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Development News
Research into ways of opening up opportunities to ordinary citizens and businesses interested in building solar energy generators is underway, thanks to a grant from the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Think of it as the community garden of alternative energy. It lets shareholders or investors participate in a shared generation or renewable energy site in exchange for some benefit based on their investment, possibly savings on utility costs or profit. The concept is not a new one in cities such as Seattle and other parts of the Northwest.
“Renewable energy resources, such as community solar, offer many potential community, economic, environmental, national security, and societal benefits for the state,” MEDC President and CEO Michael A. Finney says in an announcement of the grant. “Through this study, we can identify ways to make community solar a growing solution for locally-owned clean energy.”
The $33,304 grant to the
Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association will be used to perform a Community Solar PV Garden Feasibility Study that will help the MEDC's
Renewable Energy Demonstration Program determine what the barriers are to forming community solar projects.
Barriers include high up-front costs and lack of optimal places to install solar gardens.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Kathy Fagan, spokesperson, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
A vacant brownfield in Pontiac where General Motors once operated could be the site of an auto-related business trend -- car condos. Basically storage sites and gathering places for car lovers, car condos not only provide a place to safely keep a car but also to service it.
The proposal for M1 Concourse calls for a complex of four to six buildings, each one with 14-16 garages that can be tricked out by owners. Other possibilities for the 89.5-acre property include entertainment aspects such as an amphitheater and restaurants for visitors who bring may come for car shows or special events.
The initial part of the plan to re-use the site at Woodward Avenue and South Boulevard has been OK'd by city officials but still has other approvals to clear as developers work to re-use the property.
At an announcement of the project Wednesday, city and county officials expressed support for the M1 Concourse and RACER Trust.
RACER, Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust, was created by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court settlement to help clean up and redevelop former General Motors properties in 14 states.
The car condo concept has taken off in other cities around the country, especially developments known for high-priced cars kept by deep-pocketed owners who want a club of like-minded car lovers.
Woodward Warehouse, a much smaller version of what the M1 Concourse could be, opened last summer in Royal Oak not far from the avenue that carries the Woodward Dream Cruise. It is finding a market in storage, detailing, rebuilding, event hosting and member socializing.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Bill Callen, RACER Trust
Construction started this week on a project to turn a beat up, outdated main street in downtown Farmington into a boulevard streetscape of greenery, decorative lighting and stamped walkways.
The $1.1-million Grove Street Reconstruction Project will also add parking to downtown and make over a tired strip retail center as well as connect it to a major pedestrian crosswalk that will lead to another shopping center.
Water mains will also be replaced and a plaza space with seating will be part of the new downtown layout.
The goal of city officials and the Downtown Development Authority is to make downtown more attractive, walkable, and busy as well as match it to a streetscape already redone. The plans call for turning a swath of pavement into a boulevard separated by a center island with angled parking along parts of it.
Mayor Tom Buck says the project is as much about attracting families to downtown as it is attracting small businesses and boosting the local economy.
The project will completely remove and replace Grove Street from Grand River to Main Street. The work was delayed in 2009 due to the costs. It is expected to be completed in two phases over a 10-week period and ready to use sometime in July.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Annette Knowles, executive director, Farmington Downtown Development Authority
Oakland County is trying to make starting a business or taking it to the next level easier for entrepreneurs by offering free, walk-in business counseling.
The
One Stop Shop Business Center at the Oakland County Executive Office building, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, in Waterford will open May 9 and offer regular walk-in hours after that. The hours for May 9 are 9:30-noon and 1:30-4:30. The business center is on the first floor of Building 41W.
“We usually operate on an appointment-only basis but many entrepreneurs walk into our One Stop Shop with questions on how to get started with their business idea,” says Greg Doyle, supervisor of the One Stop Shop Business Center. “By designating special walk-in days, we hope to reach more entrepreneurs and help them understand their next steps as well as present the resources we can make available to them. Our aim is to get them started quickly in a way that makes the most sense to their unique situation.”
Counselors at the business center can answer specific questions, suggest planning tools and give direction on where to go to solve problems or achieve goals. All sessions are confidential. The counselors have expertise in business development, community planning, financing and market research.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Greg Doyle, supervisor, One Stop Shop Business Center
An effort to increase Pontiac residents' access to fresh, healthy foods is spreading in Oakland County with the opening of a third goverment-run market.
The newest market will operate one day a week on Tuesdays and sell fresh fruits and vegetables at a low cost.
The markets are a project of the Healthy Pontiac We Can! Coalition and the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency.
Two other markets sell on Fridays and Saturdays, and all three share recipes for meals using fresh foods, lead cooking demonstrations and offer free samples.
"This market is a part of Oakland County's strategy to improve the quality of life of our residents through healthier lifestyles," says Kathy Forzley, Oakland County Health Division manager and health officer. "Consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables decreases the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers."
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Kathy Forzley, Oakland County Health Division
Downtown Rochester is coming off a complete rebuild of Main Street, and now city planners see this as an ideal time to determine if parking options downtown also need updating.
To figure it out, the Rochester City Council and the Rochester Downtown Development Authority have gone the survey route, asking anyone with an opinion on what's needed and what's not when it comes to parking. The survey, which also includes an open-ended question, is getting high responses and also yielding useful information not necessarily related to parking, says Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority.
"We're getting an insane response, over 100 surveys in the first 40 minutes. We're at almost 800 now," she says.
The Main Street makeover, which was completed in November and included a re-do of downtown sidewalks and the addition of amenities to make being in downtown easier and more convenient, took out all parking meters.
Before deciding whether to replace those and make any other parking changes, say structures, kiosks, or re-arranged lots, the survey was sent out. The city council, planning commission and the DDA will review the findings April 10.
"It's fast. We don't want this to be a long, drawn-out thing…We want it to be a working document," says Trevarrow.
The changes will affect not only immediate parking needs, but attempt to plan for the future. The last parking study was done in 2003 and determined that the parking as it was was adequate.
"If a big development were to come in, maybe residential with retail or a large company, we want to be prepared," Trevarrow says. "The economy is snapping back. At some point there will be a development. We want to be prepared and have that answer when the time comes."
Want to share your thoughts?
See the survey here.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Kristi Trevarrow, executive director, Rochester Downtown Development Authority
Just over 35 cities and townships in Michigan are joining a new state program that teaches them how to prepare their communities for redevelopment and attract the kind of development they want.
Of the cities accepted into the first round of training and certification in the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Redevelopment Ready Communities program, eight are in metro Detroit. Ann Arbor is also on the list.
It, along with
Lathrup Village and Novi, will receive a formal
Redevelopment Ready Communities evaluation that could lead to certification as a Redevelopment Ready Community. This means they either have outlined or have plans to outline their redevelopment strategies and draw development to fit their community. This designation could also make them eligible for redevelopment grants.
Dearborn, Clawson, Farmington Hills, Hamtramck, Wixom, and White Lake Township will receive best practice training and assistance and could move onto the certification process later.
They all will learn how to creatively re-use space, support and attract economic innovation, and devise devise plans that bring in redevelopment investment and in turn rebuild thriving communities for employees, residents and recreation.
The program was originally launched by the Michigan Suburbs Alliance in 2003, and its success led to the state program.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Kathy Fagan, spokesperson, Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The vision is to have a river running through downtown Pontiac, one with restaurants, offices and shops alongside and perhaps small boats bringing in people and, ideally, ripples of prosperity.
The Clinton River is currently covered up, piped underground beneath a parking lot and the Phoenix Center, a deteriorating city-owned structure that could come down if the vision to daylight the Clinton River is actually pursued. The river opens up on either side of downtown.
As it is now, the Phoenix Center is used only occasionally.
"By daylighting the Clinton River, if it winds up with a river walk along it, it's going to be something that can be used everyday," says Bill Watch, chairman of the
Urban Land Institute Michigan.
The idea of daylighting the river, something done in other cities, including Kalamazoo, is being explored with a feasibility study in a partnership between the
Urban Land Institute, Oakland County and the city of Pontiac.
In June, students from the institute's
Larson Center for Leadership, 34 of them considered business leaders, will come up with a document that outlines what it would take as far as a process, expenses and time to uncover the river.
The student leaders work in real estate, development, planning and other areas and will complete the "Daylighting the Clinton River" feasibility study in order to graduate from Larson.
In part they will determine if the benefits of uncovering the river outweigh the costs. One cost barrier is out of the way as the county has agreed to pay for the demolition of the Phoenix Center, which has seen better days.
"Oakland County had come to us in the fall and they wanted ULI's help to study this," Watch says. "This is something they've been thinking about.The county wants to do something for downtown Pontiac. It's a sort of legacy project."
Uncovering the river, if approved, wouldn't take all that long, he says. It's bringing the investors and companies and residents in to build there, work, and live there.
"It's not going to happen tomorrow. It will be years or even decades," he says. "But this is going to be something that could provide an attraction. It will give Pontiac a feature to bring people in."
The Clinton River was once a scenic gathering place for downtown Pontiac, but it also came with flood issues. It was paved over, built on and covered with drainage projects in an era when the economic draw of having a town on a river -- if well designed -- was less appreciated.
San Antonio's Riverwalk was a flood control project turned top tourist attraction for the Texas city.
"On a smaller scale this is what the Clinton River could become," Watch says. "Kalamazoo daylighted the river there and we'll be looking to them to learn about their experience."
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has called for daylighting the river for several months now, telling the
Oakland Press in June, "Every city would love to have a river running through it, and the ones that do use it very well. The river becomes a focal point....I think that's in Pontiac's future."
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Bill Watch, Michigan chairman, Urban Land Institute
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Crowded downtown parking is both a curse and a blessing.
What is a blessing for businesses busy with customers can be a curse to those customers circling, searching for coins or winding up with expired meter tickets. Parking can be also be a deterrent at times for businesses working to keep good employees.
The city of Ferndale and the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority are trying to make the whole process of parking easier with the new
Ferndale Park + system. The new system will include multi-space pay stations, rather than individual meters, and will take cash, coins, credit cards or ParkMobile, a pay by phone or online parking service.
The pay stations, called Luke II's, will be solar-powered and cover about 900 spaces in 13 parking lots. The parking design has changed too, into a concentric layout that makes the most convenient spaces available to consumers.
The system is expected to go into service by mid-February, after signage and such is complete. Improvements such as increasing the number of available spaces will be ongoing. Some individual meters will remain.
The concentric system will prioritize parking spaces and set rates according to the users. More affordable parking spaces on the edges of parking lots will cost less (ideal for employees), and closer-in spots will go at new, higher rates. Employees can also buy parking passes.
"Instituting all of the components of Ferndale Park+ is a very big step to improving the parking experience in downtown Ferndale," says Ferndale City Manager April Lynch. "Park+ allows us, as managers of the system, to get more use out of every space we have, while planning for future upgrades and the addition of more spaces."
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Chris Hughes, Ferndale Downtown Development Authority
Thursday, January 31, 2013
A $13.7-million government program meant to stabilize struggling cities by targeting crumbling neighborhoods and re-building their decaying urban centers is complete in Pontiac. And, while still in the early stages, it appears to be achieving its mission.
The two-year-old Neighborhood Stabilization Program targeted Pontiac and about 10 other Michigan cities. It has led to the removal of dozens of blighted properties and building of new homes in Pontiac's Unity Park neighborhood, as well as two residential loft developments including the $20 million Lafayette Place Lofts, which sit atop the Lafayette Market and an Anytime Fitness, and the 10 West Lofts. Lafayette Place Lofts, a project of West Construction Services, is the city's largest development in 30 years or more.
The federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program was administered by the
Michigan State Housing Development Authority in partnership with the
Michigan Land Bank, Oakland County, and the city of Pontiac.
Funds from the program covered the demolition of 50 blighted homes in the Unity Park Neighborhood and the construction of 18 new single family homes there. All have been sold. Local members of the Michigan Association of Home Builders, Michigan Association of Realtors, lenders and developers marketed the homes.
Downtown, the 46 units at
Lafayette Place Lofts in the former Sears & Roebuck Store, which opened to residents in December, are expected to be fully occupied within weeks and the
Lafayette Market, a speciality grocer and coffee house, is filling the void of a fresh food source and take-out prepared meals for the city. The market and neighbor 24-hour
Anytime Fitness, both on the ground floor of Lafayette Place Lofts, are generating traffic downtown.
Also downtown there is 10 West Lofts, another multi-use development in the downtown that has a skyline of historic buildings and a history of struggles.
Altogether, at least 300 construction jobs and 75 full-time jobshave been created.
Several other projects, though not a part of the stabilization program, are ongoing and more development is expected as a number of other initiatives roll out. One, the reconstruction of the main road leading into downtown, will direct motorists into the city instead of around it. Another, the opening of a new transit station, is for now a stop for Amtrak and local buses, but could function as a stop on a commuter light rail line between Detroit and Pontiac -- a proposal that is very preliminary and probably years away.
It all adds up to what may be an economic tide-turner for a city that has gone into bankruptcy, been taken over by an emergency financial manager and held back by the crime, hardship, and poor educational system that come with poverty.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Thursday, December 13, 2012
An old Amtrak station in Troy is coming down, and in its place will be a modern transportation station that will be a hub - if all goes as planned - for regional high speed rail and bus service between Michigan and Illinois.
The $6.3 million, 28,000-square-foot project will include a 2,000-square-foot building connected to a pedestrian bridge to the train platform, a docking station for as many as four buses and parking lot to accomodate regular commuters and travelers.
Ground was broken last week at the 2.4-acre site off Maple Road and Coolidge Highway and construction is expected to be completed
Congressman Gary Peters secured the funding for the Troy Multi Modal Transit Facilty, which is one of several projects in metro Detroit, the state and the region. They are part of a reinvestment plan by the federal government to create jobs and also promote public transportation as an economic development tool.
The goal is to offer a modern, safe ADA compliant facillty that is easy to use and promotes greater mobility options through a centralized facility that provides access to intercity passenger rail service, regional bus routes, taxi services and the Troy-Oakland Airport. Dearborn and Pontiac are building a similar stations, and the cities are along a rail line that is eyed for high speed travel between Michigan and Chicago.
The project will create dozens of construction related jobs, and possibly economic stimulus in surrounding neighborhood but no full-time jobs once it is opened as the station will be unmanned, says Cindy Stewart, Troy's director of community affairs.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Cindy Stewart, director of community affairs, City of Troy
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Oxford has become Oakland County's first community to offer free wireless service across its downtown.
The Wireless Oakland initiative, which sought to set up wireless service in all of Oakland County downtowns as an economic stimulus, has been revived and scaled back after the original plan developed in 2005 "fell victim to recession when private investors backed out," Bill Mullan, a spokesman for the county, says in a news release announcing Oakland Township's going wireless.
Internet Provider Air Advantage is providing the wireless coverage in exchange for access to some of the county's strategically placed communications towers. Air Advantage will also offer competitively priced, wireless broadband services to northern and western parts of the county where there is no such service.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Source: Bill Mullan, spokesman, Oakland County
Thursday, September 13, 2012
As plans to improve a 304-mile stretch of passenger rail line that runs through Michigan, Illinois and Indiana move forward, the public is invited to participate in the process that determines what the local impact will be.
For metro Detroiters, the Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Passenger Rail Corridor could offer connections to places that improve economic situations or quality of life, but it could also affect neighborhoods.
A series of meetings will be held this month and hosted by the three states' Departments of Transportation. The meetings will explain more about the proposal to make changes to the line and also take comments from the public. They will also offer possible route alternatives and identify potential issues that should be considered in the planning. They are required as part of the plan formation and environmental impact assessment to be done before construction can begin.
