DETROIT | Development & Construction: Motown Lowdown

[subterranean]

Man. This is so exciting. Great update, and thanks.

[deja vu]

Awesome update.

Glad that the Greektown Casino name is staying. Sounds a lot better than 'Jack'.

Had no idea parts of City Modern were that far along.

And a vegan Coney Island? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?

[SupaK]

Thanks DetroitSky! What an update!!! Shows that there's so much going on in Detroit. I'm so glad that the Greektown signage remains as well.

I just took a quick look at the prices for available units in The Selden...$400K yikes!!

[Docta_Love]

It's worth repeating great update and thanks again Detroitsky! Btw just fyi the Shinola Hotel pic is missing because part of left IMG was accidentally cut off during posting it looks like this IMG] .

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

Some updates from the past few months. I have a few to put in the Metro Detroit thread as well.

Enjoy:

Down to brass tax though.

Really I love any pic that has the cleaned up Book Tower in it but this is a particularly nice one being taken at the right distance and angle to capture the grandness of the detail on the main (northern) face of the building.

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

Book Tower

I'm also really glad you went out and got some infill shots like The Kelemen here I had no idea about it.

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

The Kelemen

The 262 Mack Avenue condos I think I would have to say is my favorite amongst the infill projects I didn't know about.

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

262 Mack Avenue condos

Oh I most certainly did enjoy!

Thanks for getting shots of City Modern and The Rainbow Child Care Center as well

Originally Posted by deja vu

Awesome update.

Glad that the Greektown Casino name is staying. Sounds a lot better than 'Jack'.

As am I they ripped out the heart and soul of Greektown back in the 90s (Trappers Ally) to build the casino the least they can do is keep the name Greektown.

I agree though I like Greektown better too I can also understand why marketing execs would want to change the name with Greektown Casino constently being in 3rd place of the 3 casinos.

This is me reading the tea leaves so take it with a grain of salt but with the Gratiot Jail site in Gilbert's hands now an expansion of the Greektown entertainment district of some kind seems to me to be a natural next step for redevelopment of the site. The local chamber of commerce has been screaming for it since who knows at least as I can remember the neighborhood has one of the best reputations in the region it would be easy to build off imo. Who know's though I was thinking that his successful acquisition of the site changed the calculus on the name of the casino because he plans to expand the entertainment district which would build increased name recognition.



Have a lil update of my own from Crain's good news for Lower Woodward.

Broder & Sachse to move from Birmingham to Detroit

By TYLER CLIFFORD
Crain's Detroit Business
March 01, 2018


-Real estate developer to relocate to downtown Detroit
-Firm is taking up 6,000 square feet in Arts League Building
-Office opens Monday





The Birmingham-based firm announced Thursday it plans to move its acquisition, development and property management operations to the Arts League Building. The 6,000-square-foot office on the third floor will open Monday, it said in a news release. Sachse Construction and Development Co. LLC is also headquartered in the 1528 Woodward Ave. building.

Broder & Sachse plans to step up collaborations with groups in downtown to create more opportunities, the release said.

...

Some Detroit projects under Broder & Sachse's belt include The Scott at Brush Park, The Albert-Capitol Park, The Hamilton Midtown Detroit and Orchestra Place.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ham-to-detroit

[DetroitSky]

Glad you all enjoyed the update!

Thank you Docta_Love for letting me know the Shinola Hotel photo wasn't showing up - I just fixed it.

[mind field]

Thank you for the pics DetroitSky!

I'm assuming the few lights on at night in the Stott Tower are still construction lights and not from residents actually living there? I know the building is supposed to be ready for occupancy this year, but I haven't heard anything about residents moving in yet.

[Docta_Love]

Originally Posted by mind field

Thank you for the pics DetroitSky!

I'm assuming the few lights on at night in the Stott Tower are still construction lights and not from residents actually living there? I know the building is supposed to be ready for occupancy this year, but I haven't heard anything about residents moving in yet.

That was my thought as well, the pic below it (the one with the Woolworth facade work) has a bit of the Book Building and a lil tower portion but it also has construction lights although it's obvious there is work going on behind some.

Yeah I'm not sure though haven't heard anything about tenants moving in but there is prolly a timeline on one of Beadrock's webpages if anyone is so inclined to look.

[dc_denizen]

wow, detroit is looking good--great new construction pics, thanks!

[DetroitSky]

Both the Stott and Book are still under renovation. There aren't any occupants yet.

Thanks for looking!

[Docta_Love]

^Yeah figured that was the case although what made second guess myself is the top floors were renovated a couple years ago for a restaurant / night club type deal. With seemingly endless stream of major projects being announced and my attention constantly being grabbed figured I could of missed something. haha.



