DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[gratiotfaced]

I'm glad UMCI is finally underway, but it's a bummer to think about how long this will probably be an "island" over there. Olympia has no real plans to fill in the dozens of parking lots surrounding it, and I doubt they'd sell to other developers, lest they surrender parking revenue.

[Velvet_Highground]

It wouldn’t surprise me if the 18 floor residential tower on the same block as the UMCI is built within a reasonable time. The Illitches have lost so much good will seemingly with Chris making the money back his dad spent to get the Tigers to the World Series. That was a time we really needed a win literally and metaphorically, we didn’t get the trophy but damn that was a fine team.

Anyway I don’t see Olympia screwing Michigan as a matter of fact the way I see it is Olympia is trying to use UMCI to “jumpstart” District Detroit. UMCI with a residential tower behind the Fox makes their property more attractive & in a few years we’ll probably see some development connecting the two areas. Whether or not it’s an Illitch led project is the question, with how little they’ve delivered perhaps another developer with a proven track record could take a swing.

I’ve said my opinion about the Woodward developments with the exception of a hotel, I don’t see anything immediate. Likely a renovated Fox Theater office building into hotel space so Olympia can consolidate into its new HQ.

I’m beyond jaded with the Illitches making plans for hype then not delivering. Well the clock is ticking on their transformational funds they have a year to get their act together and put a plan forward to get their project underway or lose out on the $600 million plus in development funds.

Never trust a rendering. Half of the buildings in the rendering aren't even being proposed & Olympia doesn't even own the property next to Comerica Park. The DDA does. They received $615,000,000 for a plan that doesn't include finishing District I.

David Gifford - https://twitter.com/DE_Gifford/statu...91420397896003

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/bu...d/70149701007/

[DetroitSky]

New 154-unit project in Midtown Detroit would honor developer and landlord Joel Landy

The developers who bought the large portfolio of properties once belonging to the late Detroit landlord and developer Joel Landy are looking to build a 154-unit apartment building on one of the Midtown sites, just north of Little Caesars Arena.

The proposed seven-story building would be constructed near the northwest corner of Woodward Avenue and Charlotte Street, on what is now mostly parking lots. It would snake around a red brick apartment building at the corner — the Addison — and have frontage on Woodward as well as Charlotte.

The proposed building would be named The Landy, in honor of Joel Landy, who died in August 2020 at age 68, leaving behind no wife or children to inherit his properties. The building also would contain over 12,000 square feet of retail space.

The project's developer, known as "Landy Land LLC," is a partnership involving Detroit-based firms Civic Companies and District Capital. Last year, the partners successfully bid on a portfolio of about 55 Detroit properties that Landy owned when he died. (The final sale price wasn't disclosed, although court documents once put it at over $17 million.)

More info and renderings here.

[Velvet_Highground]

Great project I like the quality of street frontage material & the set back along Woodward. The connection to the Addison creating an alleyway underpass is neat as is the portion of the project that renovates the ground floor retail space at the Addison. I dig the way the parking is hidden and the Charlotte courtyard. I find the activation of the original alleyway system great for the new development and current residents as it will allow for foot and vehicle traffic.

I’d like to see higher quality materials used on the upper floors but that’s not a big deal for me on this development. It’s nice to see District Detroit seek another partner and come up with something that will dramatically improve the block. There are some beautiful historic residential buildings on this block including the James Scott Mansion.

On the other side of Woodward the AC Hotel construction continues on as does the Bonstelle Theater renovation. City Modern has been plugging away as well there are a lot of low hanging fruit in the area like the former American Hotel & the Park & Temple apartments.

I hope to see some concrete plans to get work going on the painted and mothballed neighbors to Little Caesar’s Arena once that happens I’ll start to feel a little different about District Detroit.

[uaarkson]

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

New 154-unit project in Midtown Detroit would honor developer and landlord Joel Landy









More info and renderings here.

