DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[Docta_Love]

Williams International to move headquarters to former Pontiac film studio
$344.5 million project would create 400 jobs
By LINDSAY VANHULLE
Crain's Detroit Business
June 27, 2017



LANSING — Williams International Co. LLC plans to move its company headquarters from Commerce Township to a former movie studio in Pontiac, a $344.5 million project that would create 400 jobs by 2022, the state said. Williams, which makes small gas turbine engines for use in the aviation industry and military, plans to buy the Michigan Motion Picture Studios building at 1999 Centerpoint Parkway for use as its central office, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The company also plans to buy two adjacent vacant parcels spanning 120 acres and a nearby building, at 2001 Centerpoint Parkway, for its expansion project.

The Michigan Strategic Fund on Tuesday approved a $4 million performance-based grant for Williams and a 15-year state Renaissance Zone designation for the property. The strategic fund board also ended an existing Renaissance Zone designation for the movie studio, which opened in 2011 to take advantage of state film incentives that since have been phased out. Williams International employs 500 in Michigan today, according to the MEDC. Its Commerce Township headquarters also supports research and development and repair operations. The company has a second location in Ogden, Utah, that supports gas turbine manufacturing from design to production.

Williams plans to convert the movie production studio, where the film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was made, into a high-tech manufacturing plant that can support testing of new product lines in development, the state said. The adjacent vacant parcels are intended to support a future 800,000-square-foot to 1 million-square-foot factory within six or seven years to make the new products. The building at 2001 Centerpoint will serve as a product support facility that also can handle quick-turn manufacturing, the MEDC said."With significant investment, the proposed project area in Pontiac provides Williams the framework for a new headquarters, immediate upgrade and expansion of manufacturing capabilities and sufficient expansion area to meet their near-term needs," the MEDC wrote in a briefing memo.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...former-pontiac

Amazon gets $5 million state grant for new $140 million facility in Romulus
By LINDSAY VANHULLE
Crain's Detroit Business
June 27, 2017

LANSING — The Michigan Strategic Fund on Tuesday approved a $5 million grant for Amazon.com's planned $140 million package fulfillment center in Romulus — the second state subsidy for the world's largest online retailer in the past seven months. Amazon is promising to create at least 1,600 new jobs, but needed state assistance to help pay for "substantial road and other infrastructure improvements," according to a Michigan Economic Development Corp. memo to Michigan Strategic Fund board members.
....

The Detroit Region Aerotropolis Development Corp. is also considering the creation of a tax-capturing district to finance some of the infrastructure improvements Amazon needs for the undisclosed site in Romulus, according to the MEDC. The Romulus facility will be Amazon's third in Wayne County. In 2015, the company opened a corporate office and technology hub in Detroit.
....

"This is the third major investment from Amazon in Wayne County in the last few years, and I think that's significant," Evans said. Amazon is converting a former General Motors Co. bumper plating factory in Livonia into a distribution warehouse that will employ at least 1,000 people when it's operational. In December, Michigan Strategic Fund's board approved a $7.5 million performance-based business development grant for Amazon's Livonia facility.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...on-facility-in

Trenton gets $3.2 million state loan to buy former McLouth Steel site
By KURT NAGL
Crain's Detroit Business
June 27, 2017



The city of Trenton on Tuesday got approval for a $3.2 million loan from the Michigan Strategic Fund to purchase the former McLouth Steel Products Corp. site, which has been an eyesore for the community for 24 years.

The mill, at 1491 W. Jefferson Ave. on the north side of Trenton, closed in 1996. The 180-acre industrial property includes a 1 million-square-foot blighted building, , according to a Michigan Economic Development Corp. news release. Wayne County foreclosed on the property in March for unpaid property taxes amounting to $3.7 million. Developers have showed interest in it but have been wary of unknown costs for environmental cleanup, the release stated.

In exercising its right of first refusal and intentions to purchase the property from the county, the city is requesting the loan from the state to cover cost of purchase, expected to be $2.5 million after factoring in the city's portion of outstanding taxes. The remaining $700,000 will be used for environmental investigations. The city has had discussions with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency, the news release said. It is likely to also apply for other state and federal assistance and market it to developers.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...former-mclouth

$2.4 million in tax incentives OK'd for downtown Ferndale development
By ANNALISE FRANK
Crain's Detroit Business
June 27, 2017



The Ferndale Brownfield Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday received approval of a $2.4 million local and school tax capture to help developers deal with asbestos and demolish three blighted structures for a four-story, mixed-use development downtown. The Wolf River Development LLC project will cost about $16.1 million and create about 16 full-time jobs, according to a Michigan Economic Development Corp. memo. It will house 127 market-rate apartments on the upper floors and commercial space on the first floor.

