Royal Oak : Development News

Everybody dreams about what Metro Detroit can become, but the visions of what mass transit in the Motor City can look like seem like they could easily become reality.

The winners of Transportation Riders United, a Metro Detroit non-profit mass transit advocacy group, mass transit-oriented design contest range from light rail stops to Amtrak stations. The competition, entitled "Detroit in Transit: Visions of a Region on the Move", challenged local designers to create drawings and designs of what Detroit’s future transit and transit-oriented neighborhoods would look like with convenient, high-quality rapid transit in 2025.

A team led by Royal Oak architect Frank Arvan won with its designs for "Royal Oak Transit Square", which designs a vibrant urban neighborhood around Royal Oak's mass transit station. That section of downtown, which is mostly made up of surface parking lots, would become a densely packed corridor, featuring mixed-use buildings and green spaces.

Other plans honored include what Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit would look like with mass transit, designs for a new Amtrak station in Detroit and what a light rail interchange in Metro Detroit could look like.

Source: Transportation Riders United
Writer: Jon Zemke

Royal Oak is being proactive in protecting its neighborhoods from blight with its Housing Improvement Program for people and families with smaller incomes.

The program provides financing for owner-occupied homes to maintain and improve their homes so they can help maintain the integrity of the city's neighborhoods. Low-interest or deferred loans of up to $40,000 are provided for code related improvements. Zero-percent loans do not require monthly payments but are due when the house is sold.

The idea is that by providing the loans to people with limited income will help keep homes from becoming a blight on the neighborhood. This will help maintain or increase the area's property values. For information, contact the city at (248) 246-3130.

Source: City of Royal Oak
Writer: Jon Zemke

To paraphrase a famous line from the Underpants Gnomes episode of South Park:

Loft building in Royal Oak is big business.

Phase 1, build lofts.
Phase 2…
Phase 3, profit!

The Lofts@11 (www.loftsat11.com) project near downtown Royal Oak looks to have figured out Phase 2 because it is within selling one unit of starting its second and final phase.

So far, six of the 10 units in development's first phase, which is built, have sold. With one more sale the developer will be able to build the 14 lofts in the project's Phase 2. Lofts@11, 688 W. 11 Mile Road, is located a few blocks west of downtown Royal Oak where the old Kingswood Manor Motel once stood. 

There are two types of lofts. The first style, the Garden Studio, has 1,120 square feet and comes with normal loft features, such as stained concrete floors and open floor plans. Those units are priced between $209,000 and $220,000. The other style, the Brownstone Loft, has 1,854 square feet and comes with luxury amenities, such as granite countertops. Those units range in price from $295,000 to $325,000. Every unit comes with a garage parking spot and an open air parking space.

For information, visit www.loftsat11.com or call Tom Barjack at (248) 291-8117.

Source: Tom Barjack, real-estate agent for Lofts@11
Writer: Jon Zemke

Taking a page from the "Only we can solve our problems" playbook, Southfield-based Farbman Group is starting the Michigan Now! program to attract, retain and grow new businesses in Metro Detroit.

The program is offering office and commercial space at greatly reduced rates, or even free in some cases, to businesses and entrepreneurs in growth industries both in and out of state.

"Now is the time for businesses to play a role in moving our state forward. We cannot sit by idly and place the burden solely on the shoulders of government," David Farbman, co-president of Farbman Group, says in a statement. "The old way of doing business is no longer working for Michigan and business owners have the power to make a positive impact. The state is its own greatest resource. We have creative and well educated individuals, tremendous real estate spaces and a wealth of natural resources that simply need to be connected."

The idea is that by defraying the rental costs will free up capital in start-ups, allowing them to focus their resources on improving their business. It also hopes that the reduced rates will be big enough incentives to attract out-of-state businesses to Michigan. Farbman Group hopes growing businesses like this at the grassroots level will help boost the state’s sagging economy in the short and long term.

The program will also offer to match up these companies with local banks, consulting firms and attorneys to help them grow their business. So far about a dozen such organizations have signed up to take part in the program.

