DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[detroit_alive]

Originally Posted by Docta_Love

^^Ahh I almost forgot about that one. I can't say i'd shed any tears for the old student housing tower (brown building to the right of new dorms in LCA cam, i believe) but it would be cool if before tearing it down Wayne State would shop the idea of some kind of conversion around considering the 98% residential occupancy rate in midtown.

Per WSU the reason for the demolition is due to the building requiring a reclad to fix issues with leaks. The site will become green space after demolition. https://bog.wayne.edu/meetings/230/2...BFC_Item_Y.pdf

[Docta_Love]

^ Ah i see, i wonder if the building had a north - south orientation for its windowed sides (views of downtown skyline) the math would have worked out for a renovation.

I've really been hoping to see something like this happen with this neighborhood it really does have tremendous potential to become a focal point for redevelopment and a model that can be used on the rest of Brightmoor.

Vacant Holcomb School, Old Redford neighborhood up next for redevelopment

By TYLER CLIFFORD
Crain's Detroit business
October 20, 2017


The city of Detroit issued an RFP to transform the vacant Holcomb School in the Old Redford neighborhood in northwest Detroit into residential or nonresidential use and rehab lots in the surrounding area.

-City issues RFP for 7.5 acres in Old Redford neighborhood
-Plans call to renovate or demolish homes, with 20 percent for affordable housing
-Project is part of larger neighborhoods revitalization effort across the city

The vacant Holcomb School and surrounding neighborhood in the Old Redford area in northwest Detroit are up next for revitalization.

The city on Friday issued a request for proposals seeking plans to give the 50,000-square-foot school new life, rehabilitate 43 vacant homes and demolish 23 blighted homes across 7.5 acres near Grand River Avenue and Lahser Road. About 6.5 acres of that area is vacant lots and the former school grounds, which could be used for residential or nonresidential buildings, or be transformed into community space, such as gardens, parks or fitness trails.

The goal is to retain and attract new residents with 20 percent of the renovated and developed homes reserved for households earning up to 80 percent of area median income. The school could be transformed into residential or nonresidential use, the request said. The structure was built in 1925 and has been vacant since it closed in 2010.

"This is our strategy to drive development into the neighborhoods and move our city forward, working with community leaders and residents every step of the way," Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement. "There are over 650 families who have seen the highs and lows of this area. Now, we're going to create new public spaces, clean up the vacant lots and move new neighbors into renovated houses."

The Old Redford Neighborhood Revitalization project will focus on the area bounded by Grand River and McNichols to the south, Pierson Street to the east, Pickford Street to the north and Lasher to the west. The area features approximately 200 publicly-owned parcels of land, including 66 structures and 175 vacant lots.

The area's commercial district is home to businesses such as Sweet Potato Sensations, Motor City Java House and the Redford Theatre and is within walking distance of a Meijer on Grand River Avenue.

....

Similar planning efforts are underway in Rosa Parks/Clairmount, West Vernor/Southwest and The Villages/Islandview neighborhoods. Others are planned in Russell Woods/Nardin Park, Jefferson Chalmers and Campau/Banglatown.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...od-up-next-for

http://www.detroitmi.gov/holcomb

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by LMich

Isn't that what this Amazon fevor is for most cities? Most of the cities competing have no chance; this is really a means of leveraging attention more than actually competing for Amazon.

From what I've seen, most other cities have to name drop Amazon like 15 or 16 times just to be sure Amazon is who their city is being sold to. Detroit's video doesn't really name drop Amazon at any point. Maybe they will in future videos, but it just seemed odd to me. In a good way, though.

[animatedmartian]

Today was the ceremonial groundbreaking on the Piston's practice facility.









https://twitter.com/DetroitPistons


https://twitter.com/HenryFordNews

[Docta_Love]

Detroit's Amazon bid gets a celebrity endorsement.

Mark Wahlberg to Jeff Bezos: Bring Amazon HQ to Michigan

October 23rd, 2017
Deadline Detroit - Detroit Free Press


Mark Wahlberg in Greektown.

Actor Mark Wahlberg, back in the Motor City over the weekend to make a surprise stop at his Wahlburgers restaurant in Greektown, and to announce the opening of another location in Royal Oak, says Amazon should puts its second headquarters in Michigan.

