DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[animatedmartian]

Lotta movement concern city RFPs:

Brush Park:

Nine bidders, including none other than Dan Gilbert and Co., have their eyes set on redeveloping city-owned parcels in Brush Park. Only 4 of the nearly 50 parcels have historical homes on them.

Brewster Wheeler Rec center:

Multiple developers have proposed to the city and the city is in process of selecting one of them.

Brewster Douglas site:

An RFP will be issued for the site in the coming months. There's no time table, but this one may take a bit since the housing projects were demolished with HUD funding and the sale of the land has to go through HUD approval.

Herman Kiefer Health Complex:

Two developers sought to redevelop the 18-acre site, one of them being Larson Realty Group, the same firm currently redeveloping the Tiger Stadium site. Their proposal was for a data center in the first phase and mixed income multifamily and retail for the second phase. The city has not yet named the developer they have chosen though Larson Realty Group says it was not them.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-in-brush-park

[Docta_Love]

Looks like more infill for Capitol Park

New Building Pitched For Capitol Park Would Demolish Charred Strip Club
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
by Paul Beshouri

One year after The Grind burst into flame, Capitol Park's barbecued strip club is facing demolition to make room for a brand new building. Details of the proposal won't be unveiled until an HDC hearing next week, reports the Detroit News, but we did plenty of speculating back when the Grind was still smoldering. Dan Gilbert is the proud owner of the neighboring parking lot, and his dream rendering of Capitol park clearly has a residential/retail building rising there.

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...strip-club.php

[pacifist112]

I'm not sure if I missed the announcement of this some time back, but it seems they are adding to harbortown

Water's Edge Apts



Also earth moving has started for Orleans Landing.

[animatedmartian]

It was announced, though I'm pretty sure no news story had that rendering for it or even a rendering at all. I'm not sure how long Triton has had their rendering up on their website, but it must of been within the last couple of months.

Anyway, looks pretty good. Though the only problem is that I think the only place any non-Harbortown residents can see it from is Mt. Elliot Park and the RiverWalk along that area. Otherwise, this building is going to be completely under the radar for most people.

[Rizzo]

Waters Edge looks like a pretty nice design. Nice blend of new and old.

[animatedmartian]

M-1 Rail Penske Tech Center design reflects community input
By Natalie Broda. February 15, 2015.



Red brick exterior, decorative fences and landscaping to match the feel of the surrounding neighborhood are part of the design of the new M-1 Rail Penske Tech Center, according to conceptual renderings released today.

The 19,000-square-foot facility, which will be located east of Woodward Avenue between Bethune Avenue and Custer Street, is already under construction. It will store the vehicles and streetcar technology systems, as well as house the operations team for the rail. The project is expected to cost $6.9 million.

The M-1 Rail streetcar project, which began construction in July, is 3.3 miles along Woodward Avenue between Grand Boulevard and Congress Street. It will have 20 stations at 12 stops in that stretch. Organizers predict 5,000 to 8,000 riders a day, with a basic one-way fare of $1.50.

Decorative metal fencing will surround the facility, which is to be made of red brick to better blend with the historical look of the neighborhood. The cars will be stored in a lot behind the building. Decorative lighting will also be utilized on the exterior; the lights will not disturb surrounding properties, according to a news release.

The building and design team are aiming for 51 percent of construction workers on the project to be Detroit residents. The team includes Detroit-based ABE Associates Inc., 3.L.K. Construction LLC and Turner Construction Co., as well as Denver-based RNL Design Inc., a national designer of light rail and mass transit maintenance facilities.

The facility is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ommunity-input

[animatedmartian]

Possibly not the final design, but pretty interesting so far.

Gilbert aims to add apartments in historic Capitol Park
Louis Aguilar. The Detroit News. February 18, 2015.




Images from: http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...r-cap-park.php

A former strip club in an historic 19th-century building in downtown’s Capitol Park is targeted for demolition to make way for a 10-story apartment structure with ground floor retail.

The new building is the plan of Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services, the entity that controls more than 70 downtown properties. Bedrock revealed its plans Wednesday night during a meeting of the city’s Historic District Commission. The Board of Historic Commission approved by a 5-2 majority the demolition of the 1416 Griswold building.

The former strip club has had various names the past few years. It was last known as The Grind. An extensive fire shut the strip club down last winter.

“This would be our first construction of residential downtown,” said Steve Ogden, Bedrock’s director of real estate development, on Wednesday.

The new building could include up to 175 apartments and have other mixed-use space for retail or commercial. Ogden pointed out plans were early, and the number of apartments could change. The new building would be constructed mainly on a parking lot on the northeast corner of Griswold and Grand River, Ogden said.

...

[animatedmartian]

Double post.

[subterranean]

This would be a very good thing and hopefully one of many more.

[JonathanGRR]

I don't quite understand the reasoning behind the odd angle on the Griswold side, but otherwise this looks really nice for the area!

[skyfan]

^^^It's a triangle shaped lot



Another project also got approval from the HDC yesterday

Retail Space and Roughly 200 Lofts Imagined in Brush Park




A whale of a mixed-use development has been approved by the Historic District Commission for Brush Park, where Sachse Construction and Neumann Smith Architecture propose to build a five-story building with everything from a swimming pool to underground parking. Containing approximately 200K square feet, the modern building would snake through an entire block.