Applications for the program are due by July 31. More information can be found online at michigannow.net or by calling 866-NewMich (642-4639).  

Source: Farbman Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

After losing thousands of trees to the Emerald Ash Borer, Royal Oak is spending $25,000 on new trees its residents can hug.

The city will plant about 100 new trees this spring in city parks and right of ways to replace the significant amount of canopy that died due to the Emerald Ash Borer. Trees are commonly seen an easy way to improve the local environment, sense of community and raise property values. 

Several other Metro Detroit communities, such as Dearborn and Ypsilanti among others, have spent tens of thousands this year to plant new trees. 

Source: City of Royal Oak
Writer: Jon Zemke

Royal Oak is one big step closer to accomplishing an "out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new" plan in regards to redeveloping 11 Mile Road east of downtown. The Royal Oak City Commission approved spending $600,000 to purchase 1207 (a storage place for a heating and cooling contractor) and 1211 (a vacant heating supply store) E. 11 Mile Road.

The purchase leaves $120,000 in the redevelopment plan's budget to raze the buildings and foster new development there. City officials hope to redevelop the corridor by acquiring non-conforming, obsolete and blighted properties in the area between Campbell and Troy streets. 

The idea is that removing blight and providing more on-site parking for small businesses in the area will make it more pedestrian friendly, improve aesthetics, spur reinvestment and create a seamless integration between the commercial area and surrounding residential district. 

Source: City of Royal Oak
Writer: Jon Zemke

A local personal-training business is getting a downtown Royal Oak storefront in shape as its new home.

Get a Grip fitness is restoring a single-story storefront, 1004 North Main St., near the Frentz Family Hardware store. The 1,300-square-foot space will be completely gutted and restored by mid to late June. It will be used as a fitness studio for the personal training. The storefront used to house a fly fishing shop.

Source: Rob Frentz, owner of Get a Grip fitness.
Writer: Jon Zemke

As bigger and bigger buildings pop up in downtown Royal Oak, it's nice to know there is still some space for new single-story retail buildings.

Construction has begun on a new single-story retail building at 723 N. Main St., at the corner of Main and Austin streets, in the shadow of the 10-story Main North Lofts. The 3,300-square-foot building will house the new location of the Bianchi Salon and has another 1,500 square feet of retail space available for lease.

The new building replaces an old auto-centric storefront that had been razed. The site is now cleared and at the starting phases of construction.

Source: Ralph Bianchi, developer of the project

The Woodward Avenue Action Association is working to freshen up Michigan's oldest highway by sponsoring a grant program to improve the aesthetics along Woodward Avenue.

The program will award up to $10,000 in grants to communities along the thoroughfare for physical and public space improvements, such as crosswalks, historic signage and benches, among other things. The city of Berkley and Detroit's University Cultural Center Association received $20,000 in grants last year. 

The Woodward Avenue Action Association received $60,000 in federal National Scenic Byway funding. Grant applications are due by June 15. For information, visit woodwardavenue.org or call (248) 288-2004.

Source: Woodward Avenue Action Association
Writer: Jon Zemke

A historic building in downtown Royal Oak that once powered streetcars through Oakland County is now set to become a think tank for cutting edge automotive technology.

Streetcar USA, a holding company for auto-technology firms, plans to move into the St. Clair Edison building, 711 S. Main St, in mid June.

The 101-year-old building, one of the oldest in Royal Oak, near the intersection of Main and railroad tracks originally served as a power generating plant for streetcars and later on as a warehouse. For a picture click here. 

St. Clair Edison LLC started refurbishing the building nine months ago and plans to turn it into 2,000 square feet of office space for Streetcar USA. The building's basement, another approximately 2,000 square feet, will also be renovated and available as either office or retail space.

Source: Dave Collins, director of marketing and communications for Streetcar USA
Writer: Jon Zemke

"Pardon me, boy, is that the Ann Arbor Choo-choo?"

