Michigan Real Estate News Roundup

A roundup of interesting Michigan real estate news from the past week.

  • A feature on the long legacy of Jewish home builders in Metro Detroit.
  • Royal Oak is remaking its downtown with the addition of numerous new office buildings and hotels. Additional development is occurring outside of downtown, near Beaumont Hospital.
  • The first new shopping center since the Great Recession is planned for Commerce Township, on a 42-acre parcel assembled by the Downtown Development Authority. The development will focus upon entertainment and dining, in an attempt to be “Amazon-proof”. The development will also feature 300 residential units.
  • The $20M renovation of the Strand Theatre in Pontiac is an unqualified architectural success, but its ticketed events and attendance are sparse. The Theatre’s renovation was predicted to be an anchor of the renaissance of the city.
  • DTE Energy has put out a Request for Proposals for the redevelopment of its 75-acre Conners Creek coal-fired power plant in Detroit.
  • DTE also unveiled plans for a $75M mixed-use development along the Huron River just outside of downtown Ann Arbor.
  • The plans of Ford to purchase and redevelop the former Michigan Central Depot in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit are progressing. The vacant train station has been owned for some time by entity affiliated with the Moroun family, which also owns the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. There is also news of a sale of 20 vacant lots in the area to a “mystery buyer.” My prior coverage of this transaction is here.
  • At the same time, construction on The Corner, a $30M mixed-use development on the site of the old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, located in Corktown, has commenced.
  • The new GM development previously rumored in Burton (near Flint) is going to be a parts processing facility. GM will invest $65M in the development.
  • Despite strong demand, new housing construction permits are down between 10 and 23 percent in West Michigan counties.