Southwest Detroit : Detroit Development News

The City of Detroit is gaining another new music festival this summer. Oakaloosa will be held at the Historic Fort Wayne on July 27, and, much like Orion Music + More, will reinvest into the maintenance and preservation of the concert site itself -- Historic Fort Wayne.
 
The 96-acre Historic Fort Wayne site in Delray includes some original buildings from the mid-1800s as well as faithful replicas, though many are in disrepair. The Fort is operated by the Detroit Recreation Department with other nonprofit assistance. They rely heavily on volunteer efforts and individual generosity.
 
Oakaloosa is a brand-new outdoor concert, billing itself as the region's first fully philanthropic music festival, with a percentage of every dollar raised going back towards the restoration of Historic Fort Wayne. "We were looking to participate in restoring its renown by adding an event there where people can appreciate it and relate this event to its name," says Adrian Pittman, founder of Module, which is handling Oakaloosa's marketing. "What happened to (the Fort) is sort of what happened to Detroit in the rest of the country … it was forgotten. It requires a local to give it a little attention and polish it off a bit. It needs to be maintained for generations of people to come."
 
With connections in the parks & rec department, Detroit Sports Zone, Inc. – the nonprofit group organizing this event – was able to secure the site, which needs little in the way of infrastructure work in order to host the event. "They were looking at the fort from day one. It's such a unique opportunity." A first event of its kind for the site, they hope this event will also encourage other organizations to host festivals here.
 
DJ Mikey Eckstein of Embarco is responsible for programming, which includes both local and national acts. Main headliners include Girl Talk and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (as part of their big reunion tour).
 
They expect about 15,000 people to attend. Tickets are $45.

The odd name actually came from a typo on a website about the fort's history. The organizers liked it despite it being a misspelling, and decided to use the name for the festival.
 
Source: Adrian Pittman, Director of Development at Module
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Detroit’s neighborhoods are popping with new business and shopping this holiday season. 

Like the Historic Hubbard Winter Market in Southwest Detroit, Dec. 9, where Tashhmoo Biergarten, 555 Gallery, Detroit Farm and Garden join a stellar line-up of your favorite purveyors of fine food, retail and art at the newest celebration of a historic neighborhood. The Historic Hubbard Winter Market will take place at 1759 20th St. from noon to 8 p.m.

The Historic Hubbard Winter Market is a collaboration between Southwest Housing Solutions, Southwest Detroit Business Association, COMPAS, REVOLVE and many others.
 
"The Historic Hubbard Winter Market is a great chance to support our local businesses, celebrate our historic Hubbard Farms and Hubbard Richard communities, and welcome new retailers and shoppers to our neighborhood this holiday season," says Rachel Perschetz, Real Estate Development Project Manager at Southwest Housing Solutions who’s leading the charge for Winter Market. "We can’t wait to show the rest of the city what this wonderful area has to offer."

Visit the event on its Facebook page for all the latest information on vendors, music, holiday cheers and -- of course -- bier.  

Plan another stop at Always Brewing Detroit Coffee Shop and performance venue in Grandmont Rosedale. Warm up over a fresh cup of coffee and listen to some great music with Detroit retail revolutionary Amanda Brewington. Always Brewing teamed up with Grandmont Rosedale Community Development Corporation to provide residents and a vacant space with a much needed caffeine fix. 

"We want to provide a space where you can have lunch with a co-worker, settle in with an amazing cup of coffee and a good book or perform your new song at our open mic," says Brewington. "We're getting to know the neighborhood and making sure we are what they want and need. Nearly 90 percent of our customers are from the area. We're always asking for feedback."

Located at 19180 Grand River Avenue, Always Brewing is open seven days a week, and open Thursday nights until 10 p.m. for special events. They serve locally sourced fair trade & organic coffee and tea and also feature locally made baked goods, sandwiches and salads. Check out Always Brewing for all the latest information on shows and hours. The pop-up is open now through Dec. 23 -- but hopefully much longer. 
 
