Classic Transportation & Warehousing Plans Expansion

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Classic Transportation & Warehousing is construction a new 172,000-square-foot warehouse and third-party logistics facility near Wayland.  The employee-owned firm will spend over $8.4 million. The move is expected to create 6-12 jobs. Leighton Township supports the project and has approved a 12-year industrial facilities tax exemption. Rod Cooper, president and CEO of the company, said the company’s employee owners are pleased with the expansion.

 

Michigan’s Rental Aid is Backlogged as Need Continues Rise

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173,000 tenants have applied for the statewide rent aid program that was launched to help renters avoid eviction and meet their payments. Wayne County makes up about one-third of the applicants. Detroiters make up 22% of the rent help applicants. According to the chief operating officer of the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, they continue to see high numbers of requests for support. The Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey reports that between Dec. 1 and Dec. 13,  more than 100,000 Michiganders said they were behind on rent or mortgage payments. Less than half of the applications for assistance were approved as of January 7. Statewide, wait time between application and approval averages 35 to 40 days. In Wayne County, that wait time may take as long as 10 weeks. MSHDA has hired staff combat the backlog and high numbers of applications in Wayne County

Car Wash Manufacturer to Build New Headquarters

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Car wash manufacturer, Tommy Car Wash Systems, is building a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Holland. The $32.6 million facility will centralize the company’s operations. The expansion site has sat vacant for more than 20 years. The 245,000 square-foot building will house production space, an assembly area, office space and a demonstration center. The project promises to create or preserve 300 new full-time equivalent jobs. The federal New Markets Tax Credit program will enable Tommy Car Wash Systems to provide advancement opportunities with lower levels of education.  Michigan Community Capital, Old National Bank, and Cinnaire are investors in the project. The project should be complete by the summer of 2023.

 

 

The Grand Hotel Owner Snaps up More Island Properties

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KSL Capital Group has purchased three boutique hotel properties and an adjacent restaurant on Mackinac Island for an undisclosed price. The properties include The Bicycle Street Inn, Waterfront Collection North, Waterfront Collection South, and Winchester’s Whiskey and Bourbon Room.  The sale included housing on the island and in St. Ignace for seasonal workers. KSL Capital Group also owns the Grand Hotel. The 3 hotel properties are in the heart of the downtown on the island. KSL Capital Group hopes to potentially provide more job security for seasonal workers who could have the opportunity to work on other properties owned by the group during Mackinac Island’s off-season.

 

 

Crate & Barrel Sister Brand is Coming to Birmingham

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CB2, a Crate & Barrel sister brand, has signed a lease for the vacant Panera spot at 100 N. Old Woodward Ave. The CB2 offshoot caters to customers looking for some “coolness” factor in their furniture. Crate & Barrel moved from its Somerset Collection location in Troy to Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi in 2020. CB2 is owned by the Boji Group. Serena & Lily, another furniture retailer is also moving to downtown Birmingham. Both stores are part of a the recent surge of retailers and restaurants to open or expand in downtown Birmingham in the last year.

 

 

Eastland Center Wraps Up Holiday Season and Tenure

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Harper Woods’ 60-year old Eastland Center wrapped up its last holiday season. With only two remaining stores, K&G Fashions and Shoppers World, the center is slotted for demolition next year. NorthPoint Development will redevelop the site into a $94.2 million industrial complex. Hudson’s built the center in 1957. Just 20 years ago, it housed nearly 150 stores. Area residents have pleasant memories of the popular after-school hangout. The shift to internet shopping, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, led to the center’s demise. Moody’s has predicted that 20% of the America’s remaining 1,000 malls will close or be repurposed in the next few years.

 

Pontiac’s Woodward Loop Will Get Pedestrian-Friendly Makeover

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Pontiac’s Woodward Avenue Loop opened in 1964 during the urban renewal binge. State high engineers announced they would turn Detroit’s I-375 spur into a street-level boulevard over the next several years. MDOT announced that it’s making a similar commitment for the Woodward Loop. Construction will take place in 2024-2025, along with the simultaneous reconstruction of M-59 through Pontiac. It will include new sidewalks, traffic signals and bike paths. The goal is to turn Pontiac’s Woodward Avenue into a series of pedestrian-friendly two-way boulevards with slower traffic speeds. The project also aims to reconnect neighborhoods to the downtown.

 

 

Ann Arbor Takes Steps Toward a More Walkable Neighborhood

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Ann Arbor real estate developer, Oxford Companies, plans to build a new apartment building on Ann Arbor’s south side. The space is currently used as parking for its main office. No timeline has been set for construction. The development endeavors to create a more walkable and livable neighborhood. The 226-acre area may potentially be rezoned to allow new buildings up to 300 feet which will develop a high-density and mixed-use area to create a downtown environment. The proposal would require the rezoning of 69 properties, including those around Briarwood Mall.

 

 

Washtenaw Conservationists Purchase Acreage

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The Michigan Land Conservancy purchased 162 acres of wetlands, forest and former cropland for $1 million. The acreage is located east of Ann Arbor in Superior Township. This is a second purchase toward preservation efforts in Superior Township. Previously, Superior Township leaders voted unanimously to buy 300 acres known as the “Rock property.” The newly-purchased Michigan Land Conservancy parcel is next door to that property and the township-owned Cherry Hill Nature Preserve. The speedy transaction was financed through private loans and donations, including a loan and donation from Detroit Audubon.

 

 

 

U.S. Home Prices Increased in October

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The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, out Tuesday, increased 18.4 percent in October from a year earlier. This was a slight deceleration from the 19.1 percent increase noted in September. All 20 cities noted on the price index recorded double-digit gains with Phoenix, Tampa and Miami leading the pack. Low mortgage rates and low home inventory, along with high consumer demand, have strengthened the housing market. Chief economist of Realtor.com predicts that the price growth will slow but continue to go up as the year progresses. Mortgage rates fell again last week, signaling concern about the omicron variant depressing economic growth.

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