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Sterling Heights City Council Approves Lakeside Mall Redevelopment Plan

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Following two hours of discussion, the Sterling Heights City Council approved a redevelopment plan that will raze Lakeside Mall.  The proposed Lakeside Town Center project will include 150,000 new square feet of retail and dining space. Miami-based Out of the Box Ventures will tear down the shopping center and replace it with more than 2,800 residential units, and new retail, office and hotel space over the course of 12 years. The project has a $1 billion price tag. A $45 million public bond will be issued to pay for public infrastructure improvements at the site located at Hall and Schoenherr roads.

 

New Costco Business Center Is On The Horizon

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The planned Costco Business Center in Southfield is one step closer to happening. Southfield City Council approved Contour Companies LLC’s sale of the property at the southwest corner of the former Northland Center site. When complete, it will be Michigan’s first Costco Business Center. The center would be geared toward small businesses, restaurants and the hospitality industry. Michigan’s Costco Business Center would be one of 15 located in the United States. Project demolition has started, and framework for the buildings has begun. The overall plan will bring more than 2,800 housing units to the site.

 

Michigan Landlords and Tenants May Be Facing Big Changes

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The State Court Administrative Office has proposed new rules that would affect eviction cases. The proposal includes an option for online pretrial hearings in eviction cases, a tenant requirement to give landlords 48-hour notice if a jury trial is desired, a requirement that tenants be served in person if the landlord wants an immediate default judgement, the creation of a minimum 7-day window between pretrial hearings and trials, and the ability for tenants to get an automatic stay if they’ve applied for rental aid. The aim is to allow more time for commercial and residential tenants to pay what is owed when they fall short. In some cases, this will lengthen the eviction process. The intent is to continue the advances that were made during the pandemic. The rule changes are in a public comment period until Tuesday.

 

Developer Plans Lakeside Mall Transformation

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It is expected that Sterling Heights City Council will vote on Tuesday on Lionheart Capital’s “Lakeside City Center” proposal for the Lakeside Mall. The mixed-used development plan includes residences, parks, a hotel and office space, and retail and dining space. The Miami developer says the project could provide an estimated $1 billion to the region over a ten-year span. The property on Hall and Schoenherr roads will host more than 2,800 multi-family apartments (including some senior housing, and 150,000 square feet of retail and dining space, 60,000 square feet of office space, as well as a 120-room hotel. About 30 acres will be donated to the city for park, streetscape and infrastructure.

 

 

Detroit Developer Revamps Plans For Grand Rapids’ Furniture Company Property

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Detroit developer, Sturgeon Bay Partners is revamping its plan for a huge apartment complex southwest of downtown Grand Rapids. The previously announced plan was to convert the historic Sligh Furniture property into a mixed-use development with residential, retail and commercial spaces. The project’s current price tag is at $100 million due to rising construction costs and interest rates. The developer is revising its plans for the concept design and mix of incentives. The original plan was to create a mixed-use devlopment with 753 apartmes, a five-story parking garage and ground-floor retail space.

 

432-Unit High Rise Planned For Grand Rapids

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Spire Investment Properties and Krika Development are proposing 432 market-rate apartments at the southern edge of downtown Grand Rapids. The McConnell is a 10-story, 336,835-square-foot development that covers three lots. The two out-of-state investors hope to build a food hall, microbrewery or distillery, an outdoor lot for food trucks and shipping container-retail  stores. The development would spread over three parcels. They have not disclosed the project’s budget. The developers are seeking special land-use approval from the Grand Rapids Planning Commission to sell alcohol, food and retail at the site.

 

Detroit Apartment Building Opens With Help From Detroit Housing Fund

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Detroit city officials, along with developers, celebrated the opening of The Charlotte, a renovated apartment building with 28 units. The apartment building is the first project backed by a $75 million private investment fund that was created two years ago to aid developers in building more affordable housing in Detroit. The redevelopment cost $3.19 million and is part of seven projects in the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund pipeline. A $2.55 million loan from a fund managed by the Detroit branch of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation helped bankroll the project. The fund has supported 269 units already completed or in progress.

 

Demolition of Historic Detroit Theater Makes Way for Parking Lot

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The Bagley Development Group has begun demolishing the historic United Artists Theater building in downtown Detroit. They are converting the attached office tower into 148 apartments. The space created by the theater’s demolition will provide parking to residential tenants. Detroit-based construction manager L.S. Brinker has partnered with Lansing-based construction manager Christman Co. to redevelop the office tower. Demolition of the theater is expected to take about 4 to 6 weeks. Homrich Inc. is the contractor on the building.

 

Cookie-Cutter Duplexes Could be Making a Comeback

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Remember pattern book or catalog homes? Returning to classic home patterns could increase the number of multi-family units across the state, potentially adding new housing and more density while new single-family construction slows down. The Michigan Municipal League is proposing pattern-book homes that take one back to the days of the catalog homes that were built across metro Detroit a 100 years ago. Pattern-book homes include blueprints for duplexes, triplexes and quads, creating lower-cost housing units in neighborhoods. According to the Michigan Municipal League’s program manager, pattern-book homes could fill the housing option gap. T

 

 

Free Legal Services for Low-Income Tenants Delayed

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A program to provide free lawyers to low-income Detroiters facing eviction is being delayed. The program was supposed to start October 1, according to the Detroit City Council ordinance that was enacted over the summer. Tenant advocates are voicing concerns over the delay, although legal services continue to be available through a statewide pandemic program. The ordinance offers legal representation in 36th District Court for tenants who are facing eviction and making below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. The city is working to produce requests for proposals and is working its way through the American Rescue Plan compliance process. Funding for the program would last for over three years.