The Villages : Detroit Development News

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MHT Housing received state and federal historic tax credits to renovate both buildings and update them from their outdated facilities.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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Shelborne Development is in the midst of rehabbing two significant historic apartment buildings in New Center and is set to transform the block of Seward Street between Woodward and Second avenues with renovations.

The renovations promise to turn some of the biggest, blighted structures in New Center into vibrant buildings filled with new residents. When it's all said and done, the rehabs will bring well in excess of 100 new rental units to the northern tip of the greater downtown area.

"I have always loved that block of Seward," says Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, co-owner of Shelborne Development. "It is one of the prettiest blocks of multi-units in the city. Hopefully, we will be able to turn that block into what it used to be."

The Indian Village-based development firm is the driving force behind the renovation spree taking place in Palmer Park. Its rehabs have expertly leveraged tax credits and other incentives to turn the Art Deco beauties into high-quality rentals that include energy-efficient systems and appliances, insulation, stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops, among other amenities. These rehabs go the extra mile to preserve the historical character of the buildings, which are often chosen in large part because of the architectural beauty.

Makino-Leipsitz plans to do the same thing with at least half a dozen of the apartment buildings in New Center, most of which are vacant and have fallen into disrepair. The first two, which are currently under renovation, are 112 Seward and 628 Delaware.

The apartment building at 112 Seward is called the Birchmont Apartments. It stands as a 3.5-story building with a blond-brick facade and is just east of the 120 Seward condo building. It will house 31 units that include 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments. 628 Delaware is a tudor-style structure that stands four stories overlooking New Center Commons Park just west of Second Avenue.

"That Delaware apartment building is a beautiful building," Makino-Leipsitz says. "It will be 18 units when we're done."

Both buildings, each about 100 years old, are set to come online in August and fully occupied by the end of the year. They will bring 49 units of workforce housing to the rental market. The buildings previously housed 54 units. The developers redesigned the units to offer bigger spaces with more rooms.

Shelborne Development also owns 59, 69, 90, 93, and 100 Seward, which are all high-density apartment buildings on the first block of Seward west of Woodward. The firm has already renovated 93 Seward and plans to renovate 90 and 100 Seward as market-rate rentals next. It recently acquired 59 and 69 Seward, which have long been problem buildings with out-of-town ownership, and plans to renovate those, too, within the next few years.

Source: Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, co-owner of Shelborne Development
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Renovation work on a handful of apartment buildings in Palmer Park is set to wrap up in the next few months.

The first in line for completion is the Sarasota Apartments, 325 Merton, in February. The four-story building exemplifies the Art Deco architecture for which Palmer Park's apartments are famous. It had been vacant for years, falling into disrepair before renovations began last spring.

Next in line are the Seville Apartments and Palmer Lodge. Both are set to come online in April. "I really can't wait," says Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, co-owner of Shelborne Development which is heading up the development of the apartment buildings in Palmer Park.

Palmer Lodge is one of the marquee apartment buildings in the Palmer Park historic district. The jumbo-sized Tudor-Revival structure stands sentinel at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Covington Drive. The four-story apartment building was designed by Weidmaier and Gay and built in 1925. It's being redeveloped into 54 apartments and space for two businesses (think cafe or martini bar) in its basement. The Seville Apartments is at 750 Whitmore St. The four-story structure at the corner of Third Avenue and Whitmore Street will feature 16 apartments. One hundred and two units will come onto the market when construction is finished at all three, which were vacant and in serious disrepair before renovation work began early last year.

Shelborne Development is renovating these buildings and a handful of others in Palmer Park. The Indian Village-based firm leveraged historic tax credits, federal stimulus funding and other government incentives to renovate these buildings to maintain their historic integrity and upgrade them with modern conveniences such as new Energy Star appliances, high-efficiency furnaces, insulation and granite countertops. It previously renovated the La Vogue apartments last summer.

Makino-Leipsitz says she is still pursuing the idea of bringing mounted security patrols to the neighborhood by utilizing the Detroit Police Department's mounted division, which is housed nearby. She also wants to bring Christmas lights to the trees of the neighborhood to help inject some vibrancy to the area.

