METRO DETROIT | Development & Projects

[ShadowSoarer]

While this is technically Metro Detroit news (Novi) it might be good for the region. Looks like Sakura Novi is finally moving forward (hopefully) with summer 2023 for first phase. Been following this project for a while which has been stalled for some time (2018 I believe). The link is latest update I found in posted on Jan. 31st, 2021. Sakura Novi is like an Asian Town/shopping center which hopefully can build the Asian American community in Metro Detroit, which is a bit spread out through the region.

https://sakuranovi.com/media/1082/pd...-article-2.pdf

[llamaorama]

I didn't know Detroit had a cheesy 1970s "planned city" development with a people mover.

Dallas has something like that, Las Colinas. The people mover still exists, though it was always much longer. It's a weird place, sort of a modernist ghost town.

[mattb81]

Wyandotte
The former Wyandotte City Hall building will be redeveloped into 36 apartments and over 9,000 square feet of retail space. This will be the second such development in downtown Wyandotte.

The latest update I found on this project is on page 3 of the agenda packet for next Monday's Wyandotte City Council meeting, which includes a rendering of the Biddle Avenue facade of the redevelopment.

https://cms6.revize.com/revize/wyand...22/p220314.pdf

[deja vu]

^ thanks mattb! Pretty interesting looking project.

Southfield -

Here are some photos of the recently-completed North American Headquarters for Marelli (Italy-based global automotive supply company). They renovated the former MACC (Metro Area Commerce Center), located at 26555 Northwestern Highway, which had been vacant for years, after Federal Mogul was acquired and this location was closed. Marelli will initially occupy about 200,000 SF of the space, with room to expand. The suite includes offices and R&D lab space. Nice upgrades for the building (and the city) -


















Source:LinkedIn | Dembs Development Inc.

[DetroitMan]

Apparently, this proposed 157-unit development would be the largest apartment complex built in Birmingham in over 42 years...




Real Estate Insider: This would be the largest apartment project in Birmingham since Carter was president

The development proposed at 770 S. Adams and 1000 Haynes in the city's Triangle District, east of Woodward Avenue and the central business district, would have 157 units, dwarfing virtually everything else put before the city for consideration in recent memory — and consisting of the second-most number of for-rent units that have ever been constructed in one development in Birmingham history.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/voices...angle-district

[DetroitMan]

Oakland Mall in Troy has been sold and the new owner is planning to renovate the mall property


Oakland Mall in Troy sold, 'massive remodeling' planned

Mario Kiezi, a real estate investor and developer based in Troy, declined to disclose the purchase price of the mall, the sale of which he said closed Friday. There were no brokerage firms on the deal, he said.

There is a media event at 2 p.m. today to discuss his vision for the property, the pending sale of which Crain's first reported earlier this month.

"This project will be different than anything I have ever done before," Kiezi said Monday morning in advance of the formal announcement. "I expect to rebrand the mall. We consider this to be an anti-mall project. We want to add art. We wanted to be community engaged. We are not looking to be intimidating with price points."

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...deling-planned

[DetroitMan]

A developer is planning to redevelop the Main ART Theatre into a mixed-use development. I wish the theatre could have been saved.
Main Art Theatre in downtown Royal Oak could be razed, replaced with mixed-use building

City Planner Doug Hedges said Thursday afternoon the developer is expected to appear before the Planning Commission April 12 to present plans for a new 71-foot building, which would include 9,200 square feet of commercial space — half for a restaurant, half for a retailer — plus first-floor parking. In addition, there would be about 31,000 square feet of office space on the second floor and the third through fifth floors would include 54 new residential units.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...olish-building

[mattb81]

Southgate
The Southgate Tower has been sold, officially opening the door for its redevelopment into apartments. There will be 201 units with views of the Detroit River and Detroit skyscrapers. The rooftop warning lights have also been turned on for the first time in years.

Former bank building in Southgate to be redeveloped as mixed-use project
By Jim Kasuba | News-Herald
April 19, 2022 at 5:56 p.m.

A long-vacant bank building in Southgate has been sold, with announced plans for a major redevelopment project.

[DetroitMan]

Another 5-story building is planned for Birmingham.

