The Fifth Royal Oak fills residential, commercial space
Source: metromode, 6/25/2009
The Fifth Royal Oak is now full, from top to bottom, and all of its doors will be open by mid-July.
The iconic tower on Washington Street near the Royal Oak Music Theatre
has either sold or leased all of its residential and commercial space.
Jimmy Pallazolo has leased 4,200 square feet of space for his salon, a 20-year-old institution in downtown. It is expected to open by July 10.
The
rest of the 78 residences in the 18-story high-rise are now occupied
and the fitness room for the residents is set to open on July 10, too.
Even though The Fifth Royal Oak started out as a for-sale development,
the plummeting real-estate market forced the developer to include
rentals and now it is mostly filled with renters.
"That's really where the market is today," says John Hanna, co-developer of The Fifth Royal Oak. "The lease market is pretty hot."
One
of the swankiest developments in downtown Royal Oak, this city landmark
is also one of its tallest buildings and offers some of the most
luxurious high-rise living spaces in Metro Detroit. The Fifth Royal oak
offers dramatic views that sweep across southeast Michigan.
The
residential units start at the seventh floor and continue to the top.
All of the homes feature amenities, such as floor-to-ceiling windows
and inset balconies. The condos vary between one, two and three rooms.
The second through sixth floors are dedicated to parking. Each unit
comes with a heated, indoor parking space.
The project is
being spearheaded by Michigan developers John and Jack Hanna of Chrysos
Development & Management Co. For information, call (248) 591-5432.
Source: John Hanna, co-developer of The Fifth Royal Oak
Writer: Jon Zemke
Multi-use apt building proposed for Birmingham
Source: metromode, 6/25/2009
More living options are coming to the
center of the city of Birmingham. Bingham Farms-based Hughes Properties
is proposing to build almost 100 apartments in an urban building at the
northern edge of the city's Triangle District.
The site is the
old Hamilton Funeral Home on the southeast corner of Maple Road and Elm
Street. The developer wants to level the existing suburban-style
structure and parking lot so it can construct an urban style apartment
building on the 1.8 acres. The 4-story dwelling will be shaped like an
L and feature 96 apartments, including some live-work units.
Hughes Properties originally proposed building the 100-condo The Regency at Elm
on the site in 2007. That development, geared toward senior citizens,
also included space for a restaurant, offices and other residential
amenities. The for-sale condo project floundered with the housing
market.
It's not known whether the new project will also be
geared toward senior citizens. Attempts to reach Hughes Properties for
comment on the new plans proved unsuccessful.
Source: City of Birmingham
Writer: Jon Zemke
Work moves forward on Dearborn's Bryant Library
Source: metromode, 6/25/2009
One of Dearborn's architectural gems is about to welcome a bit of new life - a new welcome center.
The city is investing $175,000 to turn the ground floor of the Bryant Library branch into a welcome center, community conference room and new home for the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce.
The building will be completely redone; however, crews are saving the baseboard and trim around the windows so a fresh coat of varnish can be added. Work is expected to wrap up by the end of July.
"Some of the final touches are being done with the woodwork," says Cindy Grimwade, project manager for the Bryant Library renovation.
The first floor of the circa-1924 building has been vacant and generally unused for years. The renovation, funded by the state's Cool Cities program, is expected to help breathe more life into the corner of Michigan Avenue and Mason Street. The library branch will continue to operate on the second floor of the building.
Source: Cindy Grimwade, project manager for the Bryant Library renovation
Writer: Jon Zemke
Rochester takes steps to create new park
Source: metromode, 6/25/2009
Rochester is taking the first steps in a long journey toward creating a new park on the city's south side.
The
Planning Commission expects to begin forming zoning for parks,
recreation, and open space at its July 8 meeting. This would allow the
city to switch the zoning of its old wastewater treatment plants from
industrial to the new classification, clearing the way to create a park
there.
"In our master plan it's listed as a prime location for a
park, recreation or open space," says Jaymes Vettraino, city manager
for Rochester.
The
site, which is several acres in size, housed the city's wastewater
treatment plant for several decades until the mid 1990s, when it was
decommissioned. Most of its buildings and tanks have either been razed
or filled in. One building remains and is used by the fire department
as a training and record storage facility.
