Detroit : Detroit Development News

Movement, Detroit's electronic music festival happening this weekend at Hart Plaza, is about more than just the music. Movement is about creating and promoting the full Detroit city experience for tens of thousands of out-of-town guests, and that includes highlighting Detroit's tremendous creative community.
 
Sam Fotias, Director of Operations for festival producers Paxahau, says that they are always thinking of ways to create a more fully comprehensive Detroit experience and promote other Detroit subcultures at the festival every single year.
 
The arts community and the music community seem to have a natural overlap in Detroit. Exhibit openings at the Red Bull House of Art and the newly-opened Inner State Gallery attract a lot of the same audience members as Movement, and the two communities – street/pop/contemporary art and techno/electronic music – have matured in tandem over the last couple of decades.
 
CAMP (Community Arts Moving Projects) Detroit is the final evolution of several years of growing art installations and exhibits displayed at Movement since Paxahau took over in 2006. Now in its third year, CAMP Detroit brings in six teams of Detroit artists to create installations to be displayed on the festival grounds all weekend long.
 
There are certain constraints: materials used must be able to withstand the weather and the inevitable man-handling. Designs must suit the topography of Hart Plaza and not require special machinery to be transported. Teams must also be able to work within a $1,500 budget, awarded to them through Paxahau's nonprofit organization Detroit Techno Foundation in partnership with the Detroit Creative Corridor Center and, as of this year, Opportunity Detroit. But the project doesn't end there: when the festival is over, teams are challenged to find permanent homes in the city for their works, a lasting gift to the community and an arts legacy for the Detroit Techno Foundation.
 
"I know of no other festival that is doing this – commissioning pieces for the festival from local artists to be permanently displayed in the community after the festival is over," Fotias says.
 
Projects range from the crafty to large-scale steel sculptures. This year's projects include light and color sculptures and a vertical garden "bloom box."
 
Source: Sam Fotias, Director of Operations for Paxahau
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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As the Crowne Plaza Hotel Pontchartrain undergoes a serious exterior overhaul to prepare to welcome its first guests this June, the overhaul happening inside is just as ambitious, both in design and concept.
 
The Jefferson House will be the Pontch's primary restaurant, located across from the lobby. The look is modern meets old world: copper leaf ceilings, plush cream-colored chairs, dark-stained wainscoting covering the walls. It's warm and rich and comfortable, refined without being too stuffy. They'll serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and will also have a 40-seat outdoor patio on Jefferson. Attached to the Jefferson House is Urban Cellars, the hotel's sizable bar, which will specialize in craft cocktails.
 
Overseeing the operation of both concepts is executive chef and director of food & beverage Justin Vaiciunas. The menu Vaiciunas has created for Jefferson House and Urban Cellars is an exploration of cutting-edge American fusion cuisine. Expect to see the highest-quality ingredients in exquisitely artful presentations, though not impossibly high-end (or high ticket). The Jefferson House and Urban Cellars will open in June with the hotel.
 
The lobby will have a quick grab-and-go café called Tabatchi, which will serve Starbucks coffee and pre-prepared sandwiches and sushi for busy travelers. The hotel will also feature up to 15,000 square feet of completely renovated banquet space.
 
In addition to these new concepts, long-term plans include re-opening the second-floor terrace, as well as re-opening the iconic Top of the Pontch.
 
The 25th floor restaurant, bar and lounge will be totally reimagined – in contrast to the Jefferson House's neutral palette and old-world appeal, the new Top of the Pontch will be flashy, all glass and waterfalls, bringing Vegas style to Detroit. The menu will be ambitious fine dining.
 
Looking ahead, developer Gabriel Ruiz plans on building the hotel's second tower, which was part of the original Pontchartrain's design though never built, and connecting both towers via skywalk to Cobo Center. These plans are at least three years out.
 
Source: Justin Vaiciunas, Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage of the Crowne Plaza Hotel Pontchartrain
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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The excitement surrounding the Detroit-based manufacturer of watches, bicycles and leather goods Shinola is palpable, and already the brand is getting buzz from national news and entertainment media outlets – not bad for a retailer whose products only just went online last month and hasn't yet opened a storefront.
 
Well, that will soon change. The Detroit store, located in Midtown on the ground level of Willy's Overland Lofts, will open this June. This will be the flagship store, and one of only two in the country (with the other in TriBeCa). The Midtown space is 5,000 square feet, with half dedicated to the company's bicycle assembly. Guests will be able to watch the bikes being assembled without walls or glass barriers. The rest of the space is designed as a retail store and community "hang out" – "A place not just to shop but more of a community hub," says Daniel Caudill, Creative Director of Shinola.
 
