DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[The North One]

Originally Posted by SonoftheRustBelt

Hope y'all don't mind an outsider chiming in but these seem so underwhelming for the site honestly. Forgive me if that's been said before. Hopefully demand for downtown living in Detroit will rise enough in the coming decades that something more prominent takes its place; in this regard it helps that the structure is made of wood.

It's been said 15 billion times already lol

I think if it's said one more time the universe might explode.

[DetroitSky]

Originally Posted by The North One

It's been said 15 billion times already lol

I think if it's said one more time the universe might explode.

Seriously. It feels like the majority of what I've read about the project is people complaining about how its not right for the site and it looks cheap.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by SonoftheRustBelt

Hope y'all don't mind an outsider chiming in but these seem so underwhelming for the site honestly. Forgive me if that's been said before. Hopefully demand for downtown living in Detroit will rise enough in the coming decades that something more prominent takes its place; in this regard it helps that the structure is made of wood.

Surprisingly no one ever mentions the proposal that briefly appeared for the site in 2014.



It would have been two 40 story towers, a mid-rise boutique hotel, and 10 floors for a 700 space parking garage.

At the time, the land was city owned and it was reported the DEGC had rejected the proposal because the plan included revenue and expenses projects that were 'unrealistic'.

The developers offered $1.5 million dollars to buy the land with a $100,000 deposit. $120 million would have been spent on construction and business development. They stated the projected tax revenue to be $2,000,000 a year. Construction was expected to start as soon as the land was sold to these developers.

In 2014 that was a pretty uncommon proposal, but in 2019 with the Mid, Hudson's, Monroe Block, and other high rises in the pipeline, it might have been better received. Still, $120 million is cheap compared to other high rise proposals so it's still kinda suspect. Personally, I think it would have been a low quality project despite having good height.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Surprisingly no one ever mentions the proposal that briefly appeared for the site in 2014.



It would have been two 40 story towers, a mid-rise boutique hotel, and 10 floors for a 700 space parking garage.

At the time, the land was city owned and it was reported the DEGC had rejected the proposal because the plan included revenue and expenses projects that were 'unrealistic'.

The developers offered $1.5 million dollars to buy the land with a $100,000 deposit. $120 million would have been spent on construction and business development. They stated the projected tax revenue to be $2,000,000 a year. Construction was expected to start as soon as the land was sold to these developers.

In 2014 that was a pretty uncommon proposal, but in 2019 with the Mid, Hudson's, Monroe Block, and other high rises in the pipeline, it might have been better received. Still, $120 million is cheap compared to other high rise proposals so it's still kinda suspect. Personally, I think it would have been a low quality project despite having good height.

Yeah, $120 million for a project that size seems low to me.

[DetroitSky]

The City Club Apartments rising there now is costing something like $70 million and The Mid is supposed to cost $310 million. I personally don't know how they expected to build all that for $120 million. But then again, the current labor shortages are raising costs for new construction.

[DetroitSky]

LinkedIn shows off its new space in Detroit's downtown

Detroit — LinkedIn opened the doors of its new permanent regional home on Woodward to visitors Wednesday, among the latest businesses to locate in the downtown Detroit corridor.

Officials and area professionals were on hand to celebrate with the professional network site's space at 1523 Woodward, a 75,000-square-foot office in the Albert Kahn-designed Sanders and Grinnell buildings. The employed moved there at the end of March.

Detroit's Shinola Hotel makes Conde Nast world hot list

If you have not stayed at Shinola Hotel in Detroit, you may want to visit, according to Conde Nast, which named the hotel to its 2019 Hot List.

The list consists of 82 hotels and cruises across the world, including Africa, Middle East, South America and Mexico. The locations were selected on criteria such as service, amenities, surrounding neighborhood, food and drinks.

[LMich]

Elton Park project in Corktown welcoming first residents in major new development

oave Real Estate Group will finish construction on its Elton Park project in Detroit's Corktown district this spring. The project marks the neighborhood's largest mixed-use real estate development in decades.