Here's a Packard Plant update seems that Fernando Palazuelo hasn't been sitting on his ass good to see some numbers and dates.

Revamp of former Detroit Packard car plant in cleanup phase

By Associated Press
Crain's Detroit Business
March 01, 2018





-14,000 yards of debris hauled from the site
-121,000-square-foot administration building renovation scheduled to be complete in 2020
-Plan is to transform space into mixed-use development over 10-15 years


It's been nearly a year since developers began a more than $300 million revamp of the former Packard car plant in Detroit into a multi-use project they hope will include apartments, shops and galleries.

Developers have already spent $4 million on the pre-development and cleanup of the Packard Plant, the Detroit News reported.

Workers have hauled away 14,000 yards of debris from the site, which has been mostly vacant for decades, said Kari Smith, the project's director of development through site owner Arte Express Detroit. Some of the material has been salvaged for future use, she said.

"We've salvaged all the wood on the floors," Smith said. "There's arches and dentil work on the bottom floor. That's been kept. ... There wasn't much because it was scrapped pretty significantly."

....

"It will function like a mini city," she said. "There will be commercial, restaurants, eventually residential. There will be several uses."

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-cleanup-phase


Note thanks to detroiturbex for doing the photo tour that this rendering came from. In it the I-94 Industrial park rendering from 2014 the Flex-N-Gate building is nearly completed the ArcelorMittal building not included.

http://detroiturbex.com/content/neig...oop/index.html

ArcelorMittal to mark grand opening of Detroit facility

By Associated Press
Crain's Detroit Business
February 19, 2018



(I-94 Industrial park rendering from 2014 the ArcelorMittal building not included)

A company that makes high-strength, laser-welded steel blanks for the auto industry will mark the grand opening of its $83 million facility in Detroit next week.

Mayor Mike Duggan and business leaders are expected to attend the Feb. 26 event at ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks Detroit — the company's first wholly-owned Michigan manufacturing operation.

The 313,000-square-foot facility is in the I-94 Industrial Park on the city's east side. The 186-acre industrial park is a prime site for new manufacturing operations in Detroit.

The company said 85 employees currently work at the site and another 40 jobs are expected to be added over the next five years.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...troit-facility



Good to see although I'm not sure I would have added this story if it wasn't tied into the previous one. The rendering is from a curbed article last summer covering the ground-breaking.

https://detroit.curbed.com/2017/4/25...uction-detroit

Flex-N-Gate's new Detroit plant to prioritize city residents for jobs

By CHAD LIVENGOOD
Crain's Detroit Business
January 22, 2018


-Flex-N-Gate to prioritize Detroiters for 400 jobs at new auto parts plant.
-Construction of 450,00-square-foot plant is 60 percent complete.
-Earlyproduction on metal-stamping presses to begin in April.




Flex-N-Gate plans to hire more than 400 people to work inside its new 450,000-square-foot auto parts plant in the I-94 Industrial Park on Detroit's near-east side. There's space on the 30-acre section of the I-94 Industrial Park to build a 280,000-square-foot addition, said Bill Beistline, vice president of global procurement for Flex-N-Gate.

....

Auto part supplier Flex-N-Gate has committed to hiring Detroiters first for the 400 jobs the company is creating with the construction of a new parts plant in the city's I-94 Industrial Park that's expected to begin early metal-stamping production by April.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...dents-for-jobs

Public-private effort to reopen Detroit's only campground

By SHERRI WELCH
Crain's Detroit Business
February 22, 2018


-Scout Hollow in Rouge Park to reopen this spring
-City, YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit and Sierra Club are teaming on the -project
-Camping will be open to youth groups; gear will be available for loan





The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, Sierra Club and Detroit Parks and Recreation Department are teaming to reopen Scout Hollow, a Rouge Park camping area that has been closed for more than a decade.

The secluded, heavily wooded 17.4-acre camping area is overgrown with tall grass and frequented by deer and wild turkeys.

But a $200,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation and $20,000 from the Oakland, Calif.-based Sierra Club — which has been working with Friends of Rouge Park for several years — will fund efforts to clear some areas and create three camping sites at Scout Hollow. Each will be able to accommodate 30 campers.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...nly-campground


The local Fox station did a piece on the campground too here's a screen grab of the site which is floodplain next to the Rouge River and (temporarily) underwater at the time the story was done.




http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/loca...ng-this-spring

[DetroitSky]

Some smaller neighborhood projects I've photographed the past few days:

Regency at Chene nursing home, 2295 E. Vernor, near Eastern Market



Hunt Street Station, which is directly east of the Regency at Chene site


2845 & 2853 Gratiot Ave. I saw someone, though I can't remember who, mention on DetroitYes he owns these properties and has been restoring them.