"I want to light up the trees in Palmer Park like they do at La Dolce Vita (a nearby restaurant)," Makino-Leipsitz says. "It gives the area such a great feel."

Source: Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, co-owner of Shelborne Development
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

There was no no shortage of big announcements in Detroit's built environment in 2012, so Model D has expanded its Top 5 Development News Stories to its Top 5 Development News Subjects. This year's list includes:

The Gilbert Effect
Quicken Loans Chairman Dan Gilbert became the biggest power player in downtown Detroit this year. His team's accomplishments include acquiring buildings left and right, filling them with tech businesses, pushing for a retail rebirth in the Central Business District and spearheading the M-1 Rail plans for light rail up Woodward which now seems quite likely with the passage of a regional transit authority bill in the state legislature.

Palmer Park Rebirth
The Palmer Park area - ahem, Uptown - is enjoying a large amount investment these days as the quality of life improves with more community involvement. Shelborne Development is spearheading the renovation of a number of Palmer Park's Art Deco apartment buildings, including La Vogue and Palmer Lodge, and working to establish mounted security patrols. Local residents are improving the area by planting sunflowers along Woodward Avenue, planting orchards in Palmer Park, building trails through the park and rebranding the area Uptown.

Downtown/Midtown Apt Blitz
Developers can't build new living options in Detroit's downtown or Midtown neighborhoods fast enough these days to keep up with skyrocketing demand. Some big projects came online in 2012, including the Broderick Tower, The Auburn and Newberry Hall. More are coming. Construction is in progress for the Sherbrooke Apts and Woodward Garden Block Apts and work is set to begin on the Whitney Building in a few weeks.

Momentum in The Villages
The people working to improve the The Villages scored some big wins in 2012. Those wins include developing plans for more greenways, sparking the pop-up retial store boom, Tashmoo Beirgarten's return, and landing a number of new businesses to take those spots in West Village. Look for The Villages to keep the momentum going in 2013.

Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction
This year set the record for the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction. This fall's auction featured more than 20,000 properties and sold more than 12,000. Local officials are working to turn these empty houses into new homes. What happens next to the thousands of unsold properties is becoming a bigger question that needs to be dealt with. Oh, and next year's auction is set to break all of those records again.

Honorable-mention projects include, Avalon's expansion plans, Buffalo Wild Wings moving downtown, the groundbreaking of WholeFoods, Reclaim Detroit's deconstruction efforts and the GAR Building rehab.

Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Detroit’s neighborhoods are popping with new business and shopping this holiday season. 

Like the Historic Hubbard Winter Market in Southwest Detroit, Dec. 9, where Tashhmoo Biergarten, 555 Gallery, Detroit Farm and Garden join a stellar line-up of your favorite purveyors of fine food, retail and art at the newest celebration of a historic neighborhood. The Historic Hubbard Winter Market will take place at 1759 20th St. from noon to 8 p.m.

The Historic Hubbard Winter Market is a collaboration between Southwest Housing Solutions, Southwest Detroit Business Association, COMPAS, REVOLVE and many others.
 
"The Historic Hubbard Winter Market is a great chance to support our local businesses, celebrate our historic Hubbard Farms and Hubbard Richard communities, and welcome new retailers and shoppers to our neighborhood this holiday season," says Rachel Perschetz, Real Estate Development Project Manager at Southwest Housing Solutions who’s leading the charge for Winter Market. "We can’t wait to show the rest of the city what this wonderful area has to offer."

Visit the event on its Facebook page for all the latest information on vendors, music, holiday cheers and -- of course -- bier.  

Plan another stop at Always Brewing Detroit Coffee Shop and performance venue in Grandmont Rosedale. Warm up over a fresh cup of coffee and listen to some great music with Detroit retail revolutionary Amanda Brewington. Always Brewing teamed up with Grandmont Rosedale Community Development Corporation to provide residents and a vacant space with a much needed caffeine fix. 

"We want to provide a space where you can have lunch with a co-worker, settle in with an amazing cup of coffee and a good book or perform your new song at our open mic," says Brewington. "We're getting to know the neighborhood and making sure we are what they want and need. Nearly 90 percent of our customers are from the area. We're always asking for feedback."