Wahlberg, a native of Boston -- also bidding for Amazon's "HQ2" -- tells journalists Michigan is a perfect fit for the online shopping giant, reports Brian Manzullo of the Detroit Free Press.

"Jeff Bezos, come on, buddy. This is the home of American industrial," Wahlberg said. "Come to Michigan.

"You know what? I'm going to call him myself."

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...oit/789689001/

[Docta_Love]

Glad to see this one fully leased as it's coming on line i assume a lot of people are looking at this as sort of a bellweather project, it's in west village it's the first "midtown caliber" project outside of the greater downtown core area or along the riverfront.

The Coe mixed-use development in West Village opens next week

By KIRK PINHO
Crain's Detroit Business
October 23, 2017


The Coe mixed-use development in Detroit's West Village neighborhood has 12 residential units and 1,200 square feet of retail space at Van Dyke and Coe.


-Construction on The Coe began in mid-December
-Project is first major construction completed with Strategic Neighborhood Fund funding
-Development has 12 residential units, 1,200 square feet of retail space


A new $4 million mixed-use development in Detroit's West Village neighborhood officially opens next week, the developer and the project's financers said Monday.

The Coe, developed by Southfield-based Woodborn Partners LLC, is said to be the first new completed construction in the neighborhood in several decades. It has 12 residential units and 1,200 square feet of retail space at the corner of Van Dyke and Coe.

Clifford Brown, partner of Woodborn Partners, said that when the project opens next week, all of the units will leased. Eight are townhouses, while the remaining four are apartments ranging from 560 to 1,378 square feet. Three of the apartments are for low-income residents.

Brown, who also partnered with Birmingham-based Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services LLC on The Scott at Brush Park development on Woodward Avenue, said Monday during a grand opening event that Woodborn hopes to "transform" five Detroit neighborhoods with new real estate projects in the next five years.

"This project serves as proof of concept that development can and should happen in the neighborhoods, and will raise the design standard for market rate and affordable units," Brown said in a statement.

....

A press release says The Coe is the first major construction project completed with financing help from the $30 million Strategic Neighborhood Fund, which is supporting projects in the Livernois/McNichols corridor, West Village and southwest Detroit.

Construction on the project started in mid-December.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...pens-next-week

UFO Factory in Corktown to begin repairs to reopen

By KURT NAGL
Crain's Detroit Business
October 23, 2017


-Building damaged in August by construction crews working on nearby development
-Go Fund Me campaign raises $22,335
-Rebuild could start next week; no reopen time estimate


Crews could begin repairing the UFO Factory building in Corktown as early as next week. The bar was damaged by construction workers in August.

A Sunday post on the bar's Instagram social media channel said it is "probably" starting the "very very very" beginning of rebuilding early next week.

No further information was immediately available, but the post's language indicates a long road of repairs ahead.

Crews working for Detroit-based developer Soave Enterprises on the $45 million Elton Park retail and housing development surrounding the bar at at 2110 Trumbull Ave. destroyed one of UFO Factory's walls, Detroit Metro Times reported in August. A large crack formed on the length of the wall and the building was deemed unsafe. The bar has been closed since.

A Go Fund Me campaign launched after the incident on behalf of the bar's owner, Dion Fischer, has raised $22,335, surpassing its $15,000 goal.

Metro Times reported Monday that Fischer has consulted with his insurance company and has hired a contractor. -

- https://www.metrotimes.com/table-and...ruction-damage -

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...airs-to-reopen

[Docta_Love]

Inc. Magazine: Detroit a Top-5 Contender for Amazon HQ

October 23rd, 2017
Deadline Detroit

Some non-local media give Detroit very little chance of luring a second Amazon headquarters. But now Inc. Magazine lists it among the top five candidates, alongside Raleigh/Durham; Austin, Denver and Washington.

The publication says:

Detroit is a city many want to see return from the ashes. There aren't many cities that could offer Amazon a truly urban environment with an incredibly business-friendly local government and affordable housing.

And, it would be a triumph for Amazon from a public relations standpoint. Yes, the company would get the urban setting and affordable real estate, both corporate and residential, in addition to international airport access. However, in one fell swoop, Amazon could be the catalyst for the rebuilding of one of America's great cities.