Adding housing to Ferndale's downtown area has been a main focus for the city, the memo said. Keshena, Wis.-based Wolf River plans to create a new parking structure and urban storm water management system on the seven parcels of land at 409 E. Nine Mile Road. The development, which takes up one block between Leland and Paxton streets, will have 130 vehicle parking spaces and about 50 for bicycles.

Commercial space will take up 5,583 square feet of the 114,219-square-foot building. There will also be 1,830 square feet of common area space. Other features will include a rooftop patio and a grassy area for dogs. Apartment sizes would range from 615 square feet to 923 square feet, with the 127 units comprising 31 two-bedroom apartments, 90 one-bedroom apartments and six studios, according to a staff report to the city planning commission in December.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ntown-ferndale

[The Lurker]

I was at the DMC this weekend and took the opportunity to snap a shot of The Plaza (renovation of the nail and hammer building plus new construction;



https://www.apartments.com/the-plaza...it-mi/f4bqxtt/

If you look further downtown you can see the Littlie Caesars HQ in the left center of this photo;

[The Lurker]

Rendering;

[north 42]

That Brookside development looks so much nicer than that horrendous Ferndale proposal! Hopefully they change the facade on that one, or at least change that multi colour scheme they are showing.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by north 42

That Brookside development looks so much nicer than that horrendous Ferndale proposal! Hopefully they change the facade on that one, or at least change that multi colour scheme they are showing.

To be fair, Birmingham has pretty strict architectural standards to keep up high aesthetic quality.

Though, I'd agree those shades of green and brown do make the Ferndale project look a little pukey.

[deja vu]

Trenton gets $3.2 million state loan to buy former McLouth Steel site
By KURT NAGL
Crain's Detroit Business
June 27, 2017

The city of Trenton on Tuesday got approval for a $3.2 million loan from the Michigan Strategic Fund to purchase the former McLouth Steel Products Corp. site, which has been an eyesore for the community for 24 years...

It's been an eyesore for waaaay longer than 24 years. 68 years, plus or minus; The facility opened in the 1940s. The remediation on this site will take a long time, if / when it begins.

[The North One]

This is the first time I've seen a high definition render of Brookside. Looks gorgeous.

Yeah, Birmingham gets all the best mid-rise development. But that's because the architectural guidelines are strict and the area is very wealthy.

I'd like to see downtown get similar mid-rise development.

[animatedmartian]

There's more renderings on the website for the development. Looks pretty cool on the backside.

https://www.brooksideresidents.com/gallery

[Docta_Love]

Edit i hate that the rendering of the site is just a lil bit too big so i'm taking it down its nothing special or refined, i also noticed the other day on the crain's article about the inner city greenway that it showed it going to U of D and up Livernois to 8 mile. I didn't see anymore info about it so i didn't post but i found an article on curbed about it so ill make my amendment's.

Gilbert proposes new 13-acre site for Wayne County jail construction
Walsh Construction also submits proposal to complete half-built Gratiot jail

By KIRK PINHO
June 29, 2017
Crain's Detroit Business



(Rock Ventures' new proposed Wayne County jail site, currently used by the Detroit Department of Transportation, is generally bounded by the Chrysler Service Drive, East Warren Avenue, East Ferry Street and Russell Street.)


Dan Gilbert is proposing a different 13-acre site in Detroit to house a new consolidated criminal justice complex for Wayne County that would help pave the way for a Major League Soccer stadium and three high-rises downtown. The change in proposals came Wednesday as Walsh Construction also submitted its plan to complete the half-built Wayne County Consolidated Jail on Gratiot Avenue at I-375. Gilbert's Rock Ventures LLC proposed building a new $520.3 million criminal justice complex on about 13 acres of city-owned property immediately north of the previously proposed site at I-75 and East Forest Street. The new site, currently used by the Detroit Department of Transportation, is generally bounded by the Chrysler Service Drive, East Warren Avenue, East Ferry Street and Russell Street. Under the new Gilbert proposal, the county would be responsible for acquiring it from the city.

....

Under Rock's new proposal, the consolidated criminal justice complex at Warren and I-75 would have a 2,280-bed jail, 25 courtrooms and five hearing rooms, sheriff's and prosecutor department offices, a 160-bed juvenile detention facility. The $420 million East Forest Avenue proposal called for a 1,600-bed jail for adults (with a county option for 400 more beds for $43 million more) and a 160-bed jail for juveniles, along with a courthouse, sheriff's office, prosecutor's office and surface parking. The county would have been responsible for $300 million of the cost "in exchange for the transfer of the Gratiot Avenue property and a credit for the savings a new consolidated criminal justice complex will provide." The new proposal calls for transfer of the Gratiot site and the originally proposed East Forest Avenue site to Rock Ventures. Cullen said the plan would be to redevelop the East Forest site, but no decision has been made on what would go there. "It's another area we could work to create an economic impact," Cullen said.

