Entries by Tracy Willis

Affluent Atlanta Neighborhood Self-Segregates

The affluent Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead wants separation from Atlanta. Spikes in crime across the city are contributing to the fear, but racial division plays a part. Buckhead is a majority-White neighborhood, while Atlanta has a Black majority. Should Buckhead gain its cityhood, it would drain revenue from a critical tax base and deepen the […]

Novel Financing Helps With Inadequate Housing Issues

An inadequate supply of housing is creating problems for businesses and crippling economic development in many communities. As a result, some communities are turning to tax increment financing. Tax increment financing (TIF) enables a developer to regain some of the upfront costs for a project by securing an increase in property taxes for a period […]

Amazon to Add Four New Michigan Sites

Amazon will add four new sites in 2022 and 2023. The announcement is expected on Wednesday. It will open its first mid-Michigan fulfillment center and three more facilities in the Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids areas. The new sites include a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center just west of Lansing, a sort center and delivery station […]

Automotive Country Club Heading to Howell

A father and son duo plan to bring a multimillion-dollar automotive country club and garage development to a 270 acre site owned by the city of Howell. Motorsports Gateway includes 67 private garage suite units and a 2.2 mile European-inspired road course. Previously the duo owned JD Racing Indoor Karting in Novi but sold it […]

New York Company Steps Up for Dearborn Hotel

An unidentified New York-based company is under contract to buy the former Dearborn Hyatt Regency hotel from the U.S. Marshals Service. Previously, the property was under a $27 million deal that envisioned top-floor condominiums and a hotel on the bottom floors. That deal fell through with the buyer backing out at the end of the […]

Affordable Housing Demand Fills Downtown Muskegon Building

A new TEN21 apartment building in downtown Muskegon is providing affordable housing. Residents began filling the new apartment building last week. The 73-unit building has 60 people waitlisted. The building will be fully occupied by the end of the month. Residents must meet income eligibility rules. One-bedroom rent ranges from $269 to $815 a month, […]

Detroit Area Hotel Business Travel Takes a Hit

Detroit area hotels’ business travel revenue is taking a hit. It’s expected to be 2/3 lower than pre-pandemic levels. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the region’s hotels are expected to generate $187 million this year. That’s a 67.4% drop. Michigan hotels are expected to lose 59.8% of their business travel revenue this […]

Reusing Old Mall Sites Takes a Creative Turn

Redeveloping dead shopping mall sites in the metro Detroit area isn’t about attracting the big box stores. The hottest concepts for reusing old mall sites include warehouses, distribution centers, storage units and middle-income housing. For example, Livonia and Wonderland mall sites have become Livonia Marketplace and Wonderland Village. Experts say that retail-focused approaches are less […]

Headquarters Property Slated For New Ownership

The former Art Van headquarters property in Warren is soon to be under new ownership. Montreal company Groupe Quint is expected to close on the purchase of more than 1 million square feet of space in the next couple of weeks. Most recently occupied by Loves Furniture, Inc., it had been listed for $65 million […]