They'll work with Avalon Breads to provide pre-packed foods to complement juices from a local juice company in an environment with comfortable seating and an outdoor landscaped area. The retail portion will offer a combination of their products, "thoughtfully selected to serve (the Detroit) market," as well as other American-made products that pair well with the Shinola collection. It will also include "curated products and one-of-a-kind items we are calling 'Issue of One.'"
 
The space will retain its industrial features with blonde wood fixtures and warm leather furniture. One of the highlights of the space is the original skylight. "The space will feel light, modern and warm," says Caudill. "It will be a place you'll want to shop in, hang out and ultimately spend time in." It will also be used for events, from screenings and art exhibitions to talks and roundtable discussions around design and American manufacturing.
 
Shinola's plans also include partnering on and producing events, from last year's inaugural Dlectricity to being the official timepiece and timekeepers of the Detroit Grand Prix this June and the title sponsors of Detroit Restaurant Week, which starts this Friday, April 19.
 
Source: Daniel Caudill, Creative Director of Shinola
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Though they've been hosting special events for over a year now, the Hellenic Museum in Midtown officially celebrated its grand opening this past weekend.
 
The building, located at 67 E. Kirby in Detroit's Cultural Center, was purchased from Wayne State University in 2009 for $355,000.
 
The Hellenic Heritage Society, the nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of Detroit's Greek heritage and growth of Greek culture, has spent the last four years restoring the building, formerly the Detroit Children's Museum, which included a new roof, a whole new geothermal heating system, air conditioning and more repairs, all while building up the inventory that is now the museum's collection.
 
Detroit's Hellenic Museum is one of only two such museums in the country (the other one opened about 15 years ago in Chicago). Joan De Ronne, vice president of operations for the Hellenic Museum, says, "The reason for the establishment of the Hellenic Museum in Michigan is because there is really nothing that was a reflection of Greek history and culture other than a small exhibit at the DIA and (in the libraries)," despite the tremendous impact Greek culture has had on the whole of Western civilization. Additionally, the roots of Greek culture in metro Detroit run deep, beginning with the immigration of the Greeks to the area in the early 1900s into Greektown. "So many (cultural) contributions have been made and those things are being lost. We want to preserve the story of their contributions, not just to Hellenic culture but also to greater metro Detroit as a whole."
 
The museum's collection consists of heritage items collected from families and churches – books, artwork and pottery, an eighteenth century bridal gown. The museum is also collecting the oral histories of local Greek families, which will eventually be available on the Hellenic Museum website.
 
The museum will continue hosting and partnering on events that celebrate and promote Greek culture – music, art, food, and history – such as the annual Greek Independence Day Parade that was held in tandem with their grand opening last Saturday.
 
Source: Joan De Ronne, Vice President of Operations for the Hellenic Museum
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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"(There was a time when) TechTown was trying to be all things to all people," says TechTown President and CEO Leslie Smith. Now, with community partners like Hatch Detroit and D:hive, which are better-suited to validate and launch ideas, TechTown is able to focus on what they do best: validate and launch businesses.
 
Two programs TechTown runs that focus on launching businesses are SWOT City and Retail Boot Camp.
 
"In 2008, when the economy crashed, we found ourselves involved in a new economy initiative that suggested entrepreneurship was a new career path for many people," says Smith. TechTown also found themselves involved in businesses that were decidedly non-tech. "We looked at where was the most ripe opportunity for businesses and the existing market demand; from these places these programs were born."
 
SWOT City places new businesses to fill community voids and promote entrepreneurship, connects neighborhood businesses with key resources and provides personal coaching and information sessions to address a business's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT).
 
"SWOT attempts to address underserved populations in the city of Detroit who don't necessarily have the information or transportation to even get to TechTown," says Smith. "We saw we were not serving the city in as many ways as we could, so we developed a neighborhood strategy that allows us to go to them and meet them where they are." They did their initial testing in Midtown and the North End before launching in Brightmoor last October, a socioeconomically challenged neighborhood that has already seen positive results.
 
In six months, the partnership with Brightmoor has provided 400 hours of technical assistance, retained 53 jobs, completed 15 business assessments, and created one business and four jobs with six more businesses currently in the pipeline. In late March, TechTown announced their next community partnership is with the Jefferson East Business Association to develop the East Jefferson commercial corridor.
 