Elton Park will add six buildings, 151 apartments and about 13,500 square feet of retail to the Corktown community. The development is named for Elton Park, an historic park in Corktown lost to the construction of the Lodge Freeway.

The total cost of the development is $45 million. In line with city regulations, 20% of the units will be priced for moderate-income renters.

Pictures from the article of some of the components:

The Robertson



2100 & 2120 Trumbull



8th Street Row



Checker Alley



The Crawford

[DetroitSky]

...Elton Park is only 5 buildings, not 6.

A minor mistake, but it seems like the Free Press and News have mistakes of some sort in every article they put out.

[LMich]

It's only five if you count the two Trumbull buildings are one building.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

...Elton Park is only 5 buildings, not 6.

A minor mistake, but it seems like the Free Press and News have mistakes of some sort in every article they put out.

The Robertson, Crawford, checker building, 2 Trumbel buildings, and 8th street row.

[DetroitSky]

My apologies, I was half awake when I wrote that.

New bar, alley with retail, nightlife planned in downtown Detroit after $14.5 million in renovations

A bar is expected to take the 1,200-square-foot basement space below Brome Modern Eatery at the 48,000-square-foot building at 607 Shelby, with lease negotiations being finalized, according to Ben Hubert, vice president in the Detroit office of brokerage firm Colliers International Inc., which is marketing the retail space for the buildings. The brokerage firm for the office space is the Southfield office of Los Angeles-based CBRE Inc.

At 44 Michigan Ave., there is "a deal in the works" for a single retail tenant to occupy the full 21,500-square-foot building, formerly inhabited by First Independence Bank. There is also interest in 220 W. Congress, a vacant 35,000-square-foot building with 2,000-5,500 square feet of retail available, Hubert said.

The alleyway would tie into retail at 220 W. Congress and 607 Shelby. There are plans for it to have "new lighting, artwork and space for retailers, which could include entertainment, nightlife and dining options," according to a news release.

"We have seen other successful developments find creative uses for public spaces and this will definitely increase traffic and tap into the live, work, play environment that is very prevalent in Detroit right now," Jasper Hanifi, associate with CBRE, said in the release.

220 West Congress

Skidmore tapped to do master plan for Uniroyal site on Detroit riverfront

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP has been selected to do a master plan for the former Uniroyal Tire Co. site on the east Detroit riverfront near Belle Isle.

The Detroit Economic Development Corp., or EDC, board approved the payment to the Chicago-based firm selection on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman. The process is budgeted to cost no more than $200,080, with the EDC paying for half and developer Bettis/Betters Development LLC responsible for the other half, according to a briefing memo for the EDC board.

The memo says the process is expected to be done in three phases over 10 weeks, with the first analysis, mapping and programming stage taking two weeks, visioning and master planning options taking four weeks, and developing the preferred master plan concept taking another four weeks.

It's not known precisely when the process will start.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill also worked on the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy's framework plan for the east Detroit riverfront that was unveiled in the winter 2017.

HomeBase opens: Fitzgerald neighborhood gets new community and office space

Dozens of stakeholders, guests, and media representatives gathered on the morning of Thursday, April 25 to mark the official opening of Neighborhood HomeBase, a community and office space in northwest Detroit’s Fitzgerald neighborhood.

Located on McNichols Road between University of Detroit Mercy and Marygrove College, HomeBase will be the main office for Live6 Alliance, a nonprofit that services the area, and Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC), a firm within Detroit Mercy’s Architecture School that designed the space itself.

But its 4,000 square feet can be used in flexible ways. Residents will be able to use HomeBase to get updates or provide feedback on the city of Detroit’s planning efforts. There will be a rotating gallery of renderings and local art. And the back half of the office can be closed off, allowing community groups to host larger meetings in the front half, rent free, even securing a key for after hours gatherings.

[LMich]

Detroiters to get first dibs at new Fiat Chrysler jobs

Detroit — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles pledged to give Detroiters a first chance at jobs at the upgraded Jefferson North Assembly Plant and expanded Mack Avenue Engine Complex as a part of a community benefits agreement residents approved this week.

