Shops at Woodward Place to bring Aldi grocery store to Highland Park

Michael Curis, developer of the Mack Alter Plaza on the East Side, is working on a new shopping plaza in Highland Park to be anchored by a 17,000-square foot Aldi.

The entire plaza will be 40,000 square feet of retail on four acres and will cost $6 million, and Curis expects it to be completed by early summer 2008. He has plans for residential development behind the plaza.

The Shops at Woodward Place will be very similar in appearance to Mack Alter Plaza (pictured).

How has Curis convinced Aldi to re-invest in the city when Kroger and Farmer Jack are pulling out? "They were very happy with the end result at Mack Alter," he says. "Doing urban development is not easy, and when someone gets it done and provides them with a great place ..."

End result: they want more. Curis and his and his partners, sons Michael Jr. and Anthony and Mark Thomas, are on the lookout for more sites for Aldi in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

Curis credits the city of Highland Park -- its financial manager, mayor and city council -- as well as the state of Michigan Cities of Promise program and the Wayne County Land Bank TURBO program with getting this project off the ground. "Highland Park is a challenging city for numerous reasons," he says. "But everyone helped out and made it work."

Source: Michael Curis, Curis Enterprises
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh