DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[DetroitSky]

Speaking of the Joe...

Additional 18 months sought for Joe Louis Arena redevelopment plan

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

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

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

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

Oakland University explores bringing educational programs to Marygrove campus

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

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

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

Rush Bowls to open first Michigan location in new District Detroit entertainment block

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

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

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

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

Plum Market to open downtown Detroit location July 3

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

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

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

Southfield tech company opens downtown Detroit center to nurture startups

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

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

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

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

Real Estate Insider: MDOT gearing up for Amtrak property RFP in Detroit

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

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

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

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

Ford information center in Corktown to share development updates

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

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

Belle Isle Conservatory reopens after $2.5M structural renovation

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

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

MBAD African Bead Museum celebrates new exhibit space following renovation

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

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

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

[DetroitSky]

Downtown demolition to clear path for 20-story Chemical Bank HQ

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

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

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

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



Eastside residents welcome new community rainscape garden in Chandler Park

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

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

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

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

Celebrate the grand opening of Riverside Park’s new skatepark

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

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

$19 million short-term housing project for homeless in Detroit secures rezoning

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

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

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

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

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

Premier Pet Supply set to open full-service store in downtown Detroit

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

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

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

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

A once-blighted Fitzgerald home is finding new life as an early childhood learning center

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

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

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

[DetroitSky]

Construction to begin soon on Woodbridge townhome development

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

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

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

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

Detroit to invest $500M over five years to upgrade city’s water and sewer systems

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

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

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

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

Pedini showroom opens in Detroit

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

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

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

Dossin Great Lakes Museum to get event space, riverfront trail in $4.9 million upgrade

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nightclub, restaurant from Oakland County restaurateurs to open in Greektown Detroit

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

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

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

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

JPMorgan Chase's Detroit investment growing to $200 million

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

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

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

[DetroitSky]

Real Estate Insider: 511 Woodward may get dramatic exterior redesign

"Wild."

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

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

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

MotorCity Casino parking deck deets

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


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

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

Ilitches miss development plan deadline for Woodward/I-75 property

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

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

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

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

Nonprofit support hub opens in New Center

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

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

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

[Docta_Love]

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

[DetroitSky]

Dakkota Integrated Systems to bring $55 million plant, 625 jobs to Detroit to supply FCA

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

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

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

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

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

Columbus-based Condado Tacos to add second Michigan location in Midtown

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

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

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

DSO launches effort to activate secluded courtyard behind The Max

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

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

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

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

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

Howe Bridge construction heats up

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

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

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

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

[uaarkson]

In Detroit, Tiny Homes Are More Than a Lifestyle Trend
https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...s-trend-227274

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

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

[tracykurtz]

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

[PopulusRomanus]

Any word on progress at the Hudson's site?

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by uaarkson

In Detroit, Tiny Homes Are More Than a Lifestyle Trend
https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...s-trend-227274

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

[The North One]

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

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

[SupaK]

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

• Video Link

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by The North One

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

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

On the attack per usual, I see.

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

[DetroitSky]

Quicken Loans says it just had the best quarter in its history

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

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

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

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

Three condos starting at $1.55M to be built in Hartz Building downtown

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

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

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

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

Construction ramps up on the greenest project in Detroit

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

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

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

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

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

$15 million early childhood center planned for ‘cradle-to-career' campus at Marygrove

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

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

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

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

[DetroitSky]

Originally Posted by PopulusRomanus

Any word on progress at the Hudson's site?

This YouTube channel posts construction videos almost every weekday.

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

Gilbert's Bedrock buys Courtyard by Marriott across from Renaissance Center

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

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

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

Old Tiger Stadium apartments are finally done: Here's what they look like

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

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

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

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

Chemical Bank, TCF deal receives final regulatory approval

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

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

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

Affordable housing project in Detroit's Oakman Boulevard neighborhood completed

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

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

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

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

$16.8 million apartment complex planned for Banglatown as Detroit seeks more neighborhood redevelopment

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

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

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

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

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

12449 Conant St rendering

Report: Metro Detroit’s Office and Industrial Markets Grow During Q2 2019

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

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

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

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

[DetroitSky]

Nice infill development coming to Woodbridge:

Boutique condo development to soon break ground in Woodbridge

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

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

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

Popular soup and salad spot the Green Room set to open Monday

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

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

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

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

Detroiter returns home to open dental practice on city's east side

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

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

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

[DetroitSky]

State awards low-income housing tax credits to 5 Detroit projects

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

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

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

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

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

Other Detroit recipients are:

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

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

Large fire strikes vacant legendary rock club Gold Dollar in Detroit

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

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

[deja vu]

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

Detroit City Council votes to keep Spirit Plaza open in a last-minute reversal
Maryam Jayyousi | Detroit Metro Times
July 23, 2019

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

Of note,

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

[DetroitSky]

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

'The Mid' hotel, condo space secures $58M in tax reimbursements

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

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

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

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

Erskine redevelopment

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

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

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

Vacant Midtown building reimagined as Latin American restaurant Vecino

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

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

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

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

Detroit statue finds a barefoot, undaunted Viola Liuzzo walking again for civil rights

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

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

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

Detroit’s Motor City Match Brings 10 Businesses to Detroit’s New Center

Already open:

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

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

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

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

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

Coming soon:

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

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

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

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

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

Juice and oxygen bar, street food restaurant open in Rosedale Park

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

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

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

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

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

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

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