen Lebanese Café, Cantoro Italian Market Trattoria and Common Grace Coffee Company, which are all based in Metro Detroit. Others on that contract are Brioche Dorée, Outback Steakhouse, Pei Wei Asian Diner, Chick-fil-A and Starbucks.

This is currently underway. The headline is kind of misleading; both the vacant Kmart and its parking lot will be redeveloped. Of course, I'm sure there will still be massive amounts of parking when its completed:

Empty Kmart Parking Lot to Be Redeveloped

On Monday, January 22, the Rochester Hills City Council approved several plans that will shape the future of the Winchester District, including the relocation of the Burger King to the northern end of the parking lot. The new building will include an updated facade, a drive-thru and added green space. There are no plans to incorporate a play place found in the original building.

Plans also include the development of an Art Van store in the building previously occupied by Kmart. The Art Van will feature a PureSleep Mattress Store and occupy 50,000 square feet of the building, leaving two remaining tenant spaces open.

But that’s not all. The Planning and Economic Development team also outlined plans for an Aldi grocery store and an Art & Jakes restaurant on the southern end of the Kmart parking lot.

Rochester Hills Secures Funds For Auburn Road Revitalization

The SEMCOG Transportation Alternatives Program awarded the City of Rochester Hills with $481,318 in funding for the project late last week. Developers plan to upgrade the two-mile stretch between Culbertson and Dequindre with wide sidewalks, benches, bike racks and street lighting, among other things.

Royal Park Hotel Gets New Neighbors

At their latest meeting on Monday, July 9, Rochester City Council unanimously approved the development of a 137-unit, 243,124 square foot luxury senior living center in Downtown Rochester, just south of the Royal Park Hotel.

Blossom Mills is the latest addition to the Moceri Companies’ Blossom Collection, a group of luxury senior living centers being developed in Oakland Township, Auburn Hills, Clinton Township, and Sterling Heights. Blossom Mills will stand 6 stories high on 2.47 acres at the northwest corner of the Elizabeth and Second Street intersection. The site is zoned I-1 (Industrial-1) district.

Troy To See Another Hotel With Suites

The Big Beaver Corridor Study called for the city to make the area more walkable. The guests at the proposed HOME 2 Suites by Hilton will be within easy walking distance to a lot of Troy amenities. It is proposed to go behind the Rehmann building as well as the strip centers at the corner of Big Beaver and Crooks.

Nachi Robotics to invest $12 million in Novi expansion

Nachi Robotics Systems Inc. is expanding in Novi with plans to invest $12 million and create 36 new jobs.

The robotics supplier has outgrown its base at 42775 W. Nine Mile Road and is planning to lease another space nearby at 46200 W. 12 Mile Rd., according to company spokesman Andrew Candela. Its current space is 58,000 square feet, and its new digs measure 66,000 square feet.

Developers buy Wixom property, aim for $300 million hotel/water park development

Wixom-based Damas Group LLC has purchased 82 acres of empty land surrounding its home base at 28345 Beck Road, just north of I-96. The property was sold by Wixom 96 LLC for $3.9 million earlier this month, according to the Oakland County Equalization Division. The resident agent listed for Wixom 96 in state corporate filings is Frank Roth.

Purchasing the land is the first action on an idea hatched in 2014 for a resort-like development with a 100,000-square-foot water park, a luxury hotel totaling 500-800 rooms, office buildings, shops and restaurants, said Dino Damavoletes, owner of Damas Group.

Fanuc plans 461,000-square-foot robotics facility with up to 300 workers in Auburn Hills

Fanuc America Corp. is planning to invest $51 million into a massive new high-tech robotics facility in Auburn Hills next to its North American headquarters.

The 461,000-square-foot building will be at 1100 Entrance Dr. near Squirrel and Butler roads, according to Gary Weisman and Bruce Brickman, co-owners of General Development Co. LLC, which owns the nearly 25-acre property on which it will construct the new facility.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/sites/d...?itok=pwkSRMXI

Planned $45 million luxury development aims for city appeal in Novi

The development is just south of Twelve Oaks Mall, I-96 and Novi Town Center. It would have 253 apartments in two four-story buildings, with attached parking and a 5,600-square-foot commercial building.