One challenge for Detroit may be its public transportation system, which is not well-developed and ranks very low nationally.

http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/artic..._for_amazon_hq

[Docta_Love]

Detroit is the No. 2 city in the world to visit, Lonely Planet says

Frank Witsil
Detroit Free Press
Oct. 24, 2017



Lonely Planet, one of the largest travel book publishers in the world, is set to name Detroit the second best city in the world to visit in 2018, the latest national distinction in a growing list of them that officials say adds up to a lot of buzz.

....

The travel publication's announcement, set for Tuesday morning, follows a bid by Detroit to become the second headquarters of Seattle-based Amazon.com, and recognition earlier this year by the New York Times that it is a top travel destination.

Consider that just four years ago, Detroit was No. 1 for something far less distinguished, the largest municipality in America to file for bankruptcy.

In September, FBI statistics showed Detroit was No. 1 as the most violent big city in America, and earlier this month an online financial news group, 24/7 Wall St., ranked Detroit as the No. 1 worst American city to live in.

Still, Detroit, Alexander said, has about 19 million visitors annually who spend more than $6 billion.

Lonely Planet's announcement, he added, is expected to give that a big boost.

“This year, Detroit emerged as one of the top 10 cities to visit in 2018, sitting alongside cities including Oslo and Matera,” said Lonely Planet Managing Editor Alex Howard. "While it’s been on our travel experts' radar for years now, all the momentum we've seen has really put Detroit firmly on the map as a travel destination for both domestic and international travelers."

The top spot on the Lonely Planet list went to Seville, Spain. But, Detroit beat out Canberra, Australia; Hamburg, Germany; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Antwerp, Belgium; Matera, Italy; Guanajuato, Mexico; and Oslo, Norway.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, the only other American city in the top 10, was No. 8.

What made the travel publisher take notice of Detroit?

Howard, who is expected to be in Detroit on Wednesday to help the city celebrate its honor, praised Detroit for its new hotels, stadiums, parks, improved public transportation, and, what, he called the city's "ever-present creative energy and innovation."

It's not the first time Detroit has gotten recognition for its comeback story.

In January, the New York Times travel section put Detroit on its annual list of 52 Places to Go, showing off the Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts. That list put the Motor City in the company of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, the Great Barrier Reef, and Laikipia, Kenya.

http://www.freep.com/story/travel/mi...net/791360001/


Chea!

New Meijer store, 200-plus apartments planned for East Jefferson in Detroit

By KIRK PINHO
Crain's Detroit Business
October 25, 2017



-New Meijer would be smaller footprint than other two Detroit stores
-Developer website says project to open in 2019
-Project to also include 213 apartments


Meijer Inc. plans to open a store in a new East Jefferson Avenue development in Detroit that's also expected to include more than 200 apartments, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The plans would add a grocery option near downtown, where such choices are few, and represent Meijer's first small-format store in Detroit. Detroit has two Meijer superstores now, though none near downtown.

The new store, which would be considerably smaller than the company's other two Detroit locations, is expected to be 42,400 square feet, according to a page on one of the developer's websites.



The project, slated for 1475 E. Jefferson Ave. between Rivard and Riopelle streets, is planned to have 213 apartments, 221 parking spaces for residents and 120 spaces for shoppers, according to the website of Bloomfield Hills-based Lormax Stern Development Co. LLC, one of the project's developers along with Dennis Archer Jr. and Marcel Burgler. The Lormax website page was deactivated Wednesday afternoon.

The project is expected to open in 2019.

Meijer is working on a small-format store of similar size in Grand Rapids under the name Bridge Street Market to open early next year. It's not clear if the Detroit store will bear the Meijer name or another name.

Christopher Brochert, partner of Lormax Stern, declined to confirm the grocer's identity Wednesday morning but said the project has been in the works for three or four years.

An email sent to a Meijer spokesman Wednesday morning was not immediately returned.

Brochert said 20 percent of the 213 units are being built for low-income residents. He said Detroit-based Neumann Smith Architecture is working on the project, but declined to identify the general contractor retained.