The rail improvements come as several metro Detroit communities, including Detroit, Pontiac, Troy, Dearborn, and the federal government have invested in new transportation stations that have brought economic benefit to cities around the
country by opening up access to jobs, education and affordable transportation.
According to GreatLakesRail, "the purpose of the program is to improve intercity mobility by providing an improved passenger rail service that would be a competitive transportation alternative to automobile, bus and air service between Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac…The program will provide sufficient information for the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) to potentially support future decisions to fund and implement a major investment in the passenger rail corridor."
The local meeting will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 7 pm. at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel, 5801 Southfield Expressway, Detroit.
Comments about the changes can also be shared online at
GreatLakesRail.org or by telephone, 877-351-0853.
Source: Janet Foran, communications, Michigan Department of Transportation
Writer: Kim North Shine
All the eco-conscious bells and whistles that earned
Oakland County International Airport a
LEED Gold certification are also saving the county money by running at about half the utility costs prior to energy-focused rebuild.
According to Oakland County the new airport operates at 44 percent greater efficiency. From October 2011 through March 2012 the average cost of utilities dropped from 49 cents per square foot to 27.5 cents per square foot.
Features such as wind and solar electricity generators, a solar hot water heater, geothermal heating and cooling, fluorescent and LED lighting and, one of the more obvious for passengers, a living wall of tropical plants that clean the indoor air.
“These are real savings,” Oakland County executive L. Brooks Patterson says in a statement announcing the utility cost analysis. “The energy efficient technology is part of the wow factor business and general aviation travelers encounter when they use the new terminal as their gateway to the region.”
“The airport has a great impact on southeast Michigan,” says Oakland County Director of Central Services J. David VanderVeen. He oversees the airport - the second busiest in Michigan. The airport, which is located in Waterford, underwent a $7.5 million update last August. Airport user fees and federal and state grants covered the cost.
“Nearly every Fortune 500 company flies through here in the course of a year and it has a $175 million impact on the region,” he says.
Source: Bill Mullan, media and communications officer, Oakland County
Writer: Kim North Shine
A longtime chef and caterer is selling his recipes from a Marathon gas station in Canton, an endeavor that's proving to be a winning example of entrepreneurship aided by a quick-moving city government.
Robert Grant's business plan to set up a restaurant in one corner of a gas station was unusual and, he was warned, could be problematic under city code.
"They were amazing," says Grant, who worked in food services at Metro Airport, for Pan Am Airlines and in catering on the campaigns of several Detroit and Michigan politicians. "
The K&L Marathon Deli featuring Fussy Gussie's Corned Beef is located at the corner of Lilley and Warren roads in Canton. It opened three months ago and is attracting nearby residents, office workers and walk-ins. The restaurant, a $1,200 investment, is basically two stainless steel tables as a front counter and prep space with a home refrigerator, hot plate and meat carver behind. In the back of the store, unseen, is the corned beef that so many people come for.
Grant, a culinary arts graduate, proudly displays his certificate of occupancy, food service license and a big poster with the first dollars he made here.
The restaurant name honors Grant's mother, who died in 2006. She left behind a winning corned beef recipe she learned from a Jewish woman she worked for. The ribs, green beans and Coneys "that are as good or better than Lafayette" are also on the menu, along with sandwiches, peach cobbler and other changing specials.
The name also recognizes the owners of the station, 42438 Warren. Owner Ken Merril urged Grant to bring some of his catering favorites into a retail setting. He's done it before in Detroit, but is still hoping to get a restaurant to stick. He's hoping to bring a food truck to Canton, something he'll go see those previously helpful city officials about, and one day package the corned beef sandwiches.
"He guess he probably smelled the cooking on my clothes one day and he said you could open up something here," says Grant, who was reluctant initially. "I prayed about it and took a chance. I'm so thankful for him and for everyone at the city who made sure I could get my business up and going in 48 hours. Can you believe that? They've given me the opportunity of a lifetime."
Source: Robert Grant, caterer and owner of K&L Deli Featuring Fussy Gussie's Corned Beef
Writer: Kim North Shine
It's more than ironic that a coal pile lies within view of a new solar power system in the city of Wyandotte.
The city, which operates its own utility, Municipal Electric, has made a major commitment to moving away from traditional forms of energy and toward alternatives such as solar and geothermal.
One of several projects underway in Wyandotte is the recent completion of two solar-power producing arrays that will take the load off the traditional power generators.
Other projects include changes to LED lighting on city streets and buildings and a free program to provide every Wyandotte property owner with a free energy audit, which includes freebies such as energy-savings light bulbs (as a way to encourage the energy-efficient changes to properties). The program also offers 1.99 percent interest loans.
The object is to create less demand - and strain - on the utility, saving everyone money, says Melanie McCoy, Wyandotte's Municipal Services general manager.
The solar power project came in two parts. One is a larger array built on a city water department settling basin. The other, a smaller solar garden, was placed across the street from Bishop Park.
"This little solar garden is very visual," McCoy says. "The kids at the park can see it. People in the community see it."
She says there are plans to install a kiosk and plaque explaining what the solar garden and the city's alternative energy program is about.
The solar power project, which was made possible by a $3.8 million Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant, is the latest in a series of changes showing the city's commitment to alternative energy, many of those changes prompted by government grants and tax incentives.
McCoy says the changes will eventually pay for themselves, and already they've created jobs - some temporary, some permanent, from consultants and contractors to energy and financial managers. Those jobs in turn have generated spending at local businesses, she says.
It has the ability to generate 212 kilowatts of solar power, enough for about 50 homes, she says. She says it will take about 16 percent of the load off the coal fire generation the city puts out. She says the irony of the new generation of power overshadowing the old school power source of coal - Wyandotte also uses gas to generate power for its residents - is not lost on city officials.
"This is bringing good things to our city," she says. "This has been a great thing for us."
Source: Melanie McCoy, Wyandotte Municipal Services general manager
Writer: Kim North Shine
Sterling Heights largest industrial vacancy will be filled in the spring of 2013 with a $21 million investment by AGS Automotive in a bumper system assembly plant that will lead to 90 jobs initially and more later on.
The project is part of an expansion by AGS Automotive, which was considering sites outside the city. Instead, the move to the vacant land and facility on 18 1/2 mile road in the center of the city allows AGS to expand to the new site from its Sterling Drive South in the city. It also restore the business lost when Borg Warner and later Ford Motor/Visteon, closed operations at the site.
The investment includes renovation of the 360,000-square-foot plant on the site, which has received a $900,000 Michigan Business Development grant and will come with other support and incentives from the city.
"This investment will allow AGS's US operations not only to retain their current jobs for the future, but also to significantly grow by tripling the number of jobs over the next few years and adding a number of new leading edge manufacturing processes and capabilities," AGS co-president Joe Leon says in a statement announcing plans for the new facility.
Source: Sterling Heights Department of Community Relations
Writer: Kim North Shine
A $15.8 million project will add a new track between Detroit and Dearborn, giving Amtrak passengers and freight cars their own dedicated lines.
The changes to the West Detroit Connection Track, which is the key link between the new Dearborn multi-modal transportation station and Detroit's station downtown, were OK'd by the federal
Department of Transportation last week. Feds will pay for half the project and the
Michigan Department of Transportation will pay the other half as they look for ways to alleviate a bottleneck on portions of the track.
The West Detroit Connection Track is also a key part of the Detroit to Chicago line, known as Amtrak's Wolverine line.
The project, which will break ground later this year, will alleviate a bottleneck that is increasing waiting times for trains, costing companies money and slowing down travelers.
Carmine Palombo, director of transportation programs for the
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, says the changes make sense economically because they allow goods and people to move more quickly and efficiently.
"When you have 10 minute and more delays that are caused by the bottleneck that is there now, that is huge," Palombo says.
But metro Detroit and Michigan are still a long way off from trains carrying coffee-drinking, newspaper reading commuters. Improvements such as new stations, including in Dearborn, Detroit, Troy and Pontiac, as well as changes to increase train speeds up to 110 mph, are lining up to make Michigan a train-riding state.
"It's all part of the overall series of events to improve passenger service," he says.
As of now, the line is mostly for travelers and freight. He says a commuter train between Detroit and Ann Arbor is inching along but still far from a done deal.
"Part of what happens now is existing Amtrak trains start in Pontiac and go to Chicago…The problem is the times are not conducive for a lot of commuters .. The times are geared for getting you to Chicago, not points in between. And the costs are not necessarily in step with what commuters want to pay."
He says legislation that will have the state of Michigan financially supporting the train service could change that.
"When that happens we can have a little more say in the schedules and how that service is run," Palombo says.
In the meantime, the feds, who are executing President Barak Obama's High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, see the project as a way to address congestion of the Midwest Regional Rail Network and promote alternative forms of transportation and to create jobs and spur economic development.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation and Carmine Palombo director of transportation programs, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
Writer: Kim North Shine
New sidewalks, street lamps, benches, bike racks, planters, median landscaping and other improvements are done and on display on Fort Street in Lincoln Park.
The four-block area near Southfield Road is designated as Lincoln Park's downtown and the approximate $1 million streetscape is seen as a way to attract businesses and customers by making the corridor appealing to the eye for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.
Grants from the
Michigan Department of Transportation and
DTE Energy are covering most of the project cost, which also includes improvements as major as roadway changes and parking lots and as simple as garbage cans, recycling bins. The city's Downtown Development Authority has invested about $250,000 in the streetscape and other improvements, including energy efficient lighting that will save the city tax dollars.
The new streetscape is combined with other economic development projects, including a cooperative effort with neighboring communities to make roads and sidewalks more attractive and walkable and to advertise the cities' connection to I-94 and the Detroit River. Another project has the state assigning extra liquor licenses to Lincoln Park with the goal of attracting restaurants and bars.
Source: Lincoln Park Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
A vacant building in Auburn Hills was another snapshot of Michigan's dark economy, but with the move-in of a global automotive supplier the picture is brightening.
The April 1 opening of the Teijin Composites Application Center (TCAC) also puts this metro Detroit operation in a position to globally market, develop and apply the latest uses for high volume, high-speed production of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite products, and to increase the use of carbon fiber in automobiles and other products.
The state has awarded $375,000 in tax incentives to open the $7.9 million development center, which will create 25 new jobs and could lead to more. The city of Auburn Hills is offering tax abatements as well.
Teijin, a Japanese conglomerate and leader in the carbon fiber composites industry, established its American division in 2011, the same year it struck a deal with General Motors Corp. to co-develop the advanced carbon fiber composite technologies needed for GM cars, trucks and crossovers.
Teijin's high volume, high speed process for producing the materials is considered an innovative breakthrough in the automotive industry.
The company is also receiving other tax credits and abatements from the state and the city as part of a program that seeks to simply business establishment in Michigan. In addition, Gov. Rick Snyder taking delegations to Asia with hopes of bringing business to Michigan.
“These new flexible incentives, paired with Michigan’s simplified and reduced business tax structure and initiatives to connect employers with talented workers, are creating one of the best business climates in the country,” Michigan Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Michael Finney says in a statement announcing the Teijin project - and others.
Source: Michael Shore, communications, Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Federal transportation enhancement grants are helping cover improvements to biking and walking paths, and unattractive intersections in the cities of Rochester Hills and Flat Rock.
In Rochester Hills, paths for pedestrians and cyclists and non-motorized vehicles will be added to the intersection of Livernois and Avon roads. The $345,825 project will also pay for aesthetic improvements at the major intersection. The paths and other improvements coincide with installation of bridges for pedestrians and bicycles at the same area and over the Clinton River.
The bridge project by the Road Commission for Oakland County prompted the city to direct its grant from the Federal Transportation Enhancement fund - $207,495 of the project price - to direct the dollars to the same intersection "and further enhance safety and connectivity," according to an announcement from the Michigan Department of Transportation.
The city of Rochester Hills is putting in $138,330 toward the project.
In Flat Rock, a multi-use path from Huron Park in Flat Rock to Oakwoods Metropark will be funded with a federal transportation enhancement grant of $342,150. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is matching that amount for a total investment of $684,300.
The path will be the final link in the
Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative. It will finish the east-west route that connects Oakwoods Metropark to Lake Erie Metropark, providing residents, tourists, recreational and competitive riders, hikers and others with a continuous pathway through Metroparks and waterways.
The grant will pay for trail construction, signs and railroad crossing work.
Overall, the purpose of the grant is to boost interest in Michigan recreationally and economically, according to MDOT, which administers the federal dollars.
"Transportation Enhancement projects boost a community's appeal to residents and businesses," State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle says in a statement announcing the award of more than $1 million in grants to four counties. "Increasingly, new generations demand multi-modal communities, meaning those that offer access to bicycling and walking, which contributes to healthy, active lifestyles, and streetscape projects that improve safety, walkability, aesthetics and economic vitality."
Source: Jeff Cranson, spokesperson, Michigan Department of Transportation
Writer: Kim North Shine
The cities of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills, and Rochester are looking to preserve residents' quality of life and enhance their business climates by sharing services. By doing so, the communities expect to save money by eliminating redundancies while also providing the services that each is best at.
The three cities formally agreed to regionalizing public works such as road and sidewalk repair, water and storm drain systems management, street lighting and more.
Shared services and consolidation is a move that more cities and counties are taking - a move encouraged by Gov. Rick Snyder - as a lagging economy has led to new thinking on how to preserve public services when there is less revenue to work with.
In a statement announcing the collaboration, which is an extension of earlier shared services (or interlocal) agreements, Auburn Hills director of public services Ron Melchert says: “Each community has specific areas of expertise, specialized skills, knowledge, equipment and tools that are difficult to obtain from other service providers to perform economically, properly and in a timely manner.”
A group of citizens, city staffers and elected officials from the three municipalities formed the Tri-City Sustainability Advisory Committee in 2011. The "overarching goal of the Sustainability Advisory Committee is to ensure an ongoing high quality of life for all residents and a strong business climate for commerce."
Source: Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce
Writer: Kim North Shine
Some 200,000 metro Detroiters accumulated a total of $50 million in energy savings in 2011 by participating in DTE Energy's efficiency programs.
The $50 million savings came through programs such as home energy audits that show residents and business owners how to prevent energy waste or add energy efficient features to their homes. Programs such as appliance recycling, low income weatherization assistance and rebates and discounts on energy efficient lighting, thermostats and appliances, says DTE spokesman Alejandro Bodipo-Memba.
DTE Energy launched many of the programs in 2009 - as have all utilities - as the federal government enacted measures in 2008 to promote clean, affordable energy.
"Customer response to our energy efficiency programs continues to be overwhelmingly positive," Trevor Lauer, DTE Energy vice president, Marketing & Renewables, says in a statement announcing the savings. "More than 200,000 of our customers took control of their energy use through these programs and saved millions of dollars as a result."
The breakdown for DTE's metro Detroit power users who participated went something like this:
* More than 76,000 apartments made more energy efficient
* More than 23,000 appliances recycled
* More than 50,0000 home energy audits/consultations completed
* More than 4.5 million discounted Compact Fluorescent Bulbs and 22,000 energy efficiency kits distributed to customers.
* More than 7,000 businesses installed 6,000-plus thermostats, 600 boiler tune-ups and took other energy saving steps.
"We're very proud of the role our energy efficiency programs have played in helping customers save money," Lauer says.
Source: Alejandro Bodipo-Memba, spokesman, DTE Energy
Writer: Kim North Shine
A $500,000 grant is coming from the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation to the Macomb-Oakland University INCubator to increase efforts to cultivate businesses and jobs in the areas of defense, homeland security and advanced manufacturing.
Macomb-OU Inc was one of 12 incubators and business accelerators selected to share in $6 million in grants.
Macomb-OU INC will use its half million dollar grant to develop and enhance staffing, operations and programming offered to small businesses.