Earlier today I stumbled on these restorations in the North End. They're all a block north of E. Grand along Horton Street centered around the intersection of Horton and Brush.

277 Horton


320 Horton


402 Horton


404 Horton


Throwing this in here. Cass Community United Methodist Church in Cass Corridor had its facade power washed about a year ago, but I didn't notice until recently. Looks like it could use some more cleaning, but at least its not black anymore


I posted a few in the Metro Detroit thread as well.

[Detroit]

Wasn't sure I'd post these given all of the windows had a protective film over them. Anyways, here are some views from inside the first apartment building at City Modern in Brush Park.

[The North One]

It's really starting to take shape now! Can't wait to see all that urban walkable infill surround the Ransom Gillius house.

[Detroit]

Originally Posted by The North One

It's really starting to take shape now! Can't wait to see all that urban walkable infill surround the Ransom Gillius house.

Brush Park is a very exciting place right now! Hopefully the momentum can continue into surrounding areas.

[PHL10]

Great updates! Nice window into what's happening in the Motor City.

[LMich]

The Detroit Board of Education voted to sell land last night that clears the way to the jail project to move out of downtown to Midtown freeing up key downtown land for a mixed-use redevelopment.

Romain Blanquart | Detroit Free Press

Detroit school board OKs selling land for Wayne County jail project

By Lori Higgins | Detroit Free Press

March 6, 2018

The Detroit Board of Education has agreed to sell a piece of property that will be used for the Wayne County jail project. The decision comes just three weeks after the board initially couldn't muster enough votes to OK the deal.

The board voted 5-1 to OK the sale during a special meeting Monday night.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/edu...ect/400227002/

Though from what the article says, this project was going to go foward with our without this 1.34 acres of additional land. The article also reports that the school district had bought the property intending to use it for parking for their adjacent warehouse, but that the land was never developed, so it's not as if they needed it or had any plans with it. This takes it off their hands.

Detroit's Downtown Market is returning for the spring and summer after a successful winter!

Downtown Detroit Markets to return in spring, summer

By Candice Williams | The Detroit News

March 6, 2018

Following the success of the Downtown Detroit Markets this winter, small-business owners, artists and entrepreneurs are invited to apply to participate in a similar concept this spring and summer.

More than 50 small businesses will have an opportunity to test market their products before investing in long-term spaces, according to officials with Bedrock and the Quicken Loans Community Investment Fund.

The residencies will last from April to September in two locations in the city’s downtown.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/bu...mmer/32677309/

[LMich]

Wayne County just released new renderings of the jail project in Midtown. This is one project I almost don't care how it looks so long as they finish it, already. The only thing I'm interested in is what Gilbert comes up with for the current jail site downtown.

Wayne County announced Wednesday morning that it will build a $553-million justice center as a solution to the “long-stalled” Gratiot jail project.

County Executive Warren C. Evans announced a tentative agreement with Dan Gilbert’s Rock Ventures to build the center, which is expected to be completed by spring/summer 2022 and will house a 2,280-bed jail, offices for the sheriff's department, prosecutor's staff, and administration, and a criminal courthouse and juvenile detention facility.

The new site will be located between the I-75 Service Drive and East Warren Avenue on property that is being acquired from the city, according to a news release.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...gan/402364002/

[deja vu]

^ The new jail renderings look alright to me. And that's great news about the downtown markets getting a reprise this spring / summer!

[LMich]

I imagine this is going to be a fairly major development whenever they released plans for it.

Joint venture buys former Friends School site in Lafayette Park for redevelopment

By Kirk Pinho | Crain's Detroit Business

March 7, 2018

The site of the former Friends School in Detroit's Lafayette Park neighborhood has a new ownership group planning to redevelop its 4 acres.

A joint venture between Birmingham-based developer Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services (which is moving to downtown Detroit), Southfield-based developer Woodborn Partners LLC and Farmington Hills-based builder Hunter Pasteur Homes closed on the purchase Wednesday for an undisclosed price. All three are mixed-use and residential developers active in projects in greater downtown Detroit.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...yette-park-for

Border & Sachse has done quite a bit of development around the greater downtown area, lately, so there isn't much doubt this is going to happen. I'd like to see at least one high-rise from this. Lafayette Park was envisioned as towers-in-the-park, might as well carry that original vision through instead of the continued low-rise and townhome stuff.

[Fvn]

Anyone able to get some pictures of Detroit City Club Apartments?