Gilbert Family Foundation Pledges Money For Eviction Defense

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The Gilbert Family Foundation has pledged up to $13 million over three years to help renters avoid eviction in Detroit. This comes weeks after the city of Detroit passed an ordinance giving renters at risk of eviction the right to have an attorney represent them in their defense. The United Community Housing Coalition, Lakeshore Legal Aid and Michigan Legal Services will split the money evenly. The Detroit Eviction Defense Fund was created after the city committed $6 million in American Rescue Plan dollars to fund eviction defense. It is thought that Detroit’s population decline is occurring, in part, to the 30,000 Detroit households that face eviction each year.

Ilitch And Ross Release Detroit Center Renderings

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Stephen Ross and the Ilitch organization have released conceptual renderings showing new retail, housing and office developments in Detroit’s sports venue district.  The projects include new construction, as well as reuse of existing buildings. The renderings show a future hotel on Henry Street, an office tower with ground-floor retail space along Woodward Avenue next to Comerica Park, a residential, retail and office development on Park Street, and office, retail and residential development along Columbia Street. Ross and Ilitch are collaborating on the University of Michigan’s planned Detroit Center for Innovation.  They expect to break ground on the project in 2023.

 

 

 

David Whitney Building Hotel Builds On And Rebrands

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The David Whitney Building will soon be renovated and rebranded. It will become an Autograph Collection hotel and expand to 160 rooms. According The Roxbury Group, the building will lose 24 of the apartments but leave 80 residences on the top seven floors. The hotel rooms will be renovated, along with the lobby bar, atrium lounge and outdoor seating. The building’s event space will become restaurant space. Renovations will being this summer. The project’s budget is undisclosed.

 

 

Home Costs Rise As New Building Permits Dip

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As interest rates and materials costs rose, the number of single-family home permits in metro Detroit fell in April.  The number of permits across Detroit Metro counties dropped to 303 in April from 414 in March. That’s a 27% drop. When compared to April 2021, they number of permits dropped 31%.  Builders whose business was split between commercial and residential projects have seen it flip to entirely commercial. They cite rising costs, interest rates and supply chain issues. Buyers don’t have the money to cover the rising costs during actual construction. In addition, there aren’t enough workers to keep up with labor demands.

 

 

Pharmaceutical Company Rises in Grand Rapids

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Perrigo, the private label over-the-counter pharmaceutical company, is opening its new North American headquarters in Grand Rapids. The company chose Grand Rapids over Chicago and Miami in hopes of benefitting by joining other health care-focused companies and research facilities in the Grand Rapids area. West Michigan is home to 60,000 health science jobs, 428 health science companies and 83 medical device manufacturers.  This concentration has impacted the community, with doctorate-level jobs at six-figure salaries.

Northville Downs Developer Pitches Reduced-Housing Plan

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The proposed Northville Downs development continues to work through the municipal approval process. Hunter Pasteur Homes has been meeting with the Planning Commission on a plan that would bring in excess of 440 units of housing to the horse racing track site. The development would include 38 single-family homes, 98 townhomes, 28 carriage houses, 62 row houses, 172 apartments and 43 condominiums. A third of the site’s acreage would be designated to parks and green space, along with commercial space. The 11-acre northern portion of the Northville Downs site has been sold to Perennial Northville LLC, an affiliate of Hunter Pasteur.

 

Detroit Metro Office Construction Costs Soar to Unprecedented Heights

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According to a new report from the Chicago-based brokerage JLL, the construction costs of new office space in metro Detroit has increased by double digits, in excess of 25 percent in some cases. This is in keeping with the trend across North America with costs increasing 22.9 percent year over year.  The trend includes a 25.4 percent increase in hard costs, 20.8 percent increase in soft costs, 22 percent increase in FF&E and a 12 percent increase in tenant factors. The increases are caused by spikes in material costs, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. The rising construction costs are unprecedented.

 

Suburb Home Values Outpace Urban Areas

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The suburban real estate market is winning the property value race against the urban market. Up until June 2021, urban homes were gaining dollar value more quickly. However, after July 2021, home values in the suburbs rose faster due to the shift to remote work. Urban home values have continued to accelerate, but suburban home values are edging them out.

 

Grand Rapids College Negotiates For New Public Safety Training Site

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Grand Rapids Community College is eyeballing 47 acres on which to build a major public safety training facility. The GRCC board of trustees is negotiating for property near the corner of Bristol Avenue and Three Mile Road in Walker.  GRCC had looked at a number of sites in and around Grand Rapids before setting its focus on the Walker property. GRCC staff is excited by the prospect of bringing additional training and continuing education to its students and those already in the public safety career field.

 

Detroit Metro Area Rent Hikes Impact Wallets

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Young consumers and people of color continue to struggle with rent hikes. Housing costs is a component of measuring inflation. Last month, the shelter index rose at its fastest year-over-year pace since April 1991.  Rent increased 4.8% in April over the last 12 months. The U.S. inflation rate hit 8.5% in March over the last year. The rising costs for housing and shelter are worrisome, and rent is expected to be significantly higher in 2022.