On Saturday, commuters will get a chance to experience the future of Metro Detroit mass transit during a preview ride along the proposed Detroit to Ann Arbor route.

Transportation Riders United, Detroit Synergy Group and the Sierra Club will host a dinner train along the proposed commuter rail route between Detroit and Ann Arbor. The route, which is expected to be up and running later this year, will use Amtrak stations, mimicking commuter rail lines that once crisscrossed Metro Detroit.

The dinner train will start in Royal Oak at 5 p.m. and stop in Detroit before heading to Ann Arbor for dinner and bar hopping in the city's downtown for the night before returning to Detroit and Royal Oak. There will be a presentation about what is in the works in regards to transit options in Metro Detroit.

Tickets for the ride are $18 round trip from Royal Oak and $14.40 from Detroit. For information, visit detroittransit.org, send an e-mail to trumember@detroittransit.org or call (313) 963-8872.

Source: Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United
Writer: Jon Zemke

There are signs of movement on downtown Royal Oak's Center Street Parking Garage plan on the City Commission. 

The City Commission and Downtown Development Authority will hold a joint, closed-door meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday night in City Hall on the proposal. The DDA is pushing the city to conduct a development study on the garage, located at the corner of South Center and West Second streets near Gusoline Alley, and the surface parking lot next to it.

The study would determine how much useful life the 30-year-old garage has left in it and what it could be developed into in the future. After the study is finished the DDA is proposing a request for proposals to develop it be issued by the city. The DDA would like to see a new mixed-use development for in the space with things like a new parking garage, retail space and condos. 

Source: Mary Ellen Graver, Royal Oak City Clerk

The city of Royal Oak has set a dangerous building hearing on a structure on the north side of downtown to motivate the owner to get moving on renovations or demolish the structure.

The City Commission set the hearing for the building on 401 N. Main St. for June 18. In the mean time city officials are meeting with its owner to do something about the property. Building permits for its renovation have expired and city officials believe some of building materials have been out in the weather too much to do anything with it. 

The owner plans to build a two-story office building there, but city officials have called for the hearing in case those plans do not move forward. For information on the hearing, call (248) 246-3000.

Source: City of Royal Oak

The Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority is pushing for the redevelopment of the Center Street parking garage and an adjacent surface lot in downtown Royal Oak.

The parking garage and surface lot is located at the corner of South Center and West Second streets. The city owns the structure, which is about 30 years old, and adjacent surface lot. The DDA is proposing the city conduct a study on the parking garage to see how much useful life it has left in it before considering putting out a request for proposals to develop it.

The DDA would like to see a new mixed-use development for in the space with things like a new parking garage, retail space and condos. The Royal Oak City Commission is considering the idea.

Source: Kevin Kalczynski, chair of the Royal Oak downtown development authority

A study by the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative states upgrading passenger rail service across the Midwest could provide up to $719 million in investment, $3.5 billion in user benefits to Michigan, 6,970 new jobs, more transportation choices and a significant reduction in pollution.

Nine states from across the Midwest, including Michigan, are part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, which is pushing for the creation of a 3,000-mile Midwest Regional Rail System, similar to systems on the east coast. Trains running out of a hub in Chicago would travel to nine Midwest states at speeds up to 110 mph, making travel times competitive with driving.

The proposed system would have three routes in Michigan that would connect Chicago to Metro Detroit, Port Huron and Grand Rapids. The study estimates the system would generate $23.1 in user benefits, such as time savings, and $4.9 billion in investment in the Midwest during the project's first 40 years. Of that, Metro Detroit could see as much as $315 million in user benefits.

Passenger rail service, provided by Amtrak, ridership in Michigan has increased steadily wince 2002 from 447,000 passengers to 673,000 passengers in 2006. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments is also moving forward with plans to create a commuter rail line connecting Detroit, Dearborn, Metro Airport, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor by the end of this year. 

For information on the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative study, visit michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-11056---,00.html. 

Source: Michigan Department of Transportation