"The Macomb-OU INCubator is very grateful for this grant award," director Julie Gustafson says in a statement announcing the grant. "This support will go a long way towards enhancing current programs and developing small business trainings that will better serve emerging companies in Macomb County."
The incubator is located in a Technology Advancement SmartZone of Sterling Heights, and it provides comprehensive development and innovative support to start-up and emerging businesses in the areas of defense, homeland security and advanced manufacturing.
Source: David Groves, assistant director of media relations, Oakland University
Writer: Kim North Shine
Construction on an affordable, modern loft apartment development that would rise in place of a shuttered movie theater and unused plot of land in downtown Lincoln Park could begin this summer.
The developer, Louis Piszker, a Lincoln Park resident and CEO of the
Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, told the city council earlier this month that tax credits and other financing were in place and that the Lincoln Park Lofts must be completed by December 2013. The agency is a nonprofit heading up the redevelopment in an effort to provide affordable housing and stimulate downtown Lincoln Park.
Lincoln Park Lofts would replace the Park Theatre, which went dark years ago, with 12 residential lofts and two 1,200-square-foot retail spaces. The Art Deco theater marquis and facade will be restored and incorporated into the design. Across the street 24 additional residential lofts will be built, and some will be designated for low-income residents.
Wyandotte-based
Sarnacki & Associates is the architect on the project.
There is disagreement whether the project could be more helpful or harmful to the city. But it is mostly viewed as positive as other efforts to revitalize downtown -- a nearly $1 million streetscape update, several Downtown Development Authority projects and plans to redevelop the old Sears store -- gather steam.
Source: Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, city of Lincoln Park and Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, February 16, 2012
About 100 abandoned and foreclosed houses in Pontiac are being demolished and replaced with new or renovated homes as part of a major revitalization program organizers say could become a model of local urban renewal.
More than 100 homes have been demolished and nearly 20 renovated or rebuilt in the Unity Park district and throughout other parts of the city since May. The goal is to sell a record number of foreclosed homes and restore or replace them with homes featuring amenities that "defy the perception of abandoned homes." Prices range from $45,000 to $75,000 to eligible buyers.
Every home is being made energy efficient and true to the style of the city's old neighborhoods.
Home Renewal Systems, a Farmington Hills company that specializes in urban development and revitalization, is part of a broad collaboration on the project that's funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Neighborhood Stabilization Program.
Other players include governmental bodies such as the city of Pontiac, the
Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the
Oakland County Land Bank. Nonprofits such as the
Community Housing Network and
Oakland County Habitat for Humanity are also involved, as are the
Michigan Association of Home Builders and the
Michigan Association of Realtors. It was part of an Open House tour held recently and touted as an unprecedented showcase of homes in the city. A family relocating to Pontiac for one of the homes was part of the media event kicking off the tour.
"The great part of the program is we specifically look for local companies…and engage local developers," says Shannon Morgan, senior vice president of Home Renewal Systems.
Besides acquiring property and working as a developer or finding developers and facilitating the collaborative effort, Home Renewal Systems works to educate and prepare buyers to be lasting homeowners. The company is working on urban renewal projects in 15 other communities, Morgan says.
"There have been blight removal efforts through the years, but never to this level."
She says the extent of cooperation, the speed of the process and the interest from potential buyers has been astounding.
"It really is a model for everyone to follow. You've got a lot of great agencies involved and it is showing which initiatives work and what are the best practices...
"This is truly about a partnership that has worked unbelievably well," she says.
Some homes, including a historic renovation property powered by a geothermal well, were pre-brought, Morgan says.
"We were under a tremendous amount of pressure…We were told by many agencies that we would not be able to find buyers…Pontiac has shown it can be done."
Source: Shannon Morgan, senior vice president, Home Renewal Systems
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Every home in Wyandotte is eligible for free energy inspections as well as grants, discounts and low-interest loans to residents interested in making energy efficient changes to their homes.
Just over $4 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of MIchigan was awarded to Wyandotte's municipal services department to carry out its "Save a Watt" program in Wyandotte.
Franklin Energy Services, a Wisconsin company with an office in Detroit, was hired by the city to carry out the program.
Every single home, whether owned or rented, is eligible for free energy audits. The results of those audits determine what, if any, improvements are needed, and money and discounts are available to help pay for them.
"We're shooting for at least 2,000 homes. That's a good chunk of the homes in the city," says Pam Tierney, who is the energy services program manager for Wyandotte Municipal Services. She calls the grant a jackpot for the city.
"This is a chance for our residents to get a huge helping hand toward making their homes greener and more comfortable while saving money," she says.
Besides saving the city and residents money the program is a job creator, Tierney says.
"We have marketing consultants, quality control people, the five contractors that are doing work and their subcontractors," says Tierney, adding that local merchants are benefiting by selling needed supplies.
Already 600 homes have received audits, she says. Once 1,000 residents participate, the city will be eligible for funding to install a solar panel project on Wyandotte’s Bacon Memorial District Library. The Better Buildings for Michigan program will pay for the library rooftop panels.
“Whether you want to make your home more comfortable, your library more energy efficient or the planet greener---this is a great program to at last get it done!” Mayor Joseph R. Peterson says in a statement. “We’re hoping every resident in our city recognizes this great opportunity and signs up now.”
Sign up by calling 1-855-674-9926.
Source: Pam Tierney, energy services program manager for Wyandotte Municipal Services
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Macomb County is seeking out small business owners and entrepreneurs with business ideas as economic development planners work to support businesses seen as the "bread and butter of our downtowns and commercial corridors."
The county is offering a 12-week "Unlock Your Sales Potential" course at the Velocity business incubator in Sterling Heights, starting Feb. 28. The Michigan Small Business Development and Technology Center is teaching the program at Velocity as local and state economic development planners look for ways to increase small business success.
In Macomb County there are 2,855 small retail establishments responsible for supporting 40,590 jobs.
"Unique and interesting retail shops are the bread and butter of our downtowns and commercial corridors," says Don Morandini, deputy director of the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development. "This class is especially for entrepreneurs with a passion for selling what consumers want. We'll help them uncover a deeper understanding of their customer base and provide ideas for keeping their inventory selling."
The benefits of the guidance given by the business development and technology center and courses such as the one coming up are crucial to operating a business, says Debbie Heuchert, owner of Champagne Chocolates in downtown Mount Clemens. She ran the business for 14 years in her basement before opening a store in downtown Mount Clemens eight years ago. She also had a store in Birmingham in 2007.
"This class opened up my eyes on more than just my business. It is an incredible course. It helps you be honest with yourself," says Huechert. "I think it's one of the most important things you can do if you're thinking about a business…I wish I had known about something like this before I started. If I had done my homework…I would have done things differently."
For sign up or to obtain more information, e-mail
Denise.Mentzer@MacombCountyMI.gov or call 586-469-5118.
Source: Maria Zardis, Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development; Debbie Heuchert, owner Champagne Chocolates.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Construction has begun on a loft and retail project that is the largest construction development in downtown Pontiac in 30 years.
The building of Lafayette Place Lofts, a project of Pontiac-based West Construction Services, began last week at the site of the prominent and shuttered Sears department store on Saginaw, Lafayette and Perry streets, a part of the city's historic commercial district. The completion date is set for December, possibly sooner, says Kyle Westberg, owner of West Construction Services.
The 46 upscale-style, affordably-priced units will be spread over two and three floors taking up 80,000 square feet. They will sit atop two 10,000-square-foot businesses on the ground floor -- Anytime Fitness, a fitness center that will be a first for the city, and, Lafayette Market, a fresh food market and cafe. There will be 31 indoor parking spaces.
The project is a historic preservation and will include energy efficiency measures such as geothermal and photovoltaic power as well as the use of recycled and sustainable materials.
The $19.8-million project is funded in part by the Neighborhood Stabilization Program through the Michigan Land Bank and also through New Markets tax credits from the Michigan Magnet Fund.
"Lafayette Place Lofts multi-use development is a game-changer for downtown Pontiac, bringing great new living, working and shopping opportunities," Oakland County Treasurer and Michigan Land Bank Board Chairman Andy Meisner says in a statement detailing the project.
Magnet Fund Chief Business Development Officer Al Bogdan describes the lofts as "an innovative project that will stimulate Pontiac's downtown with new businesses and new residents."
KeyBank Community Development Lending, which is providing bridge financing, compliments the project for its affordability and plan to improve the health of local residents.
West says he, investors and local officials see this as a great time to invest in downtown Pontiac as dozens of companies from individually-owned to corporate-run have moved in or stepped up business. A number of other programs by local community and business development organizations are seeing success in the city, and investments in mass transit and by local health systems are bringing positive change to a town that's gone broke and been taken over by the state.
He says there's much for potential residents to be attracted to.
"From this location, you can get to about seven counties in a 45 minute-drive…We can hit 3 1/2 to 4 million people," West says. "We love the idea of being so centralized ... not only to the freeways, but the buses, the train from the new transit center, and the bike path ... You can reach hundreds of miles of bike path from downtown if you want…When you add in the architectural fabric we have, the historic nature we have, the walkable downtown … there is a lot here."
An important aspect, he says, was bringing amenities not found in the city to both residents and employees.
"...For the [60,000 residents, and] the employees -- probably 20,000 -- there is no fitness center. And the fresh food market and cafe downtown, that is something we don't have," West says. "We took a healthful, holistic approach to this development. We hope we're building a catalyst for other development to come to town."
Source: Kyle West, owner, West Construction Services
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, January 26, 2012
After years of planning and the weeks of political controversy that nearly derailed it, the Troy Transit Center is on track to be built and made into a crucial cog in a regional transportation system for metro Detroit and Michigan.
Michele Hodges, president of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, which has been a leader on the project since the beginning, says the transit center will "be transformative" not only for the city and the neighborhood at Maple and Coolidge where it will be built, but also for the mass transit system as a whole and for the way public projects such as this are maintained using private sector dollars.
The chamber is lining up funding from local businesses to pay for the operation of the center, which will be built with federal dollars. Originally the center was to cost $8.5 million and be paid for through federal department of transportation funds, but after objections were raised, the city council voted to scale it back to a $6.3 million project.
"Of course we feel the bigger project was the better project," Hodges says. "When you limit the building footprint, you limit space for paying tenants or ad space. However, the essence of leadership is compromise.
"Yes, we had to give, but we still feel we are meeting the ultimate goal, which is to produce an asset that will create jobs, enhance the tax base, and keep Troy as a community of choice," she says.
The Troy Transit Center will be located on the southwest corner of Maple and Coolidge roads and will be multi-modal, meaning it will be used for multiple forms of transportation, namely Amtrak's Wolverine Line which travels to Chicago with stops in between. There will be bus service, as well as taxis and shuttle vans. Bike paths will lead to the center, which will also be located across the street from an airport.
"Amtrak's Wolverine line…it's already one of the more successful lines and they intend to make it the premier line west of the Appalachians," Hodges says. "In communities where they've made the investment they've seen a commercial and residential renaissance."
Under federal guidelines the center should be opened by October 2013, but that may be a difficult deadline to meet and an extension may be requested. In Dearborn, where a larger multi-modal transit station is being built, there are delays.
The project, which is part of the Detroit Regional Mass Transit Plan, had the support of Gov. Rick Snyder and Automation Alley.
Support from them and others "made me clearly understand the negative impact this would have had on our peers…if hadn't passed," Hodges says. "Most clearly this has regional impact."
Source: Michele Hodges, president, Troy Chamber of Commerce
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Ferndale Downtown Development Authority held its annual planning meeting Monday, a meeting that goes beyond the city officials and insiders and welcomed anyone who uses or cares about this Oakland County downtown that borders Detroit.
The idea was to let them "put on paper their ideas, dreams and envisioned possibilities" for downtown Ferndale's future.
This year's meeting attracted about 50 guests whose thoughts and ideas contribute to the DDA's "ongoing process of planning ahead -- for tomorrow, next month, next year and beyond," the invitation read.
"The annual meeting gives us a chance to see what we've accomplished and is essential to helping us chart the course for the year ahead, says Cristina Sheppard-Decius, executive director of the Ferndale DDA and a certified Main Street Manager. "From here, we develop work plans which give us the ability to track our progress throughout the year and determine what we've completed and what we still need to do."
"This process is also very all-inclusive. It is a great opportunity to have a say in what happens in your downtown," she adds.
Besides local business owners and employees, the DDA board and committee members and directors from other DDAs learned about the planning process that goes in maintaining Ferndale's reputation as a downtown that's eclectic and progressive.
A survey given to the general public prior to the meeting identified a top goal or priority. It was to "educate and engage the community on the need for positive collective action in managing Downtown Ferndale and its need for growth and development," explains Chris Hughes, communications and marketing manager for the Ferndale DDA.
That priority matched the meeting attendees who said the number one challenge for downtown is parking issues. The DDA is trying to work with the city to alleviate some of the parking problems as the spaces are owned by the city.
It comes as the city makes its annual assessment of past goals, sets new ones and refines and identifies new objectives aimed at maintaining Ferndale's success.
Source: Chris Hughes, communications & marketing manager, Ferndale DDA
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Go Green! In 2011 metro Detroit municipalities increasingly saw a win-win in implementing energy-saving practices and policies. Businesses, schools and homeowners got in on the alternative energy game too, in large part inspired by grants, tax breaks and incentives offered by the federal and state governments and DTE. The result: saving money and possibly the earth.
It was a year that saw the landscape changed by green rooftops, solar installations, wind farms, geothermal-powered facilities, electric car charging stations and in Auburn Hills, for example, a plan to assist builders in building alternative-energy-based homes and businesses of the future.
Auburn Hills prepares for wave of electric vehicles
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0721elecvehs0217.aspx
Auburn Hills makes energy efficiency a priority
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0303auburnhillsenergy0199.aspx
Rochester Fire Department goes solar-powered
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/rfdsolarpanels0195.aspx
DTE adds 16 new electric car-charging stations to growing network
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0804dteplugins0219.aspx
Macomb County breaks 100-mark in schools state certified as green
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0414macgreenschools0205.aspx
State grants enable dozens of Michigan schools to turn up solar and wind power
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0218energyworks0197.aspx
The story at Ferndale library is about going green
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0303ferndalelibraryaward0199.aspx
Metro Detroit's institutes of greener learning
http://www.metromodemedia.com/features/greenuniversities0207.aspx
Oakland County Airport first LEED-certified terminal in Michigan
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0818oakcoairport0221.aspx
Propane vehicles deliver for Wright & Fillippis
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0428propanefleet0207.aspx
Interest in DTE's Solar Currents program so hot it's reached its goal
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0512solarcurrents0209.aspx
Downtown Royal Oak parking meters go solar
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/solarmeters0193.aspx
Sign of the times: Southgate hotel goes solar
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0421greenhotel0206.aspx
By Kim North Shine
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The word downtown was tossed around a lot in 2011. Everybody has one or is working on creating one as they pursue the newfound love of things urban. Downtown Development Authorities, Chambers of Commerce, Main Street programs had Main Streets - and their equivalents - throughout metro Detroit putting money into makeovers and facelifts in 2011 as city leaders saw promise in creating places that preserve history, have varied businesses and invite walking, biking, strolling.
The changes were big and small. Together should convey: You want to come here. Decorative, energy-efficient street lights, attractive, theme-appropriate benches, trash-receptacles, pedestrian-safe sidewalks and crosswalks, art installations, benches, historic preservation projects, special events, facade grants, kiosks to direct visitors, even phone apps to get them around town - all wrapped in business recruitment and PR.
Cities with the most real downtowns: Rochester, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Mount Clemens, Dearborn, Plymouth, Northville. The up-and-comers: Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Berkley, Novi, Wyandotte.
