Royal Oak

WA3 announces winners of Woodward design contest

By Newsroom

●

March 5, 2009

The Woodward corridor’s best and brightest took home some new hardware last week when the Woodward Avenue Action Association gave out its 2009 Woodward Corridor & Design Awards.The awards recognize the best in development & design, business and community activism along the Woodward corridor. This year’s winner include: Winners of the 2009 Woodward Corridor & Design Awards are: Best New Neighbor with a budget more than $500,000 - Curis Enterprises for Shops at Woodward Place in Highland Park Best New Neighbor with a budget less than $500,000 - Anita’s Kitchen in Ferndale Best Transit Oriented Design Plan - City of Birmingham for the Triangle District Best Planning Vision - City of Ferndale for its Master Plan 2008 Best Historic Preservation - Detroit Opera House in downtown Detroit Woodward Treasure - Michigan State Fairgrounds/Michigan State Fair in Detroit Best New Byway Asset - The Night Move in Ferndale Best Small Business - The Majestic Theater in Detroit Seeds of Change Community Action - Enrico Rosselli who is the owner of La Dolce Vita in Detroit Corporate Citizen of the Year - Comerica Bank Government Service Agency of the Year - Michigan Department of TransportationSource: Nicole Brown, outreach and promotions coordinator for the Woodward Avenue Action AssociationWriter: Jon Zemke

Dogs now allowed in new Royal Oak dogpark

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

March 5, 2009

Dogs have their own place to run and play in Royal Oak these days, and that new home away from home should be done by spring.City officials hope to complete the dog park in Mark Twain Park soon after the winter weather breaks. Part of the fence of the park is up now and temporary fencing encircles the rest of the park."People are using it right now," says Margaret Whitfield, a Royal Oak resident who is helping organize the dog park creation efforts.A grass-roots group of local residents pushed to have the park created and raised the $15,000 needed to build it on the city's northeast side. The park will let canines run without a leash but still under the supervision of their owner. Royal Oak does have a couple of dog runs, but nothing big enough for high-speed cavorting, chasing tails and retrieving Frisbees. Whitfield also points out that fees to use the park will allow it to pay for itself relatvely quickly. The park will also serve as a place for the community to come together around their dogs."People bring out chairs and tables," Whitfield says. "People end up becoming friends with people they never knew before."For information on helping make Royal Oak's dog park a reality, click here or send an email to ro-dogrun@comcast.net.Source: Margaret Whitfield, Royal Oak resident organizing the dog park creation effortsWriter: Jon Zemke

What kind of downtown does Royal Oak want?

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

March 5, 2009

Born to be wild? Or not? That's the question Royal Oak city officials want to know about the city's downtown. Would the possible introduction of a bistro license turn up the volume on the city?Excerpt:For some, new bistro licenses could be a way to let already established local businesses add beer or wine to their menu. For others, a bistro license should include the option for a full liquor bar. And for others, bistro licenses are a way of allowing quiet restaurants to serve booze, and keep out the bigger bars that may change a town from quaint to wild. One-hundred seats or less is about what Andrzejak, for now, considers good bistro licenses."Each commissioner has a different perspective on bistro licenses," Commissioner Mike Andrzejak said. "To some, there's a misnomer that the goal is to bring more smaller liquor establishments into the city. That's not my desire. I see it as a defense against the next mega-bar proposal."Read the entire article here.

Oakland County pushes new home buyer program

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 26, 2009

Oakland County officials are trying to help solve the foreclosure crisis and its ripple effects by getting people to buy into it.The county is sponsoring a new homeownership program that will hold a workshop Saturday morning in Waterford. The idea is to get low- to moderate-income families to buy some of the vacant, foreclosed homes in the county. The program hopes to help mitigate housing and blight problems while preserving local tax base.Oakland County officials see the low prices created by the crisis as an opportunity to create new homeowners from people who weren't able to afford their own place in a more successful economy.The county plans to make this possible with no-interest loans for down payment assistance, closing costs, home improvements or other financing for home-buyers who pre-qualify for a fixed-rate mortgage. The loan can represent at least 51 percent of the purchase price while the county will finance up to the remaining 49 percent of the purchase and rehabilitation costs up to $100,000 as long as home-buyer puts down at least $2,000. The money to make this possible is coming from the foreclosure money provided by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program late last year. Other cities have focused this money on things like demolition while Oakland County is focusing on preserving its local building stock, a.k.a. tax base.The workshop will be held at 9 a.m. in the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Rd., just west of Telegraph Road. Registration is not required. For information, click here or call 248-858-1529. Source: Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke

