Mt. Clemens : Development News

Crawl. Walk. Run. The Wireless Macomb project is somewhere in the middle of that process as its organizers work on improving the service for the free Wi-Fi, cordless Internet, in downtown Mt. Clemens.

"We're moving forward," says Norman Estigoy, president of Michigan Internet Communication Association, the company setting up the service. "We think there is some potential here."

The Southfield-based firm established service in the core of Mt. Clemens' downtown this summer as part of its pilot program for the project. The idea is to spread free Wi-Fi service across Macomb County within the next few years. By offering lower Wi-Fi Internet speeds for free, it hopes to get paid subscriptions for faster speeds.

Before expanding to more space, Michigan Internet Communication Association is working on improving the service it currently offers by enlarging the web portal and improving Internet speeds. The company is also looking at offering a few unique options like Voice over IP and video applications. Before taking those steps, the firm wants to line up more investors for the project.

"It's all dependent on resources right now," Estigoy says. "We'd love to do it."

For information, call (248) 355-1438.

Source: Norman Estigoy, president of Michigan Internet Communication Association
Writer: Jon Zemke

The River Lofts project in downtown Mt. Clemens is hitting the third act in its development life. Construction is finished, the new residents have moved in and most of the units have sold.

Developer Ted Schollenberger, also chair of the Mt Clemens Downtown Development Authority, just needs to sell the last 10 units to close out the project on 98 N. Gratiot Ave.

"They're basically completed but without the finishing touches," Schollenberger says.

The units range in price between $149,000 and $350,000. They have open floor plans and range in size from 950 to 1,400 square feet. The lofts have 17-foot ceilings, access to the Clinton River, a heated garage, optional fireplaces views of the city and Clinton River.

This is the later stage of Schollenberger's development formula: He buys an underutilized building with a large parking lot, restores the building to residential status then builds new lofts on the parking lot area. The River Lofts project started with a VFW hall. The current units are new construction on property adjacent to the original building.

He is doing the same thing with The New Street Lofts, which was an old downtown church.

For information, call (586) 206-3270.

Source: Ted Schollenberger, developer of the River Lofts
Writer: Jon Zemke

A new generation of stores are cropping up in downtown Mt. Clemens. The variety ranges from a golf store to a cigar shop to new restaurants.

"Mt Clemens is really starting to transition from a service-dominated downtown to a destination spot," says Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority. "We're really excited about it."

Of the eight new stores, three of them are set to open later this year. The other five have opened within the last couple of months. Among those that have opened is The Pro Golf Studio, which offers golf clubs, accessories and clothing for all types of golfers.  It occupied about 2,450 square feet at 61 Macomb Place.

Fiesta Joe’s joins over 30 other bars and restaurants in downtown but is the first Mexican restaurant in Downtown Mt. Clemens in several years. The restaurant is owned and operated by the Jolet family at 76 Macomb Place.

Vi Bratto Cigar Shop, 65 Macomb Place, is designed to buying and enjoying a good cigar much the same way someone would enjoy a cup of Joe at a coffee shop. It has a lounge with TVs and Internet access so patrons can enjoy a good cigar and interact with other customers. It also features a 135 square foot humidor that can hold up to 500 boxes of cigars.

Wine Sync hopes to open around Thanksgiving. The retail wine shop and tasting bar plans to provide high-quality wines without the high prices.

Mysteries of Light, named off a part of the Rosary, will sell Christian religious items for home decoration and jewelry.  The store, which features a large selection of Roman Catholic items, is approximately 75 percent religious with the rest of the inventory consisting of various gift items and collectibles.

Gibbons Bakery, 84 Macomb Place, recently reopened after being closed for several years. The traditional bakery has been a mainstay in Mt. Clemens for more than 50 years.

Blazin Bob's BBQ, 53 N Walnut St., is set to open later this year. The small eatery and take-out restaurant will provide excellent rib dinners, specialty sandwiches and traditional sides.

It joins Ruby Park Bar, which is also expected to open soon. The trendy bar will have two outdoor spaces to enjoy the warmer months. One of which is in a marble-lined sunken patio.

Source: Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority

Writer: Jon Zemke

Reinvention isn't a once in a lifetime thing for 64 New Street. It's more of a habit for the building in downtown Mt Clemens. What started out as the Gilbert Baptist Church in 1908 later became a warehouse and then a photography studio. Now it's about to go down yet another road when it reopens as the New Street Lofts before the end of the year.

Developer Ted Schollenberger, also chair of the Mt Clemens Downtown Development Authority, hopes the six new loft apartments, just west of Main Street, will help breathe more life into downtown by bringing in more potential customers within easy walking distances of the local businesses. The lofts will remain rentals for a couple of years, but Schollenberger hopes to build 34 more lofts around it on what was once the church's parking lot and sell them as condos, similar to what he did with the River Lofts project.

"I very much believe in building more residents downtown," Schollenberger says. "I think that is the missing link. The more residences downtown the more it will help."

The New Street Lofts will encompass the normal loft principals of exposed utility lines and other raw building features, open floor plans with few walls and large windows. There will also be balconies in the units, which will range in size from 700 to 1,100 square feet. Some will also allow for live/work options that could even open up some ground floor retail space. However, the 6,400-square-foot building will be primarily residential.

