Detroit Development News

It wasn’t that long ago that Thistle Coffeehouse was flourishing on Second Ave. at Prentis. But now the space has been reborn with two brand-new businesses owned by partners Sal Sufyan and Abe Aswadi.
 
The first, La Hookah Town, officially opened in January. La Hookah Town offers an inexpensive "hangout spot" for Wayne State students with a variety of flavored tobaccos, free WiFi, free parking, a student study area, and televisions for watching sports (including pay-per-view boxing). It opens at noon daily and stays open until 2 a.m. or later.
 
While there are a number of hookah lounges in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights and a quietly growing hookah culture in Royal Oak, the city of Detroit previously had no hookah lounges of its own. Hookah lounges are increasingly popular study spots for students and social hubs for young adults under the age of 21 who can’t just go to a bar. They also appeal to the large population of Muslim students and young adults in the area who do not patronize liquor bars.
 
In addition to bringing a hookah lounge to the city, the partners are also bringing an Indian restaurant to an area that currently has none. They are opening Grace of India Restaurant next to La Hookah Town, a small restaurant that will serve authentic, affordable Indian cuisine for carry-out and delivery, specifically targeting students. They will have only three or four tables inside where people can wait for their carry-out orders.
 
Sufyan says that they noticed a need for Indian food in the area and are catering to that demand. They have hired a chef who specializes in Indian cuisine to oversee the kitchen. The interior has been totally remodeled and they hope to be open this month.
 
Source: Sal Sufyan, co-owner, La Hookah Town and Grace of India Restaurant
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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A recent $8.5 million investment by the State of Michigan in the David Whitney Building has made headlines recently. This money finally enables the Whitney Partners, LLC to move forward with construction.
 
The Whitney Partners are the Roxbury Group, the Detroit-based real estate development and consulting firm that is heading up this renovation project and most recently completed the Auburn, a new construction project in Midtown, and Troy-based investment firm Trans Inn Management Inc.
 
"The $8.5 million is coming as a loan being lent to us through the Michigan Community Revitalization Program," says David Di Rita, owner of the Roxbury Group. "It is enormously important. It closed the remaining funding gap between all of the other credits and incentives."
 
So far the project has received $9.8 million in a state brownfield redevelopment tax credit and $12.4 million in state historic tax credits. "We still had about $8.5 million to bring to the deal to get financing closed and that’s what this will do. It was the final piece."
 
At press time the Whitney Partners were working to close on overall financing for the project. Construction will start immediately once the funding is in place.
 
"We won’t be announcing when we close the financing deal," Di Rita says. "We will just start construction and that’s how people will know."

So keep an eye out for those construction cranes.
 
The David Whitney Building has sat empty since 2000. The Roxbury Group bought the building in 2011 for $3.3 million. The renovation will create 105 residential apartments, a 136-room Aloft Hotel (a Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide property), a new and improved People Mover station, and ground floor retail.
 
"We’re very proud of the fact of being able to (secure funding) within 24 months of getting the building," says Di Rita.
 
They are targeting early 2014 for full completion of the project, which is expected to cost $82.5 million and create 75 jobs.
 
Source: David Di Rita, Owner, The Roxbury Group
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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West Village continues its development winning streak with the renovation of the Village Park Apartments at Van Dyke and Agnes.
 
MHT Housing, one of the largest nonprofit affordable housing companies in the State of Michigan, recently renovated the vintage 1927 building.
 
The $6 million renovation took approximately one full year to complete. In that time every single unit was renovated, working with pre-existing residents to ensure no one was displaced, and preserving the affordable component while also increasing the market rate.
 
Village Park was previously a state-owned asset in foreclosure. There are 56 one- and two-bedroom family units in two adjoining buildings that haven’t seen a substantial renovation in 35 years. The rental units are mixed income, offering both Section 8 and market rate housing.
 
MHT Housing received state and federal historic tax credits to renovate both buildings and update them from their outdated facilities.
 
"We provided the latest technology in heating and cooling with a lot of green components for utilities and appliances," says MHT Housing President T. Van Fox. Work was also done on the roof, windows, and elevators, and MHT also introduced a new high-security lock-and-key system. They also received brownfield tax credits for some environmental remediation of old fuel tanks.
 
"Today, this is a state-of-the-art facility with a preservation of the historical and a new component of modern living," Fox says.
 
The buildings are now at full occupancy.
 