In addition to the $2.5 billion the automaker plans to invest into the east-side facilities that are expected to create nearly 5,000 jobs, FCA will invest $13.8 million into workforce training, education, housing and neighborhood revitalization under the agreement still subject to City Council approval.

The city also will spend more than $17 million on similar initiatives and infrastructure, and $4 million would come from federal and state sources.

Detroit residents will have the opportunity to apply in July for open production positions in advance of the general public. Job fairs and kiosks would focus on helping residents in the surrounding neighborhood apply.

Other commitments:

• FCA will provide $1.8 million in housing-repair grants for owner-occupied homes. Applications will be made available in August.
  
• A wall along Beniteau Street will create a barrier between the plants and be adorned with ivy and a mural. FCA also will care for a stormwater-resistant pond, install drought-resistant landscaping and plant 200 trees.
  
• The city will invest $7 million into traffic calming and road improvements, including speed cushions, paving roads, sidewalk improvement, re-timed traffic lights and dedicated turn lanes.
  
• The city also plans $5.9 million for 300 demolitions of vacant city-owned structures over the next three years starting along Beniteau Street in February.
  
• Neighborhood revitalization projects will receive $800,000 from FCA.
  
• The automaker will work with the community to develop a marketing campaign for the neighborhood and invest $300,000 in paid local media.

Updates from New Center: https://twitter.com/BacktoDetroit/st...20116701327360

Baltimore Station I



The Boulevard

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by LMich

Elton Park project in Corktown welcoming first residents in major new development



Pictures from the article of some of the components:

What they did to UFO bar sort of cracks me up. Reminds me of the Edith Macefield house in Seattle:



BTW, I'm really loving all the masonry work on a lot of the infill projects in Detroit. It somehow looks both modern and classic. Definitely helps fit into the neighborhoods with a feeling of timelessness.

[DetroitSky]

Shelborne Development execs depart to form new company focused on Opportunity Zones

Shelborne Development Corp.'s top executives are departing to launch a development firm focused on Opportunity Zones throughout the state.

Shelborne CEO Jill Ferrari and Shannon Morgan, chief development officer, formed Renovare Development LLC last summer and are set to funnel all their energies into the new venture. Their last day at Shelborne is Friday.

Ferrari said she and Morgan saw the potential to capitalize on Opportunity Zones to build affordable housing.

"We wanted to find a way to make that program work with affordable housing and employ our own development vision," Ferrari said.

Renovare Development already has three properties under contract, including the historic Munising Firehall in the Upper Peninsula and the Broderick Manor and Lakewood Square apartment buildings in Detroit. Renovations and affordable housing are planned for those sites.

Walker-Miller Energy Services opens headquarters in New Center

Walker-Miller Energy Services LLC, a Detroit-based company that specializes in energy-waste reduction, on Friday celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in the New Center neighborhood.

The company purchased the building, dubbed "The Emerald Corner," at 8045 Second Ave., according to a news release.

The move allows for the consolidation of its Midtown office space in the Boulevard West Building, as well as warehouse space and parking previously leased from nonprofit Focus: Hope, moving the company's metro Detroit team into one location, CEO Carla Walker-Miller said in a statement emailed to Crain's.

"Establishing our permanent home in this community means so much to the entire Walker-Miller Energy Services team," Walker-Miller said in a release. "This is a continuation of our long-standing commitment to Detroit. We feel extremely blessed to be able to grow our team, and the community, right here."

[RossDetroit]

Hi guys, can someone tell me if there is any news about the SOMA and the Meijers Project on Jefferson east? Thanks for all the updates, please keep Detroit fans overseas posted.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by RossDetroit

Hi guys, can someone tell me if there is any news about the SOMA and the Meijers Project on Jefferson east? Thanks for all the updates, please keep Detroit fans overseas posted.

As far as I know they’re planning to break ground on the urban format meijer later this year. The soma project recently had 2 parking garages approved, which are the first phase of the project. There’s still no timeline for that project though.

[DetroitSky]

Volunteers work to turn abandoned home into Detroit House of Music

Detroit — Having spent more than 20 years as a musician, Audra Kubat and her partners are working to transform an abandoned home in the city's Northwest Goldberg neighborhood into a music sanctuary.

