The Blake Family of Companies is Expanding

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The Blake Family of Companies has completed a $1 million redevelopment project. Blake’s Backyard in Almont has been expanded to a multi-purpose, year-round retail and entertainment venue. A 10,000 square foot taproom offers Blake’s Hard Cider, beer and wine and includes indoor and outdoor seating. The existing greenhouse and nursery were renovated and include fruit trees available for purchase. Blake’s Backyard includes an expanded fresh market that offers breakfast items such as bagels, avocado toast and breakfast sandwiches, along with coffee and baked goods, and a U-pick farm where customers can pick their own fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Future plans for the property include hosting events such as gardening workshops, happy hours and live music. The venue can also be rented for private events.

 

Eviction Ban Reversal Upsets Lobbyists

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Housing lobbyists are upset about President Biden’s decision to revive the eviction ban. The President’s unexpected move to reinstate the federal eviction moratorium is a political loss for the National Association of Realtors and its industry allies who say they were excluded from discussions on the ban with the White House. Despite millions of dollars in contributions, industry trade groups felt the sting of betrayal from progressive lawmakers. The eviction ban fight is making its way through the courts.

 

Musicians Learn to Transpose Their Skills

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Across Metro Detroit, many musicians have migrated from the stage to the realty office. They’ve found that real estate requires a lot of people skills, collaboration, being OK with a constantly changing schedule and multi-tasking, not unlike the moxie it takes to play with a band. They also love the flexibility that being a real estate agent allows. Being a musician is far from a 9 to 5 job. It requires long hours, time on the road, and resourcefulness, similar to what it takes to be a successful realtor.

Pandemic Affects Real Estate Trends in 2021

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The pandemic continued its influence over real estate trends in 2021. The construction costs soared due to supply chain interruptions and work shortages. Consumers shifted their shopping habits to online and demonstrated less tolerance for retail service disruptions. The discussion of how to increase open public spaces moved to the forefront. City residents migrated to the suburbs because of the opportunity to work from home. Affordable housing became scarce. Rents increased and home inventories plummeted. Industrial and distribution properties continue to look like promising investments, along with single-family rental homes.

Detroit Property Receives A Big Facelift

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A small 1970s vacant and outdated Detroit building received a big makeover. Located along the Qline, between Campus Martius and Hart Plaza and near the 40-story Guardian Building, the building at 511 Woodward Avenue is now home to Michigan’s first Capital One-branded coffee shop with prospects for future restaurant and office tenants. Businessman Zaid Elia completed the $18 million-plus redevelopment which includes an outdoor patio, floor-to-ceiling windows and a slightly expanded footprint. Each floor plate is 7,500 rentable square-feet, making it a good fit for office tenants who may need less space than before COVID-19.

 

 

 

Proposed Livonia High Rise Apartment Complex Meets Resistance

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A proposed apartment complex development south of Wonderland Village in Livonia has neighbors up in arms. At a recent planning commission meeting, several residents spoke out against the project. The site is owned by Livonia-based Schostak Brothers. The request for the property would be to change the zoning from C-2 General Business to R-8 High Rise Residential. Residents have taken issue with the redevelopment of the site for years, but recent concerns include the appropriateness of a high rise apartment complex in the middle of a shopping center development with tenants having visual access into neighborhood backyards. The developer asked the commission to table the proposal to a future date, in order to work on additional details of the development.

CDC Mask Policy Reversal Throws Wrench

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The CDC recently took a step backward with its mask policy. Research on the Delta variant is the cause of the reversal. They now recommend that people should wear masks indoors, at least in areas where the coronavirus infection rate is high. The announcement throws a wrench in companies’ return-to-office plans. Many brought workers back, allowing fully vaccinated employees to go without masks. Companies with national footprints may decide to have a consistent mask policy across all offices and sites. The reversal in policy may also cause more corporate vaccine mandates.

 

 

 

Eviction Moratorium Expiration Leaves Renters in a Lurch

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The federal eviction moratorium was scheduled to end on Saturday at midnight, leaving renters to face uncertain futures as they search for housing. Homeless shelters have been adding beds in anticipation. According to a Census Bureau survey, 3.6 million people think they will be evicted within the next two months. The moratorium protected struggling renters in public or private housing if they could prove they had lost income during the pandemic. The moratorium ends when only a small part of the Congress-approved rent assistance has been distributed.  Some states have eviction moratoriums that will extend past the federal one.

 

 

Affordable Housing Options Scarce in Michigan

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According to a report released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a two-bedroom apartment in Michigan is unaffordable for minimum wage renters…unless they work 77 hours a week. Affordable housing was an issue prior to the pandemic, and the economic upheaval has only made it worse. Lawmakers are doling out billions of dollars in emergency rent aid, but experts agree that this is only a short-term fix. Communities need more affordable housing options. With the eviction moratorium expiring, evictions are expected to increase, making it tougher still for displaced tenants to find a place to live. Governor Whitmer plans to use $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars to create 2,000 new affordable rental homes, with funds going toward grants and loans for development, preservation of existing housing and security deposit assistance.

 

 

 

Southfield Homeowners Level Accusations of Exploitation

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Former homeowners are accusing Southfield and the Southfield Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative LLC of exploitation. They assert that the company made millions from tax-foreclosed homes over a three year period of time. The company made as much as $10 million from 138 properties after paying more than $2 million in back taxes to acquire the properties. The city has partnered with the company to take homes in the foreclosure process before they go to county auction. A class-action lawsuit in Detroit’s federal court accuses the company and the city of Southfield of taking equity away from former homeowners without reparations.