Located at 19180 Grand River Avenue, Always Brewing is open seven days a week, and open Thursday nights until 10 p.m. for special events. They serve locally sourced fair trade & organic coffee and tea and also feature locally made baked goods, sandwiches and salads. Check out Always Brewing for all the latest information on shows and hours. The pop-up is open now through Dec. 23 -- but hopefully much longer. 
 
Another holiday stop should be at Maison LaFleur in West Village. Maison LaFleur is a pop-up gallery specializing in contemporary culture. The gallery exhibits contemporary art, design, and limited editions.
 
"After being home for the past year, I am very excited to have my first pop-up in Detroit in this charming neighborhood. Detroiters have been so supportive and embracing making this wonderful opportunity an even better experience," says founder and director Ingrid LaFleur.

Maison LaFleur is popping up in the future home of the Red Hook at 8025 Agnes St. The pop-up is open now and will be open until Jan. 13. After you stop by Maison LaFleur don’t forget to pick up apparel from your favorite Detroit designers at PRAMU and place your holiday pie order at Coffee And (__).

Thanks to Michael Forsyth of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp for this report.

The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation launched its new retail business program, Detroit REVOLVE, out of West Village last weekend, leveraging the year's first Tashmoo Biergarten weekend as a backdrop.

Detroit REVOLVE allows the DEGC to partner with neighborhood stakeholders to create pop-retail shops with an eye for establishing permanent stores there in the not-too-distant future.

"Our goal is to help transform vacant storefronts into vibrant spaces," says Michael Forsyth, business development manager for the DEGC. "We want to do that with temporary businesses and art. We want to turn them into full-time businesses."

Detroit REVOLVE works with community leaders, building owners, entrepreneurs, and artists to fill the vacant commercial spaces. In West Village, the program created two spaces for pop-up retailers. Coffee and Donuts (a cafe) and PRAMU (a store that sells Detroit-centric clothing) are the first temporary businesses to go into vacant storefronts in the ground floor of an apartment building at Van Dyke and Parker streets.

"(These businesses) have all the ingredients for success," Forsyth says. "You have a setting of cohesive, vibrant space. You have high demand from the community and you have great building owners."

Detroit REVOLVE plans to match more aspiring entrepreneurs with more artists and building owners not only in The Villages but throughout the city. The goal is to create a buzz in these commercial districts that will help them support long-term businesses.

Source: Michael Forsyth, business development manager for the Detroit Economic Growth Corp
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Hatch Detroit is down to its four finalists, a small group of promising business that have designs for creating jobs across the Motor City.

The four finalists include Detroit River Sports which plans to bring Kayak rentals to the city and offer tours through the canal districts around Belle Isle, downtown and elsewhere; Detroit Vegan Soul Café which plans to open a storefront business selling vegan food with a soul twist in West Village; La Feria which aims to open a Spanish tapas wine bar in Midtown and Rock City Pies, which specializes in unique combinations such as Salty Apple Carmel Pie and Blueberry-Custard Pie.

"We're happy with the diversity of this final four," says Ted Balowski, co-founder of Hatch Detroit. "Not only the diversity of ideas ... but the geographic areas they want to open."

These four contestants are competing for $50,000 in seed capital to open a retail location for their business in Detroit. Balowski and Nick Gorga launched Hatch Detroit last year as a vehicle to champion, support and grow locally-owned retail businesses. The nonprofit accomplishes this through funding its $50,000 contest, education, exposure, and mentoring. The bottom line is providing a stimulus that helps revitalize the city and inspires others in the community to create change.

Source: Ted Balowski, co-founder of Hatch Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

One of the best parts of living in The Villages area of Detroit is returning this fall, Tashmoo Beirgarten.

The popular community outdoor beer drinking extravaganza launched out of a repurposed vacant lot in West Village last fall. This year it returns, noon to 9 p.m., on the weekend of Oct. 13-14, Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 27-28. Tashmoo Beirgarten, a semi-finalist in this year's Hatch Detroit contest, is participating in the pop-up retail program in The Villages in hopes of helping attract more stores to the collection of high-end neighborhoods on the east side by Belle Isle.

To help do that through the event, organizers are working to offer more options for patron. "There will be a wider variety of local food vendors," says Aaron Wagner, co-founder of Tashmoo Beirgarten. "We will be renting out space to a vegan food vendor. We will have options for people with gluten allergies."

