Posts

New Mixed-Use Development Coming to Ferndale

/in /by

Ferndale’s Rosie O’Grady site is slated for redevelopment. The Ferndale Planning Commission has approved plans for a mixed-use development on the site. It will become the home to an Atlantic and Pacific seafood restaurant, a Mexican barbecue restaurant, office space, and 11 second story apartments. The one or two bedroom perimeter apartments will have balconies along with hot tubs and natural gas fire places. Apartments in the center of the building will have glass walls facing a private courtyard. The apartments are a requirement by the City and the zoning requirements in the Central Business District.

 

 

 

Detroit Landlords Are Given An Ultimatum

/in /by

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has given bad landlords an ultimatum. If they don’t clean, sanitize and restore damaged properties from last month’s flood, they’ll be fined $250 a day. The effort may not be enough in the face of the myriad of difficulties renters face. Year-long delays with home repair grants programs, mortgage challenges, over-assessed properties and a tax foreclosure operation have made things hard. For the first time in 50 years, renters outnumber homeowners, but with a high poverty rate and scarce renter’s insurance, renters are struggling after last month’s floods. They don’t qualify for most home repair programs, nor were they protected when their landlords were foreclosed and their homes were put on the auction block. Many Detroit landlords don’t keep their rental properties in good repair. Experts believe that renter-focused policies is the answer.

 

 

Rental Market Experiencing Inflation

/in /by

With people continuing to work virtually and relocating to less expensive cities, along with the influx of millennials and Gen Z renters, the rental market is beginning to surge as the economy reopens. Rent prices are up 7.5% nationwide, three times more than normal. Experts predict that rent prices will continue to climb. This could be a warning sign that higher inflation is here to stay longer than the federal government has predicted.

Detroit Midtown Development Gets a Boost

/in /by

Petit Bateau, a $31 million Midtown mixed-use development, received a tax break from the Michigan Strategic Fund. The fund approved a more than $247,000 state tax break to fund environmental decontamination. The 92-unit project also received $2.6 million from the city in tax abatements for decontamination work. Twenty percent of the development’s residential units are set aside for individuals at 80 percent of the area median income or below.

$30 Million HUD Grant Will Improve Corktown

/in /by

Detroit has been awarded a $30 million federal grant to add more mixed-income housing and improve neighborhood conditions in the Corktown area. The grants are designed to redevelop distressed housing, boost social services and improve public spaces. The grant will be used to replace the 87-unit Clement Kern Gardens Apartments with 841 units of mixed-income housing. The plan also includes more pedestrian-friendly streets, increased access to community amenities and training and employment opportunities.

 

Islandview Apartment Development to Occupy Former High School Site

/in /by

Construction will begin soon on the first part of a mixed-use development at the site of the former Eastern High School in Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood. The first phase is a joint venture between nonprofits GenesisHOPE Community Development Corp. and Lansing-based Cinnaire Solutions. The $10 million first phase will have 30 townhomes, a pair of pocket parks, a playground and a community garden. Rents for the two- and three-bedroom units in the first phase are between $769 and $1,083 per month. The second phase, which carries $10.2 million price tag, will include 30 more residential units and 3,000 feet of commercial space.

Developers Adding to Auburn Hills Business District

/in /by

Developers are building about 400 new apartments and nearly 50,000 square feet of office, restaurant, retail and commercial space. The main business district has about $55 million in new buildings that are under construction or recently completed. Interest in increasing more foot traffic and growing a walkable community are driving the developments. The hope is that by providing more residential housing options, people will realize the benefits of living in Auburn Hills.

Former Scripps Mansion Site Envisioned For Townhomes

/in /by

A trio of developers are planning 65 townhomes in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood. The $18.5 million development is at 3700 Trumbull St. between Selden and Brainard streets. The joint venture is a collaboration between Detroit-based Tekton Development, Detroit-based Civic Companies, and Bloomfield Hills-based Robertson Bros. The development would have 48 one-bedroom townhomes with about 1,300 square feet and 16 two-bedroom townhomes with about 1,600 square feet. Construction should begin in the fall and be completed within three years.

Apartment Complex Planned at Walker Golf Course Property

/in /by

The Walker Planning Commission recently approved a preliminary site plan for a 522-unit multifamily apartment complex at the English Hills Country Club property. Further,the Planning Commission also approved a rezoning request for the adjacent property at 1470 Four Mile Road NW. The rezoning request for the adjacent parcel is from agricultural to high-density residential. In addition to Planning Commission approval, that request will also need approval from the Walker City Commission. About half of the proposed apartments will be one-bedroom units. Forty percent would be two-bedroom units and 10 percent would be three-bedroom units. The apartment buildings will take up approximately 30 percent of the two properties, which total 142 acres. The average unit size is 1,000-square-feet.

Single-Family Zoning Issue Divides Ann Arbor City Council

/in /by

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.