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Downtown Royal Oak Main Art Theatre’s Days May Be Numbered

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The 80-year-old Main Art Theatre in downtown Royal Oak could soon be demolished. An A.F. Jonna Development LLC affiliate has submitted plans to tear down the theater and replace it with a 5-story mixed-use building. The developer will appear before the Planning Commission on April 12 to present plans for a new 71-foot building that would include 9,200 square feet of commercial space. A restaurant and a retailer would split the space. The 2nd floor would accommodate 31,000 square feet of office space. The third through fifth floors would include 54 new residential units.

 

The Mall at Partridge Creek Faces Receivership Sale

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The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township is facing new ownership. Its current owner, Florida-based Starwood Capital Groups, is struggling to make debt payments. The timeframe for the sale is unknown, and the company has declined comment. Starwood bought both Fairlane and the Mall at Partridge Creek in 2014. They’ve fallen into receivership and under new management in the past several months due to unpaid CMBS loans. The current balance is about $120.7 million as of last month, up from $89 million in August.

28th Street Mega Mall Site Repurposed as B2 Bargain Bin

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The 28th Street Mega Mall site will once again welcome customers. B2 Outlet stores has transformed the site into a B2 Bargain Bins location. They’ve updated the 76,000-square-foot space to include new walls, restrooms and polished concrete floors. The new store will open on Tuesday.  The concept of B2 Bargain Bins is different than the company’s traditional outlet stores. Prices start at $6 on Tuesday and fall each day until everything sells. The store is closed on Sunday and Monday for restocking.

 

 

Madewell Retailer To Close in Downtown Detroit

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Women’s apparel retailer Madewell is permanently closing its story in downtown Detroit. The 1426 Woodward Avenue location will close on March 27.  Madewell is a brand owned by J. Crew Group, which underwent a Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in May 2020.  After the Detroit store closes, Madeell will still have three locations in Michigan, including one at the Somerset Collection in Troy.

Metro Detroit Celebrates It First New Department Store In a Decade

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Bucking the trend of department store closings, the first department store grand opening was celebrated this weekend. It is the first in more than a decade. Von Maur’s new store at The Village of Rochester Hills officially opened this weekend. It is the retailer’s first new store since 2008. The new Von Maur store is located at 400 N. Adams Road.

Abandoned Fisher Body Plant To Be Redeveloped

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The Fisher Body Plant No. 21 in Detroit will be repurposed into more than 400 apartments and will include retail space.  Fisher 21 Lofts is a $134 million project that will be up for site approvals later this spring. Redevelopment could start late next year and be completed by 2025. The project would include 433 for-rent apartments. Twenty percent of those would be set aside for below-market rents. It would also include 28,000 square feet of commercial and retail space and 15,000 square feet of co-working space.  The former auto body factory has been abandoned for 30 years.

 

Oakland Mall Sale Expected To Close This Month

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Mario Kiezi, a Troy-based real estate investor and developer, is under contract to purchased Oakland Mall for an undisclosed price. Kiezi’s plans for the mall are unknown.  Letters have been sent to the mall’s tenants informing them of the pending ownership change. Tenants include TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, DSW, Michaels, and Planet Fitness. Once the sale finalizes, it will be the second suburban mall to sell in March. The sale of Fairlane Town Center is also expected to be finalized this month.

 

Detroit’s Retail Scene Is Transforming

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There has been an almost 11 percent increase in the amount of retail space in the five-county area over the last 15 years. Despite the redevelopments of shopping centers and malls and the bankruptcies of big retailers like Neiman Marcus and JCPenney, the region has added 25.5 million square feet of retail space. Retail has adapted from brick-and-mortar stores to fulfillment centers, and food-related and experience-related establishments. The growth in retail space and the increase in overall spending are contributing to retail’s successful adaptation.

 

 

Woodward West Nears Completion

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Construction crews continue to make steady progress on Woodward West, the five-story apartment building in Midtown Detroit. The residential and retail development has already started pre-leasing and should be completed this summer.  The development will add 204 apartments and 25,000 square-feet of retail space to the Midtown community. The first floor will consist of retail space.

Amazon Fresh Grocery Stores Are Taking Their Sweet Time

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Construction on the Rochester Hills Amazon Fresh grocery store has stalled. In fact, work has stalled on three of the four Amazon Fresh stores in the region, Shelby Township, Rochester Hills and Troy. Construction at the Livonia location continues. Although Amazon has never confirmed it’s opening branded grocery stores in the region, sources point to site plans that were submitted to the four communities over the last year. Sources also believe that Amazon is waiting until early 2023 to open all the locations at once.