Retail Boot Camp is a new program offered by TechTown, which acts as an aggressive accelerator program for brick and mortar retail businesses. Applications for the first round are being accepted through this Friday, April 19. The intensive 10-week evening program starts in May with the goal of launching a dozen new retail storefronts in the city within the year.
 
Source: Leslie Smith, TechTown President and CEO
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Detroit has a new player in the automotive manufacturing field: Detroit Electric, a revival of the iconic electric vehicle brand first launched in 1906.
 
Detroit Electric produced about 13,000 electric cars before it closed in 1939. In 2008, the brand was revived by Albert Lam, former group CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group and executive director of Lotus Cars of England.

On April 3, the company unveiled its first production car, the SP:01. The SP:01 is the fastest pure-electric sports car in production and is the only pure-electric sports car being built in Detroit. Production will start in August and the cars will be on the street by the end of the year. Only 999 of the SP:01 will be made and it will cost $135,000. Detroit Electric will follow up the SP:01 with higher-production (and more affordable) sedan and hatchback models in 2014.
 
Lam wants Detroit Electric to be the company that offers drivers the everyday electric driving experience they desire. He hopes to grow from 10,000-40,000 cars in production over the next several years in the worldwide market. "We're trying to be realistic," he says. "We're not trying to be GM. We just want to make a product people love."
 
Detroit Electric will establish its corporate headquarters on the 18^th floor of the Fisher Building in New Center. This space is currently undergoing renovation; they are launching with six employees in the temporary space inside the Fisher Building, then will increase to 25-30 people once the permanent space is ready. They are also in the final stages of acquiring an assembly facility in an as-yet-unnamed location in Wayne County (this will be one of only two assembly sites worldwide; the other will be in Europe). The assembly facility will employ about 20 people initially. The company's long-term plans also include a research and development center for electric drive trains. All combined, Detroit Electric will eventually create about 300 new jobs.
 
Source: Albert Lam, Chairman and CEO of Detroit Electric Holdings Ltd. and Don Graundstadt, CEO of Detroit Electric North America Operations

Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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At a recent project launch event held at Next Energy in TechTown, members of the Three Squared management team as well as board members and partners on the project unveiled their new patented Cargolinc Systems technology.
 
Three Squared will be the first multi-family-living shipping container construction project in the country. Cargolinc is a comprehensive three-step system that accelerates green and sustainable construction with high quality standards at a fraction of the cost. Three Squared's proprietary Cargolinc Systems allow the heavy-gauge steel shipping containers used in their residential and commercial real estate construction to be engineered for strength, affordability, energy efficiency, and design aesthetics (samples shown were totally unidentifiable as shipping containers, with exterior finishes that mimic traditional commercial and residential construction).
 
Three Squared, using the patented Cargolinc Systems, aims to be the global leader in multi-family, mixed-use and commercial (including hotels and student housing) cargo container construction development, with $260 million already pledged in investments around the country.
 
Cargo containers are fire-resistant and strong enough to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes, and the adaptive reuse of these containers means both low-cost materials and exceptional sustainability. Around the world, shipping container construction is becoming increasingly popular for its durability, sustainability, and affordability, but in the United States the multi-family and commercial markets are still relatively untapped.
 
Major funding and partnership efforts are still underway, but Three Squared plans to break ground on its two-unit model site on Michigan Avenue in Corktown next to the Grinnell Place Lofts by the end of this month, while the main site at West Warren Avenue and Rosa Parks in Woodbridge, which will become a 20-unit condo complex, is anticipated to break ground this summer. Once ground is broken it will take only seven days to frame and six months to build. They also plan to add another six to eight units behind the model site in the future.
 
Source: Leslie Horn, CEO of Three Squared, Inc.
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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There was an abundance of major downtown development news in the last week. Here is a quick review of some of the biggest projects and purchases announced.
 
• Dan Gilbert once again seems to be on a building-buying spree, most recently adding the 44,000-square-foot Vinton Building at 600 Woodward to his real estate portfolio. This just a week after closing on 1001 Woodward, a 275,000-square-foot building. This brings the total number of residential and commercial downtown Detroit buildings owned by Rock Ventures LLC, Gilbert's umbrella holding company, up to 17, in addition to several more parking structures and surface lots. Gilbert now controls more than 2.9 million square feet of property in downtown Detroit.
 
• In downtown building news not related to Dan Gilbert, Village Green, a privately-owned metro Detroit-based apartment owner and operator, purchased the 338-unit Millender Center Apartments. The complex will undergo renovation work and a rebranding in the next year under its new ownership.
 
