Development News

Downtown Northville's been waiting months for an old, art deco gas station - with barber shop inside - to be renovated into a restaurant and bar.

Garage Brill & Fuel Bar's much-watched spot on Main Street at Wing is around the corner, coming this fall, according the Garage Grill's website.

Besides a restaurant and bar looking out on Northville's historic downtown, the Garage Grill will offer a banquet room and 80-seat private room that'll be for rent and comes with the view of a restored 1930 Ford Model A.

There will be an outdoor cafe and an easy-in-out to-go counter, and new employees will be hired, bringing the Gulf Oil Gas Station back to life.

Ron Rea and his Birmingham architectural design firm, Ron & Roman, came up with the transformation plans for the spot, where construction started in February and has involved the remediation of a brownfield land where the 1940s-era station operated. Grants have been given to support the redevelopment. The menu is not yet public, though a pizza oven was brought in earlier this week.

Source: Garage Grill & Fuel Bar
Writer: Kim North Shine

The Lafayette Place Lofts, billed as an urban chic, environmentally conscious renovation and an ideal downtown residential-commercial development, are entering the final phase of construction.

Lafayette Place Lofts, which are now accepting tenant applications, fill in the 80,000-square-foot historic, vacant Sears building downtown and at $19.8 million it is the largest construction project to come to downtown Pontiac about 30 years.

When construction is complete in December, 46 one- and two-bedroom rental lofts ranging in price from $675 to $1,295 per month, will set atop a fresh food grocer and cafe and an Anytime Fitness.

The grocer, Lafayette Market, will open Nov. 17, in time for Thanksgiving.

The apartments are designed with exposed brick walls, bamboo floors, open floor plans, historic large pane windows, granite countertops and other high-end or urban styled amenities.

The building will be heated and cooled with a geothermal system that spares the environment and costs less. Other eco-conscious features, from materials used to energy efficient designs, have earned the Lafayeete Place Lofts LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Source: Corinne Petras, spokesperson, Lafayette Place Lofts
Writer: Kim North Shine

A Sept. 24 groundbreaking for a student housing complex will take the University of Michigan Dearborn, largely a commuter school, into the direction of creating a campus residential community.

The $30-million The Union at Dearborn, a project of Bloomfield Hills based developer Urban Campus Communities, will convert a closed Ford Motor Co. diagnostic center into 231,791 square feet of space for 500-plus students and other campus amenities.

Inside the buildings, which are located across Evergreen Road from the U-M Dearborn campus at 760 and 780 Town Center Drive, will be space for student life activities, meeting rooms, student study areas offices and a cabaret style theater.

Construction is expected to be completed in time for the fall 2013 school year. School and city officials see it as a major academic and economic opportunity for Dearborn.

The Union at Dearborn also will bring a newly revived, 24/7 presence to the community, with economic growth expected for the surrounding businesses.

“This is such an exciting development for the City of Dearborn,” Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr. says in a statement announcing the groundbreaking. “We are thrilled that UM-Dearborn students soon will be able to call Dearborn home throughout the year and we look forward to welcoming them to our community.”

U-M Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little says students have asked about campus housing for many years.

“With the reduction of state funding and our commitment to minimizing tuition increases, this public-private collaboration will allow the university to continue to invest in its academic mission, while transforming the campus experience for all students. The Union at Dearborn also will provide greater access for students wishing to pursue a Michigan degree in southeastern Michigan,” Little says.

Source: Beth Marmarelli, associate director, communications & marketing, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Writer: Kim North Shine

Begonia Brothers Landscape and Supplies, a Northville institution known for its garden flowers and landscaping (and also for its props at Halloween, Christmas and other holidays) is opening a new store in downtown Northville.

The new garden center store opens Sept. 21st at 314 New Center St., in what was a furniture store. The new store complements Begonia Brothers other garden center on Brickscape Road.

Business has been so good for Begonia Brothers, boosted by party supply services such as tent and table rentals and inflatables such as bounce houses and obstacle courses and even mechanical bulls and dunk tanks, the company is increasing inventory and hiring new employees.

Source: Jessica Statham, manager, Begonia Brothers
Writer: Kim North Shine

A Grand Blanc steakhouse establishment has opened a second location in Rochester Hills and because of the success is working on a third location in Dallas.

Luca's Chophouse opened last month on Rochester Road near Tienken, five years after the opening of the Grand Blanc location that launched the Luca's brand. The Rochester Hills location is in a former Mexican that's been turned into a posh restaurant and bar.The Luca's in Dallas will open in that city's Uptown neighborhood.

"It's going really well," says restaurant manager Viktor Krcaj, pointing out that more than 30 full-time jobs have resulted from the opening. "The community accepted us and welcomed us. They've been supporting us from day 1."