Downtown Rochester $1 million streetscape re-do is on
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0818rochesterredo0221.aspx
Downtown Lake Orion gets $2 million streetscape, new microbrewery
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0922lakeorion0225.aspx
Mount Clemens invests more than $250K in way-finding signs
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0915wayfinders0224.aspx
Wyandotte DDA's business improvement grants paying off
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx
Nightlife builds in downtown Plymouth
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0526plymouthnightlife0211.aspx
Ice rink cometh to Auburn Hills heating up plans for downtown
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/icerink0192.aspx
Graduate housing, downtown parking and retail complex coming to Auburn Hills
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/1201ahhousing0234.aspx
Main Street Oakland recognizes top downtown projects
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0310mainstreetoakawards0200.aspx
By Kim North Shine
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Regional mass transit champions, especially of train and light rail, received several pieces of good news in 2011 as Amtrak operators and bus service providers saw ridership hit record numbers. Funding added up, new stations opened and Woodward Avenue light rail moved as close as ever to leaving the station.
Metro Detroit suburbs liked what they saw and threw money and manpower behind studies and possible land acquisition into linking their main corridors, namely Woodward Avenue and possibly 8 Mile, to light rail or other regional mass transit system.
Of course, the Woodward Avenue Rail project has been put on hold in favor of a rapid bus transit plan... but the conversation deepens and most assuredly continues.
Note: The record numbers and the funding have been a "trend" since at least 2008, but 2012 might show us if this thing that has brought so much economic stimulus to other towns can happen in metro Detroit. It's why we posed this in 2011: If Dallas can do it, why not Detroit?
As train and bus ridership gorw, $47 million is committed to new transit options
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/1020masstransit0229.aspx
Transform Woodward ponders light rail beyond Detroit
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0804woodlightrail0219.aspx
Woodward Avenue as linear city
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0609woodave0212.aspx
If Dallas Can Do It, Why Can't Detroit?
http://www.metromodemedia.com/features/dallasdetroitlightrail0218.aspx
Case for Detroit light rail grows with $25M federal grant, 23 percent growth in Amtrak ridership
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/lightrailplans0195.aspx
Nearly $200M federal grant accelerates high speed rail in Metro Detroit
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0512highspeedrail0209.aspx
Next stop: Dearborn. New new train station pulling in
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0721dearborntrain0217.aspx
New transit center in Pontiac welcomes bus, train commuters
http://www.metromodemedia.com/devnews/0811pontiactransit0220.aspx
By Kim North Shine
Thursday, December 01, 2011
A four-story, 97-apartment-unit, 279-parking space mixed-use development with room for 6,150 square feet of retail on the bottom floor is moving toward the start of construction and a completion date of January 2013.
The project in the Auburn Hills downtown area about two miles from Oakland University and Cooley Law School will be designated a preferred residence for the schools' graduate students. As many as 130 students could live there.
City officials see potential to transform the city's developing downtown at Auburn and Squirrel roads.
The $14 million development is a public private partnership with the city's Tax Increment Financing Authority owning the parking structure and putting in about $4.5 million and the building being developed, owned and operated by Lansing-based Prescient Growth LLC, which is committing $9.5 million.
“With Oakland University, Cooley Law School, Baker College, Oakland Community College and an extension of Central Michigan University located here, Auburn Hills is visited by more than 20,000 college students on most week days. With the addition of this new residence, we will add a critical mass of students who bring energy and vibrancy and want to create a sense of place in downtown Auburn Hills,” City Manager Pete Auger says in a statement announcing the groundbreaking.
The building and parking structure will be done in a wrap style, where the housing wraps around and is attached to the parking structure. It masks two sides of the structure from view.
Amenities for the student residents will be plentiful and ideally the businesses in and around the building will be their go-to spots, says Stephanie Carroll, coordinator of community relations and legislative affairs for Auburn Hills.
That's more in line with what comes to mind in a college town.
"We're not trying to be an Ann Arbor at all," she says, "But we thought what better way than to capture that student population but give them a place."
Source: Stephanie Carroll, coordinator of community relations and legislative affairs, city of Auburn Hills
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Parking meters in downtown Pontiac are a thing of the past as the city carries out a plan to overhaul its parking system and start fresh again.
The goal is to cut down on the operating costs of checking and maintaining the meters and also to make parking downtown more convenient and cost-efficient, says Khalfani Stephens, director of commercial and industrial development for the city. Pontiac's finances are in such a shambles that the city is being run by a state-appointed emergency financial manager.
In addition to removing every parking meter in downtown Pontiac, the city will also privatize its largest parking structure and lots and sell the others.
Downtown business owners have met the change with mixed reactions, with some thinking customers won't miss the meters and others saying losing timed meters hurts business, Stephens says.
"When it's all over," Stephens says,"it should be a situation where the department's operating costs are in order and the businesses and customers have a more pleasant experience coming downtown."
Source: Khalfani Stephens, director of commercial and industrial development
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Garbage pick-up, public safety, water, and sewer have gone the way of regionalization, with the rise of shared services in some Metro Detroit communities. Rarer still are the sharing of recreation departments, but the cities of Eastpointe and Roseville see sharing theirs as a way to save money and improve quality.
"We thought this was kind of contemporary," says Eastpointe City Manager Steve Duchane, who says the Michigan Parks & Recreation Department has no record of other cities combining recreation services.
The neighboring cities have formed a recreation authority that would oversee all that the two cities' recreation departments offer: senior activities, sports, and enrichment classes.
If the authority is to have any authority, however, voters in the two Macomb County cities must approve a 20-year assessment of 1 mill, or about $35 in taxes a year for a home with an equalized value of $35,000 -- half of market value. The election is Nov. 8.
If voters reject it, the cities will cease recreation services at the beginning of the year, when the money runs out.
"This has been a very difficult decision for the city council," Duchane says.
"You don't think of joining forces until you're in a financial situation," he says. "Both departments are already combining on some things…So it's logical to share services more formally. Each one running a smaller program is more inefficient."
In addition to sharing programming, the cities would share one main recreation center, the one currently in Roseville at 11 Mile and Gratiot. Eastpointe's current center is at 8 Mile and Gratiot.
"It's actually more centrally located, and this would logically let us have one bigger, better center." Even though a recreation center isn't typically a targeted area for combining services, Duchane expects to see more of it.
"I think it's an evolutionary process," he says. "There's already sharing of service, mutual aid. Recreation is just not the first thing people have thought of."
"It's a different twist. I don't think people are opposed to it… .It's just something different, something you don't think about until you're in a financial situation that makes you think about it."
Source: Steve Duchane, Eastpointe city manager
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, October 27, 2011
A business incubator support project in Sterling Heights called Velocity is offering space, guidance and other services to startups in the fields of defense, homeland security and advanced manufacturing.
Velocity and several other organizations are located in a renovated and technologically updated 35,000-square-foot building that was formerly a Ford Motor Co. child care center. It's located on 18 Mile Road between Van Dyke and Mound Roads. Van Dyke lies in a state SmartZone.
Velocity, which launched last week, is a collaboration between the city of Sterling Heights, Macomb County and the Macomb-OU Business INCubator.
It offers customized leased space to start-ups that "have their business plan, their product, and they're looking for assistance and guidance to take it to that next step," says Denice Gerstenberg, business development manager for Sterling Heights. "They will grow up, move out of the incubator and into the community to create jobs."
Macomb County, which has been dubbed the Arsenal of Democracy for its work in defense, has a long history and background in all three industries targeted by Velocity.
"This corridor has a strong defense presence…Macomb County gets approximately six percent of all defense contracts," Gerstenberg points out. It goes to show that the money is there for start-ups with useful ideas. "Homeland security is an emerging industry and obviously with all the [automakers], Chrysler and Ford being here, it's a strong manufacturing corridor as well."
Other building occupants include the Macomb-OU INCubator, the Pawley Lean Institute from OU, and OU's Center for Robotics and Unmanned Intelligent Systems.
There also are two start-up tenants moving along the business development path that's opened to 20-25 other start-ups.
Source: Denice Gerstenberg, business development manager, city of Sterling Heights
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Downtown Auburn Hills, following the approval of a new student housing complex with parking and retail space (the largest development of its kind), is celebrating the openings of at least six new businesses in the last three months.
The downtown business openings leave only one small vacant storefront. The openings are the joining of a deliberate effort of economic development and Chamber of Commerce officials and entrepreneurs looking for new ways of life in a changing economy, says Tom Tanghe, assistant city manager and director of human resources and labor relations.
"It's sort of a big deal in this economy," Tanghe says, "to have this many businesses opening at the same time."
The openings were becoming so regular that the city and the Chamber of Commerce tried a twist on the usual ribbon-cuttings by holding them on the same night at an event called a strolling ribbon cutting.
He says groundwork, mainly in the way of streetscape projects, was laid back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"We had some pretty good activity around 2002, 2003 and 2004. Residential condos, townhouses, office, retail," he recalls. "Around 2006, 2007, everything came to a screeching halt. We had a number of vacancies. Of course when the market crashed in '08 everything just stopped."
What changed, he says, was the arrival of "a lot of people with the entrepreneurial spirit. In some cases they have given up hope on the private sector and decided they'd seek out a different destiny," he says.
There are no franchises among the bunch of new businesses on Auburn Road: YourSource Management Group, HomeCrafters Home Improvement, Sound-Wave Music & Arts, Walker Self Defense Academy, Edge Men’s Grooming and the Pampered Pooch LLC, which grooms nearly 30 dogs a day.
In addition to the infrastructure being in place and entrepreneurs striking out on their own, newcomers were attracted by investments and grants from TIFA (Tax Increment Financing Authority), which captures taxes in designated areas to be used for economic development.
One program grants up to $30,000 in matching funds to help businesses build out their spaces. Facade improvement grants are also available.
“The city makes a strong case for new businesses to open their doors downtown,” says Denise Asker, executive director of the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce. “With an appealing mix of architecture, restaurants, shops, recurring community events, and access to free Wi-Fi, the commercial climate here couldn’t be better, whether companies are established entities or emerging enterprise.”
Source: Tom Tanghe, assistant city manager and director of human resources and labor relations; Denise Asker, executive director of the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, September 22, 2011
A $2 million streetscape project and the impending arrival of a new micro brewery is changing the landscape of downtown Lake Orion and launching what could morph into a restaurant district for the city.
The 51 North Brewery at 51 N. Broadway is a major development on its own, but the fact that it is moving into a massive, historic, downtown building that had no takers for several years makes it an even greater success, says Suzanne Perreault, executive director of the
Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority.
After the micro brewery owner, an accomplished home brewer, approached the DDA last December about locations for a business, DDA officials decided to carve a deal that would be beneficial for the entrepreneur and for the city and its tax base, Perreault says.
The building, a 4,700-square-foot former gas station on the north end of town -- an area the DDA wants to pull into the busier part of the downtown -- was purchased by the DDA in 2006. For all these years only the DDA's offices occupied a portion of the building, but it is now relocating. Because of the work needed to ready the building for retail and other business, there was no interest from business owners in leasing it, Perrault says.
"The original intention was to purchase it, tear it down and put in a parking lot," Perrault says."But one focus of the DDA is historic preservation."
"From our perspective we were willing to give a really good deal. We had purchased the building. We make no payments, so we can negotiate a good lease agreement. For us it's so beneficial. There are a lot of wins for the DDA in doing something like this," Perreault says. "Number one, we get a new business in downtown. We also create an anchor-type business on the north end and then we're going to see some job creation and we're going to put that property back on the tax rolls. It's been tax exempt the last five years. Now they're going to have to put money into the building to rehab it. It's a significant investment and they'll be paying taxes on that. So we wanted to offer a good deal that could get them in there."
She expects the planning commission to discuss the project the first week of November. If all goes as planned, renovations could begin shortly after in time for a February or March opening. The micro brewery will serve bistro-style food and house huge tanks for beer making.
Visitors to the micro brewery and downtown Lake Orion will find new street lamps that run on energy efficient LEDs, changes to make walking easier, redone streets and parking lots -- all part of the $2 million in improvements.
"We really think it's going to make our community just that much more appealing," Perreault says. "It's looking good and safe to walk around, we're improving parking. It's getting better and better."
Several other businesses are also in talks about joining downtown Lake Orion's 65 existing downtown establishments.
Source: Suzanne Perreault, executive director, Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The University of Michigan-Dearborn and a private developer are embarking on a project that would bring the first student housing to campus and also revive shuttered Ford Motor Co. property.
The city of Dearborn and the state of Michigan are supporting the Union at Dearborn development by approving discounted taxes and other incentives to help Urban Campus Communities, the developer, renovate and turn prominent, vacant buildings into student housing and a student activity center, says Barry Murray, director of economic and community development for the city of Dearborn.
"We are just thrilled about this," Murray says of the $47 million proposed project that could employ 20 people in full-time jobs and lead to numerous construction jobs.
The first phase of the project, he says, would renovate former research and testing facilities vacated by Ford Motor Co. when it began its downsizing. Three buildings ranging from one to four stories tall would house about 525 students, possibly by fall 2012, Murray says. A second phase, if it comes to pass, would add more housing, possibly another 300 beds. There is also talk of bringing student housing to downtown Dearborn, he says. One building in the first phase would also include a student union.
The buildings are located on Evergreen, on the ring road around Fairlane, across the street from the university. At 150,000 square feet, they represent 10 percent of the city's unused buildings and have been declared brownfields, which makes the project eligible for tax abatements, $2.34 million of which were approved last week by the
Michigan Economic Growth Authority.
Murray points out that UM-Dearborn is the only state school to have no student housing, something that market research by the school found to be a deterrent to choosing it over other schools with housing. He says that research shows the school could support 2,000-3,000 students in housing.
"This is a true green use for obsolete buildings," Murray says. "The best thing you can do for the environment is re-use buildings."
Beth Marmarelli, associate director for communications and marketing at UM-Dearborn, says enrollment numbers for this year will not be finalized until next week. The project is still in the planning stages, she says.
Sources: Barry Murray, director of economic and community development, city of Dearborn;
Beth Marmarelli, associate director for communications and marketing at U-M Dearborn
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The latest step in bringing a loft living and retail development to downtown Pontiac was taken with the approval of tax incentives from the state.
The proposal by Pontiac-based West Construction Services for the Lafayette Place Lofts has the development looking down from three connected buildings on Saginaw and Perry streets with multi-level entrances on two sides and underground parking.
The buildings that would be renovated for Lafayette Place Lofts are vacant and have been designated as historic, brownfield, and as an urban redevelopment, which entitles developers to tax breaks and other incentives for putting them back into use.
Under the proposal, according to the
Michigan Economic Growth Authority, which last week approved a tax credit not to exceed $2.24 million, the project investment would be $20.4 million.
Kyle Westberg of
West Construction Services says there are other issues to finalize before providing more details.
Details provided by MEGA call for the project to have 33,000 square feet of residential space with 46 units, 25 of them affordable housing. Rental prices would range from $700-$1,000 per month. The building might also include a fresh food market and gym in 25,100 square feet of retail.
Lafayette Place Lofts would create 107 full-time jobs and bring new business to downtown as well as promote foot traffic.
Source: Michigan Economic Growth Authority and Kyle Westberg, West Construction Services
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Just follow the signs if you want to find downtown Mount Clemens and its city attractions.
The Downtown Development Authority of this Macomb County city - the county seat - is putting more than $250,000 into signs that help visitors find their way to and around town.
More than 40 aptly-named wayfinding signs started going up last week and will be completed by year's end, says Mount Clemens DDA Director Arthur Mullen.
The signs are a growing form of municipal marketing, going from a macro to micro view, steering visitors from major thoroughfares toward the city, its downtown, and various attractions. And ultimately they show the way to parking and then sidewalk routes.