A real estate development dedicated to a fucking landlord. Lol ewww

[deja vu]

In other (more temporary) construction news, construction of the stage for the upcoming NFL draft is well underway, near Campus Martius (Monroe Midway). Can't wait to see Detroit showcased nationally for this big event! Here's an assemblage of photos (in no particular order), from the past week or so -


Source: Facebook | Rutledge Craig


Source: Facebook | Herb Harris


Source: Facebook | Herb Harris




Source: Facebook | Ed Cliett

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by uaarkson

A real estate development dedicated to a fucking landlord. Lol ewww

To be fair, I don't think the guy set out to be a landlord, but in this sort of economy, its the only way to preserve and restore some of the historic properties in and around Midtown.

Unlike some other landlords that have demolished easily fixable apartment buildings for some parking lots, Joel Landy actually put in work.

https://www.capitalimpact.org/storie...cass-corridor/

[DetroitSky]

Construction starts at Piety Hill rehab The Claire

An apartment building that's been vacant for 25 years in Detroit's Piety Hill neighborhood will soon be home to residents again. Construction officially started today on The Claire, which will bring 42 apartments to the neighborhood, with half of them listed as affordable.

The city announced the project today, along with developers Century Partners, who have worked extensively in the surrounding area.

“Just a few blocks away from the very first home we purchased and developed in 2014, The Claire is a 100-year old building that has sat vacant in our neighborhood for over 20 years," said David Alade, CEO and co-founder of Century Partners. "We are thrilled and honored to lead this historic renovation and bring another 100 years of life to the building, while working with our resident artist community to lift up, celebrate and preserve the neighborhood’s history in an intentional and collaborative manner.”

Originally called "The Clairwood," the Claire will have three studios, 32 one-bedroom, four two-bedroom, and three three-bedroom apartments. When renovated, the building will have a National Green Building Standard Silver certification, with 6 EV charging stations onsite. Amenities include parking, a fitness center, modern design, and art from local Detroit artists Matt Corbin and Yvette Cole.

[Detroit]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

To be fair, I don't think the guy set out to be a landlord, but in this sort of economy, its the only way to preserve and restore some of the historic properties in and around Midtown.

Unlike some other landlords that have demolished easily fixable apartment buildings for some parking lots, Joel Landy actually put in work.

https://www.capitalimpact.org/storie...cass-corridor/

Great read! Thank you for sharing that.

[detroitguy]

Great view

[DetroitMan]

Contenders emerge for new Detroit Lions practice facility

The team has not definitively said whether it will move out of its training center in Allen Park, but there are already at least two concepts for a new facility floating around — one in the team’s namesake city, another about 30-ish miles to the southwest.

Lions President Rod Wood recently told reporters that the team is years away from moving from its Allen Park facility — if it ultimately decides to — and it is looking at locations in Detroit as well as around Ann Arbor. The two that are known are entirely conceptual at this point. One is on the old Herman Kiefer hospital site at the John C. Lodge Freeway and Clairmount in Detroit across about 40 acres, while the other is in Canton Township on a hodgepodge of privately-owned parcels with multiple owners at I-275 and Ford Road.

A Detroit architect, Jerry Attia, pieced together a detailed site plan for the Herman Kiefer site owned by New York City developer Ron Castellano, who said last month he hasn’t had any conversations with the Ford family-owned team about the property. Attia, a former Rossetti Associates Inc. and AECOM architect who co-founded Detroit-based architecture firm Framework E LLC with fellow cofounder and Rossetti/AECOM veteran Pierre Roberson last summer, said he has not been commissioned for his work.

Canton Township is also attempting to lure the Lions. Its pitch, put together in a three-page PDF the township provided to Crain’s, is for a wooded site with north of what could be more than 100 acres across multiple parcels of varying sizes immediately east of the freeway, south of Ford Road. Officials called this site a “hypothetical” and a way of showing the team that, if it is to ultimately relocate its practice and training facilities, “there are potential locations.”

