Development News

CVS to keep fa�ade on downtown Ann Arbor space

Concentrate Thursday, May 27, 2010

Building a new CVS in downtown Ann Arbor won't be easy, but the developers will probably be able to pull it off without many passersby noticing.

Excerpt:

What promises to be downtown Ann Arbor's first fa�adectomy doesn't look like it will be an easy process. CVS Pharmacy plans to tear out everything except the fa�ade in its new home next to the University of Michigan's campus.

The national pharmacy chain will be moving into 209 S State, which is the 2-story building between the State Theater and Buffalo Wild Wings. The challenge is that the building behind the storefront facade is a former single-family home.

"There isn't much historic work worth saving other than masonry facade," says Aaron Vermeulen, principal of Ann Arbor-based O-X Studios, which was redesigning the building a year ago before CVS purchased it. That sale became final last week.

Read the rest of the story here.

Brownstown Middle School plans green projects

metromode Thursday, May 20, 2010

Brownstown Middle School is going for the green building trifecta by installing a wind turbine, solar panels, and a green roof.

The Woodhaven-Brownstown School District received $670,000 in federal grants to install the three sustainability projects this summer that will help generate clean energy for the school and teach its students about science, biology, and environmental issues. The green roof promises to be the biggest teaching tool.

"They are putting a football field-sized green roof on top of the building," says Andrew Clark, the assistant principal at Brownstown Middle School who is helping organize the project with Ann Arbor-based Energy Works Michigan. "There will be five different types of grass."

Those types will range from resilient vegetation that grows year-round to plants that flourish during the warm months of the year. Next to that will be six solar panels that will generate electricity for the school. Students will monitor and study the power generation.

A 60-foot tall wind turbine will be installed in front of the school. The school's staff will also use it as a teaching tool for students who want to learn about wind energy. Clark says the turbine will create minimal noise that won't impact the surrounding neighborhood.

"They assured us that the noise it would generate would be less than the ambient noise that the wind makes," Clark says.

The projects are expected to begin construction after school lets out this summer and be ready to go in time for classes this fall.

Source: Andrew Clark, the assistant principal at Brownstown Middle School
Writer: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor aims to switch 75% of streetlights to LEDs by 2011

Concentrate Thursday, May 20, 2010

Some cities aim to one day have LED street lights. Ann Arbor aims to convert 75 percent of its street lights to LED. By next year. The city is also planning to install them in a number of its buildings this summer, so it can serve as a municipal showcase of their virtues.

Excerpt:

LED lights are already a staple in downtown Ann Arbor's streetlights, but the next generation of energy efficient lighting is about to become the go-to municipal light bulb in Tree Town.

The City Council has approved a $218,000 contract to install 88 LEDs in the ornamental streetlights along West Stadium Boulevard. The city is also inline to take advantage of a state grant that will allow it to replace many of the high-powered lights at its buildings throughout the city, such as the garage lights in fire stations and the lights at the Mack Pool.

"It's going beyond streetlights," says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor. "This is the new frontier."

Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor stadium bridge groundwork to be laid this summer

Concentrate Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Stadium Boulevard bridges aren't coming tumbling down yet in Ann Arbor, but city officials see their replacements coming next spring.

Excerpt:

You won't be able to see the work being done on the Stadium Boulevard Bridges from State Street this year. All of that activity is taking place behind the scenes where city officials are finalizing plans and lining up funding for the spans above State.

Last year, city workers removed part of the 92-year-old bridge after one of the beams began failing. Now it is only accessible by two lanes of traffic on what has become one of the city's most obvious failing (but still safe for the time being) pieces of infrastructure.

"When a structure gets to this point it's very, very hard to say how much longer it's useable," says Homayoon Pirooz, a project manager with the city of Ann Arbor.

Read the rest of the story here.

Conceptual design nearly done for Ann Arbor Skatepark

Concentrate Thursday, May 06, 2010

Ann Arbor's first skatepark will take a big ride toward becoming a reality when conceptual plans are released later today.

Excerpt:

What will the plans for Ann Arbor's first skatepark look like when they're revealed later this month? Interested skaters and fans of the longtime underground sport should look east for clues.

Trevor Staples, chair of the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark, says they are using the new Riley Skatepark in Farmington Hills as a sort of template for what they plan to build. They are also working to make sure storm water run-off is taken care of and public art is incorporated so everyone can enjoy the new facility.

"Our goal is to have something for every skater," Staples says. "We want to have beginner, intermediate, and expert levels right next to each other so they can learn from each other."

Read the rest of the story here.

Work begins on Crisler Arena complex addition, renovation

Concentrate Thursday, May 06, 2010

Before the University of Michigan can start developing its new class of basketball stars at Crisler Arena, it needs to finish working on its new Player Development Center. Work starts today.

