EMU teams up with Chevron to make campus more sustainable
Source: Concentrate, 11/19/2009
Who would have thought an oil company would help make Ypsilanti's Eastern Michigan University greener?
Excerpt:
Eastern Michigan University intends to tighten its energy belt by forming a partnership with Chevron Energy Solutions.
The
two will conduct energy audits of the university's 16 buildings. Some
of these buildings are 100 years old or older, but most were built in
the mid-20th Century. Many have gone decades without updating their
infrastructure, if it was upgraded at all.
"We're looking at
more than $30 million in potential savings. And that is just in our
housing buildings," says Steven Moore, energy and sustainability
manager for Eastern Michigan University, a post that was created early
last year. "There is a large potential for energy savings on this
campus."
Read the rest of the story here.
Ypsilanti City Hall begins installation of solar panels
Source: Concentrate, 11/5/2009
The solar panels are going up and onto the backside of Ypsilanti's City Hall.
Excerpt:
The solar panels are starting to go up on the back end of Yspilanti's City Hall.
The grassroots group
of solar-power activists making the project happen (with the help of a
$36,000 grant and some local fundraising/volunteer efforts) are putting
up the framing and getting ready to install 12 solar panels by the end
of the month. The goal is to have the whole thing wired and ready to go
in the very near future.
"We're hoping by the end of the year, hopefully sooner," says Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project.
Read the rest of the story here.
EMU begins work on new indoor practice facility
Source: Concentrate, 10/22/2009
Athletes are about to get a new place to run around in in Ypsilanti.
Excerpt:
A lot of athletes in Ypsilanti are going to have a warm place to play year round now that Eastern Michigan University has started work on its new indoor practice facility.
The $3.9 million project features a 1,000-square-foot welcome center and 86,000 square feet of playing space. That athletic area is versatile enough to support a number of different sports.
"It provides a state-of-the-art facility that can be used by all of our teams," says Walter Kraft, vice president of communications for Eastern Michigan University. "It's big enough for soccer, football, and golf. All of our teams can use it."
Read the rest of the story here.
Washtenaw Talent Center focuses on Washtenaw Avenue
Source: concentrate, 10/15/2009
Some smart people have big plans for turning one of Washtenaw County's dreariest corridors into one of its most dynamic.
Excerpt:
Washtenaw
Avenue isn't the thoroughfare that's known for bringing smiles to
faces, at least not like Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor or Cross
Street in Depot Town, Ypsilanti.
The Washtenaw Talent Center
wants to change it. A group of local stakeholders is working on a plan
to turn the suburban-strip-mall-dominated byway into something much
more urban and sustainable.
"We're investigating its redevelopment potential," says Anya Dale, a senior planner with Washtenaw County's Office of Strategic Planning.
Read the rest of the story here.
The feasibility of renovating Ypsilanti's Thompson Block
Source: Concentrate, 10/1/2009
Ypsilanti's Thompson Block might look like a total loss after last week's fire, but not in the eyes of everyone.
Excerpt:
The Thompson Block is too far gone from last week's fire to be saved. That's the conventional wisdom for a building with only its shell left after a fire in Michigan.
"Fire is so dramatic and seems so final," says Ted Ligibel, a professor who teaches historic preservation at Eastern Michigan University and runs its award winning historic preservation program.
But is the road less traveled to saving what's left passable or even financially feasible? Stewart Beal thinks so. The developer working to turn the long-time blight into Ypsilanti's latest redevelopment win isn't giving up yet.
"We're planning to save it," Beal says.
Read the rest of the story here.
Alt transportation answers WCC's parking problem
Source: Concentrate, 9/17/2009
The conventional wisdom in Southeast
Michigan is that more parking always solves the problem. That's not
what they're thinking at Washtenaw Community College.
Excerpt:
Washtenaw
Community College is dealing with its highest enrollment ever, which
means the commuter campus is experiencing its greatest demand for
parking (and lack of supply) ever.
Most other Midwest
institutions would conclude they need to build more parking. Well,
Washtenaw Community College is dealing with the acute parking shortage
by asking its students to take the vehicle less traveled – alternative
transportation.
"We still have a parking problem but we're
redoubling efforts to alleviate the problem," says Janet Hawkins,
director of public relations and marketing for Washtenaw Community College.
Read the rest of the story here.
Ypsilanti's Aubree's expands into Northville, Wyandotte
Source: metromode, 9/3/2009
Aubree's, a staple of Ypsilanti's Depot
Town for decades, is spreading out across Metro Detroit, setting its
sights on Northville and Wyandotte.
The hugely successful
restaurant/bar has set up a number of satellite locations throughout
the Ypsilanti area, but this is its first foray outside of Washtenaw
County. Aubree's plans to open a large restaurant in Northville later
this month and has put an offer in for another location in Wyandotte.
The
Northville location will replace what was once an Uno's Chicago Grill
on Haggerty Road, just south of 8 Mile Road. The 6,800-square-foot
space will seat up to 270 people and employ about 150. The opening is
set for Sept. 21. Aubree's plans to capture the Northville, Farmington,
and Plymouth markets with the new location.
"It's a community we think our product and concept will do well in that area," says Andy French, CFO of Aubree's Pizzeria & Tavern and a partner in the Northville location.
Aubree's
also recently put an offer in on what used to be a Damon's in
Wyandotte. One of its vendors suggested the place and sold the
co-owners on the city. The partners are keeping an open mind for future
expansions, but haven't singled out any specific communities yet.
"We are looking to continue to grow if we find opportunities that work for us," French says.
Source: Andy French, CFO of Aubree's Pizzeria & Tavern
Writer: Jon Zemke
Construction begins again on Ypsilanti's Thompson Block
Source: Concentrate, 9/3/2009
Work on the Thompson Block begins anew, thanks to some innovative thinking by its developer.
Excerpt:
Nothing
impacts a development more than the vision of the developer. That's
proving true in Ypsilanti, where local developer Stewart Beal is
finding ways to make the Thompson Block become a reality.
The
Thompson Block is a large, historic-yet-blighted building on the
eastern edge of Depot Town. Beal, fast becoming one of the city's
biggest property owners, has been pushing, pulling and dragging the
development forward for a few years now. He has suffered some setbacks,
including having to find new financing, but has persevered and now has
a project under construction.
"We are just refusing to take part in the economic downturn," Beal says.
Read the rest of the story here.