Source: T. Van Fox, President of MHT Housing
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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The Roasting Plant is now open inside the First National Building. The space has been totally re-designed from previous tenants (bars The Vine and Enoteca) to accommodate the café setting and their much-buzzed-about high-tech Javabot system, designed to ensure the freshest cup of coffee possible.
 
This downtown Detroit location is a third location for the company, but the first outside of Manhattan. Elizabeth Rose, Co-Owner of the Roasting Plant, is a native Detroiter who was living in San Diego but got involved with the Roasting Plant in Manhattan and had been planning on moving there when Detroit came calling.
 
"The biggest reason (for opening in Detroit) is the investment and commitment that Dan Gilbert and his family of companies have shown in the downtown area of Detroit," she says. Gilbert was shown a video of their Javabot system and thought it would be a good pairing with the burgeoning Detroit tech scene.
 
The company was looking for a third location but Detroit had not been on their radar until they were approached by Gilbert's Bedrock Real Estate Services. Rose was shown around the Madison, Compuware, and Chase buildings so she could get a sense of the company’s investment and long-term commitment to the area, then was offered the space inside the First National Building overlooking Campus Martius Park.
 
"It was a no-brainer," she says, citing the prime location and recalling fond childhood memories of running around that very same building as a child when her father worked there.
 
As a native Detroiter, Rose understood the opportunity Detroit presented and the underserved market the company would be tapping into. They ran the numbers, saw the potential, and signed a seven-year lease. "I don’t think you could have a better location down here. It’s not a location we want to give up. We’re here for the long haul."
 
Rose says this location is already busier than either of the Manhattan stores.
 
Source: Elizabeth Rose, Co-Owner of the Roasting Plant Inc.
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.

Greektown Casino hasn't had a proper fine dining establishment since the Alley Grille closed in 2009, and they've never had one located on the main gaming level. Enter the newly-opened Brizola.
 
Located on the main floor of the casino, Brizola was formerly the nightclub Eclipz Lounge (sidenote: we’re not sure what the thing is with the "z" either).
 
Brizola, which specializes in contemporary American cuisine with an extensive wine list, is intended to accommodate guests on the casino floor. "The casino and the food and beverage program have evolved over the years," says Food & Beverage Director Hassan Yazbek. "It called for a signature fine dining restaurant to service our guests."
 
The sleek, ultra-modern space seats 170 and also has a private dining room for up to 15. Floor-to-ceiling windows with city views are the highlight of the contemporary design. They also seek to be at the cutting edge of technology, using all interactive electronic tablet menus.
 
In addition to Brizola, there are other plans in the works to re-vamp Greektown’s dining offerings. The Market District is a new food court currently in the works. Café Mix, the first of five new concepts, is already open and offers specialty coffees and cocktails along with pastries, sandwiches, and desserts for morning, noon and late-night. The remaining concepts include  a New York-style deli, an American concept focused on classic comfort foods, and Italian and Asian-fusion concepts.
 
With Dan Gilbert hoping to acquire a 51 percent controlling interest in Greektown Casino (pending approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board), these recent changes are probably just a glimmer of what’s to come.
 
Source: Hassan Yazbek, Director of Food & Beverage at Greektown Casino
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Midtown’s latest housing development project is not targeted at Wayne State students or young urban pioneers. Detroit Central City Community Mental Health, Inc. (DCC) will be renovating the vacant Charlotte Apartments at 644 Charlotte in Midtown, which will serve as housing for veterans, homeless, and people with disabilities.
 
DCC is a nonprofit agency that has been in Midtown for over 40 years providing outpatient psychiatric services and more to the homeless, special needs, and mentally ill.

"Really we’re in the old Cass Corridor where a lot of people are still homeless," says Henrietta Warren, Vice President of DCC. "Over the years we have been increasing our housing abilities. Because of the large number of consumers we see who are also vets, we really have an interest in providing safe and affordable housing for them." Warren says that of the 4,000 people DCC serves annually, approximately 40 percent are homeless.

The $6.1 million project will create 27 one-bedroom units in the historic Charlotte Apartments. The building itself was built in 1920, but has sat vacant for at least the last 10 years. The project is being funded by City of Detroit HOME Funds, MSHDA low-income housing tax credits, and Brownfield Tax Credits, plus $300,000 from the Home Depot Foundation, which earmarks a portion of the foundation’s annual gift money specifically for vet housing. Joe Early of Early Construction, who originally purchased the building from Wayne County, is a partner in the development.