For its part, the Lions said last week that there is no proposal in front of it for the Herman Kiefer site, and the team declined comment Wednesday in a follow-up inquiry on the Canton Township property. A spokesperson for Mayor Mike Duggan said: “There are no conversations going on at all between the Lions and the city on any potential practice site in the city of Detroit.”

“At no point have the Lions expressed any interest to the city in the Herman Kiefer site,” John Roach, Duggan’s director of media relations, said last week.

The top administrator in its current base, Allen Park, has not responded to messages from Crain’s.

But the team has talked publicly in recent weeks about a potential relocation of those facilities, which sit on about 22 acres.

"We’re still evaluating it," Wood told reporters late last month, according to the Detroit Free Press. "I know there’s a lot of rumors out there and every time I talk about it, it leads to more people reaching out to me with ideas on where we should be. I would say it’s in the early stage of evaluating it. We’re focused on potentially that. Obviously, downtown with the 375 project and the impact that’s going to have on the stadium and traffic flow, so we have a real estate consultant who’s working on all those things, but very, very early stages of any announcement on the practice facility."

The team's Allen Park practice facility cost $34 million to build in opened in 2002 with an indoor field, two outdoor fields, offices and other features, according to MLive.com. That's the same year the team moved to Ford Field downtown from the now-demolished Pontiac Silverdome. Reports have described the Allen Park facility as difficult for much of metro Detroit to access, geographically, and once they do, difficult to park at.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...ctice-facility

[DetroitMan]

Demolition begins soon to make way for new Henry Ford hospital tower'

The former Health Alliance Plan building in Detroit is set to come down, signaling the first major step for Henry Ford Health’s new nearly $2 billion hospital project on West Grand Boulevard.

The Detroit health system said in a media advisory Thursday that “minor lane closures” would occur starting Monday as construction crews prep to raze the building at 2850 W. Grand Blvd at the southwest corner of the John C. Lodge Freeway/M-10 service drive. The closures include the right turn lane and bike lane on the south side of West Grand Boulevard in front of the building, the far right lane of the southbound service drive south of West Grand, and there could be some impacts to sidewalks and public street parking, the health system said.

The building, which Henry Ford Health said was emptied of HAP and HFH employees by the end of last year, sits on a roughly 1.8-acre almost triangular parcel, according to city land records.

Documents filed with the state list Renascent Inc. in Indianapolis as the demolition contractor.

Questions were sent to Henry Ford Health seeking additional details on Thursday afternoon. A voicemail was also left with a Renascent representative. Henry Ford Health is also working with Michigan State University and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores’s Platinum Equity on the broader $3 billion project, now dubbed the Future of Health, which was formally announced in February 2023.

Outside of the new hospital, which is to rival the Fisher Building in height, and a joint research center with MSU, a series of residential and commercial developments are envisioned bringing 600-plus new units to the area. The latter components received hundreds of millions in tax incentives for their construction earlier this year.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...-ford-hospital

[DetroitMan]

$335M biomedical research center in Detroit approved by MSU board

The Michigan State University Board of Trustees on Friday unanimously approved the construction of a $335 million biomedical research center in Detroit.

The center is part of a $3 billion development with Henry Ford Health and the Detroit Pistons that also includes a new hospital tower and campus, as well as mixed-use/mixed-income residential buildings.

Construction on the research center near the intersection of Amsterdam Street and Third Avenue is expected to begin in mid-May and wrap up in time for a 2027 opening, MSU said. n related moves Friday, the board also approved ground leases with Henry Ford Health for land on which the new research building will be located, and an occupancy lease with a medical research organization for use of one floor in the new building. The East Lansing-based university will own the seven-story, 335,000-square-foot facility and jointly fund and operate it with Henry Ford Health.

Officials had previously announced that the Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute will occupy an entire floor of the research building, establishing the first brick-and-mortar institute solely dedicated to neurofibromatosis.