Wagner started Tashmoo Beirgarten last year with his then fiancee, Suzanne Vier. The two hoped to expand the event's footprint this year but got married in August and spent most of this month preparing for the beer-drinking weekends. They hope to expand Tashmoo to other places in the city in the not-too-distant future.

Source: Aaron Wagner, co-founder of Tashmoo Beirgarten
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

Conventional wisdom in Detroit dictates that The Villages is one of the ripest areas for retail success in the Motor City. A small group of local stakeholders has come up with a plan to help make that happen through a pop-up retail pilot program.

The Villages is a conglomeration of high-end neighborhoods (Indian, Islandview and West Village) on Detroit's East Side near Belle Isle. The new program seeks proposals to create retail and restaurant/bar businesses along Agnes Street between Van Dyke and Parker streets in West Village.

"The Villages are very dense neighborhoods," says Brian Hurttienne, executive director of The Villages Community Development Corp. "We are just lacking a commercial component to make it a very vibrant neighborhood, like bars, coffee shops, ice cream parlors. It's those sorts of things that raise the quality of life."

To make that happen, The Villages Community Development Corp is teaming up with the Detroit Economic Growth Corp, West Village Manor Apartments and Parkstone Apartments to solicit proposals to create full-time and temporary (commonly known as pop-up retail) businesses this fall and winter. The businesses would utilize vacant ground floor retail space in the apartment buildings.

"The pop-ups are expected to be a bit of an infill," Hurttienne says. "They could turn into a long-term tenant or be something quick, like an art gallery."

This pilot project is the first phase of a larger retail initiative for The Villages. The goal is to attract stable, long-term businesses to The Villages and other similar neighborhoods in the city. Participants in the program will have access to help to create innovative marketing and engagement strategies, real estate matchmaking services, and the suite of implementation resources that will be made available.

The DEGC is heading up the pilot program and is working to spread it to other local neighborhoods. For information, email Michael Forsyth here. The deadline for proposals is 10 a.m. on Sept. 10.

Source: Brian Hurttienne, executive director of The Villages Community Development Corp
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

The first installment of the 2012 Tashmoo Biergarten kicked off last weekend in Detroit's Villages.

The initial community outdoor beer drinking extravaganza at 1420 Van Dyke was a tester for this year's round of events, which will be begin in earnest this fall. "This was a one-weekend spring fling," says Aaron Wagner, co-founder of Tashmoo Biergarten.

Wagner participated in the initial class of the BUILD program at D:hive, which teaches local residents the basics of starting a business and organizing an initiative. Wagner and his fellow co-founder, Suzanne Vier, are looking at expanding the Tashmoo Biergarten this year so nonprofits and other community groups could use Tashmoo's expertise to host their own biergarten parties.

"We're looking at doing a pop-up biergarten in a box," Wagner says.

Tashmoo Beirgarten got its start last fall as a way to build community and buzz in the Villages area on Detroit's East Side. The duo took over a vacant lot, fenced it off and built picnic tables out of old doors, creating a space to serve high-quality beer and for locals to congregate. The mixture proved to be an instant hit with hundreds of participants at a handful of events last fall.

Wagner and Vier plan to do a repeat performance this fall and are also looking at expanding the idea to other neighborhoods in Detroit.

"We're definitely looking at it," Wagner says. "Nothing is set in stone."

Source: Aaron Wagner, co-founder of Tashmoo Biergarten
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

The GREEN Task Force represents more than just a plan for establishing greenway paths for non-motorized traffic throughout Detroit's Lower East Side. It's also a symbol of bringing a number of big players together to connect a number of neighborhoods and institutions on the Motor City's east side with the rest of the city.

The task force has been able to bring together residents from a number of neighborhoods on the east side by the Detroit River with city officials, Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, The Villages Community Development Corp and the Mt. Elliott Business Community Association, among others. The GREEN Task Force is funded by a $213,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

"Good things are happening on the east side," says Brian Hurttienne, executive director of The Villages Community Development Corp. "The GREEN Task Force brought everyone to the table. We're keeping everyone at that table."