• The $279 million renovation of COBO Center is about halfway completed and is both on-schedule and on-budget. The third and final phase is scheduled to be complete by January 2015.
 
• The Whitney Partners, the development team comprised of the Roxbury Group and Trans Inn Management's Lifestyle Boutique Division, have kicked off construction of the $82 million David Whitney Building mixed-use renovation including 105 residential apartment units, a 136-room Aloft Hotel, and ground floor retail.
 
• Perhaps the splashiest development news from last week came, once again, from Dan Gilbert at a gathering of some 400 business and civic leaders and members of the press. At the two-hour briefing, Gilbert shared his overall master plan for downtown retail development, which included official announcements of retail businesses opening (Moosejaw has committed to a multi-year lease; Papa Joe's Gourmet Market will open in a 15,000-square-foot space inside the First National Building), as well as Gilbert's personal vision for placemaking strategies (among them sidewalk cafes, pedestrian walks, and dog parks).

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You may have seen the new vinyl banner that reads "Coming Soon!" with the Bagger Dave's logo that was hung over the weekend at 1224 Randolph Street next to the recently-opened Buffalo Wild Wings in Greektown. While the restaurant is still a long way out from opening, Southfield-based Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. is moving forward with plans to open this as a Bagger Dave's despite some unforeseen setbacks.
 
After the lengthy Buffalo Wild Wings renovation that soared into the millions ($3.5 million for the renovation work alone; $5 million when factoring in other opening costs like purchasing equipment), Diversified is now focused on Bagger Dave's. This will be the first Bagger Dave's in Detroit and the fifth in metro Detroit. There are 12 locations total in Michigan and Indiana, and seven are planned to open this year.
 
Because of the old infrastructure on this block, construction has been delayed as they have been working with DTE to bring electrical power over to the building. Michael Ansley, president and CEO of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc., hopes construction will start this summer and be completed in October.
 
The short, narrow building was built as a bank in the late 1800s. Only 18 feet wide, the lower floor will seat roughly 60 while the second-floor bar will seat another 70. One of the building's key features is a skylight that extends the length of the building on the second floor that the bar will sit directly beneath. "It's going to be really cool," says Ansley. "We're really excited to get (this project moving forward)."
 
The building has already been completely gutted. In addition to retaining the skylight, they will also be restoring the building's limestone façade and preserving the historic front window. This renovation is expected to cost about $1 million.
 
Though it has previously been reported that Diversified might move its corporate offices to the third floor of the Buffalo Wild Wings, the company will no longer move forward with those plans.
 
Source: Michael Ansley, president and CEO of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc.
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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826michigan, a nonprofit dedicated to helping students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills that also owns and operates the Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair in Ann Arbor (along with their own writing lab), has expanded its reach from Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti into Detroit.
 
"We've always had in our minds as an organization to work in the city of Detroit," says Amanda Uhle, Executive Director of 826michigan. "It wasn't the right time in the early years when we were establishing ourselves, then in 2011 our board members did a strategic plan and found we were not only stable but ready to grow."
 
Over the last year and a half the organization has been working on expanding into Detroit and has started offering programming in the city. Last October, they received funding from the DTE Energy Foundation for the first year in Detroit. "We have a deep commitment to the city," says Uhle. "We wanted to start when we were ready and could sustain our work (here)."
 
Currently located in a temporary office in the Model D house at 4470 Second Avenue in Midtown, 826michigan is building its volunteer base as well as relationships with the city's public schools and libraries. 826 programming is mostly on-site at these institutions, though they do hope to have their own retail space and writing lab similar to what they have in Ann Arbor in the next 12 to 18 months.
 
826 programs are currently offered in three Detroit public schools. In five years they hope to double their reach from 2,500 to 5,000 students, half of those in Detroit. Volunteer training sessions are held every fourth Tuesday of the month from 5:30-6:30 p.m. starting this week at the Model D house, where people can learn more about the program and meet the staff.
 
Source: Amanda Uhle, Executive Director of 826michigan
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Not all projects of significance currently happening on Eight Mile are so vast in scope as the Gateway Marketplace or the state fairgrounds development. Since 2008, the Eight Mile Boulevard Association (8MBA), in partnership with the city and the Community Foundation, have been working to improve Eight Mile's "curb appeal" with its Façade Improvement Program (FIP).
 
FIP is a reimbursement program that incentivizes business owners on Eight Mile to invest in their properties and improve their appearance. 8MBA will match what the owners invest up to $10,000, and also provide free architectural design services.
 