....

Walsh Construction, which was the only company to respond to a request for proposals to complete the Gratiot jail, proposed completing the existing jail with 1,608 beds for $269 million or 2,200 beds for $317.6 million, the release says. Evans expects to recommend either accepting one of the Walsh Construction or Rock Ventures proposals by late next month. "The logic has always been clear to me. It's not about soccer and it's not about politics. It's about a county, with very real fiscal limitations, financing a desperately needed jail which has already cost taxpayers millions," Evans said in a news release. "This decision is solely about what's best for Wayne County." Among the issues that Evans and his administration have been studying are whether it can repurpose leftover bond money from 2010 and use it to build a new jail a few miles north. He has said his main concerns are whether Rock can build the jail complex in a timely fashion, whether the complex meets the county's needs and whether the county can afford it.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...l-construction

United Shore to move headquarters from Troy to Pontiac
By DUSTIN WALSH
June 29, 2017
Crain's Detroit Business



United Shore Financial Services LLC plans to move its headquarters from Troy to a larger building in Pontiac.

The Troy-based wholesale mortgage lender announced Thursday it purchased the 600,000-square-foot Hewlett Packard Enterprise building at 585 South Blvd. in Pontiac. United Share will pay $40 million for the building and 60 acres of property and another $40 million on renovations. The company will begin construction in August with plans of moving its entire operations, including its more than 2,000 employees, into the building next summer, Brad Pettiford, communications strategist for the company, told Crain's. As part of the move, United Shore will vacate its current 275,000 square feet of office space at at 1414 E. Maple Road in Troy. The company is in negotiations to secure property tax abatements and other incentives from the city of Pontiac and Oakland County to supplement the move.

The new headquarters will include a litany of amenities for its workforce, including an indoor basketball court, fitness center, massage rooms, outdoor volleyball court, indoor and outdoor putting greens, convenience store, game room, outdoor amphitheater, escape room and a video production studio. "The new headquarters will not only create a more dynamic and collaborative work environment to maximize our team members' performance, all under one roof and one campus, it will also offer a wider assortment of perks and intensify the sense of culture and work-life balance that we pride ourselves on," Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Shore, said in a news release. "We want to continue to be a magnet for top talent in the area, and take being a national best place to work to a new level." The move is supported by rapid growth for the company. Since 2010, the company has grown from 400 employees to 2,100, the company said. United Wholesale Mortgage, the operating subsidiary of United Shore, issued $23 billion in mortgage loans last year and is on pace to surpass $30 billion in 2017. It is the largest wholesale mortgage lender by volume in the U.S.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...roy-to-pontiac

Inner Circle Greenway takes big step toward reality
BY ROBIN RUNYAN
JUN 27, 2017
Curbed Detroit



The most ambitious greenway project in Detroit has had a busy month. And thanks to two big announcements, Detroiters could soon ride from the Riverfront to 8 Mile on dedicated bike paths along the Inner Circle Greenway. The biggest announcement came last week, when the city of Detroit reached an agreement with Conrail for 7.5 miles of old railroad property. The agreement is for 76 acres of land for $4.3 million. The 7.5 mile stretch is along the Detroit Terminal Railroad that supplied resources to assemble Ford Model T automobiles. The property runs through many Detroit neighborhoods, and also through Highland Park and the Dearborn border. The path will have bike lanes, pedestrian paths, seating, lighting, public safety elements, and other amenities.

Earlier this month, the Detroit Greenways Coalition received a $5,000 grant from the Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund to support the Inner Circle Greenway work on 1.4 miles through Highland Park. The Greenway will connect neighborhoods and green spaces throughout the city, like Palmer Park, Clark Park, Lasky Park, and the Riverfront. At this point, all the land acquisition for the Inner Circle Greenway has been funded, but the construction of the greenway is still working on committed funding. Design and construction of the remainder of the path could start in fall of 2017, pending City Council approval.

https://detroit.curbed.com/2017/6/27...y-detroit-land

[deja vu]

With the newly-proposed Wayne County Jail site, any idea what that little piece that extends east across Russell to the other side of the street would be? It seems rather intentional, or is that just part of the property that would be included in the deal?

[Docta_Love]

It may just be a sq footage issue there is that gas station at warren and 75 that isn't included in the property so it may be a swap of sorts, its also likely that that area across russell is also city or county owned.

[animatedmartian]

The piece of land is owned by Detroit Public Schools. Most likely that piece would just be paved over for some addition parking while DPS gets the benefit of selling a little bit of land.

[animatedmartian]

Speaking of parking lots, I noticed today while I was downtown that Olympia has recently paved over the lots that they own. At first I was kind of excited seeing construction equipment all over the place but then I realized they were just upgrading the parking lots from gravel to asphalt.

