DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[The North One]

Originally Posted by skyfan

Ummm..Detroit and Portland are around the same size

Not at all when you consider Metro, Detroit is nearly double the size.

[subterranean]

It's definitely multifaceted, but still surprising, that Detroit hasn't received more attention. Relatively speaking, places like Seattle are seeing unprecedented construction of shiny new buildings. It's like the symbol of economic vitality to so many. I also think maybe the "rebirth" angle has been played out too many times by the media with little to show for it in terms of results until now. Maybe people are bored with the story. But there has been nothing short of a herculean effort to rehab the existing building stock in Detroit and it's very impressive.

Everyone here knows this, but when this wave of rehabs is over, when the smaller infill projects are done, and when places like Brush Park (City Modern?) and Orleans Landing are done, downtown Detroit is going to feel so alive with energy. Then there will be all the development that will likely occur within walking distance of Woodward when the streetcar is done. It will take some time for people's perceptions of Detroit to change. Positive stories, conference visits, people returning to visit family, etc.

Perhaps THE thing I love about Detroit is the history in its building stock. From towers to grand institutions, not many midsize cities outside of the Northeast can really compete. Throw in some new buildings like Gilbert is proposing and the combination is drool-inducing. I've been in Portland for about a year and a half and this is the thing I miss the most. There is a lot to like in Portland, but there are no grand buildings. There are no historic and stately homes like Detroit (no equivalency to Boston Edison or the Villages - at least not at that scale). There are no grand institutions or monuments like the DIA or the Detroit Public Library or the Opera House or Scott Fountain. There is none of that here. And sure, maybe those things aren't the measure of a great city. But at the end of the day, those things are awe-inspiring additives to already great cities.

[rlw777]

640 Temple St. Slated for $20 Million plus redevelopment - Crains

The building, which was built in the 1920s, is expected to undergo a 24- to 30-month redevelopment after the Wayne County Commission considers approving the agreements in the next three months, according to sources familiar with the plan.

Among the plans: more than 100 apartments ranging from 850 to 2,000 square feet, plus about 10,000 square feet of retail space in new construction to the west of the 190,000-square-foot building, sources said.

[rlw777]

GM Subsidiary Confirms Redevelopment Plan East of RenCen With Gilbert - Crain's

A subsidiary of General Motors Co. has confirmed that it is working with Dan Gilbert's team on a large-scale mixed-use development east of the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit.

Riverfront Holdings Inc., which owns the RenCen, said in a statement to Crain's on Friday afternoon that it is in negotiations with Gilbert's Detroit-based Rock Ventures LLC to develop about 10 acres of vacant land that's currently being used as surface parking.

Additional details about the planned project — including size, precise location as well as timeframe — were not released.
.

[skyfan]

Can't wait to see those parking lots go. You can still find renderings floating around the internet the first time GM tried to do this before the recession.




http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...art_river_home

Big news as the finally completes it's relighting project

Detroit becomes largest city in America completely lit with LED streetlights




After three years of work, the gargantuan effort to install 65,000 LED streetlights across the city was completed Thursday when the final stretch of lights to be replaced were turned on near the intersection of Riopelle and Atwater streets, just outside of downtown.

Knocking out the prior, often-out-of-service system that plagued Detroit's streets for a generation was the handiwork of the Public Lighting Authority, which was created in 2013 to design and implement the new lighting network.

The authority, with the backing of Mayor Mike Duggan, saw to the completion of the project one year ahead of its original schedule, also managing to fly in under the allotted budget.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...art_river_home

Kresge invests $3 million to bolster revitalization along Jefferson-Chalmers in Detroit



A $3 million program-related investment from the Kresge Foundation in the Enterprise Community Loan Fund will bolster revitalization along the Jefferson-Chalmers corridor in Detroit’s East Jefferson neighborhood.

Enterprise Community Loan Fund, one of the largest U.S. Treasury-certified community development financial institutions, plans to raise additional investment capital from socially motivated residents and business owners along the corridor to build on prior revitalization work in the neighborhood.

Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellow Joshua Budiongan has been working along the corridor since 2015 with Jefferson East Inc. and the Villages Community Development Corp., helping incorporate best practices in urban design, green building and creative community engagement into their community revitalization efforts.

Kresge's investment comes as part of $14 million in total investments made to six nonprofit community development finance institutions and development finance agencies working to create opportunities for low-income people across the U.S., including jobs, small business opportunities and housing.

