Detroit Update

[Allan]

The revitalization continues! There are currently 1,190 residential units proposed, approved, or under construction in the city of Detroit. This is good news for a city that has seen next to nothing in the way of residential development since the 1980s. And this also means that Detroit could meet or surpass its goal of having 2000 new residential units Downtown by the time the Superbowl comes to town in 2006. There were also 450 units completed last year...so things are on the upswing.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Book-Cadillac Hotel Redevlopment

The historic Book-Cadillac Hotel is currently being renovated to contain 480 hotel rooms on the lower floors and 80 apartments on the upper floors. There will also be new shops & restaurants at street level. The hotel will be run by Marriott International and will be renamed Renaissance Book-Cadillac Hotel. It will be completed in 2005 at a cost of $160 million. Go here to see what the hotel was like before redevelopment began...it wasn't pretty.

Metropolitan Building Renovation

The Larson Realty Group is renovating the Metropolitan Building into 60 condos & retail space.

Kales Building

The 18 story Kales Building on Grand Circus Park is being renovated into 119 loft apartments, ranging in from 650 to 1100 square feet in size. It will be completed in late 2004.

Lofts @ Woodward Center

The 6 story buildings at 1424 & 1448 Woodward Avenue are being converted into 61 loft apartments. The project is nearing completion, with many of the lofts already occupied.

Merchant's Row Lofts

Eight 1910s Buildings on Woodward Avenue are being converted into 163 lofts & 28,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.

APPROVED

Pick-Fort Shelby Renovation

One of Detroit's historic hotels, this buildings is finally going to be renovated. It will contain two hotels, a 140-room Holiday Inn Express and a 110-room Staybridge Inn suites hotel, as well as condominiums. The number of condos will be between 34 to 78 condos, depending on how large the condos are.

Hotel Eddystone

The 14 story building been purchased by Jim Wickenheiser & will be converted into 60 condos.

River East

A $ 2-billion mixed-use development proposed by G.M.When complete in 10 years it will house office towers(Compuware will open some offices in this development too), a parking garage, corporate fitness center, restaurants, stores and about 200 townhouses and condominiums on land surrounding the Renaissance Center.

UDM Downtown Law School

The University of Detroit Mercy has recently announced an estimated $160-million deal to build a new law school, high-rise residential tower and parking deck at its downtown campus. The project will include a new law school and library near the site of its existing law campus on Jefferson Avenue and a combined parking and residential twin-towers that would rise about 25 stories on what is now a surface parking lot. Although subject to change, the UDM plans now include about 170 rental units and parking for some 1,400 cars, about half of which would be leased for employees of EDS, the computer services company that recently moved into the nearby Renaissance Center. The law school's current main building, a landmark 1890 structure designed by noted Detroit architect Gordon Lloyd, would be converted into 30 condominiums. The timetable calls for the first phase of the work -- a 10-story parking garage with a spiral ramp -- to be completed by early 2005 just to the north of the current law school on a surface parking lot between Larned and Congress, the source said. About two 15 stories of residential apartments would be built atop the parking structure. The downtown campus today consists of the law school building facing Jefferson Avenue, a 1977 addition opening onto Larned, and the wedge-shaped surface parking lot to the north between Larned and Congress. Tentative plans call for the new buildings to be built on the site of the parking lot and perhaps to bridge Larned to connect with existing or new buildings. In addition to its downtown campus, UDM plans to enhance its main campus at McNichols and Livernois.

Farwell Building

Witherell Corp. of Detroit owns the building and plans to redevelop the building into 50 residential lofts.

Book Building

The owner of the Book Building has the intention to turn the Book Building into 150 apartments. Around January she began moving tenants from the Book Building into Book Tower. Since then, the Book Building has had walls built in preparation for apartments as well as to close it off from Book Tower. Taxes are now paid on two seperate buildings. She is currently working with friends and developers to come up with a feasible plan to make it happen.

Lafer Building Redevelopment

The Lafer building at 1323 Broadway, which is currently owned by the DDA has been awarded to Mercier Development. It is planned to be turned into about 13 market rate lofts with possible retail for the ground level.

Central United Methodist Church Apartment Tower

Tentative plans call for 107 rental apartments to be built in the 15-story tower, complementing another 33 rental loft units that will be built in a church annex, which is being gutted and renovated. Eventually, the rental units are expected to convert to condominiums. All units will be market rate, probably several hundred dollars a month, rather than subsidized.

PROPOSED

David Broderick Tower Renovation

The owner of this 34-story downtown landmark hopes to convert the building into 100 apartments.

Completion: Unknown

David Whitney Building

Yamasaki Associates is conducting a feasibility study to transform the vacant, yet well-maintained, David Whitney Building in downtown Detroit into 200 apartments.

**parts of this update were taken from detroitman's update on SSP**

[ClevelandNO!]

ummm...are you detroitman?

[Allan]

ummm...no. I just borrowed some of his update

[ClevelandNO!]

well gee, don't you think you should give credit where credit is due, whether all or part is his work?