DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[DetroitSky]

Gilbert foundation backs plan to put factory-built homes in North Corktown

The Gilbert Family Foundation will invest up to $5 million to bring affordable housing to Corktown.

The foundation and the North Corktown Neighborhood Association announced Tomorrow’s Housing Innovation Showcase on Thursday. It's a new effort to show the potential for factory-built housing to provide high-quality and attainable homes for Detroiters.

The housing innovation program will build nine factory-built homes in the area.

[DetroitSky]

Work is officially underway at Fisher Body Plant 21! They've begun removing windows and industrial piping as well as demolishing some additions on the south side. Taken by me yesterday:





Bonus shot of Piquette Flats a block away:

[DetroitMan]

Midtown site near DMC sold to buyer with vision for 2 hotels

A developer who has worked on hotels in downtown Royal Oak and elsewhere is taking a swing at Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood.

Namou Hotel Group Inc., based in Madison Heights, has purchased a funky-shaped 3.1-acre site immediately across from the Detroit Medical Center with an early vision to build a pair of new hotels there. The site at 4 E. Alexandrine St. at Woodward Avenue would house a lifestyle hotel and an extended stay/multifamily concept, said Shawn Namou, an executive with the company. The lifestyle hotel would have things like a rooftop bar, co-working space and a fitness center, and the extended-stay hotel would have fully-equipped kitchens, communal lounges and recreational areas, Namou said in an email.

Namou said his company sees a market for both visions.

“In the initial phases of planning, our group recognizes, through internal data, a distinct need for our unique concepts that are currently absent in Detroit,” Namou said. “Our prime site, centrally located around hospitals, universities, and major entertainment hubs, positions us strategically. Detroit’s demand for new rooms is escalating with the influx of national events and developments. Our optimism is particularly strong regarding the drivers within Midtown, making it a focal point for our bullish approach.”

Mind you, it’s early in the development stages — Namou finalized the purchase from the Koza family’s Southfield-based Group 10 Management late last year for a shade over $2 million, according to real estate information service CoStar Group Inc. — so timelines are pretty squishy right now. Namou said a conservative estimate would be to have both hotels open by early 2027, although that could change.

In the fall 2018, Namou Hotel Group opened the Hyatt Place hotel in downtown Royal Oak with 120 rooms at 422 N. Main St., Crain's reported at the time. Namou operates the hotel, and it was developed by Trailhead RO LLC, registered to Akram Namou. Namou Hotel Group worked on the project with Versa Development, now based in Royal Oak.

New hotel space would fill a need in the area, particularly for people needing to stay near the Detroit Medical Center hospital system, said Brandon Leversee, a locally based director for hospitality research company HVS Inc.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...FDFB2E0F233273

[DetroitMan]

The new Fabio Vivani restaurant near Campus Martius announced last year finally has a name

More than a year after the official announcement from Bedrock Detroit, some details have emerged for the new downtown Detroit restaurant at 1040 Woodward, steps from Campus Martius.

Adelina Detroit is expected to open its reservation books as soon as next month. The contemporary new spot is a collaboration between Michigan-based Cicero Hospitality Group and celebrity chef Fabio Vivani. Adelina's menu will have Italian and Mediterranean influences and aims to be a hot destination. In an Instagram post last week, followers were invited to text “ADELINA” to (805) 991-5126 to become a VIP.

“With its sleek and trendy interior, Adelina offers a unique dining experience that is both stylish and relaxed,” reads a blurb on the website. “The menu features an innovative blend of traditional and modern cuisine, made with only the freshest ingredients. Whether you’re in the mood for a romantic dinner or a night out with friends, Adelina is the perfect place to indulge in delicious food and drinks while enjoying the energy of Detroit’s thriving culinary scene.” Born in Florence, Italy Vivani is a well-known chef who has been involved with Detroit-area restaurant concepts before, including Bar Verona. He's competed on Bravo's "Top Chef" and "Top Chef: All Stars" and has published several cookbooks and opened many restaurants in the United States.