Excerpt:

Construction fences will go up and shovels will go into the ground this week for the new Player Development Center at Crisler Arena for the University of Michigan Men's Basketball team.

"It will start to look like work is happening on Thursday," says Steve Donoghue, design manager for the University of Michigan.

Read the rest of the story here.

Dearborn switches to single stream recycling

metromode Thursday, April 29, 2010

Dearborn will jump into the next level of recycling when the city switches its pick-up system to single-stream.

The City Council approved the switch, which will allow residents to put all of their recycling into one container. It will also allow for more materials to be recycled. City officials expect the current recycling rate of 20-30 percent of waste to double.

"It would be great to see it double," says Dave Norwood, sustainability coordinator for the city of Dearborn. "We did a pilot test area and it doubled."

The city is going from collecting just No. 1-2 plastics to No. 1-7, including the rarely recycled No. 3. It plans to begin disbursing the new recycling containers this week and move forward with the switch in July.

Among the incentives for going single stream are making it easier for residents to use, meaning more is recycled, expansion of the recycling list, and reduced logistical costs.

Among the other cities that use single-stream recycling are Austin, Texas and Baltimore. Ann Arbor made the switch earlier this year.

Source: Dave Norwood, sustainability coordinator for the city of Dearborn
Writer: Jon Zemke

Oakland, Macomb counties push forward green programs

metromode Thursday, April 29, 2010

Oakland and Macomb counties are pushing toward a more sustainable government with a recent spate of announcements for environmentally friendly programs. Those programs include a website dedicated to information activities on sustainability, cutting energy costs through efficiency improvements, and challenging local residents and businesses to cut energy use by 10 percent within the next two years.

That last one is called the OakGreen Challenge and was issued by Oakland County Executive L Brooks Patterson just before the county's second annual Green Summit in mid-May.

The program is similar to Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje's Green Energy Challenge. That initiative, announced in 2005, calls for Ann Arbor to use 20 percent green energy by 2010 for municipal operations and by 2015 for the whole city. The city is now on a path to reach 30 percent green energy usage by the end of the year.

Not to be left out of the energy efficiency fun is Macomb County, which recently announced that it has saved taxpayers $44,400 in energy costs through implementing energy efficient improvements. Those savings took place in the first two months of contracting electrical power from First Energy for nine buildings that draw power from its main powerhouse, plus the Administration Building. The savings are projected to hit $600,000 over the next two years.

Macomb County also recently launched Green Macomb, a website dedicated to green initiatives and information. Think of the efforts being undertaken to create everything from energy efficiencies to clean water initiatives.

Source: Oakland and Macomb counties
Writer: Jon Zemke

$30M in federal funds set aside for building retrofits

Concentrate Thursday, April 29, 2010

The greenest construction projects involve an existing building. It's an idea that wasn't lost on the latest round of federal stimulus grantmakers and the $30 million Michigan received as a result.

Excerpt:

The numbers are impressive: about $452 million in federal stimulus funds split between 25 communities/states to help retrofit existing structures into more energy efficient buildings. Michigan is one of those areas, roping in $30 million.

The details of how that money will be put to work and where are still being sorted out. However, the macro impact has the potential for not only shrinking carbon footprints but helping contain suburban sprawl.

"The idea is to go into these houses and retrofit them so they're more energy efficient," says Sam Offen, director of energy program for the Michigan Suburbs Alliance. "It will allow them to stay longer because they will be more habitable."

Read the rest of the story here.

Near North development prepares for construction in Ann Arbor

Concentrate Thursday, April 22, 2010

Near North is nearly there when it comes to nailing down its financing so it can break ground on the north side of downtown Ann Arbor. The affordable-housing project just received another $250,000 grant from the federal government.

Excerpt:

Financing is starting to fall into place for the Near North development on the northern edge of Ann Arbor's downtown area. The affordable-housing development recently nailed down $250,000 more in funding from the feds and expects to hear on the rest by mid May.

"We're hoping to break ground in August or September," says Bill Godfrey, developer of Near North.

But first Three Oaks and Avalon Housing, the two organizations behind the development, are waiting to hear if the development qualifies for the $10 million in state brownfield and affordable housing tax credits. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority is expected to pass judgment by mid May on the $11-million project.

Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor green lights LED streetlight pilot project

Concentrate Thursday, April 22, 2010

Energy-efficient LED streetlights are multiplying throughout Ann Arbor, thanks to a new partnership between the city and DTE Energy.

Excerpt:

LED street lights are starting to spread from downtown Ann Arbor into the city's neighborhoods.