The GREEN Task Force's Vision of Greenways program is providing a blue print for creating greenways, linear parks, bike lanes and other pathways for pedestrians, bicyclists, roller bladers and others who want to travel without an automobile near Detroit's east riverfront between the Dequindre Cut and Grosse Pointe Park.

The plan outlines 16 miles of new or expanded greenways, including the Elmwood Connector, Belt Line Greenway (a rail trail conversion), Kercheval Greenway, Burns Connector, Conner Creek Greenway enhancements, Sweet Loop, Fox Creek Greenway, Far East Connector, Carstens Spur and the RiverWalk Extension. More information on the plan can be found here.

The plan recommends creating enhancements include: making East Jefferson Avenue between I-375 and Alter Road a "Complete Street," creating bike lanes on Lafayette Street between Iroquois Street and downtown, connecting multi-family housing on E. Grand Boulevard with Belle Isle and connecting the Creekside neighborhood to the Marina District via Freud Street.

"If you have a safe way of getting somewhere it just makes life better," Hurttienne says. "Transit is going to be a big thing for not only us but the city and the region."

Source: Brian Hurttienne, executive director for The Villages Community Development Group
Writer: Jon Zemke

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

The crowds were lined up outside the Tashmoo Biergarten at noon, and they kept coming all day. Just in time for Oktoberfest, Detroit's first pop-up biergarten turned a vacant West Village lot into a "meeting place" (that's the American Indian definition of Tashmoo). The two lots at 1416 Van Dyke were transformed into what one guest called "something like a perfect 1960s block party, but with better beer."

"We thought during the course of the day, we'd get between 300 and 400 people," says Suzanne Vier, who, along with Aaron Wagner, brought the project to life. The total count? Around 1,000 patrons. Guests strode over a groundcover of wood chips to nosh on locally-made bratwurst, and pierogi from the People's Pierogi Collective. The communal tables, all constructed from reclaimed materials, were chock-full of neighborhood residents, Detroiters and suburbanites making their first trip to West Village. They lined up for a rotating selection of Michigan's finest brews on tap, including selections from Ann Arbor's Jolly Pumpkin Brewery and Holland's New Holland Brewing Company. The speaker system played everything from German accordion music to the White Stripes, while an outdoor projection screen showed a short film premiere courtesy of the Burton Theatre.

With less than a week till the next event, Vier says they'll tweak a few details to accommodate the crowds. "We're building a second bar," she says, with two salvaged doors donated by Hostel Detroit. "We're going to change up our lighting a little bit, rotating some of the beers, and everyone loved cornhole, so we'll toss up another couple boards."

Vier says the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. "We had people who knew about it, who just wanted to stop by and thank us for bringing a biergarten into their community, which was really humbling and really exciting. All of the Villages have been extremely supportive of the project."

The Villages CDC is acting as the fiduciary for the Tashmoo Biergarten, Vier says. Funds collected from the five-week series will go toward establishing commercial development in the West Village neighborhood. Judging by the crowds, West Village's biergarten will be serving up brews for a long time to come. 

Missed out? West Village will continue to host the Tashmoo Biergarten for four more Sundays this fall. Stay tuned for more here.

Source: Suzanne Vier, co-founder, Tashmoo Biergarten
Writer: Ashley C. Woods

After almost a year of planning, The Villages Community Development Corp. GREEN Task Force is near completion of a greenways plan that takes in the territory that stretches from the Dequindre Cut to the city's eastern boundary and from the Detroit River to Mack. One of the last steps remaining before the release of a final set of route recommendations is a public open house, which will be held on March 5 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Northeast Activities Center, 2900 Conner Ave. "We hope to have participants provide us with feedback on routes," says Sheu-Jane Gallagher, one of the coordinators of the planning process.

The Beaufait Greenway has been identified as a key route in the greenways network, and has made some first steps towards implementation. This route will run from the Detroit River to Gratiot on an abandoned rail corridor that is situated east of Mt. Elliott. A visioning meeting for this specific greenway is being held on March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Gleaners, the organization that is spearheading the process.

Implementation for the remainder of the greenways network will be determined by the availability of funding, says Gallagher. "We want to be clear that we only have funding for the planning process...our next step is to pursue funding opportunities," she says. Other routes recognized in the network plan include the Conner Creek Greenway and E. Jefferson, a key travel route for which Complete Streets treatment -- as opposed to greenway construction -- is being recommended.