The investments pair standardized loans, available for up to 10 years, with small operating grants.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...long-jefferson

[animatedmartian]

Ford plans $60 million revamp of 4 acres in west downtown Dearborn
By KIRK PINHO. December 20, 2016. Crain's Detroit.





A large-scale $60 million redevelopment of three blocks totaling nearly 4 acres in west downtown Dearborn into mixed-use has secured $3 million in the form of a Michigan Strategic Fund performance-based grant.

The MSF board Tuesday approved the grant to the city of Dearborn for a project spearheaded by Ford Land Development Corp., the real estate division of Dearborn-based automaker Ford Motor Co., with half coming from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.'s Business Development Program and the other half coming from the Community Revitalization Program.

The project is expected to bring to the downtown area a pair of three-story mixed-use buildings and a four-story, 373-space parking deck on what is currently a surface parking lot. It is also expected to include the redevelopment of the Wagner Hotel.

According to Ford Land, the development is 150,000 square feet, with about one-third of that being retail space and the rest office for Ford employees and supplier employees. Construction is expected to begin in the spring and finish by the middle of 2018.

.....

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

Aside from Wagner Hotel, the block is currently a bunch of nondescript single-floor buildings.

New apartment development in Detroit secures $3.5 million state investment
By KIRK PINHO. December 20, 2016. Crain's Detroit.



A $30.9 million development with a planned 104 apartments has received approval for the state to take a $3.5 million equity stake in the project.

The Michigan Strategic Fund board approved the investment in The Woodward @ Midtown development on Woodward at Stimson, just a couple of blocks north of the under-construction Little Caesars Arena for the Detroit Red Wings.

The project was previously going to be called The Mondrian.

It is also expected to include nearly 15,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and create 53 full-time equivalent jobs with an average wage of $12.34 per hour, according to a board briefing memo. A three-story parking deck with about 160 spaces is also expected as part of the five-story project.

The project is being developed by Detroit-based Queen Lillian II LLC.

The group consists of Chris Jackson, who is minority owner and a former staffer to Detroit City Council President Gil Hill and former part owner of Greektown Casino-Hotel; and Jim Jenkins, who is majority owner of the company and is president and CEO of Detroit-based Jenkins Construction Inc., which will be the construction manager on The Mondrian.

Jackson said Tuesday that construction is expected to begin in the spring and be complete by the end of 2018. He said rents are currently expected to be about $2.10 per square foot but could ultimately end up being around $2.30 by the time the project opens.

The one- and two-bedroom apartments range from about 630 square feet to about 1,100 square feet, he said, which would put the rents at about $1,323 to $2,310 per month.

....

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-million-state

This project has gone through a few iterations first off being proposed as a medical office building back in 2012 then became residential in 2014.

[dc_denizen]

some great new projects in detroit

[rlw777]

Looks like they have started putting up steel at little ceasar HQ

[skyfan]

It really is too bad the RTA prop didn't pass the Dearborn project would've benefited hugely from it.


Anyway, this is a pretty cool project in an off the beaten path neighborhood.

Entrepreneur sees Detroit as his land of opportunity





Philip Kafka, a young New York City investor who began buying vacant industrial buildings and weedy lots in the Motor City five years ago, is starting to overhaul the blight into catalyst developments that help transform their neighborhoods. One of his first projects was Katoi, the Thai-fusion restaurant in a former auto-repair shop in Corktown that garnered national acclaim within its first year.

Emerging now on the border between the Core City and Woodbridge neighborhoods is a village of nine Quonset huts near Grand River and Warren Avenue. The half-cylinder structures made of corrugated steel were designed by Edwin Chan, a Los Angeles architect with world-class credentials.

Quonset huts were originally cheap structures built by the military during World War II. Kafka’s development, known as True North, is his take on sustainable, affordable housing that he hopes becomes an incubator for entrepreneurs and artists in the city.

The 30-year-old says he could not imagine doing what he’s doing in any other American city. One reason is the price of Detroit properties: Public records show Kafka has accumulated more than six acres of land for around $400,000. He’s spent considerably more to transform them.


http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...nity/95938738/

[Docta_Love]

^I like the idea of these army shelter villages i can see advantages already over other nontraditional housing like shipping container housing as a live work space it may be a better sell for this demographic of housing.

