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$5.8 Million in Grants Awarded to Detroit Projects

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The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) awarded brownfield grants and loans to the Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (DBRA), the Southwest Housing Solutions Corp., the American Indian Health and Family Services, and Detroit’s Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED). Brownfields are areas where reuse is complicated by contamination issues. DBRA will use $1 million in EGLE brownfield grants to fix contamination at the former American Motors Corporation headquarters. Southwest Housing Solutions Corp. will use the grant monies to remediate an entire block of contaminated land into a new development that will provide affordable housing. The American Indian Health and Family Services will build a new community health and wellness center in southwest Detroit. The city of Detroit will use the $450,000 it was awarded to transform vacant parcels of land for a residential redevelopment project. BSEED will use its grant to assess contamination, remove an underground storage tank and install a ventilation system if removal of the contamination is impossible.

 

 

 

Developer Plans 250-Unit Project For Grand Rapids’ Celebration Village

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Victory Development Group is planning a 250-unit mixed use project in Grand Rapids’ Celebration Village. The developer is seeking a planned redevelopment district amendment for Celebration Apartments, a mixed-use apartment project it is proposing. The Grand Rapids City Planning Commission will hear the request on January 12. Victory Development group will ask for a change in use or character of the development, an increase in residential density, and an increase to five stories from the maximum allowable building height of four stories. The project would be located on the only remaining vacant parcel in the Celebration Village commercial development. Victory Development Group is the firm behind the 280 Ann and Victory on Leonard apartment projects on Grand Rapids’ northwest side.

 

Amazon Fresh Stores Slated for Plymouth and Dearborn Communities

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Plymouth and Dearborn are slated to be the new homes for two new Amazon Fresh locations in metro Detroit. The stores bring the total number in the region to nine. One is being built in a strip plaza at the corner of Ann Arbor and Haggerty Roads in the Plymouth Towne Center retail development. The other is destined for the former Kroger Co. grocery store space at 23000 Michigan Ave. Construction on the Plymouth location began in the fall and is expected to be finished late spring/early summer of 2023. The two stores are anticipated to open in unison.

 

Proposed Mixed-Use Development in Roseville Brings Hope and Criticism

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Hawasli Homes is planning a multi-story, mixed-use development on a 1.2-acre vacant site on Utica Road. The site once held the Tip-Top Bar. While unanimously approved by the Roseville City  Council on Tuesday, the plan is not without controversy. Neighborhood residents say the 81,000-square-foot building will be too out-of-place in the residential area. They want its height to be capped at two stories. The four-story building will be one of the tallest buildings in Roseville. The first floor of the building will be utilized for commercial purposes like a deli, a UPS store, a studio, etc.  The site will include 166 parking sites and studio-sized, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Critics of the plan worry that the number of parking sites exceeds the city’s requirements and that the project will increase traffic on the two-lane Utica Road. City officials hope the proposed development will transform downtown Roseville into a transit- and pedestrian-friendly location.

Grand Rapids Booms With New Projects

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Grand Rapids is close to a achieving a record number of new developments. Despite supply chain issues, inflated costs and interest rates, and labor shortages, the city reported big numbers for new private investment in 2021. According the Grand Rapid’s Economic Development Director, it’s set to outpace 2021’s record again this year. Although its 2022 outcomes won’t be reported until the first quarter of 2023, the data is obvious. Although the city wants to retain the companies that have found their home in Grand Rapids and attract new ones, its biggest issue is an a housing shortage across all price points. Nine projects are in the works for 2023, promising to bolster Grand Rapids’ economy. They include business incubators, a community kitchen, co-working and retail spaces, a healthcare facility and a few affordable housing projects.

 

Metro Detroit’s 2022 Commercial Real Estate Update Impresses

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In the past year, the Ilitch family and billionaire development mogul Stephen Ross announced their partnership to build the Detroit Center for Innovation. Since then, no construction has started. Whether or not the plans come to fruition is up in the air. There are currently 10 projects in the works outside of the DCI. They include business incubator space, new office and residential towers, and hotel space. Altogether, $1.5 billion in projects are waiting in the wings. That figure doesn’t include the DCI which would cost $250 million, funded in part with a $100 million earmarked in the state budget.

 

Gilbert Trades Out Brokerage Firms On Hudson’s Project

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Billionaire Dan Gilbert has hired the local office of New York City-based brokerage house Newmark to attract tenants to the new office space he’s building at Woodward and East Grand River avenues. The move marks a switch from the brokerage he had retained previously. The $1.4 billion Hudson’s site project is probably the highest and largest profile in the city, as of late. The market for office space has taken a beating because of the COVID-19 pandemic, pummeling sites like the Renaissance Center, Meridian Health and Compuware Corporation. The leasing of Gilbert’s 400,000 square feet of new build office space faces a challenging market.

 

Emagine Is Moving To Walsh College Troy Site

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.Emagine Entertainment Inc. is moving its headquarters to the Walsh College campus in Troy. The company has leased the second floor of the college’s facility for three years. The building includes an on-site gym, showers, and conference space. Emagine’s Chariman Paul Glantz hopes the amenities will entice workers to come back tot he office. Emagine has hired several Walsh interns and graduates and hopes the new environment will lead to finding and hiring more talent. The company will make the move in January.

 

Grand Rapids and Grand Haven Receive State Funding For Contamination Cleanup

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The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has awarded a $1.73 million brownfield cleanup grant to Grand Rapids and Grand Haven. The monies will be used for three residential and mixed-use projects on properties contaminated by gas and oil. Grand Rapids’ Boston Square Together is one of the projects that will benefit from the grant, enabling the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to address the environmental contamination on the site. The monies will also be used for future commercial condominiums in Grand Haven and a planned residential development in northeast Grand Rapids.

 

New Apartment Building Proposed for Detroit’s Midtown

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Greatwater Opportunity Capital has proposed a new four-story, 57-unit apartment building next to the existing fire-damaged Brainard Apartments. After a February 2020 fire, Greatwater acquired the Brainard Apartments and the site next to it that is home to two unused solar panel arrays. The panels once supplied some electricity to the Brainard Apartments, but since the fire, the panels have stayed off. The developer is almost finished with the Brainard Apartments’ rehabilitation. Greatwater plans to remove the solar panels to make way for the new building that will include studio and one-bedroom apartments as well as ground-floor commercial space.