Luca's is a family affair started by patriarch Luca Gjonaj and run by sons Nik and Steve. To them, Krcaj says, family service equals hospitality, something Luca's wants to be known for.

"That's the backbone of our business. We pay so much attention to that. We do not forget about the hospitality," Krcaj says, "It's about hospitality and great food. Luca told us when we were planning the menu and the food to just bring the best cuts. Make it great food."

Luca's menu runs the gamut from Italian and comfort food to veal, seafood and, of course, steaks. It has a wine list of 160-plus wines.

The Rochester Hills location is in a former Mexican that's been turned into a posh restaurant and bar.The Luca's in Dallas will open in that city's Uptown neighborhood.

"The community in Grand Blanc and Rochester made us believe we can do it."

Source: Luca's Chophouse
Writer: Kim North Shine

A national educational architectural firm is expanding its space, its menu, and staff in response to growing demand for the metro Detroit office.

SHW Group broke ground Sept. 4 on a 13,480-square-foot addition to its Berkley office at 2338 Coolidge, nearly doubling the size of the building to 28,680 square feet.

The company, which has offices in Austin, Dallas, Baltimore, Charlottsville, Houston, San Antonio and Washington, D.C., opened in Berkley in 2003 and has doubled its personnel since then, including 16 more jobs in the last six months, says Maggie Turner, a spokesperson.

The job creation has come from high demand from educational institutions and also from new areas the company ventured into: mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering. As the business has grown, so has staff, including a laid-off automotive engineer who's found a new career.

“In a little less than 10 years, we have experienced great growth, making us the second-largest employer in Berkley,” SHW Group CEO Marjorie Simmons says. “This addition will allow us to continue to provide our clients with the same quality of service and specialized expertise they have come to expect from SHW Group.”

SHW's new office, which is expected to be completed in February, will be built with conservation and environmental protection in mind and according to a plan that meets the standards for silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Source: Maggie Turner, Sunwest Communications, spokesperson for SHW Group
Writer: Kim North Shine

As plans to improve a 304-mile stretch of passenger rail line that runs through Michigan, Illinois and Indiana move forward, the public is invited to participate in the process that determines what the local impact will be.

For metro Detroiters, the Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Passenger Rail Corridor could offer connections to places that improve economic situations or quality of life, but it could also affect neighborhoods.

A series of meetings will be held this month and hosted by the three states' Departments of Transportation. The meetings will explain more about the proposal to make changes to the line and also take comments from the public. They will also offer possible route alternatives and identify potential issues that should be considered in the planning. They are required as part of the plan formation and environmental impact assessment to be done before construction can begin.

The rail improvements come as several metro Detroit communities, including Detroit, Pontiac, Troy, Dearborn, and the federal government have invested in new transportation stations that have brought economic benefit to cities around the
country by opening up access to jobs, education and affordable transportation.

According to GreatLakesRail, "the purpose of the program is to improve intercity mobility by providing an improved passenger rail service that would be a competitive transportation alternative to automobile, bus and air service between Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac…The program will provide sufficient information for the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) to potentially support future decisions to fund and implement a major investment in the passenger rail corridor."

The local meeting will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 7 pm. at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel, 5801 Southfield Expressway, Detroit.

Comments about the changes can also be shared online at GreatLakesRail.org or by telephone, 877-351-0853.

Source: Janet Foran, communications, Michigan Department of Transportation
Writer: Kim North Shine

A new apparel and outdoor outfitter has opened a store in downtown Rochester and aims to be an alternative to Moosejaw and REI.

Trekt opened Sept. 7 at 425 South Main St. and is launching a website today. The store sells footwear, clothing, eyewear, climbing and camping gear, and more. Stock for the store and for the website, which offers free shipping, comes from a warehouse down the road in Rochester Hills.

"We're brand new. We're on the ground floor. We'd like to be between Moosejaw and REI. We have the level of technical knowledge, but we're not as loud and in your face as Moosejaw and we're more personal than REI," says Kolin Karchon, internal operations manager for Trekt.

Michigan-grown outdoor outfitter, Moosejaw, is based in Madison Heights and started in Keego Harbor in 1992. It has six stores in Michigan and four in other states and has bred a loyal following. Karchon and his parnters believe there's room for a competitor.

Trekt is owned by Derek Gaskins, grandson of the late Joseph Gaskins, who lost his leg as a child and went on to open a health care and footware store in Pontiac in 1957. The store is still in business and part of a company that has grown into alevastores.com.

Karchon says "the buzz in Rochester has been great. We're very happy with the reception."

Already, the store will increase the selection of merchandise for children who are part of active families.

"We're catering to the 30-somethings who have children but are still looking to keep that fun outdoor aspect to their lives," he says.

