Michigan Real Estate News

Timely  |  Relevant  |  Informative

Harper Woods Developer Buys Cleveland Apartment Project.

Harper Woods-based developer American Community Developers Inc. purchased and has renovation plans for a 484-unit apartment project in Cleveland.  The company specializes in the buying and rehabilitating affordable housing. Cleveland’s Rainbow Terrace was built in the 1950s and sits on 31 acres. The units are a mix of garden-style apartments and townhouses for low-income families. The company paid $8.55 million and expects to spend about $18 million on upgrades and deferred maintenance.

 

 

First Merchants Corp. Closes On Level One Bank Acquisition

The Indiana-based lender First Merchants Bank acquired Level One Bank in November. The acquisition has cleared its legal hurdles, and First Merchants Corp.  closed on the $323.5 million purchase. The full integration of Level One into First Merchants is expected later this year. The combined bank is one of the 10 largest banks operating in Michigan. Patrick Fehring, Level One CEO, is expected to retire after the completion of the merger, but will join First Merchants’ board of directors next month. The combined bank will have 126 banking offices in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.

Affluent Atlanta Neighborhood Self-Segregates

The affluent Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead wants separation from Atlanta. Spikes in crime across the city are contributing to the fear, but racial division plays a part. Buckhead is a majority-White neighborhood, while Atlanta has a Black majority. Should Buckhead gain its cityhood, it would drain revenue from a critical tax base and deepen the residential caste because residents often support policies like exclusionary zoning and neighborhood school boundaries.  These practices lock others out of community advantages.