February development news round-up


It's been another busy month for development news in the city. Let's catch up on some of the biggest stories from the past four weeks.

The on-again-off-again State Fairgrounds redevelopment is back on the upswing. A team of developers that includes NBA basketball legend and Michigan-native Earvin 'Magic' Johnson has submitted plans to the city that include the potential for hundreds of apartments, hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail, and more. Of particular note is the idea for preserving historic structures on the grounds.

Dan Gilbert and his Bedrock Real Estate Services got permission from the Historic District Commission to demolish the old Grind strip club in Capitol Park in favor of a 10-story apartment tower. The Grind was located in a 19th century building recently damaged by fire. The proposed tower could provide up to 175 more apartments downtown.

An enormous mixed use building approved by the Historic District Commission may break ground in Brush Park soon. The 200,000 sq. ft., five-story building would include 200 loft-style apartments, according to Curbed. A unique shape has the building touching Woodward Avenue, Erskine Street, and Watson Street.

Two breweries celebrated openings in Corktown this month. Batch Brewing Company opened in the old Porter Street Station building at the corner of Porter and 8th streets. Batch is the winner of the 2013 Hatch Detroit contest, which awarded the brewery a $50,000 grant to open their business. Just a block away at 1401 Abbott St. is Brew Detroit, a brewing facility that just opened a 7,000 sq. ft. tasting room. The brewing facility itself has been open since April 2014.

Writer: MJ Galbraith

Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.

Read more articles by MJ Galbraith.

MJ Galbraith is Model D's development news editor. Follow him on Twitter @mikegalbraith.