There will also be a downtown kiosk printed with an overview map, while other area maps in various spots make up the wayfinding system. Maps are also on the website of
Mount Clemens DDA.
Designed by a Traverse City company called
Corbin Design, the signs also depict Gratiot Avenue, one of the city's main inlets and outlets, as a loop that turns around errant drivers.
Besides directing visitors, the hope is to attract businesses who see the approach as a benefit for their customers. Complaints about navigating the city that has a river cutting through it and a complicated system of roads drove the idea of coming up with a signage system, a project started in 2008.
"Let's say someone needs to go and see the
Crocker House, the
Anton Art Center, the
Michigan Transit Museum," some of the city's popular destinations, Mullen says. "The whole key about wayfinding is really improving the visitor experience. Anyone who's not familiar with an area hates to get lost…The signs can make the entire experience of getting to a destination a pleasant one," he explains. "You're driving in a car, you're worried about getting in an accident, getting lost…With the signs you're more at ease and you feel like the community cares about you because they've made an investment in helping you get there."
Mullen says museums and other institutions have found the signs may be responsible for a 10 percent increase in visits within two years after being posted.
Source: Arthur Mullen, director, Mount Clemens Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Lincoln Park is betting on new boulevards, fresh sidewalks, decorative energy-efficient lights, plantings and planters, renovated storefronts, repaved parking lots, and other changes and incentives to boost business.
The changes that are part of a streetscape project come with quite a price tag: $975,000, and the stakes are high as Lincoln Park works to show off its assets: the Detroit River, freeway access, and history. All but about $200,000 of the nearly $1 million project has been paid for by a federal transportation enhancement grant, Lincoln Park City Manager Steve Duchane says.
The streetscape project affects a wide part of the city, including its major thoroughfares of Fort and Southfield.
The improvements are in progress, some of them already done, as the city works to put on its best face for visitors and businesses.
"Our strategy is to create the proper environment for people to invest in the community," Duchane says.
In addition, he says, the city has been approved under a special state economic development program to award an additional 43 liquor licenses as a way to attract restaurants and other businesses that serve alcohol.
Besides the streetscape installation, two chuck-holed public parking lots are being resurfaced. And a facade improvement grant program approved by the Downtown Development Authority is distributing $50,000 to some 200-300 businesses to improve the fronts of their buildings, Duchane says.
The streetscape ties in to a separate venture with neighboring Allen Park and Wayne County to improve the appearance, safety and walkability of the roads that tie the communities to I-94. New lighting along the improved areas is energy efficient.
"You try to set up every asset you can so that should there be interest and the economic willingness to put some money into the community, you have the infrastructure in place to make that happen," Duchane says.
Source: Steve Duchane, city manager, Lincoln Park
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, September 01, 2011
An eyesore of a hospital that once was the lifeblood of downtown Trenton is coming back to life in the form of a new medical center.
The nearly 10-acre property on the bank of the Detroit River is called Riverside Commons, and it will pump $12 million in new investment into Trenton and bring 163 permanent, full-time jobs when it opens, according to the Michigan Economic Growth Authority. It has approved a request from the Trenton Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to capture $2,224,250 in school and local taxes for the project.
Riverside Commons is moving into a refurbished building that housed Henry Ford Hospital, which closed in 2002 and "has become something of an eyesore," city administrator Bob Cady says.
Construction is expected to begin within days and will lead to a new exterior and renovation of the interior, including removal of asbestos. An opening date has not been set.
Riverside Commons will include doctors' offices on the front side, a rehabilitation facility in the center, and senior housing or eldercare to the rear of the property, on the riverfront. There may also be a teaching component for respiratory therapy students, Cady says.
A few years ago the city invested about $2 million in improvements to downtown that make it more attractive and easier to navigate for pedestrians and drivers.
"It's our hope that this will help our downtown area with the jobs that will be created and the traffic that will be generated," he says. "It could be a real shot in the arm for downtown."
Source: Bob Cady, city administrator, city of Trenton
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Projects coming courtesy of the federal government will bring changes to streets, sidewalks and commercial areas in Grosse Pointe and Dearborn.
The changes, part of federal Transportation Enhancement Grants distributed by the Michigan Department of Transportation, will basically make busy areas of the two cities more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly and ideally more attractive to locals and visitors.
The $575,105 Dearborn project will realign the Dix-Vernor business corridor and improve pedestrian safety. The realignment will change the angle at which Vernor Highway intersects Dix Avenue. In addition, a streetscape project will add ADA-compliant curb ramps, pedestrian stereo lighting, benches, trash receptacles and landscaping and also provide space for added parking. The city is paying $228,442 while the federal grants cover $342,663.
"Working with MDOT and Wayne County, we will be able to create a modern, pedestrian-friendly intersection that will be safer and more attractive to residents and visitors alike while boosting our business district," Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly, Jr. says in a statement announcing the grants. "This is a great example of how a partnership between local and state government can set the stage for community improvements and economic growth."
In Grosse Pointe, a $969,029 project will also add ADA-compliant curb ramps, decorative sidewalks, bike racks, benches, trash receptacles, scored concrete crosswalks, landscaping and decorative lighting. The changes will improve pedestrian safety and mobility and improve the appearance of the neighborhood.
The city is paying $329,470, the federal government $639,559.
The grants fall under a federal law that requires 10 percent of federal surface transportation funds be used for transportation enhancement projects for community investment in projects such as streetscapes, bicycle paths and historic preservation.
Source: Jeff Cranson, director of communications, Michigan Department of Transportation; Grosse Pointe City Manager Peter Dame; Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly, Jr.
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The final piece of funding for a massive redo of Rochester Road in downtown Rochester is in place.
A $523,778 federal grant - combined with a matching amount from the city - will set off a project that will modernize the street, lights and sidewalks while preserving history and enhancing safety, appearance and usefulness.
Rochester Road, the city's main thoroughfare through downtown, is one of Michigan's most admired Main Streets. The million-dollar-plus streetscape project will include new LED street lighting fixtures, pedestrian benches, trash receptacles, reconstructed crosswalks and sidewalks, and more. New street lights and posts with the energy saving bulbs will be replaced along the stretch from Second Street to the Paint Creek Bridge. The old lights, if financially feasible, will go into alleys, says Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority.
During construction, which will begin in April and end in September 2012, it is expected that the original brick-paved Rochester Road will be uncovered. Those bricks will be used to make new planters, not only repurposing what could be waste but adding greenery to the city, says Trevarrow.
In addition,the sidewalks will be restored to their original exposed brick walkways. Crosswalks will be made of stamped concrete that slows cars and have downward facing lighting for pedestrians - both for safety. Street signs will also have backlit illumination.
Bike racks will be constructed into the new planters and the streetlamps.
The project has the potential to draw visitors and business to the area and also make Rochester another example of how to build a thriving downtown. But it only began because the state-owned Rochester Road was due for maintenance improvements. The Michigan Department of Transportation helped the city obtain the federal dollars.
"We thought this was a great opportunity to do things we've been wanting to do," Trevarrow says.
Source: Kristi Trevarrow, executive director, Rochester Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Oakland County's new and improved airport opens next week with a facility that's a better match for the high-flying clientele that comes in and out of it. It's also an example of how to build an eco-conscious airport.
The new Oakland County International Airport is one of a handful of LEED-certified general aviation airport terminals in the country, Michigan's first and Oakland County's first LEED-certified government building. LEED is Leadership and Energy in Environmental Design, a coveted distinction from the US Green Building Council.
All told, the project cost $7.5 million, with $2 million coming from federal government.
The green, energy-saving features include wind and solar power sources, geothermal heating and cooling, and LED and fluorescent lighting. There are also electric car charging stations and a living wall in the lobby. The wall, where a collectible bi-plane hangs from the ceiling, is made of green plants watered by captured rainwater, says Airport Director David Vanderveen.
Solar panels and wind turbines will save about 15 percent in energy usage, Vanderveen says. The geothermal heating and cooling, which pulls 55-degree water from the earth so that energy is saved by not having to cool or warm water to reach ideal building temps, will save 50 percent or more in energy costs, he says.
The new airport building will house airport administration, US Customs, an office for the Waterford Police Department, and also have a conference room available to airport users and the community, Vanderveen says.
Customs can now process 70 passengers instead of 20. "It will make things much easier for the international travelers and even for our basketball team, the Pistons," he says.
The new airport replaces a 50-year-old facility that was out of date, not compliant with disabled accessibility laws, had leaky roofs and windows, and asbestos. The changes also include new parking lots and airport entrances. The new airport will be dedicated next week during an invitation-only event, and then opened to the community on Aug. 28 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., when 15,000-20,000 visitors are expected.
"It was a worn-out, dysfunctional building," Vanderveen says. "Oakland County has over 700 foreign firms from 33 countries. Virtually every Fortune 500 company comes through this airport. You only have one chance to make a good impression and it can either be positive or negative. We obviously want the impression to be positive, especially when we're welcoming visitors from around the world."
Source: David Vanderveen, director Oakland County International Airport
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Light bulbs that are part of a million-dollar-plus investment from the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation could flip the switch on job creation, energy savings and environmental protection.
Through
the MEDC's Advanced Lighting Technology Demonstration grants, 14
Michigan communities are sharing the $1,066,429 pool. They're committing
to updating their bulbs to higher tech, energy saving designs and, when
possible, to buying them from Michigan manufacturers. The object is to
save money (taxpayer dollars) on energy costs, prevent greenhouse gases
by replacing old-style inefficient bulbs and create jobs that involve
the nuts and bolts of updating, replacing and maintaining the new bulbs.
Melanie
McCoy, general manager of Wyandotte's municipal services department,
says the LED project will be completed in tandem with a solar panel
installation on city buildings.
"What we're going to do is actually a fabulous project," she says.
The $100,000 grant will pay for part of a project to replace
existing street lamps and pedestrian walkway lights along a path that
leads from the public library, down Biddle Avenue through downtown and
up Eureka Road for several blocks to the high school.
The
project, which will go out to bid as soon as the city searches for
Michigan companies that can benefit, will be completed by next July. At
the same time the city will use its own funds to add solar power
generators to the library and a water department building.
"This is a combination of a renewable energy project together with an energy efficiency project," McCoy says.
MEDC
President and CEO Michael A. Finney says in a statement announcing the
award of the grants that "the energy and cost savings benefits plus the
maintenance savings due
to the longer life of the lamps are impressive with the newer technology
lighting that's now available. These benefits are more important than
ever to local governments in reducing operating expenses."
"In addition, manufacturing of advanced lighting technologies is a
growing industry in Michigan and has the potential to create a new
source of jobs and investment for local and state economies."
The
types of lighting to be used in the government facilities and on public
transportation vehicles include LEDs, or light emitting diodes, AKA
solid state lighting; induction lighting, and plasma lighting.
The
recipients of the grants must collect data and report their energy
savings, cost savings, jobs created. The Michigan Energy Office will
require that funded grantees regularly collect, track, and report
metrics data related to energy savings, cost savings, jobs created and
emissions reductions.
Besides Wyandotte, other metro Detroit
recipients are Roseville, $81,074; Hazel Park, $50,150; Farmington
Hills, $81,405; and Detroit, $100,000.
Source: Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Melanie McCoy, city of Wyandotte
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, August 04, 2011
A mix of local and national retailers, restaurants and other businesses are making downtown Birmingham their address.
A recruiter hired by the city's Principal Shopping District has attracted some of the newcomers. The
Principal Shopping District functions somewhat like a downtown development authority but does not capture taxes as traditional DDAs do or buy or purchase land. The PSD uses funds from a special assessment on commercial properties to operate. That includes marketing downtown Birmingham and hiring a recruiter to find national retailers.
One is
Paper Source, a Chicago-based stationery and paper supply store that has 44 locations, with seven opening nationally this year. Paper Source is filling the space occupied by Sherman's Shoes at 115 West Maple.
About 15 businesses, from restaurants and candy stores to salons and clothing stores, have opened recently or are expected to open soon.
Look for
Detroit Guitar, which is under construction at 243 W. Maple and will bring music lessons and music gear in funky surroundings to downtown in September.
What Crepe?, a Euro dining eatery, is moving into 167 Old North Woodward.
Sanders, the ice cream and candy store, is relocating just down the street to 172 North Old Woodward. Shish Kabob and Subway are adding to eating options, as are three bistros: Townhouse, Bella Piatti and Churchills. Revive, a men's clothing store, is coming to 163 W. Maple, where Adventures in Toys once was. Salons, H202 and Nude, opened in May on Hamilton Row.
"We definitely have had an uptick in businesses coming in," says John Heiney, director of Birmingham's Principal Shopping District.
Last year there was a net increase of 15 businesses, including spas, a florist, a jeweler, home decorating stores and food establishments.
"We seem to be on a similar pace this year," he adds.
The recruiting effort is focusing on national retailers looking for boutique-size operations of 2,500 square feet or less, he says. Apparel stores are the main focus. City Manager Bob Bruner has been on the job since February and comes from Ferndale, which is known for a vibrant downtown.
"We hope the national retailers will join our excellent local retailers," Heiney says.
Source: John Heiney, director, Birmingham Principal Shopping District; Birmingham City Manager Bob Bruner
Writer: Kim North Shine
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Southern Oakland County communities are contributing to a study that will look into what it will take to embark on transit-oriented development along Woodward Avenue.
The major thoroughfare ties the communities together and would be an obvious extension of a light rail line that is expected to be constructed along Woodward from downtown Detroit to 8 Mile Road.
The study was commissioned by the Transform Woodward group convened by the nonprofit
Woodward Avenue Action Association, or WA3, and will identify land use and zoning and master plan changes needed to support transit oriented development along the South Oakland County portion of Woodward.
Royal Oak based
LSL Planning Inc. will complete the study.
The Transform Woodward Task Force is made up of elected officials, employers and institutional partners from Berkley, Birmingham, Ferndale, Huntington Woods and Royal Oak.
In announcing the plans to initiate a "transit-oriented development framework," WA3 says the creation of "improved public transit that includes a rapid transit service along the Woodward corridor, including governance, and funding through a regional transit authority, is a significant step toward a larger system that will support the development of jobs and business investments throughout the region, linking Oakland County."
Jana Ecker, chair of the task force and city of Birmingham planning director, says in a statement announcing the consultant's hiring, "We look forward to working with them as we complete the initial data gathering phases and begin to broaden our engagement with the communities along this historic All-American Road."
The task force and LSL Planning will outline existing conditions, transportation patterns, and needs and goals of each community as well as the Southern Oakland County region while building broad support and attempting to ensure that each city's unique character is preserved.
Source: Lori Ella Miller, spokesperson, Woodward Avenue Action Association
Writer: Kim North Shine
Auburn Hills
is preparing for a world where electric vehicle chargers are commonplace
in new construction, where they're as prevalent in parking lots as
handicapped spots and where there will be an interconnected network of
charging stations similar to the cell phone towers that have made
communication so instant.
The city that's home to Chrysler Group has passed an ordinance, believed
to be the first in Michigan and patterned off the best practices of
communities in other states, that will encourage developers, builders,
home owners and business owners, to make electric car charging stations a
regular part of construction.
The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Ordinance passed on July 11th will
also offer guidance during construction and ideally save time now and
money in the future, says Steven Cohen, director of community development for Auburn Hills.
"Our main goal was to raise awareness about the infrastructure that's
needed to support electric vehicles," Cohen says. "We want to share with
homeowners, developers and also with municipal planners throughout the
state that this is something that's coming. We want to support this
technological innovation in the auto industry."