Royal Oak’s Bastone reinvents itself during economic hardships

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 26, 2009

Bastone, one of Royal Oak's biggest and most popular restaurants, had to switch a few things up to stay one of Royal Oak's biggest and most popular restaurants. Excerpt: Ritchie says Bastone is one of the largest restaurants in downtown Royal Oak and in order to help it through the recession, it needed something of a makeover. So he created a new menu that was easier to afford and less European than the menu that first got he restaurant noticed. “We eliminated 19 items and added 19 items to the menu,” Ritchie said. Gone were some expensive entrees, replaced with less expensive items. “We added more comfort food,” he said, noting the new menu includes items such as thin crust pizzas, grilled cheese and a macaroni cheese dish. Read the entire article here.

Royal Oak dog park taking it to the next level

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 26, 2009

Royal Oak's Mark Twain Dog Park has been so successful that city officials are thinking about opening up a second one. In the meantime they are improving this one. Excerpt: The Royal Oak City Commission approved installing two security systems, one at the front and one at the back of the park, plus offer year-round park passes and keys to residents and non-residents. It's estimated that 75 percent of park users are residents. Each year, 500 annual passes will be offered. Residents get first dibs at a cost of $40 per year. After a 60 day time-period, non-residents will have the chance to purchase the pass for $65. Keys to the park will be sold for $10 each. Each pass will be activated for 365 days upon purchase. "Our park functions well, people love it. This takes is to the next level," City Commissioner Mike Anderzejak said. Read the entire article here.

Royal Oak’s Publicity Works hopes to add 5 people

By Newsroom

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 26, 2009

Publicity Works is growing in downtown Royal Oak because it's taking traditional public relations work and infusing it with the power of the Internet.The 12-year-old company moved to downtown three years ago and has grown to half a dozen staff members, an intern and an extensive network of freelancers. It added two people in the last year and hopes to add another five within the next year. It's been able to do this by raising it revenues 20 percent in recent years."If I can stay on that growth pattern I would be very excited about it," says Lisa Maas, president and owner of Publicity Works.New media is responsible for fueling that growth. The firm is utilizing traditional public relations tactics and combining them with Internet strategies, incorporating websites, social media and analytics to enhance the reach for its customers.Source: Lisa Maas, president and owner of Publicity WorksWriter: Jon Zemke

Double Lives: Lisa Lisa

By Tanya Muzumdar

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 19, 2009

Yo, listen carefully and you'll understand her name isn't a repeat or skip of the record. Detroit DJ Lisa (Lisa) Orlando mixes law and lyrics in a double shift – and has the duplicate names to prove it.

Inside Metro Detroit

By Metromode staff

●

Arts & Culture

●

February 19, 2009

Metro Detroit is big. Really big. And not all scenes are created equal. Finding the right restaurant, the right nightclub, even the right place to buy naughty underthings can be daunting. Metromode feels your pain. That's why we created our Insider Guides. Come on in and we'll explain it all to you.

Beaumont Hospital nurtures patients – and patents

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

February 19, 2009

Royal Oak-based Beaumont Hospital's new commercialization center helps to bring new medical devices to life.Excerpt:Beaumont offers services from prototype development and real-world testing to regulatory approval preparation. Unlike similar efforts usually on a university level, the Beaumont Commercialization Center is a for-profit endeavor that offers access to a high-volume hospital system."The end goal is better products for Beaumont, as well as others," said John C. Shallman, director of strategic business development for the commercialization center. "We can bring to bear actual clinical, practical, economic decisions ... into the design process."Read the full story here.