The city has recently partnered with DTE Energy to perform a pilot project for neighborhood LED streetlights. The two institutions will split the $44,800 bill to install 58 cobrahead LED streetlights in the student-housing-dominated neighborhood just south of the University of Michigan.

"Some students had previously raised concerns about the quality of streetlighting," says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor. "We had been looking for an opportunity to try out LEDs in an area where DTE owned the lights. This worked out perfect."

Read the rest of the story here.

New plans surface for Chelsea's historic livery buildings

Concentrate Thursday, April 15, 2010

Local residents are rallying around the historic-yet-endangered Chelsea Livery buildings, developing some innovative adaptive reuse plans that call for a diverse set of mixed uses.

Excerpt:

A new plan for renovating the historic livery buildings in downtown Chelsea has surfaced, thanks to the friends group working to preserve the vacant structures.

Downtown Chelsea-based Dangerous Architects has put forward a plan that would turn the livery's three buildings into a mixed-use development complete with space for retail, restaurants, and residential. It was the only submission for the the city's request for proposals for the building. The Chelsea Downtown Development Authority, which had once planned to raze the livery, will entertain the proposal on Thursday.

"The three main buildings are historic," says Scott McElrath, president of Dangerous Architects. "The structures and their foundations are strong. There is no reason to take them down."

Read the rest of the story here.

Downtown Ann Arbor's Sudworth Building fills up

Concentrate Thursday, April 15, 2010

Well, that didn't take long. By that we mean leasing out the newly renovated Sudworth Building in downtown Ann Arbor, and, by long we mean a few months.

Excerpt:

One of the few, mostly vacant old buildings in downtown Ann Arbor is now one of the many full, renovated structures. The Sudworth Building has signed another tenant.

The development team called 2mission Design and Development started renovating the 3-story building at 205 E Washington two years ago. It spent $3 million to turn the old home of a mostly vacant Buddhist Temple to into a mixed-use structure housing a microbrewery and a couple of new economy-oriented start-ups.

"We were pleased with how quickly we were able to fill it up," says Greg Lobdell, a partner with 2mission Design and Development.

Read the rest of the story here.

Q&A with U-M prof on potential real-estate rebound

metromode Thursday, April 08, 2010

Real estate prices are hitting new records, and Metro Detroit is leading the way. That means obtuse problems and opportunities.

Dennis Capozza, a University of Michigan professor of finance and real estate, says housing prices have fallen to 1988 levels. The last four years of losses have wiped out gains of the last 10 years, leading Capozza to call Metro Detroit the canary in the coal mine for the housing crisis that is now overrunning Las Vegas, Phoenix, inland California metros, and many south Florida metros.

Capozza agreed to answer some questions over email about the current real-estate environment and what we can expect to see from it in the near future.

If Metro Detroit was the canary in the coal mine for the housing crisis, should we expect it to be at the forefront of the recovery, too?

No, Detroit will recover slowly.

Lots of people are obtaining once-in-a-lifetime real estate deals today. Could the low-to-non-existent housing payments being achieved today translate into more disposable income and a stronger local economy 5-10 years from now?

Yes, the less we have to spend on housing the more we have available for other goods. That is the adjustment that is taking place; but a lot more families are still saddled with mortgages they can no longer afford so the transition will take time.

Lots of local and out-of-state investors are picking up surplus property today. How can we expect this will reverberate through our local economy?

I have not looked at these data on out-of-state investors but I would guess that most of them are serving as intermediaries for investors liquidating foreclosed properties. If so, the properties will be quickly resold to local buyers.

Where is the bottom for the Metro Detroit real-estate market? Have we hit it yet and if not when could we realistically expect to?

Our forecast calls for real (inflation adjusted) prices to continue to decline at a slower rate for 1-3 more years, barring a significant recovery in the auto industry or highly targeted government programs. However, long-term recovery hinges on Michigan being able to replace the auto industry with a vibrant new industry, which often takes decades.

Source: Dennis Capozza, a University of Michigan professor of finance and real estate
Writer: Jon Zemke

Zaragon Place gears up for downtown Ann Arbor sequel

Concentrate Thursday, April 08, 2010

So when does Zaragon Place 3 come out in downtown Ann Arbor? It's a question worth asking now that plans for Zaragon Place 2 have been made public.

Excerpt:

The developer behind the original Zaragon Place thinks it was such a success that it's starting to push a sequel through the city approval process.

Chicago-based Zaragon is proposing to build a 14-story high-rise with 99 rental units and ground-floor retail space. There will also be a fitness center and on-site parking garage. The structure would go up at the southeast corner of William and Thompson streets, next to the Cottage Inn Restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor.

Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor : Development News