Downtown Belleville set for some big developments
Source: metromode, 11/20/2008
Suburban Belleville's got big plans for some big buildings (at least by Belleville standards) in its downtown.
"We hope it will all come together to help bring people back to downtown," says Carol Thompson, director of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority. "We'd like to see our downtown become vibrant again."
The
plans call for building two mixed-use structures on Main Street and a
large Kroger about one block from the main drag. Although they're only
drawings on paper now, construction is set to move forward in 2012.
The
first building is planned for the corner of Roys and Main streets. The
Chase Bank building there will be replaced with a 3-story structure.
The ground floor's 11,000 square feet will be used for retail,
including space for a new Chase Bank. The second and third floors will
be used as residential space.
"Chase Bank is looking for a smaller footprint," Thompson says.
Another
3-story building will be built on Main between Third and Fourth
streets. The 20,000 square feet on the ground floor will be used for
retail space while the second and third floors are set aside for
residential space. It will replace a vacant lot and a couple of old,
mid-20th Century buildings.
The Kroger is set to be built at the
intersection of Charles and Third streets. The 73,000-square-foot
structure will be used only as a grocery store.
Source: Carol Thompson, director of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
Historic Loft Building set to open in downtown Royal Oak
Source: metromode, 11/20/2008
Work on the Historic Loft Building in downtown Royal Oak is in its "final stages," according to Mason Capitani, leasing agent for the building.
That means get ready for another viable, occupied and historically restored structure on the south side of downtown much sooner rather than later. Two of the tenants are moving into the building at corner of Harrison and Main streets.
Those two businesses, a medical group and a pharmacy, will occupy most of the ground floor space. The remaining 1,500 square feet on the ground floor is still available.
The second and third floors of the 3-story building are being turned into Class A office space. Each floor has 8,600 square feet of space. The space is being built as loft-style office space with exposed brick and utility lines.
The structure was originally built as a Ford car dealership nearly 100 years ago. It has housed a few other businesses, including a furniture store most recently.
Source: Mason Capitani, leasing agent for the Historic Loft Building
Writer: Jon Zemke
Locals work to preserve Mellus Newspapers Building in Lincoln Park
Source: metromode, 11/20/2008
Not
too long ago, one of the coolest newspaper names graced the top of 1661
Fort St. – The Lincoln Parker. Today, the name no longer stands
sentinel and the building sits vacant in downtown Lincoln Park.
However,
a group of local preservationists are trying to bring some of the glory
days back to what is commonly referred to as the Mellus Newspapers
Building.
"There's actually a lot of really good uses for it," says Leslie Lynch-Wilson, president of the Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance.
She
can see the building serving as home to new small business, such as
deli or bagel shop. One of the more intriguing ideas is using it as an
incubator for small businesses, such as a bead shop or computer repair
firm.
"For some of those little businesses starting out, all they need is a small 10 by 10 foot space," Lynch-Wilson says.
The 1940s building is on the National Register of Historic Places
and is an intrinsic part of the downriver suburb's history. Not only
did it serve as the home of Lincoln Park's local newspaper, the owner
of that paper William Mellus (whom the building is named after) was a
good friend with automotive entrepreneur Preston Tucker.
Local
preservationists think saving it and the adjacent Pollak (named after
Pollak Jewelers) building are an important step toward preserving
downtown Lincoln Park's heritage. The Mellus Newspapers Building still
has its original porcelain enameled Moderne commercial building exterior while the Pollak Building retains its terrazzo entrance sidewalk.
Source: Leslie Lynch-Wilson, president of the Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance
Writer: Jon Zemke
Oakland County to rehab, preserve foreclosed homes with $26 million
Source: metromode, 11/20/2008
Details are starting to trickle in about how Oakland County plans to put its $26 million in foreclosure funds to work.
The County recently received that money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's new Neighborhood Stabilization Program to deal with bad mortgages. It then released a plan on how to put those funds to use, which can be found here.
The
largest slices are heading to Pontiac ($3.5 million), Southfield ($3.2
million) and Waterford (a little more than $2 million). Oakland County
will now spread around nearly $10 million to Hazel Park, Oak Park,
Madison Heights, Royal Oak Township, Ferndale, Keego Harbor, Rose
Township, Ortonville, Holly Township, Lathrup and Lake Orion.
The
biggest slices of that $17.4 million pie will go to Oak Park and Hazel
Park ($1.6 million each) while the smallest ($400,000) will go toward
Lake Orion and Lathrup.
The rest will be focused on getting
people into foreclosed homes throughout the rest of Oakland County.