Adelina will be at 1040 Woodward in the space formerly occupied by New York-based California-Mexican fusion restaurant Calexico, and before that, an Olga’s. Once an opening date is announced, we'll have more details on the menu and how to make reservations.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/en...a/72676974007/

[DetroitSky]

McIntosh Poris posted some update photos of Gilly's today:

[DetroitSky]

Chick-fil-A to open new downtown Detroit location

A downtown Detroit location is in the works for Chick-fil-A, known for its chicken sandwiches.

The Atlanta-based popular chain will open a location in the First National Building in May or June, Crain's Detroit Business first reported.

Chick-fil-A joins a Shake Shack, Central Kitchen + Bar, and Roasting Plant coffee shop, all located in the same building, owned by Bedrock.

[DetroitSky]

Some photos of Fisher 21 and Piquette Flats posted by Lowell on DYes on 2/24:

[DetroitMan]

Detroit Council approves $231.7M tax incentive for Henry Ford Health, Pistons development

The Detroit City Council approved Tuesday a community benefits package for the planned $3 billion Henry Ford Health, Detroit Pistons, Michigan State University development in the city’s New Center neighborhood.

The incentives package is expected to give the developers $231.7 million in tax revenue reimbursement over the next 35 years.

The incentives will go toward several parts of the development, now called the Future of Health development, that include the planned HFH, MSU Research Center, the residential and commercial projects on the grounds of the current HFH headquarters in New Center as well as a six-story parking garage on the grounds. The total brownfield development is projected at $773 million.

HFH has not, at least yet, sought public tax incentives for its planned $2.5 billion hospital tower across West Grand Boulevard from its legacy hospital in the city. “Long-standing Michigan community stewards Henry Ford Health, Tom Gores and the Detroit Pistons, and Michigan State University have brought the Future of Health development forward as part of a historic partnership to turn Detroit’s New Center neighborhood into a vibrant, walkable community delivering the future of healthcare with an expanded state-of-the-art hospital and cutting-edge medical research combined with mixed-income residential, commercial, retail and recreational components,” the developers said in a joint statement emailed to Crain’s. “Today’s approvals lay the groundwork to execute the reimagination of our shared campus, creating meaningful economic opportunity and redefining what health and well-being means for the city of Detroit.”

The city council approved the package in a 6-3 vote with members Mary Waters, Angela Whitfield-Calloway and Gabriela Santiago-Ramirez voting against the package.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/health...ion-incentives

[isoamazing]

Originally Posted by DetroitMan

Detroit Council approves $231.7M tax incentive for Henry Ford Health, Pistons development


https://www.crainsdetroit.com/health...ion-incentives

Does Mary Waters approve anything?

[DetroitSky]

Monroe Blocks/Development at Cadillac Square posts have been moved to the project's designated thread.

[Velvet_Highground]

Very cool to see Fisher Body #21 moving along, it’s a big boost for Milwaukee Junction. My dad volunteers at the Piquette Plant rebuilding it with other Ford retirees, it’s really cool in there the support beams are 200+ year old Douglas Fir we were gifted a coffee tray made from excess. It’s a major change for the better to see Fisher 21 being renovated the area is tangled up with 75 & 94 but the Russell Industrial Center is near by. Detroit is lacking a well preserved old industrial neighborhood of the like it’s about time to see it come this fruition.

[DetroitMan]

Packard Plant to be fully torn down by year's end as city seeks new auto plant: Duggan

The Packard Plant, one of Detroit's biggest symbols of blight, will be fully torn down by the end of the year and city officials hope to have a new automotive-related plant built on the site, Mayor Mike Duggan said during a Monday a press conference.

The city on Monday afternoon celebrated the start of the third phase of demolition at the massive decayed plant that used to house a luxury automaker almost 70 years ago, touting "promises kept." The city owns 42 acres of the location after Peruvian developer Fernando Palazuelo failed to comply with a 2022 court order to demolish the deteriorating industrial site and missed other deadlines.