The rest of the area is open space. It's also near the Clinton River and the Clinton River Trail.
Source: Jaymes Vettraino, city manager for Rochester
Writer: Jon Zemke
Night Move bus opens new service in Detroit's city center
Source: metromode, 6/25/2009
The Night Move is no longer singular. The
popular weekend express shuttle between some of Metro Detroit's most
vibrant downtowns now has a companion shuttle called The Loop.
The Night Move
goes between downtown Royal Oak, Ferndale and Detroit on Fridays and
Saturdays. The Loop will focus on moving between hot spots in Detroit's
downtown and Midtown neighborhoods on Friday and Saturday nights.
The
Loop will stop at the Town Pump Tavern/Centaur, Bookies Bar and Grill,
Greektown, Wayne State, Traffic Jam and Snug and MGM Grand between 6
p.m. and 3 a.m. It costs $5 for an all-night pass.
"We'd like to
eventually run this bus for free," says Jennifer Harlan, marketing
director for The Night Move, adding that accomplishing that requires
more sponsorships from area establishments. "That's the end goal."
The Night Move runs on biodiesel and is owned by Chris Ramos.
Source: Jennifer Harlan, marketing director for The Night Move
Writer: Jon Zemke
Wayne County racks up $26M in neighborhood stabilization funds
Source: metromode, 6/25/2009
The words green demolition would seem
mutually exclusive at first glance, but Wayne County will take a stab
at making them a reality this year.
It is preparing to start a
pilot program that calls for the deconstruction and recycling of
abandoned homes instead of the normal process of bulldozing them and
dumping what's left into a landfill or the Detroit incinerator.
The new program trains people how to deconstruct these homes to their
foundations, recycling the details, metal, and wood everywhere from
scrap yards to architectural warehouses. The foundations will then be dug up and recycled.
"We hope to hit the ground running within 60 days," says Jill Ferrari, senior executive project manager for Wayne County, who is overseeing the program and supervising its use of federal neighborhood stabilization funds.
The
county has been awarded $25.9 million to buy, rehab and demolish
foreclosed structures. It recently received the first $3.9 million from
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Source: Jill Ferrari, senior executive project manager for Wayne County
Writer: Jon Zemke
Birmingham recognizes innovative projects with historic awards
Source: metromode, 6/25/2009
The Birmingham Historic District Commission's
Awards recognized some of downtown's biggest recent projects, including
the renovation and expansion of the Briggs Building and 203 Pierce, the
home of Toast restaurant.
These
are the sorts of projects where the developer choose to repurpose
old structures into something newer and better. Too often Metro Detroit
businesses looking for new or more space choose to raze and build anew.
It's a far from sustainable practice. The owners of these two buildings
went down a different path, especially the Briggs Building developer.
"They
actually took a look at that and said, 'We need more space but we have
a great building,'" says Sheila Bashiri, city planner for Birmingham.
"They basically recycled the building."
Ted Fuller's company
breathed new life into the historic structure at the corner of Old
Woodward Avenue and Maple Road by adding a third floor and filling in
an adjacent parking lot with a 5-story addition.
The overall
project, which is fully leased, adds 62,000 square feet of space and
175 parking spots. Approximately 42,000 square feet is dedicated to
Class A office space, 10,000 square feet is set aside for retail and
the remainder is luxury apartments. A parking deck is behind the
building.
The original Briggs Building was built as a 2-story
office/retail building in 1930. The adjacent lot served as a surface
parking lot for decades.
Source: Sheila Bashiri, city planner for Birmingham
Writer: Jon Zemke
Midtown spreads its 'Where Life is Art' message
Source: Model D, 6/25/2009
Art is more than something people look at in Detroit. It's part of the Motor City's Midtown neighborhood brand.
Excerpt:
University Cultural Center Association has teamed with Lovio George to create a comprehensive district brand for Midtown.
Meeting with stakeholders, visitors, and business owners led the branding team down a path that works to emphasize the cohesiveness of the neighborhood -- and what makes it unique. "We got a sense of what core values [are here], what makes Midtown different than anywhere in the region, or anywhere in Detroit, for that matter," says Jim Boyle, vice president of integrated marketing for Lovio George. "We are developing a language for how Midtown talks about itself -- the major message is 'Where Life is Art.'"
Read the rest of the story here.