That includes help with securing down payments, lining up financing and
helping the new occupants rehab the homes.
"The county is
reserving some of it to help anyone who wants to purchase a foreclosed
home in any of our communities," says Karry Rieth, manager of the
community and home improvement division of Oakland County.
That
idea is to help local communities acquire and redevelop foreclosed
properties in danger of becoming (or remaining) blight. Some of the
money can be used to raze structures redevelop vacant properties.
Oakland
County Community & Home Improvement division will release
guidelines and application procedures in the near future. For
information, click here or call (248) 858-0493.
Source: Karry Rieth, manager of the community and home improvement division of Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke
Anton Art Center brings art to downtown Mt. Clemens with grants
Source: metromode, 11/20/2008
Art is widely regarded as a key component
to making a downtown district, and an overall community, vibrant. It's
a theory Mt. Clemens is adhering to as its Anton Art Center starts accepting applications for mini grants to assist local arts projects.
The
mini grants will pay for student art, art exhibits, film, readings,
performances, art workshops and restoring public art. The Anton Art
Center is teaming up with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs to offer the grants.
"It really helps us support the arts and culture center of the county," says Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority.
Although the deadline for the grant applications is set for Feb. 1,
a grant writing workshop will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Anton Art
center, 125 Macomb Place.
For information, Kanani Taylor at kananitaylor@theartcenter.org or (586) 469-8666.
Source: Anton Art Center and Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
Lincoln Park residents work to establish historic district downtown
Source: metromode, 11/20/2008
Lincoln Park residents are seeing dollar signs in historic preservation.
The
Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance is working to establish a downtown
historic district as a way to make the city's core more vibrant and
economically viable. That section encompasses northwest side of Fort Street between Southfield Road and Euclid Street and includes the Park Theatre and a neoclassical bank building, formerly National City Bank.
The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office determined earlier this month that it's eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The proposed North Fort Street Historic District is historically
significant because of its association with the development of Lincoln
Park's commercial life in the 20th century. It's rich with a number of
architectural styles exhibited between the 1920s to the 1950s.
Preserving this is a key part of reviving downtown Lincoln Park say some local residents.
"As
far as economics go there are certain incentives that would be
available for property owners," says Leslie Lynch-Wilson, president of
the Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance.
Those
incentives include state and federal tax credits for renovating
historic buildings. Those credits can take as much as 20 percent of the
rehab costs off the project. It would also allow the city's Downtown Development Authority to create a façade-improvement program, which would be similar to ones used in Metro Detroit's most successful downtowns.
The
Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance is preparing a nomination for the
proposed district to the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office in
Lansing. For information on the effort, contact Lynch-Wilson at
lalynch@wideopenwest.com or at (313) 598-3137.
Source: Leslie Lynch-Wilson, president of the Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance
Writer: Jon Zemke
Belleville DDA plans to install LED lights downtown
Source: metromode, 11/20/2008
Local officials in Belleville are working on a way to make the lights in the city's downtown shine brighter, longer and cheaper.
The Belleville Downtown Development Authority is planning to install LED lights in its streetlights in the next few years.
"It’s
in the DDA plan but we're still a few years away," says Carol Thompson,
director of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority.
The lights are expected to significantly cut the downtown's electricity expenses because LEDs
are more energy-efficient and longer-lasting. LEDs typically cut
electric bills in half because they use less energy,
predominantly producing light that is visible to the human eye. Normal
incandescent lights produce large amounts of ambient light that isn't.
The
technology is already widely used in traffic lights, TVs and brake
lights for cars; as well as those expensive flashlights at REI.
Ann Arbor is already in the process of installing them in its downtown
streetlights. Those lights are expected to pay for themselves through
energy savings within 4.2 years.
Ann Arbor is also looking at installing LEDs in all of its streetlights within the next few years. Pontiac
recently installed LEDs into some of its streetlights. Other cities
like Ferndale, Wyandotte and Ypsilanti are seriously considering
similar options.
Source: Carol Thompson, director of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
Eastern Michigan breaks ground on Mark Jefferson Building
Source: Concentrate, 11/20/2008
The ground is breaking for Eastern Michigan University's biggest construction project ever.
Excerpt:
Before the scientists can do their work the construction crews need to
get on their job, which is happening now at Eastern Michigan
University's Mark Jefferson Science Complex.
The university broke ground on Tuesday and expects to finish the $90
million renovation and expansion project in 2011. This is the largest
single construction project in the history of the EMU. It is expected
to meet the university's needs for minting more teachers in science,
technology, engineering and math for decades to come.
Read the rest of the story here.