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Dearborn Mayor Has High Hopes For Fairlane Town Center

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The Dearborn Mayor hopes to turn the Fairlane Town Center site into the “heartbeat of our city.” Affordable housing and green space are only two of the many possibilities that could reinvigorate the mall. He wants to brainstorm with business leaders to improve the space. Mayor Hammoud envisions an affordable housing project, a public health project, an environmental sustainability project, and a flood mitigation project. He wants to pitch ideas to area developers to formulate a plan that will utilize the available city, county and state resources.

 

 

Detroit To Spend Pandemic Relief On Commercial Demolition

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Detroit plans to spend $95 million over the next four years to get rid of or improve vacant business structures across the city. The efforts will use more than 10% of its federal COVID-19 pandemic recovery monies on commercial blight remediation. Previously, the city’s blight removal focus has been more on residential than commercial. The American Rescue Plan Act dollars is changing that. The effort isn’t just about removal, but about preparing for opportunities that will come after demolition.

 

 

Popular FM Radio Stations Find New Home in Eastern Market

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The building at 2529 Orleans St. in the Eastern Market will soon be the new home for the studios and offices of iHeartMedia Inc. The $24 million redevelopment will house radio stations Channel 95.5, 97.9 WJLB,100.3 WNIC, 106.7 WLLZ, Mix 92.3 FM and the Black Information Network on 1130 AM. Mojo in the Morning, Jay Towers, Bush Man, Dr. Darrius, Ya Girl and Doug Podell and Trudi Daniels will all work and broadcast from the Orleans St. location. Production and other staff will also be housed in the building. The build-out is expected to be finished in May. iHeartMedia studios and local space are currently located in Farmington Hills at 27675 Halsted Road.

 

 

Detroit’s Commercial Property Transactions Lower Than National Average

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Nationally, commercial property transaction volume broke records last year. But in metro Detroit, that was not the case. Last year wasn’t a bad year for property deals in Detroit; there were $1.9 billion in sales across 3,678 deals. 2021 was the fourth-highest year since 2006. Low cap rates, inflation hedging helped to fuel the surge in commercial acquisitions. Property buyers are expecting appreciation in the next few years. Rent growth in multifamily apartments and the industrial, warehouse and distribution sectors are also adding to value growth.

 

 

Northville Downs Property Sparks Heated Exchange

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The Northville Planning Commission met for 3 1/2 hours to discuss The Downs planned development’s preliminary site plan. The meeting ended with a motion to table the discussion until the commission’s next meeting on February 15. The commission’s contract with the Northville Community Center, where the meeting was held,  expired at 10:30 p.m. The meeting included a 23-minute presentation by city planner Sally Elmiger, an approximately 70-minute site plan presentation by Hunter Pasteur, a 32-minute period when commissioners asked clarifying questions to the developers and roughly 48 minutes of public comment regarding the site plan. Hunter Pasteur CEO Randy Wertheimer addressed the commission and stated that ending the meeting without a vote was unacceptable. Commissioners countered that more time was needed for further discussion.

 

 

Google Joins Ford as Founding Member of Michigan Central

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Technology giant Google announced on Friday that it will be part of the mobility district at the former Michigan Central Depot in Corktown. Ford has emphasized that the campus will be a collaborative district where other companies will work on mobility products and services. Google’s involvement will focus on workforce development for local high school students and job seekers. It will also provide cloud technology for Michigan Central’s mobility projects, including a new Code Next Lab to teach computer science to high school students. Google is also partnering with local nonprofits to offer a career 3-6 month certification designed to equip participants with skills for in-demand fields. Ford will recognize the certificate and consider program graduates for jobs.

 

 

 

 

Bedrock CEO Shares Ways to Attract Innovative Talent to Detroit

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According to Bedrock CEO, Kofi Bonner, Bedrock has an opportunity to grow a globally significant innovation district in the heart of Detroit. The Detroit area has the land, talent and necessary capital to sustain growth. Bonner cites advantages in next generation technologies that impact mobility, defense, clean energy, cybersecurity, fin tech, agricultural science and life science sectors. Over the last ten years, Rocket Companies and other finance and technology companies distributed throughout the Bedrock portfolio have completed the first phase of a “business-led” downtown district. The next growth phase will emphasize attracting special units of higher education, advanced global research institutions and technology labs, as well as contain programming to build close relations between scientists, companies and startups.

 

 

 

Rochester Community Schools To sell Historical Administration Building

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Rochester Community Schools is selling a 4.43-acre parcel of land and a 133-year old historical building. The RCS Administration Building is a three-story structure that contains 89,716 square feet of gross building area. Purchase proposals must be submitted in writing by 5 p.m. on March 28. The original building was built in 1889. The last renovation of the building took place in 1988. A community committee studied options for the future of the building and its artifacts. The committee determined the process a prospective buyer will follow to bid on the property, and it’s also focused on identifying artifacts for preservation.

 

 

Union Street Space Listed for $7.5 Million

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Mario Kiezi, owner of the former Union Street Detroit restaurant and the Midtown Liquor & Deli store, has listed the property for $7.5 million. He has listed it with O’Connor Real Estate. He originally envisioned converting it into a grocery store. Those plans may still come to fruition as two regional grocers have recently toured the building. The two-story building is situated at Woodward Avenue at Willis Street. The first floor has had various commercial uses in the past, and the top floor has been empty since the 1960s when it was used for eight residences.

Posh Storage Units Coming to Petoskey and Charlevoix

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Petoskey and Charlevoix are gaining new high-end and climate-controlled storage units. Developer Aston Clark is building the Toy Box Luxury Storage Units. The warehouses will be between U.S. 31, between Petoskey and Charlevoix. Each unit will have heat and air conditioning, a bathroom, a kitchen, loft  and balcony with views of the lake. The 2,300 square foot units will be available starting May 4.  According to the Michigan Self-Storage Association, the demand has gone up for storage in Northern Michigan.