Ann Arbor Rezones For High-Density Downtown Area

/in /by

The city of Ann Arbor has rezoned over 200 acres by Briarwood Mall with the intent of developing a high-density downtown area. The West Stadium and North Maple area may be next. The rezoning is meant to increase housing density along transit corridors and commercial development, creating a more pedestrian-friendly area. Feedback on the idea has been mixed. City officials are looking for more input and will hold a virtual webinar over Zoom at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June. 14.

Charlevoix Mansion Garners High Price Tag

/in /by

A Charlevoix mansion has sold for the enormous price of $9.845 million dollars. According to Interluxe, a luxury real estate marketplace, that price tag is the 5th highest resale price ever for a residential property in Michigan. The lakefront home at 08425 Raspberry Lane in Charlevoix drew more than $205 million in total bids over four days. The  10,000 square foot home designed  by J Bradley Moore & Associates Architects for Frank Macher. It was built in 2009.

 

Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill Takes Over Erwin Orchards

/in /by

Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill owners will take over operations at Erwin Orchards. They hope to maintain the integrity of Erwin’s but with a Blake spin on it. Orchard Crossing, a 181-acre development at Silver Lake and Kent Lake roads will be positively impacted by the deal.  The Orchard Crossing development will leave 104 acres for preservation of orchards, the cider mill and other new enterprises. Blake’s is planning a 20,000-square-foot tasting room with a full-service restaurant, bar service and cidery/beer brewing. The year-round facility will be located on the northeast corner of Silver Lake and Ken Lake roads.  The north side orchard operations area will also include a 20,000-square-foot venue with a 400-person capacity and an outdoor patio. On the south side of Silver Lake, the existing cider mill will be expanded with a cider press, cafe, retail sales and office.

 

 

 

Furniture Company Leases Former Art Van Headquarters

/in /by

The Florida-based Ashley Furniture Industries is leasing the old Art Van Furniture Inc. headquarters. Ashley Furniture is leasing 186,000 square feet of the 1 million-square-foot-plus property. Ashley Furniture’s lease, along with the square footage that Gardner White is leasing, has filled up about 57 percent of the Art Van property. Operations are expected to start in the building soon. Brasswater currently owns the property.

Developers Move Forward With Mobile Home Park in Ann Arbor Area

/in /by

Sun Communities, Inc. is facing opposition from residents who don’t want hundreds of manufactured homes in the area. The Southfield-based company owns and operates mobile home parks, RV resorts and marinas across the United States.  The company had initially proposed a 500-unit mobile home park on about 140 acres on either side of U.S. 23 along Warren Road. The Ann Arbor Township denied that rezoning request.  The developers plan to continue with the manufactured homes development on the east side of U.S. 23 on 80 acres that is appropriately zoned for a dense mobile home park. About 17 neighbors attended the township planning commission meeting to protest the developers’ plans.

Michigan’s Vacation Home Market Is Hot

/in /by

Demand for vacation homes is just as strong as the market for first homes. During the first half of 2021, vacation home sales jumped more than 57 percent when compared with 2020. Several counties in Northern Michigan are considered “vacation home counties,” which are counties with 20 percent or more of their housing inventory listed as seasonal. Leelanau County is a prime example. The average home price in the first quarter of this year jumped to $779,960 from $494,649 in the same quarter of last year. A more shocking comparison can be made when the average home in Leelanau County sold for $274,831 in 2012!

 

5-Story Building Planned For Downtown Birmingham

/in /by

Birmingham-based developer, Surnow Co., has submitted plans for an 80-foot high, 53,000-square-foot building on the rear of the post office building parking lot. The developer currently has its offices in the redeveloped post office property at 329 Martin St. The building will include 5,400 square-feet of first-floor retail space, about 19,200 square feet of office space on the second and third floors, and six residential units on the fourth and fifth floors. It will also include underground parking with an automated parking system. The project is still in the planning stages.

 

Amazon Ditches Square Footage

/in , /by

Amazon is subleasing at lease 10 million square feet and possibly terminating leases in New York, New Jersey, Southern California and Atlanta. The figure could be as high as 30 million square feet. This is in contrast to the the company’s acquisition of 200 million square feet during the pandemic. In the Detroit area, it’s a different story. The company currently occupies or is building at least 13 million square feet. According to sources, Amazon was more deliberate in the Detroit area, as opposed to other areas where it acquired square footage where it could find it. The company also seems to be dropping smaller spaces and not mega-centers like those in the Detroit area.

 

 

Hotel Residents Demand Affordable Housing

/in /by

Evicted tenants who have become hotel residents are about to have their federal aid come to an end. They called on city officials for help finding affordable housing before the federal aid runs out. More than 275 Detroit households have used federal aid through the federal American Rescue Plan to pay for hotels following eviction. The tenants had been informed that the aid would be cut off on June 1. Of the 88 households currently living in hotels and supported by the aid, 40 have received an extension on their end date to June 30. The other 48 already had later end dates.

 

 

Equinox Hotel Planned for Detroit Center For Innovation

/in /by

The Detroit Center for Innovation will include an Equinox hotel. The hotel will be designed to host visiting sports teams and will include gyms and a special floor for them to work out. The entire project will encompass a 300-acre district of residential, office, education and entertainment. The center will include a University of Michigan graduate campus. Ross and Ilitch, the muscle behind the project, believe it will attract companies and make local graduates want to stay in the state.