Gallagher says the most gratifying aspect of the planning process has been wide-spread buy-in from the community. "There has been overwhelmingly strong support for bringing more greenways to the district," she says. "It's one of the highest compliments and the best experience for me out of this whole process."

RSVP for the GREEN Task Force meeting by March 3 to 313-444-0062 or thevillagesofdetroit@gmail.com. For more details on the planning process, visit TheVillagesofDetroit.com/greenways.

Source: Sheu-Jane Gallagher, The Villages CDC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

With spring in the air, lots of new businesses and developments are being whispered about around town. Here are more than a few that we've heard recently; look for more detailed coverage in the future.

Vixen Fitness is set to open Feb. 26 in Eastern Market. The studio will offer female-centric pole dancing, Zumba and belly dancing classes.

Movement celebrated its grand opening on Feb. 19 inside the N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art on E. Forest. Expect yoga, dance, Tai Chi, Capoeira and bodywork classes.

On the same note, word is that another yoga studio is headed to the site of the ill-fated Sunflower Market and, speaking of markets, May is the month that we understand that Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe hopes to be open in Brush Park.

Onto caffeine: Bottom Line Coffee Shop at the Beethoven is in build-out mode, as is Astro Coffee in Corktown. Signs are up for two more in Midtown: one across the street from the Bronx Bar on Second Ave. and another at the Park-Shelton on Woodward just north of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Again, we'll keep you posted when we know more.

Finally, three senior housing projects, all along the E. Jefferson corridor, have been announced (in addition to Dickerson Manor, which Model D reported on last week!):

• The former Omni Hotel will become Roberts Riverwalk Hotel and Residence. Half of the facility will remain hotel accommodations, but half will become senior housing. Read more about the plans at Crain's Detroit Business.
  
• Two vacant industrial buildings just north of the GM-UAW Center for Human Resources will be converted into a senior citizen complex courtesy of Henry Ford Health System, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan and United Methodist Retirement Communities.
  
• The former Riverview Hospital on E. Jefferson near W. Village was sold by St. John Providence to a group of investors that plan to develop the facility into a full-service senior center that includes a nursing home, urgent care center and even a barber shop and beauty salon. Read more at the Detroit Free Press.
  

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Public art and custom bike parking are coming to the Villages.

The Villages Community Development Corporation (VCDC) was awarded a $25,000 Kresge Foundation Detroit Program Community Building Grant to fund the implementation of targeted pedestrian improvements to the Van Dyke corridor on Detroit's near East Side.

The improvements will be concentrated in the Van Dyke/Agnes area, with some additional improvements to Kercheval Ave. and Jefferson Ave. The Villages include West Village, Indian Village, the Berry subdivision, East Village, Islandview Village and the Gold Coast.

"The project is to enhance the sense of place along the Van Dyke connector in West Village to create a more inviting environment which attracts retail tenants and investment to the Villages' targeted nodes," says Kirsten Ussery, board of directors' president of VCDC.

The $25,000 will fund a rain garden landscaping demonstration project in a visible area; install public art and signage to reinforce a sense of place, landscape vacant properties, repair streetlights and clean avenues.

By planting trees, shrubs and flowers in a vacant lot in the Van Dyke Corrdor, Ussery says the garden will allow runoff generated by surrounding lots to collect in the ground. She hopes it will improve water quality in the area, while serving as a pilot project for combating potential storm runoff issues. They plan to collaborate with the Sierra Club, local garden clubs and members of the area's community garden.

For public art, though Ussery didn't have all the details at this time, she envisions creating something sculptural, rather than murals. The VCDC may collaborate with area universities on the project.

All of these improvements should be completed by fall 2011 and they're the first of many to come for The Villages.

"The Van Dyke corridor is very important to us, because it's one of the most walkable corridors in the area and it's adjacent to Agnes, which has a lot of retail potential," she says. "What we ultimately envision is a main street district that will promote culturally diverse business ownership and employment."

Source: Kirsten Ussery, president, VCDC board of directors
Writer: Ashley C. Woods