Detroit Development News

Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) is a non-profit organization that does a lot of work in the city and suburbs around mental health, homelessness, and developmental disabilities. They offer community programs, a suicide hotline and also the Tumaini Center at Second Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., which is a walk-in center serving the chronically homeless in Detroit that has been open since 1975. They see about 3,000 people annually at the center, in a city with a homeless population of around 20,000.
 
Joe Heaphy, NSO's Vice President of Real Estate Development, says, "About seven years ago NSO decided it wanted to move away from simply managing and helping homeless folks, but get them housed." They were looking to provide permanent housing for the chronically homeless, not just temporary housing or a traditional shelter. This led to the purchase of the former Michigan Bell building in Highland Park, which had been sitting vacant for 20 years. A $52 million renovation converted the building into 155 housing units, which began leasing last August. Units were filled by November. Residents pay 30 percent of their income, whatever that may be, in rent, while the rest of the $650/month rent is covered by Section 8. NSO also provides on-site resources and support services.
 
But at 255,000 square feet, the 1929 building itself is so massive it is not fully occupied by apartment units. Starting this August, the NSO Bell Building will also be home to NSO's new headquarters, moving 200 administrative staff into the commercial portion of the building. 
 
This renovation and adaptive reuse project is being honored with a Governor's Award this Wednesday, May 1, for outstanding achievement in historic preservation. The building also serves as a model for public-private funding collaboration and investment, utilizing funds as far-ranging as brownfield redevelopment tax credits, foundation funding from the McGregor Fund and Kresge Foundation, and tax credit investment from Morgan Stanley.
 
Source: Joe Heaphy, NSO's Vice President of Real Estate Development
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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You can't really begin to appreciate just how much Highland Park is in need of a new fire station until you see the space out of which they're currently operating. When I contacted Highland Park Fire Chief Derek Hillman about doing a short story on the new headquarters, he insisted that I see it in person. We met at the Highland Park City Hall and Chief Hillman took me on a ride in his cruiser to see the current, previous, and future fire stations.
 
The fire department is currently located in a "temporary" location in the back corner of a massive industrial park on the outskirts of Highland Park. "How temporary is 'temporary'?" Hillman answered without missing a beat: "Eight years." The space is basically an open warehouse: cold (literally – it doesn't get above 45 degrees in the winter) and barren. Mobile trailers house its offices and bathrooms, while the firefighters constructed a sort of plywood barracks for themselves. It looks like a shantytown inside a bunker. "And this is better than the building we moved out of," Hillman said. And what's wrong with the old building? That's where we're headed next.
 
For a city of only 12,000 people, Highland Park has 150 fires per year. For a single fire, the department brings only six or seven men – the City of Detroit brings three times that. Some of the men make only $10 an hour. Chief Hillman knew the working conditions were abysmal, so when a FEMA grant became available for fire departments in the U.S., as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he applied. CHMP Architects in Grand Blanc donated time and expertise to draft an architectural design for the grant application. Out of 1,200 applicants nationwide, Highland Park received $2.6 million in federal grant money for a new station – one of only five departments in Michigan to receive anything.
 
The new building, more than halfway complete, is 14,000 square feet and is located directly across from the old fire station. As we pulled up, Chief Hillman pointed at a two-story structure in which the upper floor has totally collapsed and the back wall fallen off. "That's the old fire station."
 
While the old Highland Park police station, built in 1917, was torn down to make way for this new fire station, the old fire station – a building so structurally damaged from neglect and exposure preservation likely isn't feasible – will continue to stand, a hulking shell, until the city can reach an agreement with the State of Michigan Historic Preservation Office to tear it down.
 
The new facility is like a dream for the men who've been working out of a shoddily slapped-together "temporary" location for nearly the last decade. They'll have proper offices and sleeping facilities, even a full gym for the men to work out. It stands in stark contrast to the sagging building it faces, a dramatic juxtaposition that mirrors the current state of the city itself – the new colliding with the old; better things rising from the ashes.
 
Source: Derek Hillman, Highland Park Fire Chief
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Global Detroit Human will open inside the Auburn in the coming weeks, joining retailers Hugh, Nora, and Source Booksellers in what is fast becoming Midtown's de facto shopping district at the intersection of Cass and Canfield (on the other side of Cass, Run Detroit and Shinola will both open soon, while Nest and City Bird already anchor West Canfield).
 