He says an ordinance like this one encourages, but does not require,
property owners to "rough in" their home garages or parking lots for
future charging station installations. It cuts red tape and makes them
easy to install. Making an electric charging station part
of a home garage is simple and similar to the electric lines and
circuits needed to power something like a refrigerator or air
conditioning unit, but is much cheaper to install when the home is being
built.
"The electric vehicle is not going to take over the market, but there's
going to be a sizable segment of motorists that will demand a convenient
network of charging stations. Michigan communities will need to
prepare for this anticipated consumer demand and be ready when it
comes," Cohen says.
By 2015, all automakers will offer electric vehicles as the federal
government encourages alternative forms of energy in an effort to lessen
America's reliance on gasoline, Cohen says.
"This innovation is good for Detroit, good for Michigan, and good for
America," Cohen says. "We encourage Michigan communities to proactively
plan for and adapt to this paradigm shift in how vehicles will be
refueled. Thousands of electric vehicles, like the Chevy Volt and
Nissan Leaf, will be on the road before we know it. It is very
exciting."
Source: Steven Cohen, director of community development, city of Auburn HillsWriter: Kim North Shine
Construction on a new train station in Dearborn could be weeks away now that several key agreements are signed.
The $28.2-million project formally known as the Dearborn Intermodal Passenger Rail Facility will be located on Michigan Avenue west of the Southfield Freeway and replace an old, outdated station that takes riders across the railroad tracks.
The new station will feature a bridge over the tracks.
"The bridge will be a safer way to cross," says Barry Murray, Dearborn's director of economic and community development.
The new station will be served by Amtrak and provide quick access to some of the city's top institutions, including Henry Ford Hospital, The University of Michigan at Dearborn, The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village, and the west end of downtown.
Murray says conference calls this week with federal rail officials will hopefully result in the release of the federal funds that are part of an economic stimulus grant.
Key agreements that were reached and required for the release of the money include the hiring of the architectural firm,
Neumann Smith, and the construction manager, Tooles & Clark.
"We're very hopeful the grant will be obligated sometime very soon, maybe 30 days is a good number to put on it," Murray says. "It's really hard to say for sure. We've been saying 30 days for a long time, but I think we're really close."
Source: Barry Murray, director of economic and community development, city of Dearborn
Writer: Kim North Shine
A big white empty building that fronts Ford Road in Garden City could be a diamond in the rough for the community's downtown in the making.
The 1960s-era Penske building, which is owned by Sears Holdings and was once an automotive repair business, sits surrounded by a parking lot in front of a K-mart, the first in Michigan.
While it screams has-been, some city officials and the Downtown Development Authority see opportunity and are negotiating with Sears on a purchase or lease of the property, says Stacey Tobar, interim director of the
Garden City Downtown Development Authority.The building can no longer be used for its original purpose due to zoning changes, and at 14,000 square feet it is too large for most business owners looking for new digs.
It's with that in mind that the city is talking about several options, including renovating the building for a shared workspace or business incubator, where small companies, work-from-homers and the like can share space, equipment and possibly ideas, Tobar says.
There is also talk of using it for a Farmers Market, moving the DDA or Chamber of Commerce offices there, or relocating the library to the space. Retail is also a possibility.
"We have made an offer. We've begun the real estate portion. It may take a month to get through their hierarchy," Tobar says. "Even then we've got to look at our expenses as well, inspect the building, make sure this makes sense."
"Nothing is in stone at all," she adds. "It might take a year or two to get it where it's looking inhabitable. We understand that it's not a compete turnkey thing. We'll have to go in and clean it out, renovate it…but there's definitely a lot of potential."
Source: Stacey Tobar, interim director, Garden City Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
A final nine miles of pavement - along with a some pretty major major - are the finishing touches on the
Macomb Orchard Trail.
The 23 1/2-mile, multi-use, non-motorized paved path crosses Macomb County and beckons walkers, runners, skaters, bikers, stroller-pushers and the like to a pathways that will take them across the county and for many miles outside.
"It's opening up a whole regional trail system," says John Crumm, director of planning for the
Macomb County Department of Roads.
The final nine miles are being laid in Armada and Richmond. A bridge is also being built over the Clinton River, and a soon-to-be announced park will open in Romeo in a brownfield where now stands an unattractive county road department service center, says Crumm.
The building in Romeo will become an access point, park, and parking lot, he says. "It will immensely improve that neighborhood."
There will also be many more access points on the trail, including more for the disabled.
The work should all be done this summer, Crumm says.
The Macomb Orchard Trail ties together Macomb County communities and their natural features. It connects to Oakland County at Dequindre Road and leads into Rochester to Paint Creek.
The trail is also a link in a statewide system to connect the Great Lakes, rivers and such, this one a piece of the path between Lakes Michigan and Huron.
Source: John Crumm, director of planning, Macomb County Department of Roads
Writer: Kim North Shine
Woodward Avenue in Berkley and Royal Oak is in the process of changes that should make one heavy pedestrian spot a less challenging one to walk safely.
The Michigan Department of Transportation is spending $400,000 to improve Woodward Avenue and 12 Mile Road. While safety is MDOT's main concern, the changes could also make the intersection even more inviting to pedestrians who frequent the dozens of businesses along the stretch.
The construction, which will primarily affect the median and Michigan left turn lanes, started this week and could finish in time for the Woodward Dream Cruise, which runs Aug. 17-22, and attracts thousands of collector car owners and spectators to this part of Woodward. If incomplete by then, it should be done by Labor Day, says MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi.
Some of the conditions at the pedestrian-heavy area along this wide swath of road traveled by speeding cars, "raised red flags," Morosi says.
The existing median will be widened so there's a safe place to wait while crossing the wide road. Left turn lanes will be shortened so cars can't go so fast next to the median. Stamped concrete at the crossings will make crossing locations clearer to pedestrians and drivers, and new crossing signals will have the added feature of a countdown clock to make it clear if there's enough time to make it across the road. Additionally, sidewalk ramps will be improved.
Source: Rob Morosi, spokesman Michigan Department of Transportation
Writer: Kim North Shine
With two major commuter roadways running by it, it's easy to pass through Garden City without even noticing.
City planners are working on turning heads (safely, of course) and bringing in more foot traffic to the city's downtown near Ford and Middlebelt roads.
A multi-faceted project will bring outdoor sculptures to the downtown district, saysinterim DDA director Stacey Tobar. .At its main intersection, the city will add landscaping along with decorative circular planters and an LED-lit "Welcome to Downtown Garden City" sign.. It all will replace an underused gazebo that's been there for years and was demolished last summer, she says.
The $125,000 project comes from funds captured by the
Garden City Downtown Development Authority for the use of promoting the downtown and building the commercial tax base.
Ten new sculptures will be displayed throughout the downtown district. Assistance is also coming from the Sauvé Foundation and Brighton artist John Sauvé, who finds artists to make the sculptures. The theme is a surprise, though the city will consult on where the sculptures will go.
Others changes are being made to make the downtown more walkable. A celebration is planned for July 14 during Night of Artists and Stars. From 6 p.m. - 11 p.m. there will be a sculpture crawl, a display of Garden City students artwork, promotions at businesses and the introduction to the apples, which will be auctioned in the fall. In addition, musicians will perform and a Movie at the Moose will end the evening with the showing of a movie on the massive white wall of a business on Ford Road.
"Garden City has struggled in terms of finances. We had a millage that failed," Tobar says. "Some people may wonder why we are doing this. We want to give our community a fresh look, bring people in, attract sponsors, entice new development."
Source: Stacey Tobar, interim DDA director, Garden City
Writer: Kim North Shine
Retailers are being enticed to downtown Rochester with the offer of loans with no payback for two years and business start-up assistance from Oakland University.
The micro loan program was announced last week and loans may be made starting in the fall, says Kristi Trevarrow, director of the
Rochester Downtown Development Authority."Basically the idea is the DDA is putting in $100,000 and we're looking for private investors to fund an additional $400,000," Trevarrow says.
The fund will offer two-year loans of up to $50,000 with payback coming at the end of two years and a 12-percent interest rate, which is how private investors will see a return on their put-in.
"What it does is it gives time to get your business going," she says.
It also gives the retailers access to
Oakland University INCubator's "kitchen cabinet," she says. The incubator provides answers, guidance, connections, "areas where we identify issues where they need assistance before the end of the two-year period."
The requirement for the loan is to be a retail business operating in Rochester's DDA district, which is bordered on the north by Woodward Avenue, the west by Helen Street, the east by Elizabeth, and the south by Diversion.
Trevarrow says she and others behind the micro loan program have not located any other cities doing something similar.
"We're kind of the guinea pigs to see how something like this will work," she says.
Source: Kristi Trevarrow, director, Rochester DDA
Writer: Kim North Shine
Downtown Plymouth is closing in on finishing a $2 million streetscape overhaul aimed at keeping its vacancy rate low and its vibrancy rate high.
"The last time the streets were done was in 1995 and it was starting to a look a little old," says Plymouth DDA Director Tony Bruscato. "And of course there's competition in downtowns for customers. Farmington and Northville and other cities were upgrading their downtown streets. You have to be competitive. You want people to come to your downtown and look at it favorably."
Bruscato likes to think it's just the latest in a line of good decisions that have kept Plymouth's vacancy rates among the lowest, even in the most barren economic conditions, and businesses thriving day and night.
"We've been doing pretty well so we want to keep it that way," he says.
The streetscape projects include repaving, infrastructure changes, the installation of LED traffic lights on arms instead of wires, more walkable and safe crosswalks, and other work.
Some of the work was done last year; everything will be completed this year, the first phase finishing by May 27 in time for the first of Plymouth's outdoor concerts. They attract 3,000 - 5,000 people, Bruscato says.
The second and final phase will be completed in June, he says.
By then, every street in the downtown will have been touched, he says.
Source: Tony Bruscato, director, Plymouth Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
What does it take to be declared a perfect downtown Main Street?
Six Oakland County communities have been told they're perfect when it comes to their Main Streets and carrying out the mission of working to make their core go-to destinations for great shopping, eating, working and living and community gathering places.
Farmington, Ferndale, Lake Orion, Ortonville, Oxford and Rochester all received perfect 10 out of 10 scores on their accreditation from the National Main Street Center in Washington, D.C..
Each community has its own character: Ferndale with its eclectic, hipster vibe, Rochester with its upscale feel mixed with history, and all the rest their local style and appeal.
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson recognized the accomplishments of the Oakland County Main Street programs (half a billion in investment in 11 years) last week at the Rust Belt Market on Woodward and 9 Mile in Ferndale, a poignant example of concerted DDA efforts to keep Main Streets thriving.
"The perfect scores attained by these six Main Street communities in their annual evaluation attests to the hard work of many in our downtown areas involved with our Main Street Oakland County program," Patterson says in a statement. "This is a wonderful and well-deserved recognition."
The 10 criteria for scoring were:
Broad-based community support for downtown revitalization
A clear mission and vision statement for the downtown
A downtown revitalization work plan
A historic preservation ethic recognizing the importance of sense of place
A downtown management organization
An adequate operating budget
Paid professional program manager
Ongoing training for staff and volunteers
Reporting of key investment statistics
National Main Street membership
Oakland County was the first county in the United States to operate a county-wide Main Street program,
Main Street Oakland County.
Main Street is a trademarked program of the National Main Street Center in Washington, D.C. In addition to the perfect score recipients, members of Main Street Oakland County are: Franklin, Highland, Holly, Pontiac, and Walled Lake. Berkley, Clarkston, Clawson, Hazel Park, Leonard, South Lyon, and Waterford are in the Main Street Oakland County mentoring program.
Since Main Street Oakland County's formation in 2000, there has been more than $560 million of new investment in Main Street Oakland County communities, over 5,100 jobs created, 551 new businesses opened, and almost 170,000 volunteer hours logged, according to the county.
Source: Pam Tremble, executive assistant, Oakland County
Writer: Kim North Shine
General Motors Corp. may build a $130 million data center, information technology lab and technology center at its Cadillac building in Warren.
The plans are part of an announcement made Wednesday by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority, which approved a state brownfield tax credit of $10 million for the expansion and redevelopment of the building.
The project would create about 25 jobs and put the state's third-largest city in the position of attracting new economy workers to replace the manufacturing jobs eliminated by modernized car-making.
"I think this is an indicator to companies that in Warren and in the metro area we have a lot of highly skilled people who are ready to move in to these jobs, and they will be high paying jobs, highly skilled jobs, jobs where people have a future," Warren Mayor Jim Fouts says. "The future is with information and data and the internet. We don't want to be dependent upon the old industrial concept. We want to move into the 21st and 22nd century."
In all the investment - should it be completed as planned - along with other upcoming GM projects in Warren amounts to nearly $500,000 million and hundreds of jobs, Fouts says.
"I really think this is the tip of the iceberg with the state turning around and getting out of the economic malaise it's been in."
The
Michigan Economic Growth Authority, or MEGA, offers refundable tax credits against the Michigan Business Tax to companies expanding or relocating their operations in Michigan. Tax credit agreements are awarded on the basis on the strength of projects, including jobs created and amount of investment.
Source: Warren Mayor Jim Fouts; Michigan Economic Growth Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
Metro Detroit and Michigan's high speed rail system moved into the fast lane this week with the announcement of nearly $200 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve lines from Dearborn to Kalamazoo.
The grant goes toward the purchase of tracks, signals and other rail infrastructure that will address congestion points and separate rail and freight trains -- currently the reason train travel is slower than ideal. The changes will allow trains to travel up to 110-mph along certain portions of the line. This will also decrease the travel time between Chicago and Detroit by one hour on what is known as the
Amtrak Wolverine line. The 135-mile-long corridor will receive $196.5 million in funding while a separate $2.8 million will pay for a new train and bus station in Ann Arbor to serve Amtrak and other local transit providers.
Michigan will also receive funding to purchase the latest in locomotives and coaches as part of a joint application with Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. The new cars will be added to Amtrak's Wolverine, Blue Water, and Pere Marquette lines.
The projects are expected to start next year and be completed by 2013 or 2014. Once the new rail network is built, Michigan workers and residents will have greater access to high speed rail than most states. According to the Michigan Municipal League, 69 percent of Michigan residents and 71 percent of employers would be within 15 miles of a station, including Pontiac, Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Jackson, Albion, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.
The announcement comes at a time when ridership on the trains is rising substantially, an illustration that high speed rail is desired by Americans and will be a part of American life across the nation, as Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said during the accelerated high rail funding announcement in Detroit Monday.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other transportation advocates say the high speed rail projects will mean jobs and economic development, but critics complain that Michigan is not a high speed rail or mass transit kind of market and the money is a waste.
"Accelerated rail service has the ability to enhance our economy, environment and overall quality of life," Gov. Snyder said in a statement. "An investment of this magnitude can spur economic development in our communities with rail stations, and provide access to a 21st century rail system that will help Michigan citizens compete in a global economy. Reliable, fast train service is attractive to businesses that want to locate or expand near it. This investment in our rail system is critical to Michigan's recovery."
Michigan Municipal League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin says the funding caps many years of working in unison.
"Here in Michigan, we have been fortunate enough to have strong bi-partisan support for high-speed rail. Our political leaders on both sides of the aisle fully understand how important this money is to creating jobs, increasing affordable transportation options, and jump-starting our economy."
Source: Sara Wurfel, spokesperson for Gov. Rick Snyder; Dan Gilmartin, executive director, Michigan Municipal League
Writer: Kim North Shine
As officials at all levels of government look at sharing services to save money, companies such as ImageSoft, Inc. in Southfield have the goods to show them how.
ImageSoft is hosting a summit on the topic of shared services June 8 in Lansing. Oakland County Deputy Executive Robert Daddow will be keynote speaker and share Oakland's success stories of shared services in a presentation titled: "Shared Services – Politics Versus Reality."