Detroit bike share service MoGo expands into Oakland County, partners with DDOT

Five cities near the Detroit border are adopting the service, which first launched in Detroit in 2017. The cities of Berkley, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, and Royal Oak will each take part in MoGo's regional expansion.

[animatedmartian]

August 14


Ferndale Haus Lofts-Ferndale by Nick Sortzi, on Flickr

[DetroitSky]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

August 14


Ferndale Haus Lofts-Ferndale by Nick Sortzi, on Flickr

animatedmartian, I see you've found my Flickr account!

Here's a few more recent photo updates from other northern suburbs:

Park West, phase I-Royal Oak by Nick Sortzi, on Flickr
Park West, 11 Mile Road at Maxwell Avenue near downtown Royal Oak. This is phase 1. Phase 2 will be on the left and phase 3 will be on the right.

175 S. Saginaw St. addition-Pontiac by Nick Sortzi, on Flickr
An addition being added to 175 S. Saginaw, downtown Pontiac

LBI Limited-Pontiac by Nick Sortzi, on Flickr
This used to be an Oakland Press building that had been vacant for years. Recently reopened as LBI Limited, a luxury and exotic car dealership. Located on Huron near Wide Track/the Loop/Woodward

Corporate Eagle Headquarters-Waterford by Nick Sortzi, on Flickr
Corporate Eagle headquarters at Oakland County International Airport, Waterford Township

[animatedmartian]

I knew some of your pictures looked familiar but didn't recognize the username.

[DetroitSky]

Subaru to invest $48 million in new technical center in Van Buren Township

Japanese automaker Subaru plans to invest $48.2 million in a new technical center in Van Buren Township.

Subaru Research and Development Inc., a subsidiary of its Ann Arbor-based North America Subaru Inc., will build a 60,000-square-foot center on 76 acres of vacant land near I-94 and Willow Run Airport in the Detroit Regional Aerotropolis development zone. With plans to hire 101 new employees, the project is expected to be completed by 2022.

The state of Michigan is supporting the expansion with a $1.5 million performance-based grant and the site is being considered for road improvements, wetland mitigation and environmental remediation. The township is also considering a property tax abatement for the project.

Subaru employs 33 in Michigan and its parent employs more than 14,000 globally.

U.S. Steel to use $55 million state bonds for improvements at Ecorse, River Rouge plants

The state of Michigan will issue a $55 million bond to U.S. Steel Corp. so the steelmaker can improve its solid waste disposal at its Ecorse and River Rouge plants.

Morgan Stanley will underwrite the bonds, which will be used to install facilities improvements, including limitation dust catchers, skimming operations, pellet screening and desulphurization equipment and a $20 million blast furnace scrubber.

KPIT to invest $2.8 million in Novi, add 171 jobs

Indian conglomerate KPIT Technologies Ltd. plans to expand its U.S. presence in Novi by investing $2.8 million into its Novi office and hire 171 new employees.

The majority of the new hires will be programmers and computer engineers.

KPIT subsidiary, KPIT Infosytems Inc., will receive a $1.1 million performance-based grant from the state of Michigan to support its growth, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. said in a memo.

The engineering and research firm, which specializes in automotive in the region, will add to its already 280 employees until it reaches capacity at its Novi office at 28001 Cabot Drive near 12 Mile Road and M-5. After it fills that office, the company will lease a larger office in close proximity, the MEDC memo said.

[animatedmartian]

120-room downtown Royal Oak hotel set to open with luxury apartments to follow

The new Hyatt Place hotel in downtown Royal Oak is scheduled to open next week, marking completion of the first half of a long-awaited $60 million development.

The six-floor, 120-room hotel at 422 N. Main St. will be guest-ready on Nov. 8, in plenty of time for the Thanksgiving holiday, while crews aim to finish the roof of the adjacent eight-story apartment complex by the end of November, said Chris Abbo, vice president of Madison Heights-based Namou Hotel Group, which will operate the Hyatt.