This program has helped to renovate over two dozen facades over the last five years, most recently at the Fresh Fish House at Wyoming. The program helps develop a pride of ownership and has also led to the renovation of sites adjacent to those that have participated in FIP. Tim Horton's recently opened a storefront on Eight Mile at Telegraph because of the investment they saw happening on the boulevard.
 
"People want to invest in Eight Mile and in their property," says Tami Salisbury, executive director of the Eight Mile Boulevard Association. "This is a huge business retention tool, and also a huge business attraction tool." 8MBA is doing what they can incrementally to change the perception of Eight Mile so it is seen as more of a connector than a divider. "Without physically changing the landscape we'll never change the mental landscape."
 
Exit surveys conducted by the 8MBA have shown that every single business that participated in the FIP saw an increase in business over the next year.
 
8MBA currently has a record seven applications for the FIP. Two will be selected. In order to qualify, a business must be a member of the 8MBA, have an Eight Mile address, and be able to make at least half of the investment themselves. Design plans must be agreed upon by all participating organizations and aesthetically improve Eight Mile.
 
Source: Tami Salisbury, Executive Director of the Eight Mile Boulevard Association
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Belle Isle has certainly been a hot topic of conversation lately, and it seems like the nation's largest city island park is going to get a little outside help after all.
 
Tickets are now on sale for the Orion Music + More festival being held on Belle Isle June 8-9, featuring headliners Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bassnectar, and many more. This is the second year for the hard-rock-centric music festival, which was first held over a single weekend last year in Atlantic City.
 
Seeking a new location for the festival, which is expected to draw in about 30,000-35,000 people per day based on last year’s attendance, the organizers – Austin-based C3 Productions -- approached the City of Detroit about using Belle Isle. Bradley Dick, the city's director of general services (who at the time was also filling in as interim recreation director), worked out a deal with festival organizers that would put money right back into Detroit's parks.
 
As part of the deal, the Orion Music + More festival is to pay a set fee of $100,000 in 2013, $100,000 in 2014, and $250,000 in 2015 which will be funneled directly back into capital improvements for Detroit's parks. Dick's idea was to split this revenue 50/50 between Belle Isle and Detroit's other 100-plus parks so that the economic benefit of the festival is widespread.
 
The City of Detroit will also receive a set percentage of all ticket sales, concessions and merchandise sales. All of this money will be re-invested into the city's parks, and will also provide significant seed money for the city to apply for matching grants, enabling them to turn, say, $200,000 into $400,000.
 
While Orion is on the books for 2013, years 2014 and 2015 are not yet confirmed. The festival has the first right of refusal for the same weekend both of those years and terms and conditions, should they continue in Detroit, have already been agreed upon.
 
As a burgeoning host city for major events, Detroit potentially has its own Lollapalooza/SXSW on its hands with Orion -- a diverse showcase of major artists held once per year. This is the largest music festival to ever be held on Belle Isle.

Source: Bradley Dick, General Services Department Director of the City of Detroit
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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You’ve heard all the claims of Detroit as the land of opportunity. You could, for example, wake up one day and decide you want to bring the X Games here. Which is pretty much what happened with Kevin Krease and his friends Ian Studders and Garret Koehler.
 
After hearing that ESPN’s X Games (which includes events like skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX, and Motocross) were expanding internationally, the three friends thought, "Wouldn’t it be cool to bring this to Detroit in the next round of expansions?" They had absolutely no event production experience, much less for an event of this scale. They started doing research. They started reaching out to people. They got connected to big local names like Phil Cooley (Ponyride, Slows), Jason Huvaere (President of Paxahau), and Susan Sherer (Executive Director of the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee). Then they began approaching major stakeholders like Dan Gilbert, whose "Opportunity Detroit" campaign is epitomized in this grassroots effort.
 
Detroit has successfully hosted several major sporting events including the Super Bowl, the All-Star Game, and the Final Four. But those are all traveling events, a one-time influx of cash and bodies that are gone as quickly as they came. The X Games would be a three-year commitment.
 
"(Detroit is the) perfect marriage of what ESPN wants for the X Games," says Kevin Krease, Project Director of X Games Detroit. "What Detroit has here is this amazing grit and passion, that whole energy of the action sports scene." Detroit is a destination city for skaters all over the country. There are no competing events, plenty of major host venues already committed to it (including Ford Field, Hart Plaza, and Belle Isle), and a huge opportunity to further re-brand the city. Also, Ford is the largest global sponsor of the X Games. It just makes sense to bring it home.
 