Kubat, an indie folk artist from Rosedale Park on Detroit's west side, launched the Detroit House of Music project that aims to bring artists from around the area to teach music to kids in the neighborhood, house traveling artists and serve as a small place for shows.

"The real vision is to create a space for our neighborhood where we can bring artists like myself to share what they do in an informal way," Kubat said. "We're not seeing great music programs in schools as much now and I know because I go into schools to teach kids songwriting, but I think it would be a lovely thing to have a space to teach kids and empower artists that are already here and traveling ones."

Newspaper found in the floorboards

New Detroit apartments for rent for $750? Here's how that happened

Years ago, the second floors of many two-story commercial buildings in Detroit served as living quarters for their downstairs shopkeepers or were divided into apartments for housing residential tenants.

Over time those dwellings emptied out, leaving the upstairs as storage space or simply empty.

Now a business group in southwest Detroit is using $8,500 matching grants to encourage building owners to renovate their vacant second floors and reopen the spaces as reasonably priced market-rate apartments.

The first batch of 12 apartments is nearly ready for occupants. And based on the early interest from property owners and prospective tenants, the Southwest Detroit Business Association is looking to expand its second-floor apartments program to more buildings, and perhaps inspire similar renovation efforts across the city.

"This is an easy program that can be replicated," said Michael Odom, the business association's board chairman.

This Midtown coffee shop is brewing java with a purpose

It’s all about connecting people with one another.

That’s the message Midtown’s latest café and coffee shop is hoping to send from its new location on 3rd Street.

AWAKE Café features small batch, single origin coffee from Honduras, with direct connections to the farmers and workers themselves.

"We started a coffee farm in Honduras with locals running it. We sell it here in Detroit to help pay them a livable wage," says Tonweya Sherman, manager of AWAKE Café.

"Our target goal is to provide jobs to locals there so families can stay together."

[davidberko]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwu_xFrh4Q3/?hl=en

If you visit the district detroit instagram and click on their progress videos the comments on them are rich. So much Ilitch hate going around these days lol

[DetroitSky]

Originally Posted by davidberko

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwu_xFrh4Q3/?hl=en

If you visit the district detroit instagram and click on their progress videos the comments on them are rich. So much Ilitch hate going around these days lol

Thats great, lol. Had way too much fun reading those.

More leased space, events help bring Guardian Building out of the red

A plan to squeeze more cash out of the Guardian Building downtown appears to be paying off.

Wayne County, which has owned the 40-story skyscraper for about a decade, says that it had $487,400 in net revenue from the property in fiscal 2017-18, which ran from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30. That's on roughly $4.3 million in revenue and $3.8 million in expenses.

And that's compared to $3.39 million in revenue in FY 2014-15 with net revenue of $203,500, the county said. In fiscal 2015-16, it lost $62,800 and just barely broke even with $18,500 in net revenue in fiscal 2017-18.

The turnaround instituted in the wake of the county's financial crisis earlier this decade is attributed to increasing the total leased space and holding more events, said Khalil Rahal, assistant county executive in charge of economic development.

"The building was reportedly 74 percent occupied. While that is technically accurate, the county could occupy a floor but it was only 40 to 60 percent occupied. As a result, it was definitely less than (74 percent), and without going through and counting cubicles, my best guess is that it was a little over half occupied."

Today, Rahal said, it is 95 percent full, with only about 30,000 square feet of the 643,000-square-foot building at 500 Griswold St. vacant. Architecture firm SmithGroup recently inked a 10-year lease extension and soup-and-salad joint Green Room is opening on a five-year lease in the coming months in 1,000 square feet.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

Volunteers work to turn abandoned home into Detroit House of Music

The location of this one is interesting. While there is some redevelopment going on in NW Goldberg, the particular address of this one feels like the middle of nowhere aside from its being a block off the freeway. Literally every other building on that block on both sides of the street is vacant/bordered up aside from a house-turned-church two lots to the north.

It's a wild, wild location. But I guess you have to start somewhere.