Another holiday stop should be at Maison LaFleur in West Village. Maison LaFleur is a pop-up gallery specializing in contemporary culture. The gallery exhibits contemporary art, design, and limited editions.
 
"After being home for the past year, I am very excited to have my first pop-up in Detroit in this charming neighborhood. Detroiters have been so supportive and embracing making this wonderful opportunity an even better experience," says founder and director Ingrid LaFleur.

Maison LaFleur is popping up in the future home of the Red Hook at 8025 Agnes St. The pop-up is open now and will be open until Jan. 13. After you stop by Maison LaFleur don’t forget to pick up apparel from your favorite Detroit designers at PRAMU and place your holiday pie order at Coffee And (__).

Thanks to Michael Forsyth of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp for this report.

Midtown Detroit Inc is joining a small-but-growing group of Michigan-based community-development-oriented nonprofits to help make financing for renovations and sales more accessible.

Four of these eight non-profits (Midtown Detroit Inc, Southwest Solutions, Vanguard Community Development Corp and Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp) are from Detroit and make up the bulk of the Michigan Lending Solutions consortium. The group helps homeowners prevent foreclosure, find mortgages for home sales and locate financing for building renovations.

The Midtown branch of the Michigan Lending Solutions, Midtown Lending Solutions, is based in Midtown Detroit Inc's Co-Lab space on Woodward. One of Midtown Lending Solutions is helping locate financing for condo sales.

"At least 85 percent of all of the condos in Detroit are non-warrantable," says David LeClerc, manager of lending operations of Michigan Lending Solutions. He adds that non-warrantable means banks won't extend mortgages in those condo buildings because there aren't enough pre-sales or the condo association doesn't have enough cash reserves or to many units in the building are rentals, among a bevy of other disqualifiers.

Midtown Lending Solutions is looking to secure a $15 million loan fund that would be able to provide the financing for local condos sales. If enough condo sales are approved through this fund, that should help release pressure on the market and make it more attractive to traditional lenders. LeClerk believes the fund will be able to close 200 mortgage deals for local condos within the next two years.

"We believe we will be able to free up all of these condominiums within two years so they can leverage traditional financing," LeClerc says.

The Michigan Lending Solutions will also be able to help other homeowners and small developers find financing. That could be as complicated as nailing down a $140,000 loan to renovate a derelict building to financing a $5,000 loan so a homeowner can improve their house with minimal hassle and frustration.

Source: David LeClerc, manager of lending operations with Michigan Lending Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The Gateway Project is in its final stages now that the ramps to the Detroit side of the Ambassador bridge are open to traffic to primary expressways connecting to the international bridge.

"We're about 95 percent done," says Rob Morosi, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation. "We have reached the milestone where we can open ramps to the plaza from I-96 and I-75."

The opened ramps will take the traffic off of the service drives and other local roads in Southwest Detroit in adjacent Mexicantown and Corktown. The open ramps will also allow motorists the option to access toll booths directly or visit the duty-free plaza before proceeding to the Ambassador Bridge.

The remaining construction consists of roadwork on the surface streets that traffic had been diverted to for years. That roadwork consists of Rosa Parks Boulevard between Fort Street and Michigan Avenue and on the I-75 services drives.

The opening of the ramps comes less than seven months after Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Prentis Edwards directed the Detroit International Bridge Co to cede control of their portion of the $230 million project and ordered Michigan Department of Transportation to complete the remaining work. In the March 8 Opinion and Order issued by Judge Edwards, the Detroit International Bridge Co was directed to deposit $16 million into an account to fund construction.

Source: Rob Morosi, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Cadillac Urban Gardens, a new urban garden in Southwest Detroit, is turning old industrial shipping crates into new planting boxes.

