Pontiac sells Silverdome to Canadian developers
Source: metromode, 11/19/2009
One of the major millstones has been removed from the city of Pontiac's neck now that the Pontiac Silverdome has been sold.
The
sale frees the city, which is in receivership, of $1.5 million in
annual maintenance costs for the former NFL stadium. The city has been
trying to broker a sale of the stadium and surrounding property at the
corner of I-75 and M-59 ever since the Detroit Lions left it in 2002.
That led to the recent no-reserve bid auction hosted by Williams & Williams.
A family owned real-estate company based in Toronto came in with the
highest bid of $583,000. The Silverdome was built for $55.7 million in
taxpayer money in 1975.
"We recognized the problem and made the
tough decision to base the sale on reality rather than dreams of higher
sale prices and procrastination," Fred Leeb, the Emergency Financial
Manager for the city of Pontiac said in a press release.
The
80,000-seat stadium and surrounding 127 acres primarily served as the
home for the Lions until the team left for Ford Field in downtown
Detroit. The Pistons also played a few seasons there. Its field also
sported a Super Bowl and World Cup soccer matches.
Source: Williams & Williams
Writer: Jon Zemke
U.S. DOT names Woodward an All-American Road
Source: metromode, 10/22/2009
Woodward Avenue has always been known as
Michigan's Main Street, so it should be a no-brainer that it's now an
All-American Road. That's the conclusion the U.S. Dept. of
Transportation came to this week.
Woodward is now one of 37
byways in the U.S. that is designated as an All-American Road, part of
the U.S. Dept of Transportation's National Scenic Byways Program.
Staff at the Woodward Avenue Action Association expect the new
designation to bump up tourism and investment dollars along the
corridor.
"It raises the profile of Woodward Avenue not only in
America but around the world," says Nicole Brown, outreach and
promotions coordinator with the Woodward Avenue Action Association.
What
sets Woodward apart is its heritage as the home to the U.S. automotive
industry. Historic places like the Ford Piquette Plant (where the first
Model Ts were made) in Highland Park show the area's importance in the
story of the United States. New signage describing this history and the
new designation are expected to be erected along Woodward next summer.
"It's always the story the road tells that can't be duplicated anywhere else that sets it apart," Brown says.
Source: Nicole Brown, outreach and promotions coordinator with the Woodward Avenue Action Association
Writer: Jon Zemke
Pontiac puts Silverdome up for final auction
Source: metromode, 10/15/2009
The white, err… silver, elephant in Pontiac's room appears to finally be on its way out.
The
city has begun the auction for the Pontiac Silverdome. A deal for its
sale and redevelopment is expected to be nailed down later this year.
The online auction, which ends Nov. 12, can be found here.
The
Silverdome has been a millstone around the city of Pontiac's neck ever
since the Detroit Lions left it for Ford Field earlier this decade. A
number of proposals have been developed and floated over the years, but
all eventually floundered while the city paid millions to maintain the
building.
Pontiac was taken over by an emergency financial
manager earlier this year to help straighten out the city's books. One
of the first things on the agenda was to move forward on resolving what
to do with the 80,000-seat stadium and surrounding 127 acres.
The stadium was built in 1975 for $55 million at I-75 and M-59. It
served primarily as the home of the Lions for 27 years. The Pistons
also played a few seasons there. A Super Bowl and World Cup soccer
matches also passed through the facility.
Source: City of Pontiac and Williams & Williams Commercial Real Estate
Writer: Jon Zemke
New $60M surgical pavilion opens in Pontiac
Source: metromode, 10/1/2009
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland grew in downtown
Pontiac after recently opening a new $60 million surgical pavilion on
the east side of its hospital on Woodward Avenue.
This is the
first phase of a two-phase expansion of the hospital. The surgical
pavilion is comprised of a dozen operating suites totalling 50,000
square feet in size. Eight of these rooms will house their first
surgeries next week. The operating rooms were originally located in the
main section of the building that was constructed in 1927.
These
surgical suites are about double the size of the current operating
rooms and feature a wide array of video capabilities for diagnostic
imaging display, teaching, consulting, and medical records. There are
also ceiling-mounted surgical booms that eliminate tripping hazard and
accidental power losses by keeping cords off the ground.
The
addition also has a number of green features, including super energy
efficient LED lights that produce far less heat for the same amount of
light. The heating and cooling systems are much more energy efficient,
and other processes conserve both energy and water usage.
St
Joseph Mercy Oakland has 443 beds and serves as a teaching hospital. It
was founded in 1927 by the Sisters of Mercy and is now part of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System.
Source: Saint Joseph Mercy Health System
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County dedicates new, old Lady Justice statues
Source: metromode, 8/27/2009
The sheet will come off Oakland County's Lady Justice, both the new and old versions, on Tuesday in a public ceremony.