[animatedmartian]

Moving (even) more upscale: High-end projects changing the face of Birmingham



Developers are changing downtown Birmingham, no more than five stories at a time (per zoning rules).

More than a half-dozen projects totaling well north of $250 million are either under construction or in the serious planning phases, working their way through the various city approval processes.

In all, they will bring a new luxury hotel, swank condominiums and apartments ("affordable for Birmingham," one developer emphasized of the rentals), tens of thousands of square feet of office, trendy upscale retail and additional parking to one of the region's most affluent communities.

....

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/proper...ace-birmingham

"The Jeffrey" pictured in the article is actually a renovation of a church. The all-glass sections are the added parts. I thought the building looked kinda weird for new construction but it makes sense if it's a renovation.

[DetroitSky]

Fouts details $170M Warren Town Center development

Warren — Mayor James Fouts released details Wednesday of a $170 million public-private development project in his city, including the selection of a master developer picked to put the parts together.



Flaherty & Collins Properties, which has “extensive experience in building high-end hotels,” according to Fouts’ news release, was selected by the city's Downtown Development Authority to develop Warren Town Center.

“This is an important first step in achieving the city’s goal of creating a downtown that will draw visitors and new high-end businesses to our city,” said Fouts. “The downtown concept has been a vision for city leaders since the 1960s.”

Nino Salvaggio opening at former Kroger space in Bloomfield Township

Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace announced the opening of its fourth metro Detroit store. The new supermarket, like the other three stores, features an extensive fresh produce department, premier meats, an artisan bakery, floral department and wine and beer from around the world. The 42,000 square-foot store also includes a café, and expanded prepared foods-to-go and kosher sections.

A ribbon cutting will be held Friday, Dec. 28, before the store opens to the public at 8 a.m., according to a press release from the company.

The new market is located at 6592 Telegraph Road, in the Bloomfield Plaza, at the southwest corner of Telegraph and Maple Roads in Bloomfield Township. The space was formerly occupied by Kroger. The store was designed by Birmingham-based Ron & Roman and Sterling Heights-based Roncelli, Inc. did the construction, according to the release.

Hundreds of new jobs, $307 million in development in Auburn Hills this year

The city of Auburn Hills saw over $307 million in new and planned development this year, from massive world headquarters, new amenities at Oakland University to the first new auto plant to open in the region in 25 years.

Public safety building construction expected to begin this winter

Construction on the new Macomb Township Joseph E. Koss Public Safety Building is expected to begin this winter.

The building will be located on the same property as the current Fire Station One, near 23 Mile Road and Alma Drive, east of Romeo Plank Road.

[deja vu]

Sterling Heights - it looks like pretty much every other four story apartment building we see proposed these days, but it will introduce 130 new units in a mixed-use, and mixed-income, community on the Clinton River.

FOURMIDABLE announces management of new Van Dyke Apartments in Sterling Heights, Michigan
PR Newswire
December 12, 2018

BINGHAM FARMS, Mich. - FOURMIDABLE, a diversified, national real estate management and brokerage company that specializes in managing market rate, affordable, public housing, senior, tax credit and condominium communities, was awarded the management contract for Van Dyke Apartments in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Van Dyke Apartments is being developed through the efforts of the Chaldean Community Foundation. Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring of 2019, with G. Fisher Construction of Farmington Hills, Michigan as the general contractor...

Source: Fourmidable

Bloomfield Hills - the remodeled Kingsley Inn looks very nice.

$15 million renovation brings former Kingsley Inn back online under Hilton brand
Annalise Frank | Crain's Detroit Business
December 3, 2018

The former landmark Kingsley Inn in Bloomfield Hills is expected to reopen this month after a more than $15 million transformation under the DoubleTree by Hilton brand. Owners Zaid Elia and Matthew Shiffman, who also control real estate and restaurants in downtown Detroit, overhauled the Kingsley inside and out, opening up the lobby to two stories and introducing new dining options under an executive chef transplanted from Denver, Steven Alves...

Source: Crain's / Premier Communications Group

Royal Oak - more info on the planned downtown park. The new city hall, which recently broke ground, as well as the new police station, will need to be completed before the park can begin. The next step for the city is to hire a landscape architect and host some more public meetings.

