Shipping Container Homes Coming to Ypsilanti Township
Darius Smith, a local developer and founder of ASJ Homes and the “What’s Up Detroit” show, has plans for at least two luxury homes built out of shipping containers, in Ypsilanti Township. He plans to have one of the homes built by this summer, which will start at $250,000. Incorporating the shipping containers, which he gets from California, keeps building costs down. The unit he’s building this year will use 6 containers to create a 1,600 square foot 3-bedroom, 2-bath home. Smith has also designed a container micro-hotel, along with a cryptocurrency utility token.
Weekly Brief – March 29
Michigan’s two largest metro areas are exceptionally different.
I had the opportunity to spend time in the Grand Rapids metro area in the past week. Metro Grand Rapids development is reminiscent of the sprawl in metro Detroit in the 1990s through the early 2000s. New subdivisions and neighborhood shopping centers are under construction in many areas of metro Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids remains in a growth and sprawl mode.
The Detroit metro area, on the other hand, has matured in its development. Development in metro Detroit (excluding, perhaps, northern Macomb County and the far western edges of Oakland and Wayne Counties) is infill or reuse. Redevelopment, rather than new development, is the primary project.
Grand Rapids still has plenty of greenfield development. Those developments have the potential to be less expensive to develop, as there is less assemblage to negotiate, and fewer legacy development issues to resolve (such as utility relocation).
Grand Rapids may, in a few decades, have to deal with the reuse and infill development issues that Detroit currently confronts. However, for the time being, development in metro Grand Rapids raises entirely different issues than development in metro Detroit.
Single-Family Zoning Issue Divides Ann Arbor City Council
The Ann Arbor City Council is embroiled in a debate that has turned ugly. The city is poised to end single-family zoning, say several council members. Others disagree. The council voted to make it easier for more than 20,000 homeowners to put up a secondary home. These structures are sometimes known as carriage houses or granny flats. Removing additional single-family zoning restrictions could potentially increase affordable housing and reduce segregation and urban sprawl. However, the council disagrees on how to accomplish this goal, as well as how aggressively to pursue it.
Times are Changing for U.S. Malls
/in National /by Tracy WillisU.S. malls are reeling as restaurant and retail tenants struggle to stay open for business. Coresight Research data predicts that a quarter of U.S. malls could close over the next 3 to 5 years. Simon Property Group, America’s biggest mall owner, said that its 2020 fourth-quarter revenue dropped by 24%. However, experts think the Simon Property Group does not stand to be the biggest loser as its more distressed competitors will close their doors. Simon expects to see gains from its new additions of hotels and luxury residences.
Plans Resuscitated for Restoration Hardware Flagship Store
/in SE Michigan /by Tracy WillisThe Birmingham planning board will meet on March 24 and review a proposal that revives plans to bring Restoration Hardware to downtown Birmingham. A new 4-story building is proposed for the southwest corner of Old Woodward Avenue and Brown Street. The site is across the street from the new Daxton Hotel. The current buildings at the site would be demolished. After construction, the site would feature a new 54,000-square-foot building with Restoration Hardware as its anchor tenant. In addition, the development would have a top-floor restaurant and 24-space underground parking.
West Michigan Lakeshore Office Market Remains Stable
/in Western Michigan /by Tracy WillisCompared to larger cities like Chicago or Detroit, the West Michigan lakeshore office market has remained stable through the pandemic. Still, commercial clients are conservative. Some are downsizing their office footprint or relocating to a smaller downtown area, like Holland, so they can still offer a physical business site with nearby amenities when they need to conduct in-person business. Medical office, insurance and financial sectors are particularly active in the lakeshore markets.