Global Detroit Human (GDH) is clothing design collective, a boutique that exclusively carries lines from metro Detroit designers. Some of the local labels that can be found inside include Homeslice Clothing, Emily Thornhill's line of classic fashion pieces for day or evening made from eco-sustainable materials; Lavinia Curves, which produces fashionable dresses for curvy women sizes 12-22; SIX LUXE, a line of reversible resort wear for multiple looks in one for those who like to travel light; and Corrosive Clothing, a line of men's T-shirts designed with custom print injection technology that injects the ink directly into the threads for longer-lasting designs.
 
GDH was envisioned by owner Jill Drnek about a year ago. She wanted to have a collection of metro Detroit designers to show off to the world, and traveled the fashion capitals of Europe to speak with store owners, do some research, and start building excitement for Detroit designers. After hosting a pop-up in Livonia and participating as a vendor at events like Dally in the Alley, Drnek decided it was time to open a store in the city. A space inside the Auburn unexpectedly became available in November, and she jumped at the opportunity to open in a viable retail district near other design-focused stores.
 
"The goal is really to take the Detroit design community into a storefront," says Drnek. "This will help designers better understand their market and continue to build their brand and contribute to the growth of the Detroit design community," ultimately with the goal of shopping these designers to the European market.
 
Buildout of the space is near completion. Drnek hopes to open in early May.
 
Source: Jill Drnek, owner and curator/buyer of Global Detroit Human
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Anew Life Prosthetics & Orthotics is putting the finishing touches on the renovation of the Albert Kahn-designed Detroit Savings Bank Branch #3 at Woodward and Milwaukee. The company launched in 2011 as a mobile operation with partners Chris Casteel and Paul Cauley working out of their cars with their equipment and supplies stored in far-flung locations throughout metro Detroit. They knew they wanted to locate their offices (with lab and equipment) in the city, and after a previous deal fell through they found the building at 6438 Woodward in December 2011. Within two weeks they owned it.
 
Anew Life provides artificial limbs and braces to those who need them. While this does include a small percentage of trauma cases, the majority of their clients suffer from vascular disease and diabetes. They see their clients through the whole process, starting with visiting them in the hospital post-surgery, casting them, making molds and testing the prosthesis, then making the final prosthesis that will last for three to five years. "I love seeing people return to life and thrive," says Casteel, who also runs a support group for amputees.
 
The renovated Detroit Savings Bank building will be home to Anew's offices, a lab where the devices will be built, and a physical therapy gym for recovering patients. They are also completing renovations that will make the building ADA accessible and are awaiting certifications that will enable them to bill Medicare and Medicaid for their patients. 
 
Built as a bank branch, the building has previously been used as a church and a nightclub, among other things. Renovation work included gutting much of the interior, though Casteel says they are "trying to save as much Albert Kahn as we can." Casteel and Cauley were working out of the building during the renovation, and are now at a point where they are able to start accepting patients.
 
Anew's offices, storage, and lab don't quite fill up the whole space, so they have made their basement available to Burners Without Borders, where Danielle "Doxie" Kaltz is able to store all her supplies to assemble backpacks of hygiene and emergency items for the homeless. "We want to help support everything local," Casteel says.
 
Source: Chris Casteel, co-owner of Anew Life Prosthetics & Orthotics
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Midtown workers and residents have yet another option for weekday lunch and dinner: La Palma Mediterranean Cuisine, located at the corner of Canfield and John R.
 
Opened just two weeks ago, La Palma is an open, airy space with prepared foods and select pre-made hot items displayed in cases by the cash register, and options for carry-out or sit-down service.
 
The space is immaculate, and far exceeds any expectations for a quick grab-and-go kind of restaurant, which is ultimately what this is. Owner Adam Maheawiyan says that he saw a need for this kind of fast, casual, healthy Mediterranean cuisine after being involved with Biomet on Canfield for the last five years. Specifically he noticed that this was a busy corner with plenty of built-in clientele (thanks to the nearby DMC, Karmanos Institute, and Wayne State University School of Medicine), but a previous business in this location (a deli) did not meet his standards of service. When the space became available, he took it.
 
Everything they serve is made from scratch in-house, right down to the dressings and bread. The bread is baked in a custom-built brick oven, one of the showpieces of the restaurant. But once you're inside, don't forget to look up: hand-carved curved wooden panels on the ceiling took two months themselves to complete. There is also detailed stone and brickwork and ceramic tile floors. All construction was overseen by the Livonia-based firm the Nam Group, a company in which Maheawiyan is also a partner.
 
Maheawiyan says the space, which was totally gutted from previous tenants, was designed with specific attention to hygiene and cleanliness: in addition to having an open kitchen (so customers can see what all the cooks are doing), bathrooms are totally touch-less, including the toilet paper.
 