Source: Kolin Karchon, internal operations manager, Trekt
Writer: Kim North Shine

The concept of combining soup and entrepreneurial pitches as a way to raise money for business start-ups is coming to Lincoln Park.

The Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance is hosting Lincoln Park SOUP, its own version of successful SOUP projects in Detroit, including the Corktown SOUP at Spaulding Court.

For $5 per person guests dine on soup, salad and bread while getting the low-down on budding entrepreneurial endeavors.

During mealtime the business plans, which have been approved previously, are detailed in three- to five-minute presentations. At the end of the night guests vote for the most promising proposal. The winner goes home with a portion of the proceeds to be used as project seed money.

"Lincoln Park SOUP is designed to help fund local projects and organizations through microfunding…Detroit SOUP has been lauded for its ability to raise monies and microgrants to support creative projects in Detroit. Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance hopes to do the same," says the alliance's Leslie Lynch-Wilson, who also sits on the city Downtown Development Authority.

The first Lincoln Park SOUP, which is likely to become a monthly event, will take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 24 at Ikaros Hall, 1677 Fort St. in Lincoln Park.

SOUP business proposals must be submitted no later than Sept. 16 to lincolnparkpreservation@hotmail.com.

Source: Leslie Lynch-Wilson, Lincoln Park Preservation Alliance
Writer: Kim North Shine

The days of digging for parking money coins or forgetting to re-fill the meter may be dwindling in downtown Birmingham since the installation of pay-by-phone meters.

Parkmobile lets drivers use its app to set up an account that lets their phone communicate payment to the meter, sends reminders of when time is up, and offers other services.

There are 1,238 meters in downtown Birmingham and John Heiney, executive director of the Birmingham Principal Shopping District, says "I think visitors to Birmingham are going to embrace this new parking option.  Today's shoppers are looking for the convenience that comes from dialing on their cell phone, or using a smart phone app."
 
Downtown Birmingham visitors still have the option of using one of the five parking decks that offer two hours free parking - $1 after that - where customers can pay using debit or credit cards.

Parkmobile meters are becoming a more common site across the country. Birmingham becomes the sixth city in Michigan after Ferndale, Dearborn, Grand Rapids, Petoskey, and South Haven.

“It is our hope that the ease of parking will encourage people to stop in Birmingham. Whether it’s to shop, dine or play, a quick visit to Birmingham just got easier,” Birmingham City Manager Robert Bruner says in a statement announcing the launch of the meters last week.

Parkmobile's applications are available for the iPhone, Android, Windows 7, and Blackberry smartphones. To use the new Parkmobile system, customers can register for free at www.parkmobile.com. Once registered, they can use a mobile app, the internet, QR code, or call toll free, 1-800-280- 4146 to pay for parking. After setting up an account, customers can immediately pay by mobile and also choose whether to receive text message alerts and reminders.

Source: John Heiney, executive director, Birmingham Principal Shopping District
Writer: Kim North Shine

The attraction of painting over a glass of wine has proven so strong that one metro Detroit business, Painting with a Twist, is thriving at a second location.

Owner Michelle Lewis has added a downtown Farmington location at 33033 Grand River Ave. Her first was in Ferndale at 320 W. 9 Mile.

Annette Knowles, executive director of the Farmington Downtown Development Authority, says "it's a fantastic business" and part of several changes lighting up downtown Farmington's Grand River Avenue.

"Michelle Lewis is a very sharp woman," she says. "What she's done is bring a business that's serving as a destination, something we all would like to have."

Painting with a Twist pairs groups - or individuals - with an artist who teaches them how to work with a brush. Often parties are held that have the students sipping on beverages they bring. Everyone leaves with a canvas of their own creation.

Source: Annette Knowles, executive director, Farmington DDA
Writer: Kim North Shine

A hair salon and boutique has opened in downtown Wyandotte, joining several other new businesses, some of them run by young owners who are working together to bring more new blood to the 'dot.

Mary Karasinski, the owner of Beauty Lounge Salon and Boutique which held a pin-up-era models-meet-cool-cars grand opening over the weekend, is one of the new business owners excited about a new era of businesses coming to downtown.

"Wyandotte is a great city and has been for a long time, but we're trying to bring a younger crowd and feel to downtown," she says.

She and other new business owners have special events planned for October and February for starters.

Karasinski, Southgate-born and a hairstylist for 11 years, has lived in Chicago and New York. She moved back to Michigan in 2008 and chose Wyandotte for her first salon because she loves the city's vibe.

"It's a closer knit community, but we still have that walkability of an urban area, the downtown feel," she says. "Plus we're only 10 minutes from downtown Detroit…and my salon is right on the water."