Designed by ZGF Architects LLP, the Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Research Center will be the university’s largest to date. It will house more than 80 principal investigator teams working on research in areas including cancer, neuroscience, women's health, imaging and public health and include a focus on addressing health inequities and disparities and the social determinants of health. “MSU has a long history of working in Detroit, and our partnership with Henry Ford Health allows us an even greater impact on the health of those in the city and across the state,” MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said. “As Spartans, collaborating to advance the common good is in our DNA, and we look forward to working with our partners to address health equity and other grand challenges of our time.”

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/educat...approved-board

[Velvet_Highground]

Awesome to see these development moving forward quickly. In a way the MSU medical research facility is the culmination of tech town one of the seminal neighborhoods for Detroit’s rebirth.

It’s hard not to like a Lions practice facility in Detroit especially with the Herman Kiefer building incorporated into it. If they chose this site I hope they can do more to preserve the other historic structures on site. I’ve heard Hutchins Intermediate School on Woodrow Wilson had an award winning program in the mid 2000’s with a AOL computer lab (yeah laugh it up AOL was big in the early to mid 2000’s). However the closure of Crossman Alternative High formerly Crossman Elementary saw its students moved to Hutchins. A good deal of the area immediately around the school never recovered from 67 enrollment dropped at both schools. It wasn’t helped that Hutchins was turned into a National Guard Command Post.

The scene from Detroit of troops shooting out lights by Algiers Motel may have been adapted from Hitchens Intermediate School as the Vice Principal was told we couldn’t find the light switch. There’s still bullet holes in the school’s eves. According to local residents scrapers Hutchins hard coming in with U-Hauls during the recession through bankruptcy period. The adjacent blocks became blighted despite its excellent location between Virginia park and Boston - Edison.

I’m unsure of the conditions at Crossman if it can be saved it should be tried yet preservation of Herman Kiefer would be a win for the local and greater community. The opening of a training facility while a loss for Allen Park a good community would get Herman Kiefer renovated many athletic assets, a park and pavilions added to the local community.

Though I’m not certain the owner took on responsibility for vacant homes adjacent to the complex if the yellow lines on the map are an indication of that being part of a potential deal it would soften the blow of losing two historic schools. I think at this point the private sector and a Lions Facility would be inducement enough considering the high quality of the surrounding neighborhoods. However this is Detroit nothing comes easy it’s sad to lose two historic schools but they’re not doing anything for the community the lions training facility will & revive a stalled redevelopment.

[gratiotfaced]

I think of the effect Michigan Central has had in Corktown before it's even opened -- the new apartment buildings, hotels, smaller infill. Of course, that's only going to continue after opening.

I imagine the UMCI will have a similar effect in lower Midtown/Cass Corridor/Brush Park, and the Future of Health campus could do the same for New Center/Milwaukee Junction/North End.

These are all economic engines that will catalyze new development around them. Things are looking good for Detroit.

[Velvet_Highground]

Frankai Detroit (drives Springwells & Michigan Martin)- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FOhpJR2ZN5s


The effect of Ford’s Corktown Campus & its efforts to tie Dearborn with downtown are effecting Springwells, Richard - Hubbard, Mexican Town & Michigan - Martin. Frankai Detroit seems well positioned as a 50 year local to point out all the renovations along Michigan.


Near to Clark Park at W. Vernor and Hubbard is La Joya Gardens.

https://twitter.com/DetDevelopment/s...83830671503764


https://twitter.com/DetDevelopment/s...83830671503764


https://twitter.com/DetDevelopment/s...83830671503764


https://twitter.com/DetDevelopment/s...83830671503764

From what I’ve heard Ford is keeping a work from the office 3 days a week. There are certain projects that require employees on site so the campus to campus link by road or rail is still going to be there.