The complex will have a community room, computer lab, library, meeting rooms, and a common laundry room. The units will serve veterans, homeless, and those with "severe and persistent mental illness," which will enable DCC "to provide easy access to mental health services as well as affordable housing." Veterans will be given the first opportunity to obtain housing.

Construction is slated to begin in May and will take about a year to complete. 

Source: Henrietta Warren, Vice President of Detroit Central City Community Mental Health, Inc.
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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There aren’t many new restaurants in the Midtown/Corktown/Downtown neighborhoods that open nowadays without a whole lot of fanfare, often months in advance starting from the day the concept is announced. But Maccabees at Midtown, which officially opened on Dec. 30, opened like a phantom; without any major announcements or media coverage it sprang forth into existence and started serving what the locals already seem to agree is some pretty phenomenal food.
 
Maccabees owner Petar Berishaj is not new to the restaurant game, or to Detroit. He owns the local franchise Gateway Deli, which operates dine-in and catering locations at 333 W. Fort St., another at Ford Field, and two more in Southfield and Troy.
 
"Bottom line is, I love Detroit," says Berishaj, "since I was a little kid working at Lafayette Coney Island when I was 15 years old. I want to be part of the renovation."
 
Maccabees was going to be another Gateway outpost, but Berishaj saw a much larger potential with this particular spot and the liquor license that was available.
 
Located inside of what was formerly known as the Maccabees Building, which the restaurant’s name honors, Berishaj particularly liked the location for its close proximity to all of the cultural institutions and hospitals in Midtown (and all of the hungry workers at both), as well as the building itself, which has built-in clientele with Wayne State University’s administrative offices.
 
Berishaj says the design of the space, which sat empty for some time and was only a vacant shell when construction started, echoes the colors and theme of the Maccabees Building, replicating everything down to the chandeliers (which were designed and fabricated by Speedcult).
 
Maccabees now has its liquor license and is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. They serve "new American cuisine," including some deli favorites.
 
Source: Petar Berishaj, owner of Maccabees at Midtown
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

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Perhaps you have seen the new sign atop the building U-Haul is renovating into its latest full-service location? Or a few of the upper floors lit up at night showing off doors painted in bright orange while driving by on the Lodge Freeway? If so you have seen the most recent progress of one of the greater downtown Detroit area's largest redevelopment projects.

The moving company bought the former Nabisco Building in New Center (899 W Baltimore St.) last summer and has been slowly but surely rehabbing the 250,000-square-foot structure into its first full-service center in Detroit. The new location, set to open this spring, will feature everything from truck and trailer rentals to storage space.

"One year from now we will have a gorgeous truck, trailer and storage business going there," says Stuart Shoen, executive vice president of U-Haul. "I am just very optimistic for the area."

For now, Detroiters are going to have to settle for the encouraging new visual cues on the building's crown and updates from the company's blog about the work. Workers (three U-Haul employees and about 20 construction workers) are currently focusing on finishing the renovation of the showroom and getting the basics of the rest of the building to come on.

"It's finally starting to look like a retail space," Shoen says. "The building needed a lot of fundamental improvement. It took us longer to get the water and the electricity on than we thought. The windows weren't level in the showroom. This building needed a lot of work in every facet."

National Biscuit Co (or Nabisco today) built the structure in the 1920s as a bakery. It has been vacant for several years before U-Haul purchased it to service Detroit's growing population.

"In a few years, we will be contemplating building more," Shoen says. "That's our hope and expectation."

Source: Stuart Shoen, executive vice president of U-Haul
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Janet Jones has been selling books in Detroit for 24 years. Her new location inside the Auburn Building is the third incarnation of Source Booksellers. "When I started I was a vendor doing what they call 'pop-ups' now," says Jones. "I would go to where the people were and sell books. I did that for 12 to 14 years."
 
The second incarnation of Source Booksellers was inside the Spiral Collective on the corner of Cass and Willis in Midtown, a collaborative space opened by visionary artist and businesswoman Dell Pryor featuring several women-owned businesses.
 
"It got to the point where we needed a little more room," says Jones. "We could see ourselves expanding and needed more space for community activities and more inventory."
 
When it was announced that the Roxbury Group would be starting a new mixed-use construction project called the Auburn, Jones expressed interest in it to Sue Mosey and Scott Benson of Midtown Detroit Inc. but wasn't sure what might come of it. Then, on Dec. 30, she took apart her space at the Spiral Collective and had a soft opening in the Auburn by Jan. 4.
 