That's a big change from its history. After the Baptist church moved on the building was ravaged by fire in 1979. It then served as, among other things, a warehouse and then the studio for Michael Robinson Photography. Schollenberger bought it and is investing $800,000 into it with the idea that it could be much more and help add life to downtown.

"The exterior is in pretty good shape," Schollenberger says. "It's still an old stone church."

Source: Ted Schollenberger, developer of the New Street Lofts

Writer: Jon Zemke

Shakespeare once wrote, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." 

A sentiment you'll regret if ever you find yourself on the wrong side of the law. 

To wit, officers of the court need a place to ply their trade and for Macomb County attorneys that place is the newly refurbished Oxford Building in downtown Mt. Clemens.

Clinton Township-based Sunshine Homes and Development gutted the building at 48 S. Main, across the street from the Macomb County Courthouse, creating 6,000 square feet of office space for law firms. So far 2,000 square feet of space is leased to two firms, Aloia & Associates and Viviano & Viviano, and the developer is close to inking a deal with another law firm for the remaining space.

"I know Mt. Clemens is an up-and-coming city," says Lorenzo Garrisi, president of Sunshine Homes. "With the court there, I knew this would turn into a nice little home for attorneys. Plus, Main Street is coming along, too, sort of like Royal Oak."

The building, originally opened in 1926 as the Lawyers Title Building, eventually fell into disrepair and was underutilized until Lorenzo's company bought it and started the structure's first significant improvements. Lorenzo compares the nearly eight month renovation process to the story of the ugly duckling. The result being a $1.2 million swan.

The investment will focus on returning the building's exterior to its Roaring 20s grandeur while turning the interior into a fully modern office space.

"It was a very strong structure so we gutted it out and gave it a real nice interior," Lorenzo says, pointing out its walls were 18-inch thick concrete. "It was sort of an extreme makeover."

Sunshine Homes sees a lot of potential in downtown Mt. Clemens. He says it has the potential to become Macomb County's equivalent of Royal Oak or Ann Arbor with a dynamic downtown that becomes a 24-hour destination. He likes the city's future so much that his company is working on a deal to rehab another unnamed structure.

"I think there is a future here in Mt. Clemens," Lorenzo says. "Mt. Clemens was quite the city a while ago and it has the chance to reclaim that glory in the near future."

Source: Lorenzo Garrisi, president of Sunshine Homes and Development
Writer: Jon Zemke

One of downtown Mt. Clemens' marquee structures is on the verge of getting a new lease on life through a local developer.

John Frabotta, owner of Johnny G's bar and restaurant in downtown Mt. Clemens, plans to turn the old Macomb Daily building into a mixed-use building with office space for sale and retail to lease.

"I think it will do wonders for the town," Frabotta says. "It's a class A building that brings a lot to the city."

The historic structure opened in 1930 as the Price Building, named after the Price family which owned the Daily Leader newspaper at the time, and housed operations for what eventually became the Macomb Daily. The newspaper moved in 1994, leaving the seven-story structure largely vacant.

Frabotta plans to renovate the structure's 66,000 square feet into 32,000 square feet of retail space and 34,000 square feet of Class A office space. To get that much office space he plans to add 1,000 square feet to each of the floors on levels three through seven.

"It's quite old and there are quite a lot of upgrades that need to be added," says Michael Malone, principal architect of Mt. Clemens-based Partners in Architecture, which is handling the design of the development. "The structure is extremely sound but the building's skin will have to be completely replaced."

Frabotta says he has a number of parties interested in either leasing retail space or buying office space, including a copy center, coffee shop, restaurant, jeweler, insurance company and a couple of law firms. He hopes to begin construction as soon as January and open the building sometime between the spring and summer of 2009.

"It's a very exciting project for the city," Frabotta says. "It will contribute a lot to the revitalization of downtown."

Source: John Frabotta, developer and Michael Malone, architect and the Macomb County Library
Writer: Jon Zemke

When people think of saving the old Savings and Loan, images of "It's a Wonderful Life" usually come to mind. But in Mt. Clemens rescuing the old Savings and Loan means giving a historic building a second life as a martini bar.

The old Federal Savings & Loans Bank building, 77 S. Gratiot, is shaking off the dust of several years of vacancy to find new purpose. John Frabotta, owner of Johnny G's bar and restaurant in downtown Mt. Clemens, plans to open the space as a yet-to-be named martini bar by the end of the year.

He is currently renovating the one-story structure's 8,000 square feet into space on the ground floor and basement for the bar.

Source: John Frabotta, developer of 77 S. Gratiot
Writer: Jon Zemke

Making downtown Mt. Clemens more aesthetically pleasing to pedestrians is a couple of steps closer to becoming reality.

The city has chosen Northville-based Grissim Metz Andriese to head up the $3.8-million Downtown Mount Clemens Streetscape Improvement Project. City and Downtown Development Authority officials are working on the development's details and hope to have final designs completed and applying for state funding by November. Construction is set to begin by next spring.