Kresge Foundation awards grant to Historic Fort Wayne

By Shianne Nocerini
Dec 22, 2016
Daily Datroit

http://www.dailydetroit.com/2016/12/...ic-fort-wayne/

This is something i've been hoping to hear for a while its not going to be enough money to renovate the whole area completely the fort is in dire need of repair. But it should hopefully at least enough for the time being to make the most needed repairs and get the fort back in a state where it can safely host large number of visitors again.. Although i can say the 150,000 per year that come now was more than i expected its actually pretty exciting to think how many will come when the fort is back in presentable shape its a testament to just how important fort wayne is that so many still come even though its in such sorry shape. A music festival had to be canceled last summer that was part of a plan to begin reviving the fort but the some of the main buildings were in to bad of shape to safely host and therefor the idea was scrapped.

[animatedmartian]

28 Grand looks like it's close to topped out.



Kraemer Design Facebook.

[animatedmartian]

Microsoft could be moving to Downtown Detroit from Southfield. Official announcement may come soon. Also, Gilbert says he expects multiple large buildings (highrises likely) to start in a year or so.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...rom-southfield

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Microsoft could be moving to Downtown Detroit from Southfield.

If you could convince them lazy butts to finally implement the entire posix interface to their messy system and (crappy) commerical compilers, why not? It's very very easily feasible beyond their trade interests...

I'd be the first poor guy in the world to be happy about it.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

28 Grand looks like it's close to topped out.



Kraemer Design Facebook.

I had no idea this project was this far along. Looks great! I'm hoping to be in town next weekend to wander around and take a look at new development so I'll have to check it out.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Also, Gilbert says he expects multiple large buildings (highrises likely) to start in a year or so.

To clarify this part, Gilbert expects at least a dozen new high rises of 25 stories or more in the next several years. That's awfully optimistic and would be a pretty drastic change for Detroit's skyline.

The last time Detroit had a high rise boom like that was during the 70s and 80s (if you count the individual towers of the Ren Cen). Otherwise you'd have to go back to the roaring twenties to find as many new high rises being built in such a short time.

I'll reserve my excitement until I start seeing proposals with hard groundbreaking dates. As of now, there is no news on the Hudson's site as the deadline for proposals to be submitted to the city was December 31st. I'm hoping this means some sort of news will come out before the end of this month (keep in mind groundbreaking is expected for April if not delayed).

[The North One]

Dan Gilbert predicts new Detroit skyscrapers within 5-7 years

http://www.clickondetroit.com/auto-s...thin-5-7-years

Within 12 months I think you'll see a few cranes up in the sky here," Gilbert said. "There's been two buildings over 25 stories that have been constructed in Downtown Detroit since the 1980s. Two. I think you'll see 10 or 15 of those in the next 5 to 7 years. We want to get that going.

Pretty exciting stuff.

[rlw777]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Microsoft could be moving to Downtown Detroit from Southfield. Official announcement may come soon. Also, Gilbert says he expects multiple large buildings (highrises likely) to start in a year or so.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...rom-southfield

Seems to line up

The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant currently has about 53,000 square feet in the Southfield Town Center

from the article posted above

“We have a 50,000 square-foot tenant we’re announcing in a week or so, and we have to displace Quicken Loans employees and we have to put them somewhere else," Gilbert, Quicken Loans founder and chairman, said from a Cobo Center stage.

from Freep

[Docta_Love]

This is a from a tweet put out by Rod Meloni of the local NBC affiliate regarding the long anticipated Hudson's site development.

Dan Gilbert teases with major construction announcement expected in next two weeks. It appears the long awaited Hudson's site plan is nigh.

https://twitter.com/RodMeloni/status...950593/photo/1

[mind field]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Microsoft could be moving to Downtown Detroit from Southfield. Official announcement may come soon. Also, Gilbert says he expects multiple large buildings (highrises likely) to start in a year or so.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...rom-southfield

Bring more down! If you figure about 200 sq. feet per employee, that's a nice extra 250 workers coming downtown. One thing that is concerning, for so many of these workers moving downtown, traffic congestion will become an ever increasing negative, will it reach the point where companies decide not to locate downtown, or they even leave downtown? Now if we had any kind of functioning transit system....

It's been nothing short of miraculous witnessing the rebirth of our once forlorn and abandoned downtown, makes me misty eyed.

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by mind field

Bring more down! If you figure about 200 sq. feet per employee, that's a nice extra 250 workers coming downtown. One thing that is concerning, for so many of these workers moving downtown, traffic congestion will become an ever increasing negative, will it reach the point where companies decide not to locate downtown, or they even leave downtown? Now if we had any kind of functioning transit system....

It's been nothing short of miraculous witnessing the rebirth of our once forlorn and abandoned downtown, makes me misty eyed.

I assure you, Detroit traffic is a breeze and the highway system seems to be built for a city 3 times its size.