Downtown Birmingham's latest 5-story building planned for old post office parking lot

Surnow Co., a Birmingham-based developer with its offices in the redeveloped post office property at 320 Martin St., has submitted plans to put up an 80-foot high, 53,000-square-foot building on the rear of the 0.57-acre site with first-floor retail space totaling 5,400 square feet, office space totaling about 19,200 square feet on the second and third floors and six residential units on the fourth and fifth floors, according to planning board documents.

There would also be 52 underground parking spots with an automated parking system akin to the one built at the former Detroit Free Press building in downtown Detroit owned by billionaire developer and mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert, the Birmingham Eccentric reported. Nine of those spaces would be reserved for building residents.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...ce-parking-lot

[deja vu]

^ I like it. Especially the proposed cantilever above the former post office building. Some built-up density at that corner makes sense too.

[DetroitMan]

This proposal came out of nowhere, a team of developers is proposing to build 1,300-1,500-unit development on what used to be a public housing project. IF built this will be huge for Pontiac...

Massive apartment development floated for former Pontiac waterfront public housing site

Florida-based SK Investments Group, working with a local team of architects and development advisers, has submitted conceptual plans to the city for the 34-acre site on Crystal Lake west of Woodward Avenue and south of Orchard Lake Road that used to be the 364-unit Lakeside Homes public housing complex.

The vision for the peninsula that juts out southward into the lake features more than a dozen new market-rate residential buildings, including a pair of 14-story mid-rises, plus 11 three- to five-story buildings with apartments and townhouses.

There would also be 50,000 square feet of commercial space under the current plan, which project backers say would cost $300 million to $400 million.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...l-lake-pontiac

[DetroitMan]

This will be a major boost for Ypsilanti

Life sciences co-working operator MI-HQ plans new space in downtown Ypsilanti

MI-HQ plans to purchase the building at 300 W. Michigan Ave. for $2.6 million. It will undergo an additional $10 million renovation to build an innovative shared workspace for STEM companies, according to a news release.

The deal aims to put the 130,000-square-foot building on the Ypsilanti tax rolls for the first time, generating more than $1.1 million of net benefits to the city in a 10-year span, according to the release. It is expected to create 300 jobs, according to the release.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...-new-lab-space

[DetroitMan]

First Allbirds store in Michigan to open at Somerset Collection

Allbirds Inc., a sustainable footwear and apparel brand, is poised to open its first store in Michigan.

"We are thrilled to open our first store in Michigan at the Somerset Collection this Fall," Talia Loewenstein, global real estate director for Allbirds, said in an emailed statement. "We look forward to building community through events with our Allgood Collective at our store and continuing our pursuit of making better things in a better way."

Berkeley, Calif.-based Goring & Straja Architects submitted a permit for the space on behalf of the company on June 6. According to the documents, the store is to be located in 3,456 square feet on the ground floor of the three-story mall on the north side of Big Beaver Road in Troy.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail...store-michigan

[DetroitMan]

Brilliant Earth is opening their first Michigan store in DT Birmingham.
'Digital first' jewelry store to open first Michigan store in Birmingham

California-based jewelry maker Brilliant Earth will open its first Michigan location in downtown Birmingham on Sunday.

The company, which says it specializes in responsible sourcing of materials as it relates to social impact and climate change, touts its "digital first" options that allow customers to design their own pieces on its website.

Brilliant Earth says it specializes in ethically sourced natural diamonds and offers lab-created diamonds and other gemstones, such as moissanite, sapphire, emerald and more.

The 3,131-square-foot store is on the first floor of the new 27,000-square-foot building at 277 Pierce St., the former site of the Varsity Shop.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/retail...pen-birmingham

[Velvet_Highground]

Wow I missed a couple big announcements. I’ve been a bit dubious about the prospect on the local housing market with how far housing prices have climbed and cautionary note about Metro Detroit being overvalued. But it doesn’t seem to be all doom and gloom Moody’s recently assessed the market as being only slightly overvalued with a small correction of perhaps -1% or -2% by the end of 2024.