Southwest is a bit of an oddball for one of the city’s old neighborhoods built at least partially before the early 1900’s - 1933 when most building started before the depression was completed. It’s always been a diverse area and is especially dense but it’s also on abuts the Woodmere Greenbelt & the two neighborhoods are separated by the giant Conrail Yard. The heavy industries along the Rouge River & the river communities of River Rouge and Ecorse have kept the area old school Detroit. The salt mines & other heavy industries like Ford Rouge, Zug Isle Coking Furnace have kept a largely old working class Detroit neighborhood alive & relatively vibrant though the recession - bankruptcy. Mexican & Arab immigrants have certainly been at the heart of the neighborhoods growth.

I wonder how the hipster / Gentrification interaction will go down. I suppose good leadership will be key to that. Not that there isn’t a white presence in the area but there’s a class distinction. Will Michigan - Martin benefit from being an inexpensive area with a historical commercial strip.

It’s a positive move having Campbell/Wesson & La Joya Gardens being affordable housing in an up and coming area. A focus on the current residents who may see their rents go up is a good step. Be it along Michigan - Martin, Richard - Hubbard, Mexican Town & Hubbard Farms the Ford Campus will see rents increase.

[Velvet_Highground]

Awesome to see so much happening in Milwaukee Junction Fisher Body 23 is to become a $210 million EV battery plant as Fisher Body 21 is installing windows as part of its renovation of the historic facility. The Ford Piquette Plant Museum has made huge strides over the past 15 years of volunteer based work and is up and running housing everything from period appropriate vehicles to a 2000’s Ford GT.

Detroit Public TV changes name, buys a block in Detroit for its future headquarters

The public broadcasting station has officially changed its name to Detroit PBS and plans to move from its headquarters in Wixom for the last two decades to Detroit. It has purchased an empty block in the city's Milwaukee Junction neighborhood that the public television station aims to turn into its headquarters.

Detroit PBS closed last week on the $10 million purchase of a long-vacant warehouse at 234 Piquette Street and an adjacent lot, which will become a parking lot, said Rich Homberg, the station's president and CEO on Monday. The warehouse, part of which dates back to 1928, was considered obsolete a few years ago, according to city of Detroit documents. If things go as planned, the property will become a "community media campus" that will open in 2026, officials said Monday.



Detroit PBS


Detroit Public TV has a new name and in the new future will have a new home address.

The public broadcasting station has officially changed its name to Detroit PBS and plans to move from its headquarters in Wixom for the last two decades to Detroit. It has purchased an empty block in the city's Milwaukee Junction neighborhood that the public television station aims to turn into its headquarters.

"We saw a real need to serve in a deeper way," Homberg said. "Understanding the needs of our community was critical. The further we went into it, the more we realized we needed to be at the center of Detroit and the piece of land we're talking about it literally could not be more optimized for being able to bring all of Southeast Michigan into a location."

Its new location will be about "30 minutes maximum from virtually every city in Southeast Michigan," Homberg said.

The announcement comes nearly 20 years after the organization moved its headquarters from Detroit to Wixom, driven by a federal mandate at the time to convert to digital television broadcasting.

The Milwaukee Junction neighborhood is on the city's near northside, which is generally within a few miles' radius of the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard. Detroit PBS joins an influx of both large-scale investments along with new residential and small businesses moving into area.

In the adjacent New Center neighborhood, construction has begun on an estimated $3 billion mega-development involving Henry Ford Health, Michigan State University and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores.

In October, the public television station sold its Wixom headquarters, The Riley Broadcast Center at 1 Clover Court, and five acres of land to an automotive supplier, TYC Brother Industrial Co. The $11 million sale of the facility is helping fund its renovation of Piquette street properties.

Currently, Detroit PBS operates out of several locations, including a temporary space in Wixom, while its content team works out of the Marygrove Conservancy in Detroit and 90.9 WRCJ, a classical and jazz radio station, works out of the Detroit School of Arts.

The Piquette street property will significantly expand Detroit PBS' studio space along with its ability to hold community events.

"We'll go from two studios to seven different video locations," in the facility, Homberg said. "We will have a 300-seat theater-style studio. We will have a performance studio that will be both indoors and outdoors. We will have three different education facilities that we can bolt together into one large educational facility" he said.