The community project is using 250 shipping grates from the General Motors' Orion Assembly Plant and turning them into containers for raised bed urban gardens. The raised beds are installed in what was an abandoned parking lot on Merritt Street. The food grown in the garden will be consumed by local residents.

"We were looking for options for these containers compared to traditional recycling," says John Bradburn, manager of waste reduction efforts for General Motors. "They are often shredded and end up in the steel industry. That's good but we wanted to do better."

GM also partners with a number of local companies and organizations, including Ideal Group, Detroit Dirt (which provided the top soil), the Detroit Zoo (animal manure), Astro Coffee (coffee grounds), Marriott Hotel at the Renaissance and GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant (composted food scraps).

"It has really become a multi-functional group effort," Bradburn says.

Source: John Bradburn, manager of waste reduction efforts for General Motors
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Reclaim Detroit is using deconstruction as a new way to help tackle Detroit's blight problem, a solution that is also helping create jobs in the Motor City.

Reclaim Detroit launched out of the WARM Training Center last year focusing on deconstructing blighted buildings. So far the non-profit and its 18 employees have deconstructed three houses and has recently started on its four home.

"The more we do the better we get with it," says James Willer, a manager at Reclaim Detroit. "It's amazing what we can get from all of these houses."

It costs Reclaim Detroit about $20,000 to deconstruct a single-family home, however, the total cost can vary depending on the size of the structure. The non-profit has formed several partnerships with local businesses, such as architectural Salvage Warehouse in Woodbridge, to put these materials back into circulation. It is using a warehouse at the Focus:HOPE campus to store a lot of these materials.

One house that was deconstructed in Hamtramck last year has provided materials for a number of new businesses and projects, including the Lincoln Street Art Project and the Sugar Hill Clay Studio in the 71 Garfield Building. The flooring from the house was reused in the Newberry Hall renovation in Midtown. These sorts of recycled materials from Reclaim Detroit are also being used in other projects, such as the about-to-open Great Lakes Coffee Shop in Midtown.

"We know the supply is there," Willer says. "We know the demand is there. We're trying to bridge that demand."

Source: James Willer, a manager at Reclaim Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Patton Park in southwest Detroit is about to receive some much-needed upgrades this summer.

The sprawling park and recreational center near Woodmere Cemetery in the Springwells neighborhood is named for General George S Patton. It has everything from baseball and soccer fields to a pond and kids playscape. The city of Detroit's Recreation Department recently received a $500,000 state grant to upgrades it facilities there across the board.

"We're looking to put some new softball diamonds and extending the walking paths," says Sue Norander, general manager of operations for the City of Detroit's Recreation Department.

The city has already been working with the Greening of Detroit to plant new trees throughout Patton Park and has installed a new rain garden and kids playscape. The upgrades will interconnect the existing pathways more to create shorter routes while maintaining the length of the entire system. The city will also be adding recycling containers, picnic tables and way-finding signs.

Work is set to begin this summer. Norander says that city officials are also looking at sprucing up the pond on the south end of the park to make it more hospitable to fishing.

Source: Sue Norander, general manager of operations for the city of Detroit's Recreation Department
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Lydia Gutierrez can sum up in a sentence what she wants from her efforts to make her company, Hacienda Mexican Foods, a greener, more sustainable business.

"You want to do as much as you can with as little energy as possible," Gutierrez says.

The Mexicantown-based tortilla maker is leveraging a SmartBuildings grant from the city to make energy efficiency improvements to Hacienda Mexican Foods food processing facility on 6100 Buchanan. The $33,149 grant from the city will go toward a $132,597 project to make the building a greener, more cost-effective facility.

The improvements include installing weather-stripping to prevent heat loss in the winter, along with window replacement. The project will also install new lighting that uses significantly less electricity. Gutierrez expects the energy-efficiency improvements to create at least 10 percent energy savings for the company.

Hacienda Mexican Foods is working with O'Brien Construction to complete the project. Work will begin this month and wrap up by this summer.