The only plus is they look cleaner and are all gated with little security posts and cameras so at least there'll be an increased perception of safety. Makes me wonder though if this is a sign of just how long these will remain parking lots.

[The North One]

There's always a catch when it comes to Olympia, getting real sick of their bullshit. At least it's not as permanent as a parking garage.

[Detroit1995]

Haven't been on here in a long time, but does the new Little Caesars HQ have it's own page?

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Haven't been on here in a long time, but does the new Little Caesars HQ have it's own page?

It's apart of the Little Ceasars Arena/District Detroit thread since it isn't tall enough to be considered a high rise according to the SSP cutoff height.

[Docta_Love]

Plan for former state fairgrounds site gets an urban vibe
By KIRK PINHO
July 02, 2017
Crain's Detroit Business



It's been more than five years since developers first floated an enormous re-envisioning of the former Michigan state fairgrounds site in Detroit. Since then, various incarnations of the plan have been proposed, but the principals behind the 157-acre project say the current version is better than it's ever been. And they credit Maurice Cox, the city's planning director, for moving it in a direction that's less suburban shopping complex and more walkable, bikeable and urban. In development circles, Cox, who was recruited to the city in 2015, is known as a hands-on planning director with a "world class" reputation. "We didn't know how sick we were," said Joel Ferguson, one of the members of Magic Plus LLC, which is proposing the mixed-use development with residential, retail, entertainment, transit and education uses, among others. Bounded by Woodward Avenue to the west, Eight Mile Road to the north, railroad tracks to the east and State Fair Avenue to the east, construction on the project could begin in the spring, said Christopher Stralkowski, executive project manager for Ferguson's Lansing-based Ferguson Development LLC.

....

THE CURRENT PLAN
According to Christopher Stralkowski, executive project manager Lansing-based Ferguson Development LLC, current estimates for the usage mix at the fairground property include:

1.1 million square feet of anchor retail space.
250,000 square feet of historic rehabilitation.
136,000 square feet of other retail.

....

"The development plan for this proposal significantly changed from what was originally presented, based on a collaborative design process with the City of Detroit Planning Department," said Glen Long Jr., interim president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., in a statement. "In the fall, the developer presented the updated plan to the community for feedback and comment. As a result of that process, the developer needed to conduct additional due diligence to determine the most appropriate phasing for infrastructure and vertical construction, based on site, economic, and current market conditions. Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) is monitoring the developer's progress adapting to the new requirements. When the developer completes its new plans, it will present them to DEGC and the City for additional review and evaluation." A message left last week for Cox was not returned, but developers have been open about how Cox's hands-on approach has affected projects in the city. "He has absolutely pushed developers to step up their design game," Sonya Mays, CEO of Develop Detroit, a nonprofit housing developer, told Crain's when Cox was named a Change Maker last month. " … He's been pretty forthright about his expectations and his vision. "Gov. Rick Snyder transferred the state fairground site to the Fast Track Authority board in April 2012. The authority still owns the site, but Magic Plus LLC has development rights to it.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ets-urban-vibe

[Docta_Love]

I've been waiting for one of the local Detroit sites to do a before and after of the Book and here it is, thank you Daily Detroit for this 4th of July treat!

8 Before And After Pictures Of Detroit’s Beautiful Book Tower Coming Back To Life
By Daily Detroit Staff
Jul 3, 2017
Daily Detroit




The building at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Grand River has a long history, and is one of the most ornate exteriors in the city of Detroit, and possibly the United States. For years the Book Tower was ridiculed as one of Detroit’s ugliest buildings. It turns out when the exterior gets a deep cleaning its intricate art that sits high above the city streets comes to life. Although some of us always appreciated the structure for its unique design. It’s a rare Renaissance-style skyscraper that for a short time was the tallest building in Detroit, built in two sections – the shorter office block in 1916-17 and the tower in 1926 and designed by Louis Kamper.

The building, bought by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate in 2015, has been undergoing an extensive renovation and restoration. It’s an ambitious project that all told by the end of the project could easily cost more than $100 million. A 2016 report says that the work will take three years. Having visited the building a few times before it was closed in the early 2000s, it has all kinds of small architectural surprises inside and out. For instance, back then, there was a mothballed large glass dome on the third floor. Back in 2015 we took some photos, and today took a new series that closely matches the angles of the old pictures.

http://www.dailydetroit.com/2017/07/...ing-back-life/

[animatedmartian]

Demolition on the Silverdome has begun.


https://www.facebook.com/10921083911...type=3&theater

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Demolition on the Silverdome has begun.


https://www.facebook.com/10921083911...type=3&theater

Damn. Sad to see, but it was even sadder to see it decaying for so long. I don't suppose as many folks will be heart broken by this going away, as compared to Tigers Stadium.