ESPN representatives have already paid Detroit a visit and left with a positive impression, according to Krease. The formal bid is due April 2; the city selection will be announced Aug. 1.
 
Source: Kevin Krease, Project Director of X Games Detroit
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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GalaxE. Solutions, with stateside offices in Detroit and New Jersey and several more all over the world, is currently working with Mayor Dave Bing and the City of Detroit to provide technology to mini police stations in community centers throughout the city.
 
"One of the challenges Detroit faces is safety," says Tim Bryan, GalaxE. Solutions CEO. "People need to feel safe. The degree to which the city makes people feel safe is the barometer (by which we judge its resurgence)."
 
The city has been actively deploying "mini police stations" throughout the city at community centers, which the city already owns. "It gives citizens more opportunity to interact with police and have more access to them," says Bryan. But the community centers lacked the technology capacity and connectivity to connect these satellite stations to the police network, so the city contacted GalaxE. Solutions and asked if they could help make these mini police stations functional.
 
"We are a big advocate of public-private partnerships," says Bryan, "and certainly for public safety. When that opportunity presented itself we made the decision to donate hardware, software and our own expertise to deploy these mini police stations. This is part of GalaxE.'s ongoing commitment to help in any way we can to help Detroit turn around."
 
Citing "major players" like Dan Gilbert, who is helping change the city’s landscape for businesses interested in setting up shop here, Bryan says that "there is something going on in Detroit that is extremely unique and powerful. The interaction of public and private entities working together for the benefit of the city -- we think that’s an excellent way to cure some of the ills in Detroit and we’re extremely happy at GalaxE. to provide what we can."
 
There are currently six mini police stations already deployed with eight more remaining. GalaxE. will support all of them.
 
Source: Tim Bryan, GalaxE. Solutions CEO
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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When the Department of Alternatives holds its first open house on Thursday it won't just be showing off downtown Detroit's newest co-working space, but the latest renovation at a big building in the Motor City's Central Business District.

The Department of Alternatives is occupying the second floor of 1514 Washington Blvd., at the corner of Clifford in the shadow of the David Whitney Building. The founders behind LOVELAND Technologies, The Detroit Bus Co, Dandelion Detroit and Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction (four up-and-coming companies) came together to form the core of the Department of Alternatives by moving their headquarters to 1514 Washington. The idea was to form a cluster of entrepreneurs tackling social change and civic innovation.

"There is power in bringing people within a close proximity to each other," says Jordan Wolfe, a partner with Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction and one of the founding members of the Department of Alternatives. "We saw the need for people to come together and work on civic and social issues."

Those four founding companies are now occupying about 3,500 square feet of the 10,000 square feet available at the Department of Alternatives. They hope to attract some more similar-minded companies and organizations (they are looking for established firms and nonprofits as opposed to brand-new startups) at the open house on Thursday. The companies occupying the co-working space will collectively help pay for the overhead, however, Wolfe says the formula for paying for those costs is still being refined. Wolfe expects the cluster of innovating, socially aware organizations and the events it holds will emerge as a strong voice in the public conversation about Detroit's future.

"A big piece of what we're going to roll out over time is to create conversations about important issues," Wolfe says.

The 7-story structure, also known as the Claridge House Apartments, was in the news last year as a potential acquisition target for Quicken Loans Chaiman Dan Gilbert's downtown buying spree. Wolfe says he and some partners have acquired the building and that it is not part of Gilbert's property portfolio.

Wolfe and his partners are also working on renovating the entire structure. Work is being done on the 45 apartments in the third floor and above. Wolfe describes the layout of those apartments as some of the best he has seen downtown.

The building also has four ground-floor retail spaces that are in the process of filling up. Two existing business (a book importer and a hair salon) will remain. A new fitness studio, Come Play Detroit, is also opening in one of the spaces. Wolfe and his partners are also eyeing another new business, like a dry cleaner, for the last space. They expect the mixed-use nature of the building and its proximity to things like the newly renovated Broderick Tower and M@dison Building will make it an attractive place for years to come.

"It's kind of perfectly located between the Whitney, Broderick and Capitol Park so it will be easy to create walkability," Wolfe says.

The Department of Alternatives open house will be held 7-10 p.m. Thursday at 1514 Washington, Suite 200. For information, click here.

Source: Jordan Wolfe, founding member of Department of Alternatives
Writer: Jon Zemke

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