Source focuses on four major nonfiction book categories: health & well-being, history & culture, books by & about women, and spiritual & new age. "My interest from the beginning was always wanting people to know about the books that I liked," she says.
 
At a recent conference Jones attended it was said that the future of bookstores is small, independent, niche market stores with a well-curated selection. "I said, 'That would be me!'" she says. "I got validated. I started by doing what I like, then offering that to other people and building on that."
 
Source also hosts regular community events including book and author talks, poetry groups, seasonal conversations with a metaphysical scholar, and mind/body/spirit fitness classes every Saturday morning. 

Source: Janet Jones, owner of Source Booksellers
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg
 
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Lately it seems that there's a new fitness center or yoga studio opening every week in Detroit. CrossFit BMW (which stands for "Benchmark Workouts"), on Cass between Charlotte and Peterboro in Midtown, is among the more recent openings. It offers something a little different than a traditional gym.
 
CrossFit is a national brand that achieves health and fitness through an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating weight-lifting, gymnastics, sprinting, rope-climbing, and other high-intensity exercises with an emphasis on cardio, strengthening, and conditioning. It's ideal for professional athletes and WSU students (and they get both).
 
Different elements are combined daily to create a unique "Workout of the Day" (WOD), and no two are ever the same. The result of the physically exerting hour-long WOD is similar to that of a one-hour session of personal training, only in a group class format and at a fraction of the cost.
 
"(CrossFit BMW) is membership-based and open to everyone," says owner Jarrod Bell. He started a CrossFit affiliate in metro Detroit six years ago and has wanted to open a gym in the city from the beginning. When the building on Cass (owned by Midtown developer Joel Landy) became available, Bell jumped at the opportunity. "As long as I’ve been (doing this) I’ve been eyeing that building."
 
In addition to the WODs, CrossFit BMW offers power-lifting classes and will be adding additional classes in the future, which will likely include gymnastics, yoga, kickboxing, and kids' CrossFit. Bell also hopes to put together an Olympic lifting team.
 
A monthly membership costs $185 and includes unlimited classes, personal training and fitness coaching. (Students, law enforcement, military personnel, firefighters, and teachers receive a discount.) "When you start talking personal training at the YMCA and L.A. Fitness, that’s just an admission fee," says Bell. "We offer personal training on a daily basis for that amount in a goal-based fitness gym and training studio."
 
Source: Jarrod Bell, owner of CrossFit BMW
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg
 
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The journey of bringing a streetcar line back to Woodward Avenue in Detroit bears more resemblance to a roller coaster than a tram in recent years. But feel free to breathe a sigh of relief, Detroit. The train is about to pull into the station. Bet on it.

Friday's press conference announcing the final piece of funding needed for the M-1 Rail project, connecting Jefferson Avenue to Grand Boulevard, offered a lot of optimism and back slapping.

The U.S. Secretary of Transportation is giving $25 million in federal funds for the M-1 Rail and another $6 million to get the newly created regional transit authority off the ground. However, a few other key people in the audience of Friday's press conference were equally confident about the project.

M-1 Rail calls for creating a 3.4-mile-long streetcar line mostly along the outer lanes of Woodward Avenue. It will have 11 stops: at Congress Street, the northern tip of Campus Martius, the southern tip of Grand Circus Park, the Fox Theatre, Sibley Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Canfield Street, Warren Avenue, Ferry Street, the Amtrak train station in New Center and Grand Boulevard. More than $100 million for the project has been raised from private, philanthropic and government sources.

Matt Cullen, CEO of M-1 Rail, says the creation of the regional transit authority was the last major hurdle for giving the green light to the project. He expects the final engineering work and construction bidding to be done in the first half of this year. Construction will begin late this summer and take two years to complete.

Megan Owens, executive director of the transit-advocate non-profit Transportation Riders United, echoes Cullen's words and optimism. She adds that drills for the project will go into the ground before shovels. "They're going to start boring to find out of there is anything in the way in the ground," Owens says.

She adds that the $25 million is the last foreseeable major hurdle for the project. M-1 Rail has funding for both construction and operation for the next several years. It won't be impacted by the regional transit authority's efforts to establish a funding source. That means that even though M-1 Rail and the regional transit authority were joined at the hip to land the federal funding, they will independently establish themselves in the next few years. The plan is to bring the two back together when they become established.

"The hope is in 7-10 years the RTA (regional transit authority) will take over," Owens says.

