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Atperry
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Username: Atperry

Post Number: 249
Registered: 12-2004
Posted From: 69.246.7.228
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 7:09 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

One property owner targeted by both city and county in the effort is Michael Higgins, owner of the Leland Ramada Hotel at 400 Bagley, the Farwell Building on Griswold, and the Broderick Tower on Witherell between Woodward Avenue and Broadway, notable for the huge whale mural visible from Comerica Park.

The building and others owned by Higgins have been on blighted buildings’ lists for years.

Assistant Corporation Counsel Joseph Rogalski said that the city and county have been negotiating with Higgins and his construction manager/developer over renovation plans and schedules for the 34-story Broderick Tower.

Fred Beal, president of Ann Arbor-based J.C. Beal Construction Co., said that a $30 million construction project is in the offing for the 212,000-square-foot building.

Beal said he has a contract with Higgins for construction management and development services on the Broderick Tower, Farwell Building and Leland Ramada and he has a 5 percent interest in the Broderick project. Detroit-based White Construction Co. Inc. is general contractor, Beal said.

Facades on both the Broderick Tower on Witherell Street and the adjoined building at 1556 Woodward Ave. were repaired last year.

Plans call for creating retail and restaurant space on the first floor, he said, then four stories of office space, with the upper 29 floors to become 127 apartment units. Current plans call for connecting the apartment building to the Grand Circus Park underground garage through a tunnel, he said.

Beal said the redevelopment could cost $42 million including professional fees and equipment, and is being assembled around historic and other tax credits with a HUD-insured mortgage package. He said financing is expected to close around Oct. 1.

“Most of the approvals, credits and abatements are either 100 percent or very near completion,” he said. If work starts by year’s end, it could be completed in late 2008.

County attorney Rogalski said that he has seen copies of some permits and knows there is “battling over what the plans are to be.”

Beal said that renovating Higgins’ eight-story Farwell Building at 1249 Griswold in Capitol Park, would follow the Broderick Tower project. While plans are not yet far along, the idea is to make that 107,000-square-foot office building into apartments or condominiums.

Rogalski said that the county’s nuisance abatement lawsuit against the Farwell Building is poised to go to trial in mid-August.

“Our concern is that these buildings not be an eyesore or in disrepair, and they need considerable work or redevelopment,” Rogalski said.

“We must come to some agreement on a time-frame. They must show us when they will start, with paperwork and permits showing a time frame and completion date, so we can take them back to court if they are not finished in a reasonable time,” Rogalski said.


Source: Crains Detroit

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/a pps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2006 0724/SUB/60721030/1033
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Aiw
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Username: Aiw

Post Number: 5707
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 209.216.150.127
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 7:59 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Skipper's Rule on anything to do with Higgins.
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Kilgore_south
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Username: Kilgore_south

Post Number: 128
Registered: 05-2005
Posted From: 24.176.20.117
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 8:19 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah no kidding. Which has had more "it's really gonna happen soon!" announcements - the Broderick or the Book-Cadillac?
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Mind_field
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Username: Mind_field

Post Number: 601
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.74.14.146
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 9:22 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

^LOL, they are trying to outdo each other.
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Rjlj
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Username: Rjlj

Post Number: 94
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 63.171.81.130
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 1:18 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The article reiterates what has already been known about the buildings and announces the progress that has gone into getting the Broderick project started. This is good news even though the closing was supposed to happen in September. Only about 1 month behind schedule at this point.

With regards to blight in general, it is difficult to keep buildings up when money is not being generated to do this. Also, it is difficult to keep buildings up when people trespass and do not respect other people’s property. What are other building owners doing to maintain their property?
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Focusonthed
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Username: Focusonthed

Post Number: 389
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 209.220.229.254
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 1:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

What facade repairs were done? Boarding up the door with an advertisement is facade improvement?
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Chris_rohn
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Username: Chris_rohn

Post Number: 255
Registered: 04-2005
Posted From: 67.149.107.78
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 3:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

They repaired that ugly face brick on the restaurant before the super bowl. I think that's it.

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