While fire and police and similarly high profile departments are often the targets of consolidation, the focus of ImageSoft's Enterprise Content Management software is documents and work flow-labor intensive, costly and often inefficient areas that come with serving the public.
Scott Bade, president of
ImageSoft, a 15-year-old company recognized as one of Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For and winner of the 2010 Best Fit Integrator Award from the Center for Digital Government, says the software is ideal for human resources, billing and other financial areas, permitting and even dog licensing.
The software doesn't eliminate paper but cuts it and the processes that go with it way back. Data entry duties are saved, the need for multiple servers can be eliminated, as can the space and IT staff they require. The idea is to eliminate redundancy and cut costs without sacrificing quality of services, he says.
The software lets communities share data collection and storage, hardware, and expenses, and allows for processes to be centralized and knowledge shared.
"The software in general is going to save money because it makes your staff 20-30 percent more efficient, Bade says. "Unfortunately in a lot of cities the adoption rate is pretty low…A lot of that is changing because of shared services."
Shared services is not a new concept, but recently more and more bodies of government are taking a hard look at it as they look to slash budgets, especially as the proposed state spending plan needs to make up a $2 billion shortage. Gov. Rick Snyder is asking communities to put the shared services concept into practice as a money saver.
Bade says Oakland County is a prime example of sharing services successfully. In addition to Oakland County using ImageSoft, Washtenaw County is using it to share services with Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. With the system they share storage, a server, and disaster recovery. Grand Traverse County uses the software to collaborate with Traverse City as do cities on the west side of the state, Bade says. ImageSoft also provides similar software solutions for banking, health care, courts, insurance and other organizations with vast amounts of document requirements.
Separately, cities in Macomb County have banded together to talk consolidation, and other cities are combining libraries, police dispatch, and other areas.
The summit is free and is geared toward state, county and local government officials of all levels and areas of expertise. It will be held from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development and will include continental breakfast and lunch. For more information or to register go to
www.imagesoftinc.com/government-summit-2011.html
Source: Scott Bade, president ImageSoft Inc.Writer: Kim North Shine
Michigan was one of three states to receive the top award from a national economic development organization that tracks innovation by state agencies in attracting business, and part of the credit goes to Northville-based TSC Michigan for being a major investor and job creator.
The Gold Shovel Award was given to the state of Michigan by Area Development, which ranked TSC, maker of lithium-ion battery electrolytes, as one of the state's top 10 investors. The company invested $31.1 million in 2101 and created 279 jobs.
Two other Gold Shovels went to Indiana and South Carolina while states such as Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia (like Michigan, home to more than nine million residents), won Silver Shovels.
Michael Shore, spokesman for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. calls the Gold Shovel Award "a significant achievement. We beat ten Sunbelt states to win this award."
He says there is "great value" in the award considering that Michigan competes daily against other states, provinces and even nations.
According to Area Development, the award recognizes state economic development agencies "that drive significant job creation through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements, processes and promotions that attract new employers as well as investments in expanded facilities. The Gold Shovels are presented annually to the states that have achieved the most success in terms of new job creation and economic impact."
Shore says the award shows Michigan is writing a new economic story.
"Michigan, despite more than a decade of severe economic stresses, remains one of our nation's real centers of manufacturing, engineering, and R&D excellence. We've won significant new investments in recent years, good enough to earn Silver Shovels four times since 2006, a recognition that we are a serious competitor on the national scene despite our difficulties," he says.
"This helps to change the narrative about Michigan. Whether we're talking with in-state, out-of-state or overseas-based businesses, the Gold Shovel award presents a truer picture of all that Michigan can offer: a competitive business climate, a talented workforce, a strong work ethic, world-class educational institutions, and a quality of life that very few can even dream of matching."
Source: Michael Shore, spokesman Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Area Development
Writer: Kim North Shine
With stately, tree-filled streets, its homes built in the Arts & Crafts era, Tudors and Cape Cods, Pontiac's South Boulevard area is a trip back in time, a tour through the years from the days the first homes were built in the early 1900s until the last ones went up in the 1950s and early 1960s.
The neighborhood at South Boulevard and Franklin Street is one of many vintage neighborhoods in the city and across the county, all of them the focus of the Oak Street Home and Neighborhood Fair this Saturday. It's the third year of the fair, which brings together home professionals and various home improvement and preservation organizations together with the owners of homes built in 1960 and before. There also will be advice and information on access to landscapers and financial assistance for home improvements.
The Oak Street fair runs from 4-7 p.m. in the area of South and Franklin near Woodward. The fair is free and will offer kids activities.
"Our urban neighborhoods are an extremely important component of Oakland County's quality of life," County Executive L. Brooks Patterson says. "The fair raises awareness of these neighborhoods and brings resources directly to homeowners."
The Franklin South Boulevard neighborhood specifically will be the site of home renovations and improvements being completed Saturday by
Rebuilding Together Oakland County, the local branch of a national nonprofit that takes volunteers into older neighborhoods to complete preservation projects and improvements.
"When we come away at the end of the day, there's going to be six to 10 homes that have been given revisions, painting, shrubbery," says Ronald Campbell, principal planner and preservation architect for
Oakland County Planning and Economic Development.
The boulevard will also be changed when the day ends.
ITC Holdings Corp. of Novi, an electricity transmission company, has donated nine red oak trees and will plant them in the median on South Boulevard.
"There's tremendous investment in these neighborhoods both in terms of infrastructure and in private investment," Campbell says. We want them to understand the opportunities to protect that investment."
Source: Ronald Campbell, principal planner and preservation architect for Oakland County Planning and Economic Development
Writer: Kim North Shine
Goods delivered by Rochester-Hills-based healthcare supplies provider Wright & Fillippis are getting to their destinations on propane power as the company converts 25 percent of its fleet to this clean form of fuel.
That means 12 of Wright & Fillippis' trucks and vans will run on propane as they deliver goods in Michigan. About half the vehicles have already been converted and are on the road and a propane station is up and operating at the company's headquarters.
"They're hoping to convert the entire fleet eventually," says Matt Sandstrom, mobility division manager for the Clean Energy Coalition, an Ann Arbor-based non-profit that steers companies through the process of converting to alternative fuels, whether for transportation or building.
The
Wright & Fillippis fleet conversion came out of a partnership with the coalition through a $15 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Wright & Fillippis and the
Clean Energy Coalition worked with
Roush CleanTech, a Plymouth Township company that designs and manufactures liquid propane autogas fuel systems for a variety of light and medium Ford vehicles. The technology, which reduces vehicle operating costs and vehicle emissions, is available to consumers through authorized Ford dealerships.
The Wright & Fillippis project is one of several clean-fuel conversions being directed by the coalition through a $40 million agreement with the Department of Energy, says Sandstrom.
Of all the clean fuel projects, about a third are propane, he says. The others are compressed natural gas, electric, and hydraulic hybrid, he says. The type of fuel used depends on the type of fleet and uses of the vehicles, and the coalition guides companies through the learning process to select what's best for them.
Companies working with the Clean Energy Coalition include Frito-Lay, which is converting 90 of its vehicles, about half of its Michigan fleet, to propane, and U-haul, which is converting 30 vehicles.
"It should be very clear that this is not R&D. This is a deployment of these technologies… They've already been true and tried," Sandstrom says.
For Wright & Fillippis, propane autogas will result in the use of 48,000 fewer gallons of gasoline, the elimination of 931,200 pounds of carbon dioxide released, and a savings of $3,000 per converted vehicle, or $36,000 total thus far.
Source: Matt Sandstrom, mobility division manager, Clean Energy Coalition
Writer: Kim North Shine
A paved trail that will go past rivers, over wetlands, by an arboretum and into neighborhoods and downtown Northville is as close as ever to reality.
After several years of planning and rounding up funding for the trail that will connect the City of Northville and Northville Township and also lead to Hines Park, the Rouge River, and beyond, Northville Township is seeking bids to complete the $950,000 project. Bids are due May 5.
The trail begins north of Verona Lane and runs the along the east side of Sheldon Road, where a current trail ends. It follows Sheldon past the Bennett Arboretum and ends at 7 Mile, providing an outlet into downtown Northville.
The Bennett Arboretum Pathway path is eight feet wide and 2,100 linear feet long and goes over hilly terrain, through woods and water, and will include a bridge, boardwalks, viewing platforms and educational components about water quality and such.
"The goal is to get people involved in their natural resources," says Jill Rickard, civil engineer for Northville Township.
In addition, trail users could use it as a way to get to dinner or the farmers market, shops or work in downtown Northville.
The project is being funded by a $450,000 grant from Wayne County's Rouge Project Office and a $500,000 grant from Wayne County. The city and the township will split any additional costs.
Source: Jill Rickard, civil engineer, Northville Township
Writer: Kim North Shine
They built it and they're coming. The Dearborn Town Center, an urban redevelopment that opened last December on the site of the vacant Montgomery Ward's department store in east Dearborn, the city's downtown, is attracting new tenants and customers, bringing on a revival as hoped.
"There's been a significant uptick in business there," says Melissa Kania, director of the
East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority. "There is so much interest there."
The main tenants of the Dearborn Town Center at the corner of Schaefer and Michigan Roads are the Oakwood Health System and Midwest Health and their 500 employees. The Kresge Eye Institute is located there as well.
Since then, the center has spun off eating establishments, coffee shops, and more to the 162,000 feet of office and retail space that was to be used just for that, Kania says.
This summer comes the downtown's first parking deck, one outfitted with energy efficient lighting and car-charging stations. With plans for public artwork through the Midwest Sculpture Initiative and plans to create an artists' live, work, and sell space, Kania says, "we feel like so many great things will keep happening to attract more and more people to Dearborn."
Source: Melissa Kania, director of the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine
Like so many cities, downtown Rochester business owners are eager to say hello to the good weather and al fresco dining by opening their sidewalk cafes.
In Rochester, there's at least three new sidewalk dining choices. The cafes could have opened April 15th, but the weather had other ideas.
So as soon as possible,
Sanders' ice cream and candy store is opening an outdoor area, as is
Tower Pizza. The former Andiamo's Italian, which became a
Rojo Mexican restaurant last year, will also for the first time throw open its large wooden shutters on downtown.
Penny Black, a restaurant opened in November in the former downtown post office and named after the first postage stamp, offers an outdoor patio at busy 4th and Walnut Street this year. Penny Black's owners also operate The Hills restaurant in Rochester Hills.
"We didn't have a restaurant there all last summer, so that was a pretty dead corner for us," says Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of the
Rochester Downtown Development Authority.
Downtown Rochester's retail vacancy rate is still low at three percent, and its downtown office space vacancy rate is 20 percent, or about 120,000 square feet, she says. New owners of the office space are taking an active approach to finding new tenants.
"We're excited when it's time for the outdoor dining to return," she says. "It adds more interest. It put more people on the streets. People walk or drive by and want to stop and be a part of the activity."
Source: Kristi Trevarrow, executive director, Downtown Rochester DDA
Writer: Kim North Shine
Southfield-based
Grede Holdings LLC is committing to
EPA's ENERGY STAR program, which has some of the nation's largest companies working to reduce greenhouse gases by conserving energy.
Grede, a manufacturer of iron castings, foam, silicon and other products for the transportation and industrial markets, with 3,800 employees at 13 foundries, three machining operations, and its headquarters in Southfield, plans to measure and track its energy performance with tools offered through ENERGY STAR.
The company also will develop and implement energy management guidelines for decreasing energy usage. Being an ENERGY STAR company will also have the company promote the importance of energy efficiency to its staff and the community.
It's all part of the ENERGY STAR Challenge, which calls on commercial and industrial buildings to improve energy efficiency by at least 10 percent. In return for energy saving achievements, Grede will receive the ENERGY STAR certification, an increasingly ubiquitous symbol on appliances and other consumer products and commercial and industrial buildings.
ENERGY STAR began in 1992 in an attempt to curb greenhouse gases and global warming. Last year it had saved Americans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, about $18 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 33 million vehicles.
Grede is not disclosing the amount of investment that will go into the project, but there will be a "sound return" on the investment.
"We believe that a strategic, corporate energy management program will help us enhance our financial health and aid in preserving the environment for future generations," says Doug Grimm, chairman, president and CEO, Grede Holdings LLC.
Source: Richard Pacini, senior vice president, Millerschin Group; Doug Grimm, chairman, president and CEO, Grede Holdings LLC
Writer: Kim North Shine
While population declines were the mostly the rule, according to U.S. Census data released last week, many metro Detroit communities are using news of their population gains to lure business and attract more residents.
Sterling Heights, Macomb County's second largest city and the state's fourth largest, and Rochester, one of the fastest growing cities in Michigan and Oakland County's fastest with an increase of 21.4 percent from 2000-2010, have already hailed their growth as harbingers of future prosperity.
Rochester officials are calling their population jump from 10,439 in 2000 to 12,711 in 2010 evidence that a formula of mixed housing options, a vibrant downtown, access to trails and water and a solid commercial base has worked and is reason to show other prospective businesses and residents that the city is on solid ground and poised for economic prosperity.
Sterling Heights, which grew 4.2 percent from 124,471 in 2000 to 129,699, in 2010, is spreading word about how it got here.
"Sterling Heights is known as one of the safest cities in America," Mayor Richard Notte says. "Businesses have seen fit to reinvest, build and relocate in our city, as witnessed by $1 billion in development over the past year. Sterling Heights is still experiencing a strong housing market with two residential developments in full swing. And finally, residents choose the city because of our excellent public school systems and proximity to world-class higher education opportunities."
Other population gainers include Birmingham, Dearborn, Macomb Township, Brownstown Township, and Romulus. Losers include Royal Oak, Pontiac, Ferndale, Warren, Mt. Clemens and Livonia.
Overall, Southeast Michigan lost 2.7 percent of its population, dropping from 4,833,368 in 2000 to 4,704,743 in 2010. However, the number of households remained nearly the same.
A large part of the loss is due to a 25 percent population decline in Detroit. According to
SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, population of many of the nations' cities declined. However, many of those same urban centers are experiencing an economic rebirth, according to SEMCOG.
Wayne County, Michigan's most populous county with 1.8 million people, lost 11.7 percent of its residents. Its neighbors in the tri-county area, Macomb and Oakland, saw population gains. SEMCOG's Southeast Michigan figures cover seven counties in addition to these three: Livingston, Monroe, St. Clair and Washtenaw.
In metro Detroit, Oakland County came up with a 0.7 percent increase in the 10-year span while Macomb registered a 6.7 percent gain.
Whether the population gains were minimal or substantial, communities are celebrating the upticks and awaiting anxiously a demographic breakdown, namely age groups which point to a community's attractiveness and chance for thriving. Those numbers will be released by the
U.S. Census Bureau this summer.
Source: SEMCOG, city of Sterling Heights and Mayor Richard Notte, Rochester City Manager Jaymes Vettraino
Writer: Kim North Shine
The city of Auburn Hills has moved the Chamber of Commerce into a city-owned building, adding activity -- and ideally more tenants -- to downtown.
The
Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce office was previously on South Squirrel Road, "a little out of the way," says Stephanie Carroll, coordinator of community relations and legislative affairs for the
city of Auburn Hills. "A lot of times people who are new to the community ask where the chamber is so it sort of made sense to bring them on to Main Street."
The new location on Auburn Road (AH's Main Street) is a street-level, work-live development that's easy to find.
"It's great because it's very visible," Carroll says.
The city's TIFA, Tax Increment Financing Authority, purchased the building in 2009 and has used it for city events and its personnel department.
"Now that the Chamber is down there they hold regular business hours and they are very visible, right at the street level. The lights are on. It's just more welcoming."
