Entries by Tracy Willis

Downtown Detroit Receives Grant Monies for Parks and Real Estate Development

Downtown Detroit parks can expect a facelift in the near future. The Downtown Detroit Partnership was recently awarded a $13.74 million-dollar grant by the Michigan Strategic Fund board. This grant is just one of 22 awarded. Metro Detroit’s awardees are the DDP, the city of Ecorse, the Wyandotte Downtown Development Authority, the city of Mount […]

Metro Detroit Rents Begin to Soften Amidst All-Time High

Although metro Detroit’s average rent growth is 5.14% annually, and metro Ann Arbor’s is 7.14%, metro Detroit’s rent market is beginning to soften.  According to CoStar Group Inc., asking rents are $1,214 a month in the metro area. In Ann Arbor, the average asking rents are up to $1,443 a month. The largest annual increase […]

Vacant WBJK Building To Become Midnight Golf Headquarters

On August 5, the deed to the former WJBK-TV Studios building was transferred to another entity called 7441 MGP Properties LLC. The building, located in Detroit’s New Center area, will become the new headquarters for the Midnight Golf Program nonprofit. James Jacob, CEO of Ajax Paving Industries Inc. bought the building through his family foundation […]

Metro Detroit’s Fair Market Rents Increase

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is predicting rent hikes for the 2023 fiscal year in metro Detroit. It published fair market rents at a 11.9 percent increase for a two-bedroom apartment. The rate is increasing from $1,084 to $1,213, beginning October 1. This increase is higher than the Michigan and national averages […]

Amazon Pivots, Cancels Warehouse Plans in Ypsilanti Township

After years of expansion in southeast Michigan, Amazon has begun scaling back by scrapping its plans for a new warehouse building in Ypsilanti Township. The plan had called for a 183,200-square-foot facility and had been dubbed “Project Yoga.” The cost of the project was $21.4 million and was to be constructed on about 30 acres […]

Birmingham Place Property Sells to Bacall Companies LLC

Bacall Companies LLC has purchased the office and retail portion, as well as some of the parking portions,  of the Birmingham Place property in downtown Birmingham for $37 million. The purchased closed Wednesday afternoon and is the third the company has made in Birmingham’s downtown. They’ve also purchased the property at 380 N. Old Woodward […]

The Gillespie Group to Transform Lansing’s Former Sears Location

The Gillespie Group is looking to transform a major business corridor in Lansing, Michigan by developing a former Sears location. Located at 3131 E. Michigan Ave., the property is being marketed as ROECO as a tribute to Sears Roebuck.  Gillespie Group’s project aims to transform the property into a mixed-use entertainment destination. It has already […]

Dearborn Issues Demolition Notice for Village Plaza Tower

Village Plaza tower, a 12-story office building in Dearborn, is slated for demolition. According to Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, the city has issued a demolition notice to the property owners after several attempts address the notices of violation. The demolition notice was issued after an August 12 city inspection. The 285,468-square-foot building has evacuated in […]

College Hotel Demands High Price

Ann Arbor’s Graduate Hotel is located a few blocks from campus, making it a convenient place to stay. Although spring commencement at the University of Michigan is 8 months away, the hotel is  sold out for the weekend in April. They do have openings for Wolverines football games, to the tune of $3,000. Visitors to […]

Revised Fisher Property Plan Approved by Farmington Hills City Council

Farmington Hills City Council has approved a revised planned unit development and site plan for a skilled nursing facility and residential units at the St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center. The initial plan proposal was denied in October 2021. Optalis Healthcare and Robertson Brothers’ revised plan decreases the number of dwellings on the property. Originally, […]