Adding smaller-format stores that can work well in more dense urban environments has become a priority for major retailers because younger generations are increasingly gravitating toward urban living. Meijer competitors Walmart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. have experimented with smaller stores.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...t-jefferson-in

[animatedmartian]

I was trying to figure out where that location on Jefferson was and it's the site where the University Club once stood. A sad loss, but glad to finally see new development extend down Jefferson.


http://detroiturbex.com/content/down...lub/index.html

[LMich]

Yes, this is basically immediately east of downtown east of Rivard. Or more simply "down" from Lafayette Park. I'm impressed with how they are doing the parking as it appears the surface parking for the store is pushed to the back of the property with access from Larned (and limited on-street parking on Jefferson), and then in the last rendering you see an entrance to the underground parking for the residential portion.

[deja vu]

The article said Bridge Street Market in GR is supposed to open early 2018. In reality, I think it's scheduled for a Fall 2018 opening (they only just broke ground at end of June). Regardless, it's great to see something similar happening in Detroit, the renderings look good.

[Docta_Love]

In the years since the great recession there have been what really amounts to the first concerted effort in the history of Metro Detroit and southeast Michigan to diversify its economy away from auto dependence. While there have been times where real quantifiable evidence pointing to the success in this direction for example leveraging automation alley which was already the outgrowth of the new tech driven nature of the auto industry to piggyback off of grow the region into what has been one of the fastest growing tech centers in the country even outpacing Silicon Valley in jobs created in 2010 if memory serves along with being in the top 3 or 5 several years in a row during that time.

Even though the growth has continued and is being bolstered in some ways with efforts such as partnerships that U of M has created to further autonomous driving technology at the new willow run "proving grounds" / simulated city, but the question has always been what happens when auto sales decline? Traditionally recession but even as auto sales leveled out and have even dipped as is the way of this cyclical industry but despite this jobs have continue to grow while the national economy is good and that helps its a good sign for the long term viability of this current recovery.

A new thing for metro Detroit: Jobs rising even as auto sales start falling

DUSTIN WALSH
Crain's Detroit Business
October 25, 2017

-Metro Detroit continues to add jobs at a 2 percent rate
-Historically, Detroit loses jobs as auto sales erode
-Diversification finally paying off in region

Historically, metro Detroit rises and falls with the car-buying whims of North Americans. We know too well what happens when people stop buying cars.

But new data suggests a disruption to the cyclical nature of the local economy is afoot; we're continuing to add jobs as car sales slow.

North American auto sales, minus imports, transitioned from 0.4 percent year-over-year growth in 2016 to a 2.3 percent decline year-to-date, while job growth in the region experienced a 2 percent annual increase, according to research by Jonathan Silberman, professor of economics at Oakland University and director of the Southeast Michigan Economic Data Center.

"Data from the Federal Reserve shows that the (metro) Detroit economy is more cyclical than any other of the 50 largest metros in the U.S. ... due to the cyclical nature of the auto industry and Detroit's reliance on it," Silberman said. "We're now seeing a break in that trend. Economies evolve and Detroit's is finally changing, and we're seeing the start of a noticeable change in the historic relationship with autos and jobs."

Silberman credits the diversification of the manufacturing sector away from automotive and into aerospace, the medical sector and other production areas as well as the rise of the region's financial services and tech industries. He noted Amazon's opening of three distribution facilities in metro Detroit.

"Diversification is finally taking hold," he said. "Detroit has become more attractive, and we're seeing an explosion in e-commerce as well as new ways auto engineering can produce economic benefits in other industries."

Clearly, however, it's too early to tell whether the region will continue on its new path to prosperity if car sales continue to fall, but to Silberman, auto industry investments into autonomous driving technologies will continue to proliferate and further diversify the regional economy.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...to-sales-start

[LMich]

It some more general evidence pointing at a stabilizing local economy and population:

Detroit school enrollment up for 1st time in 15 years; many coming from charter schools

By Lori Higgins | Detroit Free Press

October 26, 2017

Enrollment in the Detroit Public Schools Community District is up 3.8% this year - a gain of 1,808 students over what the district projected -- boosting the count to its highest levels in years.

The total increase was nearly 5,000 students - with enrollment rising from 45,500 in fall 2016 to 50,100 this school year.