Source: Matt Cullen, CEO of M-1 Rail and Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Downtown Hamtramck is now a part of the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that should help the commercial district leverage more redevelopment dollars and maintain its classic character.

The historic district runs the length of Jos Campau Street between the GM Poletown plant to the south and close to Carpenter Street on the north end. "The historic district is a couple of streets short of that," says Jason Friedmann, director of community and economic development for the city of Hamtramck. "This is the area with the oldest buildings with the most character are located."

The Jos Campau Historic District encompasses about 200 buildings that are about 100 years old. Most of the them were constructed after the old Dodge Main Plant was built in the early 1900s. It joins the historic district around St. Florian Catholic Church near the intersection of Jos Campau and Holbrook streets.

The Jos Campau Historic District is only a national historic district. That designation allows it to leverage national historic tax credits for redevelopment but doesn't come with the strict restrictions and oversights commonplace in local historic districts.

Source: Jason Friedmann, director of community and economic development for the city of Hamtramck
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Detroit has a new player in the real estate services investment game, and its name is Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services, Inc.
 
The full-service commercial, residential and industrial services company announced last week that they completed the purchase of 440 East Congress, an 80,000-square-foot office building and parking structure in the central business district.
 
The 90-year-old five-story building currently has seven tenants, which include the law firm Keller Thoma and Neighborhood Legal Services Michigan. The current tenants will all remain and Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions will be leasing space, leaving an additional 15,000-square-feet of space available to lease in any configuration.
 
This is not the Birmingham-based company’s first foray into investment in the City of Detroit. They also own an apartment building in Midtown at the corner of Third and Canfield, known unofficially as "Nine on Third." Richard Broder, CEO of Broder & Sachse, says they are keeping the property fully rented and are "very happy with that investment," with further plans to pursue additional investment opportunities in downtown and Midtown.
 
"We’re in the office building business," says Broder. "It’s not unnatural for us to extend our investment in the category. Many different places including our friends at Bedrock and Quicken are encouraging people to stick their toes in the water."
 
The building on Congress was last renovated in the 1980s. Contractor firm (and Broder affiliate) Sachse Construction, along with Neumann/Smith Architecture, will oversee renovation work on the exterior of the building and in the garage, lobby, bathrooms, and other common areas.
 
Sachse Construction has also been integral part of the Rock Ventures redevelopments, though the two companies are not affiliated.
 
Source: Richard Broder, CEO of Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services, Inc.
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

Have a Development News story to share? Email nicole@modeldmedia.com.

The new Corvette Stingray isn’t the only thing that will be making its public debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show.
 
The Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority is busy at work on a $300 million renovation project at Cobo Center. The extensive plans include a three-story atrium with a skylight and an 80-foot glass wall on the structure's southern exposure overlooking the Detroit River.
 
"What was formerly a confined dark space is now flooded with bright light," says Patrick Bero, CEO of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority. Cobo Center first opened in 1960, long before the Riverwalk was built, and was originally designed with no direct link to the River itself. "There was no direct link to the region’s most vital asset. The biggest function of the atrium is that it is our connection to the river."
 
The atrium offers 16,000-square-feet of space that will accommodate 600 people for dinner, 1,000 people in theatre-style seating, or 1,200 standing. The space is intended for high-profile VIP events and other special occasions. The glamor of this new event space is enhanced by 30,000 square feet of porcelain tile from Italy, 315 tons of marble from Portugal, and 19,000 square feet of glass from Michigan-based Guardian Industries. "The biggest thing is the striking view the atrium gives us of the Detroit River," says Bero. "It also gives us another point of entry into the facility." The atrium can be accessed from the Riverwalk by crossing Atwater St.
 
The atrium will temporarily open for the Auto Show, which opens to the public on Jan. 19. It will then close again in order to complete construction.
 
In addition to the atrium, the former Cobo Arena is being renovated into a grand ballroom and several meeting rooms. The grand ballroom will feature 40,000 square feet of space with 40-foot ceilings, dinner seating for up to 2,500, two industrial lift elevators in the floor (for auto "reveals"), and an outdoor plaza extending around the perimeter. Upgraded garages on Congress St. and Washington with additional parking spaces, a new all-natural concessions venue on the main concourse, an expanded kitchen with private tasting room, and a new food court round out the extensive list of renovations.
 
The full renovation is expected to be completed in June. 
 
Source: Patrick Bero, CEO of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority
Writer: Nicole Rupersburg

Have a Development News story to share? Email nicole@modeldmedia.com.