The Beauty Lounge, 2909 Biddle Avenue, opened about two months ago. It has a boutique stocked with clothing and accessories, some of brought back from a trip Karasinski made to the Los Angeles Design Center last week. The Beauty Lounge has an Aveda-trained staff working with Aveda products and make-up artists wokring with MAC cosmetics.

The salon is one of several new businesses along Biddle to open in the last several months. Among them: Coastal Thai restaurant, a sushi bar and coffee shop with a twist, Tongue's Protein Bar and Chill Lounge.

"It's exciting to see what's happening here," she says.

Source: Mary Karasinski, owner, Beauty Lounge Salon and Boutique
Writer: Kim North Shine

Moonlink Studios, a provider of production and satellite services in Michigan, has opened two new stages in metro Detroit where live shoots can be done and productions can be recorded.

The expansion of the company, which also rents recording and production equipment and staff, opens doors for metro Detroiters who have been learning production and film industry skills - even as cuts to the state's tax incentives have led to uncertainty in the industry.

One of Moonlink's new stages is in Southfield and was the site of ESPN's sports analyst Jalen Rose's basketball analysis during the London Olympics. The other stage is in Ann Arbor  is located at Domino's Farm office Park and has been used by CNN International and CNBC networks already.

The two new stages bring the company's total number of stages to five. The other three, in Warren, Troy and Detroit, can all be used for live shots or recorded productions.

Moonlink, based in Oak Park, was formed when RingSide Creative Integrated Media Studio and Jeff Moon Production Services Inc. went into partnership last year. Read the metromode story here. Through the partnership the companies became the largest single source provider of start-to-finish production and satellite services in Michigan.

Moonlink rents stages, crew and equipment, including cameras and satellite trucks that cover the Midwest and Eastern half of the country.

Source: Amy Weishuhn, spokesperson, Ringside Creative and Moonlink Studios
Writer: Kim North Shine

The closing of one of Farmington's long-established restaurants is being seen as an opportunity to shape the development of the city's downtown as it moves through a resurgence.

Annette Knowles, executive director of the Farmington DDA, says the DDA decided to purchase the parcel that includes Dimitri's restaurant, 33200 Grand River, as a way to control what comes to the stretch of road that is downtown Farmington's Main Street. The cost: $430,000 to be paid back to the City of Farmington, which approved a loan to the DDA earlier this month.

"The DDA does have an interest in bringing something to downtown that will really add to the energy and excitement that's going on here," said Annettesaid. "We are looking to kick it up a notch…We are looking to attract a restaurant or redevelopment project that will really contribute to the progress being made."

Now the DDA is entertaining potential buyers, and Knowles is holding open houses for the spot "so people can come through casually, without pressure. One open house was Aug. 14. The next is Monday, Aug. 20, from noon to 2.

"Interest has been pretty brisk," Knowles said. "We have had numerous folks come who are interested in the restaurant component…We're still debating and discussing the options and opportunities."

The proactive development approach gives the DDA and city officials control over a crucial spot of downtown, one that is across the street from a city park and pavilion that hosts summer concerts and events throughout the year.

"It does have a good location in a central part of downtown that's accessible and walkable," Knowles says.

The restaurant is 3,000 square feet, she says, and "there's room for expansion. The building could be re-used or demolished, depending on the proposals that come in.

What's known for sure is that a parking lot will be added behind the building, part of a larger plan to improve parking options downtown, Knowles said.

"The bigger picture is there are a lot of redevelopment opportunities here," she said. "This is one we where we hope to start a major trend of investment in our community."

Source: Annette Knowles, executive director, Farmington Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kim North Shine

What Crepe, the creperie that had planned to add a Grosse Pointe location, has scrapped that plan, but the vacant space on Kercheval in The Village shopping district has already been spoken for.

In its space is going Sweet Little Sheila's Pastry and Crepe Cafe, an offshoot of Side Street Diner, a restaurant around the corner from where the pastry shop will go. Renovations are going on now. Co-owner Sheila Taylor is known for her cakes, brownies and other desserts.

It's one of several changes coming to The Village this fall.

A few doors down from the soon-to-be Sheila's, the Grosse Pointe Art Center, a gallery and gift shop that regularly draws crowds to its openings and special events, has relocated from a spot down the road. The corner spot gives the art center a more visible presence with windows on two sides.

In the same block of the Village the restaurant and bar, City Kitchen, is expanding into the art center's old space, capitalizing on locals interest in the bar area, which currently is often to capacity. The new bar will have pub tables, a larger bar to satisfy customers' desires to eat and socialize at the bar rather than in the dining room.

Still unspoken for is the largest vacancy in the Village, the former Border's bookstore.

Source: City of Grosse Pointe
Writer: Kim North Shine