Riverfront Hotel Plans Pivot to Apartment Development
/in Detroit /by Tracy WillisThe Detroit-based City Growth Partners LLC has scrapped its plans for boutique hotel rooms in a Detroit riverfront development. The $136 million vision for the property now includes 478 apartments instead of an original 360 apartments and 120 boutique hotel rooms. The revised number of apartments will make it one of the largest new multifamily projects in Detroit. The development will still include retail space. The Detroit Economic Growth Corp. board will have to sign off on the changes to the development plan because it is publicly-owned land. The changes have yet to be presented to the board.
Detroit Metro Municipalities Flip to Renter Communities
/in SE Michigan /by Tracy WillisInkster, 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.
InvestNext Raises $4.3 Million In Venture Capital Financing
/in National, SE Michigan /by Tracy WillisInvestNext Inc., a software firm backed by Detroit billionaire Dan Gilbert, has closed on a venture capital financing round to the tune of $4.3 million. The company’s software goal is to help investors and fund managers keep track of pertinent details and documents involved in real estate investments. Hyde Park Venture Partners, Detroit Venture Partners, Whitecap Venture Partners and Grand Ventures participated in the funding round. InvestNext Inc. now has more than 18,000 active investors and has paved the way for more than $.4 billion in transactions.
Corktown Parking Deck Sold for $15.6 Million
/in Detroit /by Tracy WillisThe Ford Motor Company sold a 1,250+ space parking deck for an estimated $15.6 million. Howard Luckoff, Jim Ketai and the Rakolta family who make up the Corktown Mobility Hub LLC purchased the property. Devon Industrial Group is currently constructing the deck. It should be finished by the second quarter next year. Ford will hold the master lease for the garage, and Luckoff and Ketai’s Vokal Ventures will operate it. According to Richard Bardelli, Ford’s construction manager in Corktown, the sale is in keeping with Ford’s plan to bring on development partners. The deck includes an autonomous vehicle testing area, e-bike and e-scooter stations, charging stations for electric vehicles and automated payment technology and smart guidance systems.
Detroit’s Revitalization Could Have A New Focus
/in Detroit, National /by Tracy WillisThe global pandemic has turned many things upside down. The office markets around the U.S. are one of those things. Congress may offer developers incentives to repurpose old office buildings into residential, institutional, hotel or mixed-use spaces. While Mayor Mike Duggan has come out in support of the Revitalizing Downtowns Act, area developers do not have active plans to utilize it should the law be passed. The number of Detroit’s residential units lags behind other downtown areas. The legislation isn’t limited to downtown redevelopments but could be used to convert old office properties in the suburban locations into new uses as well.
Chaldean Community Foundation Plans Affordable Housing Projects
/in SE Michigan /by Tracy WillisThe Chaldean Community Foundation has broken ground on its first mixed-use affordable housing site and has another$25 million project in the works. The Macomb County site which got under way on Friday, Oct. 1, will bring 135 apartments and street-level retail to Sterling Heights. It’s a beginning toward addressing the long-term housing needs of almost 1,000 families who go to the foundation for assistance. It will include 9,000 square feet of retail for the Chaldean community. The foundation is negotiating a purchase of more than 6 acres in Farmington Hills for a new Chaldean Community Foundation Campus. The Farmington Hills campus will house a new office for the Chaldean Chamber, a satellite office for the foundation and a senior living center.