Some of it is due to the return of students who previously were enrolled in the now-defunct Educational Achievement Authority. But the district's data also indicates hundreds of students who formerly attended charter schools enrolled in the district this fall, likely due to the closure of a handful of charters.

It's the first enrollment increase in the district in 15 years, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said Thursday. And the gains will mean an additional $11 million in per-pupil funding from the state.

So even factoring in the EAA figures, parents are choosing to move their children back into DPS instead of finding schools in the suburbs or other charters in the city.

[Docta_Love]

^Btw that's excellent news getting enrollment up is the first big step toward improving city schools it may be charter driven but the fact that families are choosing to send their kids to schools in the city is it self another milestone.

We're getting our first renderings of the new cross town greenway will look like.

26-mile planned trail through Detroit to be named Joe Louis Greenway

BY ROBIN RUNYAN
Curbed Detroit
OCT 27, 2017



The Inner Circle Greenway has been in the works for years, and now, as the 26-mile non-motorized trail gets closer to reality, it has a new name. The trail will be named after Detroit boxing legend Joe Louis.

This comes as we inch closer to the demolition of the Joe Louis Arena along the Riverfront. Planning, design, and construction of the trail will all be happening in the next few years.



The trail will connect many neighborhoods and communities in the city, from the East Riverfront up through Hamtramck, over to the University District, Ferndale, and Highland Park, and back down to Southwest Detroit.

The planning of the trail has been a collaboration between the city, Detroit Greenways Coalition, the Kresge Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

A request for proposals for framework consultants will be released in early 2018. According to a city press release, “The Framework Plan will include recommendations for land use and zoning, green infrastructure, connections to public assets such as parks, wayfinding, and thoughtful intersection with local and regional multimodal transportation routes such as the Iron Belle Trail, SMART bus network, and the new Gordie Howe Bridge.”

The process will include community engagement throughout. Plans to honor Joe Louis could include murals and art installations along the route.

https://detroit.curbed.com/2017/10/2...-detroit-trail

[LMich]

The James Scott Mansion reconstruction is wrapping up. It's being turned into 27, 1-bedroom apartments - which still seems like a lot - a retail space on the garden level. A major density increase especially considering that even had it previously been divided into apartments, there is no way it was 27 of them. lol


Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com

Anyway, 81 Peterboro is in the District Detroit in the Cass Corridor.

[The North One]

It looks beautiful, are those copper trims on the roof?

27 sounds like a crazy number though, how is that possible? A mistake on Mlive's part?

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by The North One

It looks beautiful, are those copper trims on the roof?

27 sounds like a crazy number though, how is that possible? A mistake on Mlive's part?

The apartments will range from 500 to 700 square feet. Not quite micro-apartments, but might be a tight fit for anyone other than some college students or senior citizens. Most typical new apartments are at least 1,000 sq ft.

Also the retail space will be 400 square feet.

Source: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ts-spite-house

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

The apartments will range from 500 to 700 square feet. Not quite micro-apartments, but might be a tight fit for anyone other than some college students or senior citizens. Most typical new apartments are at least 1,000 sq ft.

Also the retail space will be 400 square feet.

Source: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ts-spite-house

That is absolutely dinky as far as retail spaces go.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by The North One

It looks beautiful, are those copper trims on the roof?

I think it's just the exposed wood of the sub-fascia, waiting for finish. Could be wrong though - hard to tell at that resolution.

[deja vu]

Saw this on metromode - new project in Ferndale called "Iron Ridge" - hadn't heard of it before - 75 residential units, mixed use, multiple building rehab...

13 acres in Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge to be redeveloped into residential, retail, and office space
By MJ Galbraith | metromode / SecondWave Media
October 26, 2017

A large redevelopment project that straddles the cities of Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge is one step closer to reality, thanks to the recent approval of brownfield tax credits from the Michigan Strategic Fund. In an area more recognizable for its industrial past, a 13-acre site anchored by the vacant building at 660 E. 10 Mile Rd. will be transformed into a mixed-use campus featuring a marketplace, brewery, beer garden, and more...

Image Source: SecondWave Media / Courtesy Iron Ridge Holdings LLC