The city plans to redo its downtown streetscape along Macomb Place from Pine Street to Gratiot Avenue with a walkway continuing down to the Clinton River. Cherry Street from Market Street to the Roskopp Municipal Parking Lot will also be redone. The improvements include repaving the roads, new sidewalks, new street lighting, new landscaping, new sewer lines and new street furnishings.

The streetscape project is expected to encourage commercial and residential investment while making downtown more pedestrian friendly. Roads will be narrowed to calm traffic and sidewalks will be widened to encourage public socialization and pedestrian comfort. The project is also expected to create a dense tree canopy to improve visual quality and provide a comfortable environment.

Source: Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke

Pedestrians looking to pop a lap top and surf the Internet in Mt. Clemens can do so easily now that free Wi-Fi, cordless Internet, has been established in the city's downtown.

"It's exciting to have it finally up and running," says Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority.

The pilot program is providing the service to the core of the downtown, along Macomb Place, Walnut, Main and Pine streets. The coverage area also includes the Roskopp parking lot, the main parking lot behind the Emerald Theater.

Making downtown Mt. Clemens Wi-Fi friendly is the first stage of a larger plan to make all of Macomb County Wi-Fi friendly by late 2008. Southfield-based Michigan Internet Communication Association hopes to have the project up and running later this year. By offering lower Wi-Fi Internet speeds for free, it hopes to get paid subscriptions for faster speeds.

Michigan Internet Communication Association is footing the $50,000 bill for the Wi-Fi. 

Source: Arthur Mullen, executive director of the Mt. Clemens Downtown Development Authority
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

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

Crosswinds president Bernie Glieberman pitched a downtown residential to Mt. Clemens that would transform the current municipal complex into condominiums.

Excerpt:

"I've been watching Mount Clemens for several years and I'm convinced this is the right place to make a new 24/7 community," Glieberman said.

Read the entire article here.

$89.5 million in funding will eventually result in a network of bike and pedestrian paths through the entire 7-county region. $15.3 million of that total stems from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan's Greenways Initiative.

Excerpt:

The project's scope could be huge. A Rails-to-Trails Conservancy study reported the potential for 2,400 miles of trails in southeast Michigan. "That's the big vision," says Anne Weekley, vice president of the community foundation. The GreenWays Initiative-funded projects will total about 100 miles — double the existing routes — when completed.

Read the entire article here.

Large sculptures of tigers will begin appearing across Metro Detroit en masse after opening day.

The fiberglass Tigers are a fundraiser and public-art project for the Children’s Charities Coalition, which is made up of four Oakland County-based charities. At least 80 tigers will appear throughout Metro Detroit, although most of them will be in Birmingham and Bloomfield. The tigers are approximately 4 feet tall and 100 pounds and will be displayed in front of businesses between April and June.

“Our inspiration was the Detroit Tigers, but we have all sorts of tigers,” said Gigi Nichols, public relations director for The Community House, which is part of the Children’s Charities Coalition. “They’re not necessarily tigers that have something to do with baseball, although some of them do.”

Money raised from the sculptures will go toward the four charities that make up the Children’s Charities Coalition: Child Abuse and Neglect Council of Oakland County, The Community House, Orchards Children’s Services and Variety The Children’s Charity.

For information, call (248) 594-6403.

Source: Gigi Nichols, public relations director for The Community House

More and more people are catching rides on Metro Detroit’s mass transit systems, which saw significant jumps in ridership in 2006.
 
The Detroit Department of Transportation, Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, The People Mover and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority all saw ridership increases between 5 to 50 percent.

The number of people riding the People Mover jumped 50 percent, while SMART and DDOT each registered 10.5-percent and 5-percent increases, respectively. AATA ridership jumped 13 percent.

DDOT                  2005 = 34,724,028           2006 = 36,488,952  (+5%)
SMART                 2005 = 10,176,391           2006 = 11,251,836 (+10.5%)
People Mover      2005 = 1,558,646             2006 = 2,340,511   (+50%)
AATA                    2005 = 4,856,895             2006 = 5,488,317   (+13%)

"They’re all fairly significant climbs," said Janet Foran, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation.
 
Overall, people riding mass transit in Michigan jumped 8.4 percent in 2006 to 93.1 million rides. The state’s seven urban transportation systems accounted for 78 million rides. DDOT and SMART provided slightly more than half of the total number of rides in the state, or 47.9 million. 
 
"Public transportation is a critical factor in providing mobility to Michigan residents," says Kirk T. Steudle, the state’s transportation director. "We attribute the rising numbers to several factors, including the ever-present issue of higher (and fluctuating) gas prices and effective local marketing efforts in larger, urban areas such as Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor."
 
Southeast Michigan, long dependent solely on buses for mass transit, is also working on two projects to diversify mass transit options by the end of the year. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments is planning to establish a commuter train line connecting Detroit, Dearborn, Metro Airport, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor by the end of year. Ann Arbor-area leaders are also working to get another commuter rail line up and running north from the city into Livingston County along the U.S. 23 corridor by June.
 
Source: Janet Foran, spokeswoman for MDOT