With the area being seeing one of the biggest rise in home values in the nation over the past few years a soft landing is excellent news. This bodes well for our regional economy and especially prospective major residential projects such as the Crystal Lake development in Pontiac.

Been holding by breath a bit to see how things shake out the underlying structural issues that lead to the 2008 collapse aren’t there and even the pandemic boom metros of Phoenix and Boisie aren’t expecting huge corrections.



https://fortune.com/2022/08/01/housi...-forecast/amp/

[deja vu]

Plymouth Township -

The Inn at St. John's has officially been rebranded as St. John's Resort. With the name change comes a $40 million transformation package. Included in the planned upgrades is a new indoor / outdoor ballroom space with a 2,000 person capacity, a 6,200 SF garden pavilion, and a new Championship 18-hole, a Par 3 golf course (the current links are closed for the 2022 season) -










Source: LinkedIn | Visit Detroit






Source: Saint John's Resort

[DetroitMan]

Carvana is planning to build a 12-story "vending machine" in Auburn Hills.
Carvana 'vending machine' proposed for Auburn Hills

The Phoenix-based used car e-commerce company (NYSE: CVNA), which has been in money-losing mode for much of this year, submitted a development application to build a 12-story steel-and-glass tower that would display and serve as a pickup spot for used cars sold online, according to an announcement Friday from the city of Auburn Hills' community development department.

Should the estimated $15 million investment obtain approvals from the northern Oakland County city's planning commission and City Council next month, the company is targeting a construction start in late 2023 or early 2024 with completion 10 months later, according to the announcement.

The proposed tower would be built adjacent to Topgolf Auburn Hills on Great Lakes Crossing Drive off of I-75. Carvana has 33 car vending machines in total, including one in Novi near the intersection of I-96 and Novi Road.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/automo...d-auburn-hills

[DetroitMan]

Dearborn's 12-story Village Plaza Building will be torn down...

​Dearborn orders 'dangerous' office tower demolished

Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said Thursday in a Facebook post that the 12-story Village Plaza office tower along Michigan Avenue is to be demolished due to dangerous conditions.Hammoud wrote that there have been "several failed attempts to rehabilitate the property and address the notices of violation."
"This blighted property has negatively impacted the surrounding neighborhoods and our downtown for too many years," Hammoud said.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...-be-demolished

[deja vu]

^ I'm kinda sad to see this. I know a lot of developments of this style & vintage bite the dust, which is why I think I've developed a soft spot for them (despite their flaws).

I did a little googling. There's also a non-paywalled article in the Detroit News (link) that discusses this. It is apparently unclear if the current owner appealed the notice within the 10 day window from when it was filed. So it might not be a 100% done deal yet. But yeah, sure seems likely at this point.



I was scratching my head, because it usually takes more than a burst pipe and some asbestos to lead to a complete condemnation. I'm not at all familiar with the property or its history though. I found some photos on Facebook (form that post by the mayor) that show what bad disrepair it really is in -








Source: Facebook | Abdullah H. Hammoud

The complex was opened in 1967. It was designed by Harley, Ellington, Cowin & Stirton (now Southfield-based HED). It was once billed as "Michigan's finest high rise" -

Original Brochure -

Source: Facebook | Mason Christensen

Historic advertisement -

Source: Facebook | Mason Christensen

Historic image shortly after opening, c. 1969 -

Source: Facebook | Dearborn Historical Museum

[DetroitMan]

DraftKings is about open their bar in Metro Detroit. It will be one of only two in country so far with the other one opening in Nashville.

Restaurant roundup: DraftKings opening its first bar in metro Detroit, Rose's adds dinner to the menu and more

The digital sports entertainment and gaming company plans a Sports & Social DraftKings food, drink and entertainment venue at Somerset Collection in Troy in the fall, according to a news release. DraftKings is partnering on the venue with Live! Hospitality & Entertainment. The collaboration will bring together Live!'s leadership in operating high-energy, first-class dining and entertainment venues with DraftKings' industry-leading sports gaming platforms, the release stated.

The venue will be located in a 10,400-square-foot standalone building at Somerset Collection South. The space will include space for private parties and events, as well as a dog-friendly outdoor patio, live music and games including skeeball, foosball and arcade games.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/restau...inner-and-more