Historic District Commission hearings are public but aren't exactly meant to inform the public. Here's what we could gather: The development is primarily residential, with somewhere around 200 loft-style apartments on the upper four floors. A small section of the building would face Woodward Avenue, but the majority of the footprint travels down Erskine and then parallel to John R.

The building's U-shape would wrap around an interior area featuring parking (some underground) topped with a roof terrace, pool included. It sounds like the design is pretty festive (just look at that facade!) although the multiple colors were meant to break up such a huge structure. Apologies for the sketchy info and even sketchier renderings (they're photos taken of a tiny projection screen), but we've emailed Sachse seeking clearer inf

http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2...s-possible.php

[JonathanGRR]

I actually meant how the northern half of the building angles into the building so that there is a set-back halfway through. More lighting for the southern half, perhaps?

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by jonathan.jam

I actually meant how the northern half of the building angles into the building so that there is a set-back halfway through. More lighting for the southern half, perhaps?

That was my assumption. You'd kind of have an odd extra inside space if the building followed the triangular shape of the lot but it's not quite on the part of the lot where it makes sense to make it a Flat-iron style building.



Btw, here are some more renderings for the Erksine development.

http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...11-19-14-2.pdf

[JonathanGRR]

Great news for downtown Detroit! I wonder if this was the primary reasoning for building the data center in Corktown, or will this have a separate hub?

Dan Gilbert confirms plans for new superfast fiber-optic Internet provider, Rocket Fiber
February 21, 2015

Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Ventures LLC, confirmed today the formation of a new investment initiative, Rocket Fiber LLC, a Detroit-based high-speed Internet provider.

Rocket Fiber will provide Internet in downtown Detroit that is up to 100 times faster than the current residential average, Rock confirmed. Rock called the initiative a community investment that is "game-changing."

Construction is underway on the advanced fiber-optic Internet network that will serve residents, local government and businesses in and around downtown Detroit. Access then willbe expanded to other areas of the city.

The network originates west of downtown Detroit, and the initial scope covers the central business district from M-10 to the west, I-75 to the north, I-375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south.

After initial installation in downtown Detroit, Rocket Fiber will expand services to residents and businesses in Midtown along the Woodward corridor.
...

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...optic-internet

[animatedmartian]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...dtown-concerns

Deals are underway to rehab a few apartment buildings on Seward Ave between Woodward and 2nd Avenue.The largest of these apartment buildings would become a nearly 100-unit senior citizen complex. However, there is debate among Midtown, Inc and the developers on whether these apartments should be exclusively low-income or more mixed-income.

Either way, it's evidence that the rehab trend is moving out from downtown and into adjacent areas. Keep in mind, these apartment buildings are only a few blocks from where the M-1 Rail currently ends.

[Rizzo]

I really like the design of the Capitol Park building.

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by Hayward

I really like the design of the Capitol Park building.

Me too. A lot.

[Detroit1995]

Very sad news for the David Stott Building.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...tott/23984393/

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Detroit1995

Very sad news for the David Stott Building.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...tott/23984393/

By no means a death sentence.

[animatedmartian]

Many other buildings in Detroit have come back from far much worse and at worse any historic interior architecture is probably lost on the affected floors. However, it's still rather frustrating that DDI has not made good on their stated promises of renovating the David Stott and Free Press Building. It's been slow if unapparent at the very least and they haven't provided a reason for why it's been that way.

In the mean time, the rest of Downtown continues on it's revival.

Sale of Gabriel Richard Building closes; new owner Barbat plans to invest $6.5M in renovations
By Kirk Pinho



Joe Barbat closed on the purchase of the 96,000-square-foot Gabriel Richard Building in downtown Detroit for $3.2 million on Tuesday, the metro Detroit businessman said.

Barbat plans to turn the building into about 110 multifamily residential units in a $6.5 million renovation at Michigan Avenue and Washington Boulevard downtown Detroit. The building is expected to be renamed The Gabriel House.

The building had been owned by GRB New Detroit LLC, an entity registered to Gary Roncelli, chairman of the Sterling Heights-based construction firm Roncelli Inc., according to CoStar Group Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate information service.

The Detroit office of Jones Lang LaSalle marketed the building, the previous home of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

This is the fourth building purchase in greater downtown for Barbat, the CEO and chairman of Southfield-based Wireless Toyz and chairman of West Bloomfield Township-based real estate investment and management company Barbat Holdings LLC.

All told, his $35 million-plus redevelopment plan for nearly 400 multifamily units includes the Gabriel Richard Building; the Park Apartments, formerly the Hotel Briggs (118 apartments with first-floor retail); an annex of the Hotel St. Regis (60 apartments with first-floor retail); and the Philip J. Neudeck office building (100 apartments or condominium units with first-floor retail).

All of his downtown building purchases have occurred in the last 12 months.

"Excellent progress is being made on the Briggs House," Barbat said. "We are expected to be open in September with 118 new units. And excellent progress on the St. Regis, which we plan on opening in July with 58 new units."