Besides housing the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce, the building will still be used as headquarters for city personnel during special events and a conference room that holds up to 10 people will be available at no charge to city businesses.
What made the city-chamber arrangement appealing was their like-minded goals.
"The city is in the business of retention and recruitment and it ties into what the chamber does for its members," Carroll says. "It's a great opportunity to work together and it reinforces what we do."
Source Stephanie Carroll, coordinator of community relations and legislative affairs
Writer: Kim North Shine
Automation Alley will open a new International Business Center at its Troy headquarters April 28, providing a place for companies around the world to bring business -- and opportunities for local companies -- to southeast Michigan.
The center, located on Bellingham off 16 Mile Road between Rochester Road and John R, will provide a three private offices, three Skype-enabled conference rooms, an open office area, a private entrance, and high-tech equipment. Access to high definition video conferencing will be provided by
LifeSize and its local partner, Insight Technologies.
There is also a three-person international business staff dedicated to providing a wide range of assistance and information to international guests interested in conducting business in Southeast Michigan and local companies looking to connect with the visitors.
"The new expansion will allow international companies to become familiar with the open business culture, technical workforce and quality of life in Southeast Michigan. We anticipate that once they become established, their business will grow and new jobs will be created," says Ken Rogers, Automation Alley executive director.
Kelly Kozlowski, Automation Alley's Business Accelerator client coordinator, says the cost of the 3,200-square-foot expansion was $394,800 and came through Urban Development grants from the U.S Department of Housing with support from Congressman Gary Peters and U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow. The expansion was completed by Bloomfield Hills-based
Synergy Group, Inc..
"Automation Alley has done 13 trade missions since 2001 and in that time we've continued to strengthen the international business component of our services here…This was the next logical step," Kozlowski says. "We're able to make a lot of connections for companies located here and companies looking to relocate to the region."
More specifically, users of the International Business Center get access to Automation Alley's 1,000 member companies, its training seminars and information sessions, use of the conference rooms and atrium for meetings with clients, investors and consultants and a copy, print and fax center as well a professional services information and pre- and post- export trade mission support as well as connections to county governments and economic development partners in the city of Detroit and surrounding eight-county region.
Automation Alley is Michigan's largest technology business association. The nonprofit helps drive growth and economic prosperity through workforce and business development projects covering a wide array of technologies from a various industries around the world. Automation Alley work stretches from Detroit, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties across to Genesee, Livingston, Monroe and St. Clair counties.
Sources: Ken Rogers, Automation Alley executive director; Kelly Kozlowski, business accelerator client coordinator for Automation AlleyWriter: Kim North Shine
Birmingham-based
Energy Sciences Resource Partners has worked its energy-saving magic with the city of Madison Heights, making it the latest municipality to update city buildings in the interest of saving tax dollars.
Changes such as the installation of motion-sensing lights and other forms of energy-saving lighting design to City Hall, the senior center, the police department and the Department of Public Services will save the city $23,000 annually. Energy Sciences co-owner Frank Schulmeister says a second round of energy consumption improvements will result in even more savings on energy bills.
"What's even better is this is creating jobs and we're being environmental stewards by saving all these kilowatt hours that have to be produced by these big power plants," Schulmeister says. "It's good for commerce all the way around."
While numerous local, county and state buildings across Michigan, including Rochester and Auburn Hills and dozens of others in metro Detroit, have completed energy-efficiency upgrades, private business is also making sure they are tight when it comes to energy.
"We have clients that range anywhere from 5,000-square-foot single business to Chrysler Corp. and Dow Chemical," Schulmeister says.
Energy Sciences specialty is to identify energy waste, design a plan to address it and help secure funding to make the improvements. Madison Heights' changes came at a cost of $99,400. Funds came from
Energy, Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. The second round of changes in Madison Heights will upgrade heating and cooling systems at city buildings and be paid for with an $83,347 loan from the
Michigan Public Service Commission. The improvements are aimed at reducing Madison Heights' energy usage by 25 percent by 2015.
The majority of energy reduction design projects, if not all, use state funding, grants or rebates from
DTE's Energy Optimization Program, Schulmeister says. Energy Sciences, one of several energy consulting companies, has rounded up more than $500,000 in the last year, he says
Sources: Automation Alley;Frank Schulmeister, co-owner, Energy Science Resource Partners
Writer: Kim North Shine
An assortment of projects, seen as prime examples for how to carve out thriving a downtown, are winners of the 2011
Main Street Oakland Awards.
Among the more than 25 winners were:
The
Farmington DDA's Grand River Avenue Streetscape Promotion Campaign, which won the Outstanding Brand & Imaging Campaign Effort/Strategy.
In the design category, Patti's Place in Lake Orion won Outstanding Facade/Building Rehabilitation Award for projects between $10,000 and $50,000. The Village Mall in Farmington won the same award for a project of more than $50,000.
Ferndale took home several awards, including the Pedestrian Alley Project, a cooperative effort between the city, the DDA, the
Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Foley & Mansfield, which won the Outstanding Private/Public Partnership Award. The Lofts on 9 in Ferndale won the Outstanding New Construction Project Award and the
Ferndale DDA won the Special Achievement award, in addition to businesses that took home awards.
Creekfest in Ortonville won the Outstanding Special Event Award.
A Special Partnership Award went to Pontiac Mayor Leon Jukowski, the
Pontiac DDA and the Pontiac Downtown Business Association.
The Outstanding Core Area Downtown Master Plan went to the Walled Lake DDA Design Committee and Beckett & Raeder, Inc. for the Walled Lake DDA Lakefront Area Framework Plan.
Main Street is a program of the national Main Street Center in Washington, D.C.
Farmington, Ferndale, Franklin, Highland, Holly, Lake Orion, Ortonville, Oxford, Pontiac, Rochester, and Walled Lake are MSOC communities. Berkley, Clarkston, Clawson, Hazel Park, Leonard, South Lyon and Waterford participate in the mentoring program.
Oakland County was the first in the U.S. to operate a county-wide Main Street program that works with 32 downtowns deemed to be distinct or historic. Since Main Street Oakland began in 2000, according to the county, there has been $560 million in investment in 11 downtowns, more than 5,000 jobs created, and 529 businesses established.
For more information or a complete list of 2011 Main Street Oakland Award winners, go to
www.mainstreetoaklandcounty.com.Source: Stephen Huber, Oakland County Economic Development and Community AffairsWriter: Kim North Shine
The biggest story going on right now at the
Ferndale Public Library has nothing to do with the books, but with the building and the eco-minded, money-saving features that went into making it an award winner.
The library, which reopened two weeks ago after the green renovation was completed only to be followed by a destructive flood, has won an Honorable Mention as Green Project of the Year from the Construction Association of Michigan and is expecting to receive the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The hope is to earn the highest LEED ranking of gold. The changes to the library are expected to save $13,000 a year in energy costs. "Green Library" is a distinction that more and more libraries are pursuing.
Architects Seth Penchansky and Dan Whisler, of
Penchansky Whisler Architects in Ann Arbor, handled the design and
Frank Rewold & Son was the construction manager.
The green construction features include the planting of eight varieties of sedum on two roofs of the library, a summertime sight that sometimes generates phone calls about weeds growing on the rooftop.
On the library grounds, under one grass and garden area near the entrance, and around an outdoor garden near the children's area, are a total of 16 bores 400 feet into the ground. They form the geothermal energy system that will heat, cool and ventilate the building.
In addition, the library has a rainwater reclamation system that filters the water and subjects it to UV light to be used for flushing toilets and for sprinkling plants.
There are also motion detector lights in places such as bathrooms. Low voltage fluorescents are deployed and coatings on the glass keep cold out during winter and warmth out during the summer.
"Most of these things you would never see," Sterritt says. "You have to know they're there."
Ferndale's is one of at least seven libraries to have received LEED certification, according to the Green Libraries Directory.
Harper Woods was the first to earn LEED certification in 2005, and the city of Hastings' was the first Michigan library to achieve LEED Gold certification in 2008.
City planners and librarians say as cities look to make municipal facilities more earth-friendly and money-wise, the number will increase.
Source: John Sterritt, president of the Ferndale Library Board
Writer: Kim North-Shine
The city of Auburn Hills has completed an energy efficiency project that has already brought down utility costs and will likely find other savings by next year.
Dan Brisson, the project manager and facilities and roads manager for the city's Department of Public Works, says with the steps taken to decrease electric use in city buildings, "we expect our investment will pay for itself."
The changes come at a cost of $97,553, about half of it paid by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the state of Michigan.
The replacement of windows and insulation and going with 18-watt LED bulbs instead of 75-watt fluorescents at the library is already saving money, about $5,000 a year, Brisson says.
The recent completion of a centralized heating, cooling and ventilation system is expected to save more tax dollars and also save the environment from energy by-products. In addition, meters and a web-based monitoring system will track usage and help identify energy waste.
"We'll probably monitor over the 2011 year, and then pick up which buildings are using the most electricity per square foot," Brisson says.
Many city buildings are historical, in existence since the town was settled.
"Those buildings are the ones where you might think that there are areas where we can save energy," Brisson says. "But even some of the newer ones can have energy efficiency problems."
Source: Dan Brisson, facilities and roads manager for Auburn Hills Department of Public Works
Writer: Kim North Shine
Reconstruction at M-59 and Crooks Road this year will do the usual road repair but also use a new approach that takes into account travelers not in cars.
Called a Complete Street, the Crooks Road overpass will be built wider and with designated lanes to accommodate bikes and pedestrians. The $8 million project will also lay new sidewalks from Austin to Hamlin roads, Morosi says.
The busy intersection is in Rochester Hills and is part of the 2011 construction line-up from the
Michigan Department of Transportation. It is one of at least two
Complete Street approaches in the package of road construction contracts to be awarded.
"When we're developing a Complete Street project we're required to meet with the local community to take into account non-motorized uses and facilities. The idea is to make it a more walkable community," says MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi.
"Even before the Complete Street legislation we would meet with local communities to see if there's something we can include that the local community has always wanted but has been prohibited to do because of the way the road is constructed," he says.
This M-59-Crooks project is "a great example of what we're doing to address that," he says. "So now people riding their bikes or walking won't be in conflict with traffic...People can ride, their bikes, Rollerblade, walk safely."
The project is one of many included in $274 million in road contracts to be awarded in 2011 for a four-county area in southeast Michigan. Some 82 miles of road and 105 bridges will be repaired or constructed in Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne counties, which account for 40 percent of traffic in Michigan, according to MDOT.
Source: Rob Morosi, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transporation
Writer: Kim North Shine
$800,000 in grants will pay for the latest link in a trail, which when completed, will be the largest greenway connector of Metroparks in Southeast Michigan. How long? Fifty miles!
The grants are earmarked for a 4-mile link to connect 24 miles of
trails from Huron Park in Flat Rock to Oakwoods Metropark on the border
of Belleville, making the entire Downriver Greenway a 50-mile path. The trail will take outdoor enthusiasts through trees, by waters, across open land, and more.
"It's huge. It traverses communities, historic areas, natural
resources," Twardesky says. "People can use it to commute to work, schools,
recreational facilities," says Anita Twardesky, co-chair of the
Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative, a consortium of groups that have worked for at least a decade on projects from a vision to lay a continuous trail from the Detroit on the Detroit River DLGI.
More than being a nature-rich spot for walking, running, kayaking, fishing and more, the trail could draw visitors from around and outside the state, Twardesky says.
"Through these greenways we are starting to reinvent our region and look at it as a tourist opportunity," Twardesky says. "Basically from the City of Detroit, down to Monroe over I-275 I consider a hidden jewel within the state. There are lotus beds, sturgeon spawning in the Detroit river. History, Henry Ford's village in Flat Rock, the building of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
Making it possible are grants to the City of Flat Rock from the Michigan
Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources
Trust Fund to the City of Flat Rock.
The longer-term goal is to connect the Downriver system of trails to Monroe and, finally and eventually, Toledo.
The newest link fulfills a dream of Metroparks planners going back to the 1940s for the park system to be linked. DLGI Co-Chair Mary Bohlng, a
Michigan Sea Grant educator, and a number of
nonprofits and governmental bodies have worked for at least a decade on creating the system.
"In
just over 10 years, the Downriver community has come together to
provide its residents with an impressive network of greenway trails,"
Congressman John D. Dingell says in a statement announcing the grants. "These trails greatly improve the quality of life in the region by
providing a means of transportation and an outdoor recreational
activity."
Source: Anita Twardesky, co-chair of the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative and public relations and marketing manager for Riverside Kayak
Writer: Kim North Shine
Five Macomb County municipalities and the county of Macomb are the first members of a task force formed to research and implement new ways to combine municipal services.
MACRO, the Macomb Area Communities for Regional Opportunities, includes officials from Clinton and Shelby townships, the cities of Sterling Heights, Warren, and Utica, and Macomb County.
Combined, the municipalities make up more than half of
Macomb County's population, and some have already begun discussions about sharing public services prior to the official formation of MACRO, which has met twice to date.
Among the areas of consolidation being discussed as local planners try to avoid eliminating or compromising services are police and fire, libraries, parks and recreation, building and inspection, and information and technology. There is also talk of combining employee training, facility and equipment maintenance, and of forming purchasing cooperatives.
It is the kind of consolidation encouraged by Gov. Rick Snyder in his State of the State address and follows up on a shared services agreement already struck with Shelby and Rochester.
More communities are expected to join MACRO, according to a written announcement of its formation. MACRO will meet at least monthly to discuss consolidation.
Source: City of Sterling Heights, Sue GiallombardoWriter: Kim North Shine
The first phase of what's known as a wayfinding system begins in coming weeks in downtown Ferndale with the installation of eye-catching, user-friendly signs and the launch of online virtual tours to go with them.
About 30 signs, some illuminated, will be installed mostly along 9 Mile and Woodward and tied to information accessible from any computer or smartphone, letting visitors synch up online information about businesses, history, fun facts, and practical information such as where to park, says Cristina Sheppard-Decius, executive director of the
Ferndale DDA, which headed up the project.
Two of the signs will be business directory kiosks, and there will be an online walking tour component.
They come at a cost of about $100,000, mostly from grants and a combination of contributions from the City of Ferndale and the DDA. Another $35,000 in volunteer hours has gone into the project.
Two more signs, funded by
Woodward Avenue Action Association, or WA3, will go in this fall.
Designs will mimic a marquee such as Radio City, freshened up and stylized yet classic. Troy-based
ASI Signage Innovations helped design and manufactured the signs.
Eventually, signs will be located throughout the city, including at its entrances.
Sheppard-Decius says she and other city planners have seen how well wayfinding systems work in other cities. Traverse City and Kalamazoo have nice ones, as does Madison, Wisconsin with its standout system of signs that make you feel like a veteran visitor, she says.
With the number of visitors to downtown Ferndale, the signs make getting around easy and fun and make the city more inviting.
"It's one of those things communities covet. It always seems to come up around town…that when you're a visitor you can't seem to find your way. If you're a resident you have the upper hand. To a visitor it's a blank slate," she says.
Besides, she adds, this is something that makes the city look good while answering repeated requests for better ways of navigating Ferndale. The signs put its best face forward.
"[It's] how we present ourselves," Sheppard-Decius says. "How people get around our city comes up many times at focus groups and in surveys. This is the answer to that."
Source: Cristina Sheppard-Decius, executive director Ferndale DDAWriter: Kim North Shine
Oakland County's environmentally-minded, regional approach to identifying and protecting its natural resources has earned it the love of the Conservation Fund, which is declaring Oakland a leader in protecting land, water, and other natural resources.
The Conservation Fund's National Green Infrastructure Implementation Award will be handed out to Oakland County officials Feb. 24th during the three-day National Green Infrastructure Conference in Shepher