The
Oakland County Courthouse will unveil the new statue that will stand
guard at the court's entrance in downtown Pontiac. It will also feature
a new marble base that will support the piece of public art.
"We'll
have the original out there as well," says Steven Stanford, an Oakland
County project coordinator for facilities engineering.
The
year-long project began last year when harsh weather damaged the
original 105-year-old statue, ripping off the scales and cracking her
arm. The Fine Arts Sculpture Center in Clarkston recently conducted a
$40,900 restoration of Lady Justice.
A
long life outdoors has weakened her zinc statue frame to the point that
it must be indoors to survive. The original statue will be kept on
display inside the courthouse for the remainder of its life.
A
new bronze copy of the statue will replace the original in the
courthouse's south plaza. The county also replaced the stucco base with
one of marble to match the courthouse's exterior.
The county
bought the 9-foot-tall statue in 1904 from W.H. Mullins, a Salem,
Ohio-based statue manufacturer. She stood guard in front of the old
Oakland County Courthouse until 1962, when the building was demolished.
After spending the next two decades in storage, she was returned to the
plaza in front of the new courthouse.
Source: Steven Stanford, project coordinator for facilities engineering at Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County workshop focuses on green downtowns
Source: metromode, 8/13/2009
The last of three workshops aimed at the revitalization of downtowns in Oakland County is set to go down on Friday, August 14.
The
"Lead Your Downtown from Brown to Green" workshop will focus on
tackling sustainability issues, such as historic preservation and
eco-friendly development.
"As the title says, we're trying to
take downtowns from brown to green by letting them (local stakeholders)
know what they can do in this economy," says Bob Donahue, executive
director of Main Street Oakland County.
A
number of topics, including how to make best use of brownfield sites,
effective historic preservation, and how to incorporate green-building
practices, such as LEED standards, will be covered. Other subjects will
include tapping into farmers markets, the cost-effectiveness of LED
lights, and how best to employ urban forestry.
Main Street
Oakland County is encouraging local architects, planners,
preservationists, developers, city officials, and community activists
to attend. The cost is $75 per person. The workshop will be held
between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Oakland County Executive Office
Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, west of Telegraph,
in Waterford.
Source: Bob Donahue, executive director of Main Street Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke
Woodward Avenue to get $116,000 in façade improvements
Source: metromode, 7/30/2009
The Woodward Avenue Action Association is ready to spend some big money to put new faces on Michigan's Main Street.
The
non-profit has $116,000 at its fingertips for facade improvements of
structures along the Woodward Corridor from the Detroit River to
downtown Pontiac. WA3 is taking applications for facade-improvement
projects until Aug. 14.
About $45,000 of those funds comes from
the city of Detroit and will be used to improve facades along Woodward
between 6 and 8 Mile roads. The rest comes from the National Scenic
Byway, courtesy of the federal government. The $71,000 can be used for
the entire stretch of Woodward.
"This is the second phase of the grant," says Nicole Brown, outreach and promotions coordinator for the Woodward Avenue Action Association.
The
first phase of the grant, awarded earlier this year, gave tens of
thousands of dollars to a number of communities along the Woodward
Corridor. Among the winners were the New Center Council
for facade improvements, the city of Pontiac for new trees and
landscaping at the entrance to downtown, and to the University of
Detroit Mercy and Bloomfield Hills for landscaping improvements.
For information on the grants, call (248) 288-2004.
Source: Nicole Brown, outreach and promotions coordinator for the Woodward Avenue Action Association
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County pushes for land bank to deal with foreclosures
Source: metromode, 7/30/2009
Oakland County is beginning to publish
its stock of foreclosed buildings electronically to prepare them for
auction. However, at least one Oakland County official would like to
see this process changed -- with a land bank.
Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner
sees a number of things wrong with the auction process. It's why he is
pushing for Oakland County to form a land bank, as many other Michigan
communities have done, to handle its problem properties.
"There are some perils with the auction approach," Meisner says.
For
instance, speculators are scooping up large batches of these homes and,
at best, turning them into rentals. More than people like to admit end
up falling further into blight and becoming eyesores, weakening what
were once otherwise strong neighborhoods. Meisner says this sort of
speculation is the junk food of the real estate market, supplying
short-term profits at the expense of long-term investment.
"We're rolling up our sleeves and trying to get families in those houses," Meisner says.
He
adds that a land bank gives local officials the power to package
parcels and sell them to a developer or even ensure that individual
buildings end up in the hands of local residents. Right now he is
trying to build up awareness about the idea, and hopes to begin a
legislative push for one later this year.
Source: Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner
Writer: Jon Zemke