The campus will become the station's organizational headquarters, housing video production and broadcasts, 90.9 WRCJ radio production and broadcasts, arts performances, a journalism hub and community events space. Currently, those operations are spread out in various locations.

Changing the name to Detroit PBS, meanwhile, is based a couple of years of audience research, said Eric Freeland, vice president of marketing and digital.

[DetroitMan]

Detroit’s City Winery music venue aims for 2025 opening

Michigan’s first City Winery location is still headed to Corktown, the live music chain’s founder and CEO Michael Dorf tells Metro Times — but he says inflation and high interest rates have delayed the project.

“If I had — and this is a technical financing term — a shitload of money, I would start faster,” he says with a laugh. “But I don’t.”

Budgets are tight for many these days, even a national live music company that has, as Dorf describes, “become the largest independent music chain in the country, which is kind of cool.” He adds, “But we’re still an entrepreneurial, independent company, without deep pockets.”

Originally from Milwaukee, Dorf founded New York City’s Knitting Factory nightclub in 1986 at 23 years old. In 2008 he followed that up with the first City Winery in Manhattan, explaining that he picked a generic-sounding name with the idea of creating something that could also work in other markets. The chain opened a second location in Chicago in 2012, followed by Nashville in 2014, and Atlanta in 2015. Now, there are 13 City Winery locations with more on the way; Dorf says he’s also looking into expanding to Toronto and Columbus.

The chain has found a niche in creating intimate concert experiences that seat around 300 attendees at cocktail tables, with a focus on booking singer-songwriters. “We’re being very consistent and deliberate with the size of our spaces,” Dorf says, adding he is not trying to compete with the much larger venues operated by live entertainment juggernauts Live Nation and AEG. “They go from about 1,000-capacity venues to the biggest arenas and stadiums, and then they have everything in between,” Dorf says. “So 300 really is a number that I like, because it’s below their radar.”

https://www.metrotimes.com/music/det...ening-36015424

[DetroitSky]

Vecino, new Detroit restaurant inspired by Mexico City, set to open Friday

A new restaurant that was to open last fall is set to open Friday, bringing the essence and traditional flavors of Mexico City and Oaxaca to Midtown Detroit.

Called Vecino, which means neighbor in Spanish, the new Modern Mexican Midtown eatery will offer an "agave-forward bar" and open-hearth kitchen while also touting Michigan's first corn nixtamalization program, a traditional kernel-to-masa preparation process.

Owned by Adriana Jimenez, Lukasz Wietrzynski and Colin Tury, a Detroit-based designer, Vecino is the first project from Midwest Hospitality. Jimenez founded the Detroit-based hospitality company.

“We consciously look for ways to connect through shared experiences like unique foods, cultures, and traditions — all of which inspire the ways we eat, drink, and share stories with our friends and neighbors," Jimenez, who was born in Mexico City and raised in Southwest Detroit, said in a news release. "From community-style seating to shared plates, we’re bringing that sense of community found in Mexican culture.”

On Third and Alexandrine streets in Midtown, Vecino is in a restored 1926 corner building that's stood vacant for a half-century. The restaurant was originally slated to open in November 2023.

State panel approves $231.7M in tax incentives for Henry Ford Health project

The Michigan Strategic Fund board on Tuesday approved $231.7 million in tax incentives for a portion of Henry Ford Health’s development project and agreed to create a renaissance zone for a 600-room hotel room to be built next to Huntington Place in Detroit on the former Joe Louis Arena site.

The developer, Palace Sports & Entertainment, LLC, DP Amsterdam, LLC, Henry Ford Health System and Michigan State University requested incentives for the Future of Health Transformational Brownfield Plan, a $773 million investment in the city’s New Center neighborhood and part of a broader $3 billion plan that includes a hospital expansion.

[Blocky858]

Has anyone posted anything about, or has information pertaining to, the new apartment block being built on Harper Ave near Woodward?