Royal Oak gets views on new downtown park
Mike McConnell | Royal Oak Tribune
December 19, 2018

Royal Oak is still more than a year away from creating a new downtown park, but got an update this week on concepts residents and others would like to see. A downtown part task force, headed by City Commissioner Patricia Paruch, has been working with Nowak & Fraus Engineers. The firm has already conducted hundreds of surveys and multiple meetings with civic, business and church groups and residents, gauging preferences for the park. Recently they finished “visual preference” sessions with residents...

Source: Royal Oak Tribune | Courtesy City of Royal Oak

Royal Oak - Beaumont's "Hospital-as-commercial-developer" process drags on...

Beaumont Health's shopping hub on Woodward to open a year late
Bill Laitner | Detroit Free Press
December 26, 2018

The long-awaited but long-delayed renewal of Royal Oak’s landmark shopping center on Woodward Avenue at 13 Mile has blown well past its time line — again. The $33-million center won't be done by the end of this year as planned because construction is far from done on the complete replacement of the former Northwood Shopping Center. A new completion date for at least most of the center is pegged at roughly a year from now, said a spokesman for Beaumont Health System, owner of the property, which sits adjacent to the Beaumont Hospital campus in Royal Oak. The construction site had experienced delays in the planning and demolition stages going back years...

Source: Kathleen Galligan | Detroit Free Press

[deja vu]

I noticed this while driving around Rochester Hills today (while visiting family for the holidays). This is a four-story building going up in the 'Citywalk' development, a rather odd assemblage of buildings and parking that has developed sporadically over the past decade or so (corner of Tienken & Rochester Rd). There was no signage I could spot to help identify what it will be - anybody know? By the looks of it, I think this is professional office space, rather than a hotel or some sort of residential.

Like most of the more affluent suburbs, Rochester and Roch Hills are experiencing a mini building boom. There's a lot more development at this scale, but the weather was so crappy today I did not try to get out and walk and take photos of anything else. I don't know what the actual zoning regulations are, but most of the construction seems to be capped at 4 stories.

[animatedmartian]

After some digging, it turns out that is an apartment building.

http://aragonaproperties.com/apartme...ty-apartments/

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news...44edc8cf8.html

It seems like they're really trying hard for the "urban lifestyle center" but it seems oddly executed when there's more retail than there is residential. Like the residential units were added on after the design of the site was finalized or it wasn't very well-planned at all. Overall very odd design choices here.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

After some digging, it turns out that is an apartment building.

http://aragonaproperties.com/apartme...ty-apartments/

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news...44edc8cf8.html

It seems like they're really trying hard for the "urban lifestyle center" but it seems oddly executed when there's more retail than there is residential. Like the residential units were added on after the design of the site was finalized or it wasn't very well-planned at all. Overall very odd design choices here.

Wow. Good digging! I agree; very odd. It definitely seems like it was not conceived all at once.

[DetroitSky]

Oakland University classroom shortage prompts $40 million expansion, renovation

With a $30 million boost from the state, Oakland University is moving forward on a $40 million building update and expansion to alleviate a classroom space shortage.

The school plans to renovate 55,000-square-foot South Foundation Hall on its Rochester Hills campus and build a 25,000-square-foot addition. The general education building is at 308 Meadow Brook Road, on the west side of campus near Squirrel Road.

Paying for the project won't require a tuition increase, the university said in a news release. OU-issued bonds are to provide $10 million and $30 million was approved last week by the state Legislature as capital outlay.

The school expects to put out a request for architectural and engineering contractor proposals soon, possibly next week, said James Lentini, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Construction work could take as long as three years to complete because the building is highly trafficked.

[animatedmartian]

Hamilton Anderson recently worked with the City of Inkster to create a development master plan at the city's major intersection. Located between Michigan Avenue and the lower Rouge River ecological corridor, this plan imagines a dense, walkable, and vibrant mixed-use town center. This vision for a regional destination features a variety of building types and scales, activates a strong connection with the adjacent Inkster Park, and creates artful moments for an eclectic and interesting urban space.

HAA Facebook.