The city will rehab the site for a new automotive factory in the next two years, the mayor said. Detroit's economic department in the next two months will open bids for land development plans, but is hoping for a new auto supplier, Duggan said. "This project is monumental for the city's mission to (eradicate)...blight," said LaJuan Counts, director of the Detroit Construction and Demolition Department. “It symbolizes Detroit's resilience and its commitment to revitalization. As we look to a new era for this site, we honor the history of the old Packard Plant while embracing future possibilities for our city.”

Detroit-based contractor Adamo Group began demolition at 5409 Concord Street, comprised of about 200,000 square feet, on the southern section of the plant. This portion of teardown work is expected to take five months and cost $1.2 million to complete.

Three more portions of the plant will need to come down, Counts said. All told, about $26 million in American Rescue Plan Act pandemic relief dollars will be used to demolish the plant. The Packard Plant spanned 3.5 million square feet on Detroit’s east side and was last active in 1956. Dozens of smaller businesses worked out of part of the factory until the late 1990s.

"Sixty-eight years ago, Packard Motors stopped operating at this plant and for 68 years, the ruins of this building have been a weight around the neck of Detroit's recovery," Duggan said. "Because of Joe Biden and the Rescue Plan, Detroit has resources that we've never had, and it will all come down in 2024." On the other side of Grand Boulevard, environmental abatements have already started and $12 million in demolition will occur later this year.

The city has been chipping away at demolishing the Packard Plant for years. Emergency demolition began on a portion of the plant at 6199 Concord in September 2022. In December 2022, demolition started on the next major section of Packard at the south end of 1539 E. Grand Boulevard. The northern portion of 1539 E. Grand Boulevard has been secured for redevelopment to honor the plant’s history, city officials said.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...i/72834989007/

[DetroitSky]

Puerto Ricans in southwest Detroit cement legacy in community with permanent 'casita'

Puerto Ricans in Michigan will soon have a new safe space for music and community building. La Casita Cimarrón y Yuketí de Detroit is prepared to expand its footprint in the community with a second, more permanent "casita" in southwest Detroit this year.

First opened as nothing more than a wooden frame and two flags in 2021, the unofficial music venue has transformed into an established nonprofit organization that is prepared to build a more traditional "casita" along 33rd Street.

Detroit, along with New York and Chicago, has served as an attractive new home for many Puerto Ricans seeking job opportunities and economic freedom not afforded to them back home.

[Velvet_Highground]

I’m very glad to see that the northern portion of the Packard Plant (1539 E. Grand Boulevard) has been saved for historic purposes and is planned to be redeveloped.


No surprises about the crux of this next article that the DIBC is looking to expand their toll plaza to compete with the Gordie Howe Bridge which will have a more advantageous location for freight coming from the south and the west looking to cross into Canada. That said it’s hopeful to see continued land swaps taking place this time for the benefit of the Hubbard - Richard Neighborhood, if city council signs off.


Ambassador Bridge owners raze ex-Greyhound bus building in hopes of expanding bridge area

Demolition began last month on a two-block-long building at 2300 W. Fort Street. The private owners of the bridge want to use part of the property to help expand the bridge's outdoor plaza area, which now ends about two blocks away.

But the approval process to expand the plaza is in the early stages, according to officials from the city of Detroit and the bridge company. There's also a host of state and federal approvals and reviews still needed.

The demolition is part of a "community agreement" announced in October between the bridge owners, the city of Detroit and the Hubbard Richard Residents Association. The city and the bridge owners agreed to work on the proposed plaza expansion. For the neighborhood group, a key part of the deal is the bridge owners vowed to stop buying residential properties near the bridge.

"We continue to move forward with the demolition of the Greyhound building, as stated in our agreement," said Kenneth Dobson, vice president of the Detroit International Bridge Company, DIBC. "In addition, we have committed to donating and investing approximately $9.5M in the community, not including utility upgrades that are estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars."