The menu is a selection of appetizers (like falafel, hummus, and grape leaves), salads, pitas, and larger plates (like kabobs and ghallaba). They are open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed on Sundays.
 
Source: Adam Maheawiyan, owner of La Palma
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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As the M-1 Rail has made significant progress towards full realization, there has been much dialogue among the businesses and communities along the Woodward corridor regarding transit development. In 2010, conversations among members of the Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3), born out of discussions about light rail, led to the establishment of the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) task force to look at zoning and ordinances all along the corridor and how to best impact economic development. From there, additional initiatives were launched – all symbiotically related to transit development planning but all separate in their focuses – that are now collectively being referred to as Transform Woodward.
 
Transform Woodward is the umbrella concept for TOD in tandem with the Alternatives Analysis and Complete Streets planning. The completed Alternatives Analysis (AA), in partnership with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), identified bus rapid transit (BRT) as the preferred rapid transit model for the corridor. In addition to AA, WA3 has received a Federal Highway Administration grant of $752,000 to create a Complete Streets masterplan which considers items like interpretive crosswalks, cycling infrastructure, and wayfinding options in accordance with rapid transit design, as well as integrating the general public's needs and concerns.
 
The Complete Streets study is currently underway, and starting this week WA3 will hold a series of five community events April 17-19 at the St. James Catholic Church at 241 Pearson Street in Ferndale. This event series, collectively known as a "charette," is an interactive community event led by Dan Burden, founder and Executive Director of Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.
 
The Complete Streets study has split the 27-mile Woodward corridor into five zones, with northern Detroit and Ferndale combined as one zone. Four additional charettes, held in each of the remaining "zones" (including downtown Detroit), will be held throughout the year.
 
The Woodward Complete Streets masterplan, potentially the largest Complete Streets program in the country, will include both immediate and long-terms recommendations with all-encompassing small-, mid- and long-range capital projects. WA3 hopes to roll out this plan by the beginning of 2014.
 
The newly-launched Transform Woodward website has full details on each initiative, and a soon-to-launch mobile app will feature an intricately detailed interactive map with the ability to comment and participate in a public survey.
 
Source: Jason Fowler, WA3 and Woodward Complete Streets Program Manager
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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The former Detroit Dry Docks Engine Works complex and Globe Trading Company building, parts of which date back to 1892, will begin its transformation into an adventure and discovery center as part of an expansion of the William G. Milliken State Park & Harbor, Michigan's only urban state park.
 
The project was announced in May 2011 but has seen some delays. "The languishing has ended," says David Di Rita, owner of the Roxbury Group, the Detroit-based development firm overseeing the renovation. They closed on construction financing for the project in mid-March. Activity on the building will start within in the next two weeks.
 
The $12.8 million project is essentially a build-to-suit project for the Department of Natural Resources. Plans include the adventure and discovery center with rock-climbing, zip-lining, and other activities, but much more beyond that. "Really it amounts to a multi-use facility for the benefit of park visitors as well as people who may just wish to visit the Globe and participate in its activities, which includes a combination of exhibit and meeting space all designed around the idea of introducing the public to the state park system and provide year-round opportunities for people to enjoy the state park."
 
There will be activity space as well as permanent and rotating educational exhibits. The DNR will move its operations offices from Southfield into this building. The design includes a lot of attractive open space that can be used for business meetings and private events; the DNR envisions this space being utilized in much the same way as Eastern Market's Shed 5.
 
People will also be able to access the services of any state park office, such as getting their hunting and fishing licenses.

"The idea is really to take people here in the largest point of population in the state and give them a point of entry into the state park system," says Di Rita.
 
The project requires a partial demolition of some of the older portions of the complex, though Di Rita says, "We're doing our best to preserve as much of the facility as possible and are really focusing on the portion of the building that is most recognizable to the public."
 
Di Rita expects construction on the Globe to be complete around this time next year.
 
Source: David Di Rita, owner of the Roxbury Group
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg 

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Neumann/Smith Architecture, which has been around since 1969, has been working under the radar downtown for years. Now, the firm is making it official this year when it moves into the Wright-Kay Building at 1500 Woodward.
 
The firm has worked on several significant projects in the city out of its Southfield office, including various projects with Wayne State University, One Kennedy Square, the Science Center, the $50 million landscape renovation including meditation gardens and fountains at DTE, Blue Cross Blue Shield's east campus (including the green parking deck and courtyard), and work for several clients inside the Renaissance Center.
 
