3 Ypsilanti businesses win façade improvement grants
Three downtown Ypsilanti buildings have been selected to apply for the matching façade improvement grants from the state of Michigan. These three developers are asking for $92,817 in matching funds from the $400,000 the state sets aside each year to help jump start façade-improvement programs. The program matches up to 50 percent of a project’s cost. These projects revolve around improving building exteriors, such as creating bigger windows and... [Read More...]
New bike rules in Ann Arbor no longer require registration
One would think a town as obsessed with alternative transportation and bike lanes as Ann Arbor would be expanding its bike registry. However, City Council is moving to eliminate what has become a cumbersome program. For decades, city has charged $8 for people to register their bike, primarily to help fight bicycle theft. About 650-700 bicycles are registered each year. That has meant that list has grown to thousands upon thousands dating back to the... [Read More...]
Heritage Row development pushes towards approval
After months and months (it feels like years and years) of starts and stalls, the downtown Ann Arbor project once called City Place is making significant headway. The development, now called Heritage Row, is moving through the city’s planning commission process and heading toward a possible approval as soon as this summer. “We’re making some modifications and some final selections,” says Alex de Parry, the developer of Heritage... [Read More...]
Georgetown Mall heads to foreclosure, new life?
The Georgetown Mall is facing a historically uncommon fate for commercial property in Washtenaw County. The county is about to foreclose on the strip mall and former home to a Kroger supermarket on Packard Road for non-payment of taxes. This process is the first step in a possible redevelopment of the now vacant, distressed property. The owner has until March 31 to redeem the property from foreclosure by paying at least one year’s worth of taxes.... [Read More...]
EMU takes over Michigan’s Historical Marker program
Eastern Michigan University’s revered historic preservation program is extending its reach now that it’s taking over Michigan’s Historical Marker program. EMU is working with the Michigan History Foundation and the Michigan Historical Commission to run the program. This means every time you see one of those new historical markers detailing the story behind a building, EMU will have helped make that possible. “We have a long... [Read More...]
EMU takes over Michigan’s Historical Marker program
Eastern Michigan University’s revered historic preservation program is extending its reach now that it’s taking over Michigan’s Historical Marker program. EMU is working with the Michigan History Foundation and the Michigan Historical Commission to run the program. This means every time you see one of those new historical markers detailing the story behind a building, EMU will have helped make that possible. “We have a long... [Read More...]
Heritage Row development pushes towards approval
After months and months (it feels like years and years) of starts and stalls, the downtown Ann Arbor project once called City Place is making significant headway. The development, now called Heritage Row, is moving through the city’s planning commission process and heading toward a possible approval as soon as this summer. “We’re making some modifications and some final selections,” says Alex de Parry, the developer of Heritage... [Read More...]
Georgetown Mall heads to foreclosure, new life?
The Georgetown Mall is facing a historically uncommon fate for commercial property in Washtenaw County. The county is about to foreclose on the strip mall and former home to a Kroger supermarket on Packard Road for non-payment of taxes. This process is the first step in a possible redevelopment of the now vacant, distressed property. The owner has until March 31 to redeem the property from foreclosure by paying at least one year’s worth of taxes.... [Read More...]
Ypsilanti pushes façade improvement program
Ypsilanti is making another effort to put a better face on its downtown, but this year local officials are taking that cliché literally. They are rallying local stakeholders to make plans to improve building facades in the city’s downtown and Depot Town. The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority is hoping to harness part of $400,000 in state money to jump start its façade improvement program. That money could lead to a 50 percent match... [Read More...]
U-M’s Barbour, Newberry dorms prove long-lasting worth
Two of the University of Michigan’s most unique dormitories once again proved their resilience as Betsy Barbour and Helen Newberry continued to hold their historic ground in a campus forever modernizing its student-housing options. The two mansion-style dorms across State Street from the Diag date from the early 20th Century and today house 221 students between the two of them. The period architecture makes the buildings easily mistaken for... [Read More...]