An entity linked to the bridge company has owned the former bus garage for years. After demolition, the DIBC has agreed to split the property into two parcels and donate the larger parcel to the neighborhood for non-industrial redevelopment.

The demolition help makes way for the expansion of the plaza area by two blocks between West Fort and West Lafayette. The current demolition site would not become part of the plaza area, according to the neighborhood group, though the bridge company will retain control of part of the property.

Demolishing the former bus garage is just one part of the October pact. The bridge company has also agreed to: build a "new 16th Street" between West Lafayette and West Fort to improve access to the neighborhood; donate 10 properties in and around Hubbard Richard to the neighborhood along with $20,000 per property to assist in redevelopment; and contribute property to the city with the intent it be incorporated into the city's Roberto Clemente Recreation Center, 2631 Bagley St.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...t/72792333007/

[Innsertnamehere]

I noticed the greyhound building was fenced off 2 weeks ago when I drove by.

I'm doubtful of anything the DIBC promises at this point though. The Gordie Howe is likely going to send the bridge into a spiral of dropping toll revenue which I think will eventually send them into bankruptcy, to be honest. They just won't be able to compete with the more modern facilities and direct freeway access on the Canadian side which the Gordie Howe will offer. They'll continue along until the bridge needs major structural enhancements and won't be able to raise the cash, if I have to guess.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

I noticed the greyhound building was fenced off 2 weeks ago when I drove by.

I'm doubtful of anything the DIBC promises at this point though. The Gordie Howe is likely going to send the bridge into a spiral of dropping toll revenue which I think will eventually send them into bankruptcy, to be honest. They just won't be able to compete with the more modern facilities and direct freeway access on the Canadian side which the Gordie Howe will offer. They'll continue along until the bridge needs major structural enhancements and won't be able to raise the cash, if I have to guess.

The plus side is whatever vacant properties DIBC owns will likely be demolished and/or sold off as they scrounge for money. Unlikely they had plans to do anything else with that property anyway.

[Velvet_Highground]

I would hazard a guess the majority of the property was gathered during the failed bid to build a new private span. The DIBC is trying to win back some good after their latest round of attempted purchases to try and salvage their failure by expanding the plaza became extremely controversial.

St Anne’s church was founded in 1701 with the original settlement even if its current iteration dates to the 1880’s the site has deep history, its a bad look trying to rip out historic homes around the church. I hope some good can come out of this proposal.

[Velvet_Highground]

DIBC wanted to expand that wall along the street taking out the remaining homes.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...h/71299326007/

[Velvet_Highground]

Anyone else catch the new low-mid rise apartment that’s nearly completed in Rosedale Park?

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

Puerto Ricans in southwest Detroit cement legacy in community with permanent 'casita'

There hasn't been a very strong Puerto Rican community in Detroit. Albeit in Detroit, they make up about 6,060 (about 1% of Detroit's population and 12.6% of Detroit's Latinos), in MI, the total Puerto Rican population is about 51,116 (0.51% of MI's population and 9% of MI's Latinos). There's supposed to be another community in Pontiac, last time I checked, but Mexicans make up the majority of Detroit's (3.9% of Detroit's population and 67.6% of Detroit's Latinos) and MI's (3.9% of MI's population and 67.6% of MI's Latinos) Latino population!!! I can't think of one neighborhood that's exclusively Puerto Rican, as most of the PR population is within the larger Southwest Detroit community, where Mexicans often dominate.

Also, it seems like Detroit didn't benefit from the PR migration that happened from the late 1940's to as late as the 1990's when Puerto Ricans left Puerto Rico to cities on the East Coast such as NY, Boston, Providence, Hartford, Newark, Philadelphia, and other cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Cleveland, and especially Chicago and Milwaukee. Cities like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, St Louis, and Detroit did not have a large and visual migration of Puerto Ricans, which was the reason why Detroit until this past decade, has always maintained a very large black/white divide, while other cities in the country have managed to attract large Asian and Latino populations.