Most recently Neumann/Smith worked with Quicken Loans and Bedrock on some of their most high-profile developments. The first opportunity was the Madison Building, which has become a technology hub noted as much for its design as for its inhabitants. "(That building) was huge for them and for us," says Joel Smith, partner of Neumann/Smith Architecture. "It got a lot of attention." (Particularly the fifth-floor meeting space and rooftop patio available for private parties, which Smith calls "one of the coolest" spaces in the city.)
 
Next up on Neumann/Smith's Bedrock project roster includes renovations of the Dime Building, One Woodward, First National, and construction on the "Z" lot. "With all of this going on we needed to be closer to our client," says Smith. "We have always had a historic preservation practice but the Detroit office will be the hub for historic preservation and adaptive reuse (and) solidify our commitment to the city."
 
The firm is also heading up the renovation of the Wright-Kay Building, which Smith expects to be complete in June. The six floor, red sandstone building will feature office space on the upper floors (fully committed though not yet all officially leased) with ground floor restaurant and retail space.
 
Source: Joel Smith, AIA, partner of Neumann/Smith Architecture
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Detroiters will have another spot to grab a coffee and snack this week. Urban Bean Co. will open next Monday, April 15 at the corner of Griswold and Grand River.
 
For those of you who remember the old Urban Bean Co. that was located at the corner of Griswold and Grand River up until 2008, yes, this is the same one, and in the same location. With the redevelopment of Capitol Park now underway, its re-opening is also a comeback story. Co-owner Josh Greenwood has had the space since 2000 and operated the first incarnation of Urban Bean Co. for eight years.
 
But a lot has changed since then, and Greenwood, along with partner Ed Siegel, is giving it another shot -- and this time the prospects seem much more promising with all of the major development happening downtown.
 
"Our new logo will have 'Established 2000' crossed out (with '2013' written in)," says Siegel. "We're sort of making fun of ourselves."
 
They intend this to be more of a grab-and-go coffee shop for busy downtown dwellers and workers who just want a quick cup of coffee. They will serve Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co. coffee and will have a pour-over station though their emphasis is more on drip. They are also focused on carrying products from as many Detroit-area vendors as they can -- including items from Dutch Girl Donuts, Beignets, and Ferndale-based Pinwheel Bakery. "We're hoping to get a bunch of (vendors) and be a portal to these places that have great food (from the further-out parts of Detroit)."
 
Downstairs will have seating for around 15 people with free WiFi, while the 420-square-foot second floor will have a DJ booth. They are also open to hosting group and private events like book clubs.
 
Urban Bean Co.'s hours will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday to start. "There is a downtown contingent that wants later hours than what other places are offering," Siegel says.

Source: Ed Siegel, co-owner of Urban Bean Co.
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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Alley Wine sounded like such a lovely idea: open up a wine bar in an alley in a converted garage with doors that open to the alley and a backyard that can be used for outdoor seating and recreation. The idea sparked a lot of interest, securing it as a semi-finalist in the first-ever Hatch Detroit contest in 2011.
 
There was just one problem: the proposed building was zoned as residential property. Before any kind of planning in earnest could move forward, the building had to be re-zoned for commercial use (and as a liquor establishment at that, which is not without its own complications).
 
For the past 20 months, partners David Knapp and Lynne Savino have been working on getting this Midtown property at 655 W. Alexandrine re-zoned for commercial use by the city. "I knew we had a major roadblock with zoning issues," says Knapp, who works as an architect and is familiar with zoning restrictions.
 
They started with the Board of Zoning Appeals, which took several hearings over six months to ultimately have their request rejected. From there they went to the City Planning Commission, this time with the help and support of Midtown Inc.'s Sue Mosey. The Alley Wine concept happens to be in keeping with her master vision for more mixed-use development in Midtown, which also includes more non-motorized transit development (Alley Wine will be accessible only by foot or bike). "We were kind of a pilot case for the rezoning," says Knapp.
 
"Mosey and (Midtown Economic Development Manager) Karen Gage really spearheaded on our behalf to work with the City Planning Commission staff," says Knapp. They conducted informal hearings to garner public support and drew up the official language to push the request forward. The request was first approved by the commission, then by City Council, then by Mayor Dave Bing.
 
While Alley Wine is still a way off from opening -- they still need to secure tax credits and building permits and apply for financing and a liquor license, none of which could be started before the rezoning was finalized -- Knapp hopes for a fall opening.
 
Source: David Knapp, co-owner of Alley Wine
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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