Stand on top of The Fifth Royal Oak and Metro Detroit's major landmarks pop up like icons on Google Earth map. Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River are to the east. Downtown Detroit's skyscrapers stand tall to the southeast. Fermi's stacks belch white steam to the southwest. Downtown Ferndale looks like a model train set just south. Troy and Southfield's office towers spring up to the north and west while the landscape blends from Metro Detroit urbanity to Mid Michigan country.
"It's quite a vantage point to see the world from," says John Hanna, who is the developer behind The Fifth with his father Jack Hanna. "It's pretty cool. It's one of those things you just have to see."
This is what life looks like on top of downtown Royal Oak's newest skyscraper. Views the 18-story luxury condo building's first residents will start to enjoy in mid August when they start to move in. Workers are wrapping up construction, putting finishing touches to drywall in the units and are expected to finish before the new residents arrive.
Hanna declined to say how many of the 78 condos have sold. However, he says they have sold out of one of the seven styles of condo that faces the east and are close to selling out another style. They have not released the penthouse units for sale yet, but that is something that will happen soon.
"Our sales have been pretty darn good," Hanna says. "They have been pretty consistent."
The residential units occupy the seventh through 18th floors and feature a bevy of luxurious amenities, such as floor-to-ceiling windows with unobstructed views and inset balconies. The condos vary between one, two and three rooms and are priced between $278,900 to more than $1 million for penthouses.
The second through sixth floors are dedicated to secure, heated indoor parking. Each unit comes with a parking space. The ground floor features a grand lobby for the condos and 4,300 square feet of retail space facing Washington that has deed restriction against restaurants and bars. The space is still available.
"We are looking for the right tenant," Hanna says.
The project is being spearheaded by Michigan developer John and Jack Hanna of Chrysos Development & Management Co. For information, call (248) 591-5432.
Source: John Hanna, co-developer of The Fifth in Royal Oak
Writer: Jon Zemke
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