Source: Lydia Gutierrez, owner of Hacienda Mexican Foods
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Lydia Gutierrez has a vision for growing up in Southwest Detroit's Mexicantown neighborhood. She sees a place where young people can express their creative sides, take advantage of mentoring and use it all as a springboard to college. She's making that happen with the Garaje Cultural.

The owner of Hacienda Mexican Foods plans to open the cultural center for kids by this summer. The tortilla-making business is renovating a 18,000-square-foot warehouse on Livernois near Otis Street where 8,000-square-feet will be dedicated toward the Garaje Cultural and the rest will be used for Hacienda Mexican Foods warehousing needs. Gutierrez sees the entire building becoming the home to Garaje Cultural within a few years.

"It's an opportunity for us to give back to the community that has supported us so much," Gutierrez says.

She plans to have murals painted on the interior of the building and provide resources so teens can explore their creative ambitions. The Garaje Cultural (Spanish for cultural garage) will also provide mentoring for these young people so they can capitalize on their aspirations. It will also host career fairs and other events that Gutierrez hopes will lead to more young people utilizing the resources there as a springboard to college.

Work is already underway on the building. Gutierrez hopes to open the Garaje Cultural within 60-90 days.

Source: Lydia Gutierrez, owner of Hacienda Mexican Foods
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The Paradise Valley Investment Group is leveraging the city of Detroit's federal neighborhood stabilization funds, extensively renovating multi-family homes in East English Village and Hubbard Farms.

The home renovation company, headed up by California-native Robin Scovill, is close to wrapping up renovating of seven units of small multi-family buildings that had been foreclosed on in strong residential areas of Detroit. These renovations include extensive green options, such as energy efficient windows and furnaces, along with insulation and Energy Star appliances.

"Robin loved the idea of going into a house and fully renovating it, getting as much out of it as possible," says Eric Novack, an investor in Paradise Valley Investment Group.

Novack adds that there has been a strong demand for the rentals, which are marketed at affordable rates. One duplex in East English Village was leased shortly before it was finished and there has been strong demand for the other units which should come online by the end of this spring.

Novack also says that Paradise Investment Group has broadened its business model, allowing some local investors to take shares in the company as it continues to expand its portfolio, which not includes buildings in West Village, Corktown and a few other well-known Detroit neighborhoods.

"That's the nice things about Detroit's rental market is you will see more outside investors as long as they have the right people on the ground," Novack says.

Source: Eric Novack, an investor in Paradise Valley Investment Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Green Dot Stables is leading the way of a slew of new retail and restaurant businesses opening up in Detroit's greater downtown area.

The popular restaurant/bar at 2200 W Lafayette in Hubbard Farms has been undergoing renovations to its kitchen and other aspects by its new owners since last summer. The husband-wife duo are keeping the character of the establishment intact and opening it up for lunch this month as it works with the city and state to secure its liquor license.

"We just loved the feel of the building the stuff that comes with it," says Jacques Driscoll, co-owner of Green Dot Stables. "The price was right, too."

Among the other businesses growing or opening are

• CJ Mahoneys opening in the former location of Lot 1210 on Broadway. The popular sports bar chain with locations in Troy and Rochester plans to be open in time for Opening Day.

• The Detroit Shoppe at Cobo Center will remain open for all meetings, conventions and trade shows following the shop’s successful debut during this year’s North American International Auto Show and Autorama.

Source: Jacques Driscoll, co-owner of Green Dot Stables
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The public face of Hacienda Mexican Foods is about to become much prettier. The Southwest Detroit tortilla-maker is almost finished rehabbing its principal storefront on West Vernor Avenue near Livernois Avenue, creating a refreshed and more inviting facade on Mexicantown's main drag.

The 22-year-old business began the renovation of its storefront just east of Livernois two years ago when it commissioned a large mural on the side of the building during the Social Forum. That mural has attracted visitors from across the U.S., prompting the business to continue improving its exterior. The new storefront is adding more windows and other aesthetic touches, making it inviting for pedestrians.

