Book Mansion Hits Market Soon

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The James Burgess Book Jr. mansion on East Jefferson Avenue will most likely hit the market for sale in the very near future. The property has been taken back by a foreclosing lender. The 1911, 12,000-square-foot building had been owned by Historic Book House LLC. The approximate $1.245 million mortgage is from December 2016. Soaring Pine Capital Real Estate and Debt Fund II are the lenders. The deadline to redeem the property by paying $937,006 plus interest is January 29. According to a Soaring Pine representative, that is unlikely to happen. The occupants had planned to hold orchestral concerts for the Ars Poetica Chamber Orchestra and give music lessons to pay back the loan. Unfortunately, those plans went by the wayside with the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Auburn Hills’ Volkswagen Building Sells to Redico

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Southfield-based Redico LLC and New York City-based Mavik Capital Management LP have bought the Volkswagen of America Inc. building in Auburn Hills.  The building at 3800 Hamlin Road sold for an undisclosed price. Details of the structure of the joint venture are not public. Volkswagen had considered moving its Auburn Hills operations to Southfield but opted to sign a new lease in the building that had been owned by MAK Real Estate Investment Inc. Once the new lease was signed, MAK Real Estate Investment began exploring putting the building up for sale. The building sits on 19 acres.

 

Walbridge Fills Up Warehouse and Begins Work on a Second

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With Detroit-based Walbridge Group’s new warehouse in Lyon Township utilized by a German auto supplier, the construction company has begun putting up another warehouse. Webasto Roof Systems Inc. has leased the Lyon Distribution Center I. Distribution Center II is under construction with 150,000 square feet of building space to be complete in the next 12 months. Walbridge owns the 515-acre property that encompasses both sites. Of that 7.6 million square feet under construction, 86 percent is bulk warehouse and distribution space.

Landmark Trees To Be Cut For Ann Arbor Subdivision

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In an 8-3 vote, Ann Arbor City Council has agreed to the controversial Concord Pines development. National homebuilder, Toll Brothers, will cut down hundreds of landmark trees to develop a 57-home luxury subdivision. Some argue that the development is not in keeping with Ann Arbor’s sustainability goals. The 30+ acre site includes land owned by Concordia University. Out of 447 landmark trees, 311 will be cut down, as well as 450 of the 741 low-level woodland trees.

Fairlane Town Center and The Mall at Partridge Creek Change Management

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Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn and The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township are now being managed by Syracuse, N.Y.-based Spinoso Real Estate Group LLC. Spinoso is marketing the two malls for lease. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Partridge Creek was under financial stress when Starwood Capital Partners defaulted on a $725 million loan that included the shopping center and three other mall properties in Michigan. It recently entered receivership. Fairlane Town Center entered receivership last year.

Self-Storage Real Estate Sector Is On Fire

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The self-storage industry has rebounded from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As people make room in their homes for remote job environments, the home sales market drives an increase in storage needs. Restaurants and offices look for places to stash extra furniture to accommodate social distancing needs. The demand for self-storage is high. With self-storage vacancies down, the rent is also high. However, the self-storage market may be hitting a saturation point. Experts raise concerns about whether Detroit’s population can support an overbuilt self-storage market.

Development Team Buys Auburn Hills and Canton Township Sites

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The development team of Farmington Hills-based Friedman Real Estate and Southfield-based General Development Co. has bought 40 acres of land in Auburn Hills for $3.7 million and 18 more acres in Canton Township for an undisclosed price. This is the same team behind the Oakland Technology Park in Auburn Hills. The team plans to build about 740,000 square feet of new build-to-suit space with 390,000 square feet in Auburn Hills and 350,000 square feet in Canton. The Auburn Hills site is at the former site of the Oakland County Animal Control. The Canton site is in the Canton Industrial Park south of I-275 and east of Warren Road.

 

Detroit Metro Municipalities Flip to Renter Communities

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Inkster, Pontiac and Auburn Hills were once communities where the majority of residents were homeowners. According to U.S. census data, analyzed by the apartment search website RENTCafé,  the municipalities have shifted to become majority-renter communities. Port Huron and Hazel Park are close to having more renters than homeowners, too. The changes occurred in each city as foreclosures jumped and home values dropped. The increase in suburban rentals may be because people are delaying home purchases.

Troy Property Sells for $34 Million

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A Baltimore buyer, the Continental Realty Corp., has purchased Oakland Center and Oakland Square for $34 million. The property at 14 Mile and John R roads is across from Oakland Mall. It totals 392,000 square feet and is 87% leased by tenants that include TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, DSW, Michaels and Planet Fitness.

Michigan Renters & Landlords Still Wait For Relief

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Nearly two-thirds of metro Detroit residents are still behind on their rent or mortgage, despite the millions of dollars in federal funds that have been sent to provide relief. Many face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months. Michigan allocated $425 million through the end of September through the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance program. Thousands of people are still looking for aid. According to a census survey, 64 percent of metro Detroit residents are not current on payments for their homes.