"We want to change the front so the building will attract people," says Lydia Gutierrez, president of Hacienda Mexican Foods. "We want to create a welcoming presence for the community."

The project, partially funded by the Southwest Detroit Business Association's facade improvement program, is restoring the building's storefront to its original appearance from the early 20th Century. Gutierrez and her team are reusing wood from old pickle barrels, giving the exterior a distinctive, natural color. The whole project is set to wrap up within the next two weeks.

"This is a store you could have in Birmingham," Gutierrez says. "This is what we wanted to do for our community."

Source: Lydia Gutierrez, president of Hacienda Mexican Foods
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The original storefront for Honey Bee Market La Colmena in Mexicantown is undergoing a makeover. It's part of a $75,000 improvement project for the supermarket staple of southwest Detroit.

"We thought it was important to get the old building looking good," says Ken Koehler, co-owner of Honey Bee Market La Colmena. "The neighborhood deserves it."

Honey Bee Market La Colmena is the supermarket Detroiters often point to when debunking the Motor City's food desert myth. The venerable grocery store compares quite well to corporate grocery chain stores, offering a wide variety of items and is housed in a newer, large storefront on Bagley in the shadow of the Michigan Central Station. Honey Bee Market La Colmena upgraded from its original 4,000-square-foot store to its current 15,000-square-foot location adjacent to the original store six years ago.

The original store renovation, which is part of the Southwest Detroit Business Association's Facade Improvement Program, is installing new windows, doors, adding lighting and a decorative wrought iron sign. Koehler plans to finish the project, and do some painting, later this spring when the weather is more cooperative. He expects to use the old market storefront for storage now and other potential uses down the road.

Source: Ken Koehler, co-owner of Honey Bee Market La Colmena
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Hatch Detroit is growing, making its first hire and planning to expand its service offerings to help more small businesses take root in Detroit.

"We're in a growth mode right now," says Ted Balowski, co-founder of Hatch Detroit. "We're laying the groundwork right now."

Hatch Detroit is a nonprofit that champions and supports independent retail businesses in Detroit through funding, exposure, education and mentoring. It debuted last year with a $50,000 contest to support an entrepreneur opening a retail outlet in Midtown.

Hatch Detroit recently hired Vittoria Katanski (marketing director of the Southwest Detroit Business Association) as its first executive director. She will oversee next year's Hatch Detroit retail funding competition. She will also lead some outreach efforts later this year that will help educate entrepreneurs and citizen leadership. Hatch Detroit is also in the final stages of nailing down a partnership with a major, local corporation that will help the nonprofit pursue its social engagement initiatives.

Source: Ted Balowski, co-founder of Hatch Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Southwest Housing Solutions is upgrading three of its apartment buildings with energy efficient improvements that are expected to create double-digit savings for its tenants.

The housing arm of Southwest Solutions, a Southwest Detroit-based nonprofit, is investing $315,250 in the Harwill, Cole and Harrington buildings. The new improvements include installing reflective roofing to help cool the buildings, installing high-efficiency water heaters, swapping in Energy Star appliances and tuck-pointing the brick exteriors so more heat stays indoors.

"We think we will save 15 percent on utility bills," says Steve Palackdharry, community manager for Southwest Solutions. "This is savings we can pass directly onto our tenants."

Southwest Solutions has a portfolio of 22 apartment buildings throughout Southwest Detroit's neighborhoods, such as Mexicantown and Hubbard Farms. The Harwill Building is located on 1453 Hubbard. The Cole Building is on 4516 W. Vernor Highway and the Harrington Building can be found on 465 W. Grand Blvd. The three buildings have a combined total of 60 units.

The improvements, partially paid for with a SmartBuildings grant from the city of Detroit, has already begun and will wrap up sometime early this summer.

Source: Steve Palackdharry, community manager for Southwest Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.