  Jdkeepsmiling Member Username: Jdkeepsmiling Post Number: 295 Registered: 01-2006 |
Does anyone have an idea what the building under construction at the intersection of M-5, 696 and 275 is? I was coming home from the in-laws in Farmington Hills last night and noticed this large building off to the east. It appears to be about 7 stories and has an attached parking deck going in. I can not believe that this is a spec building, with the economy the way it is. Anyone know what is going in there? | ||
Dannaroo Member Username: Dannaroo Post Number: 148 Registered: 05-2006 |
I believe you are talking about the new ITC office buildings. When completed, it will have two 6-story offices and a parking garage. (Message edited by Dannaroo on September 04, 2007) | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2008 Registered: 06-2006 |
ITC Builds New Headquarters in Novi July 2007 ITC Holdings, the nation's first independently owned and operated electricity transmission company, recently broke ground on its new Novi headquarters. The facility will be located on 83 acres near the Quaker Station, one of ITC's electrical substations, and will house a 188,000 square-foot main office complex, a parking structure and control room. The facility will have capacity for 450 employees, and the property leaves room for additional buildings to accommodate the company's ongoing growth. Built with the environment in mind, the main building will save energy by maximizing the use of natural light and utilizing efficient, under-floor heating and cooling systems. ITC expects to take occupancy in April 2008. "We're incredibly excited to begin construction of a new home for our dedicated employees," said Joseph L. Welch, president and CEO of ITC. "We are proud to be a part of the Novi community, and honored to be a growing company in the state of Michigan.” ITC was founded in 2003 with 38 employees, growing to almost 230 employees currently. In addition, its consistent work on the maintenance and improvement of Michigan's electrical infrastructure has created more than 400 contractor and field jobs. Given the company's recent growth, ITC expects to hire 50-75 additional full-time employees over the next year. ITC owns the majority of Michigan's Lower Peninsula's electric grid, and its mission is to improve reliability and to lower the overall delivered cost of energy by focused investment in infrastructure. http://www.cityofnovi.org/Busi ness/CurrentDevelopments.asp | ||
Jdkeepsmiling Member Username: Jdkeepsmiling Post Number: 296 Registered: 01-2006 |
Thanks for that information. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 83 Registered: 07-2007 |
Ryder's new headquarters in SE Michigan is one mile north at Haggerty and 13 Mile Road. Both are building in Novi without getting a local tax abatement although Ryder is getting MEGA assistance from the state. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1610 Registered: 10-2006 |
"Built with the environment in mind, the main building will save energy by maximizing the use of natural light and utilizing efficient, under-floor heating and cooling systems." Anyone know if it is to be LEED certified? | ||
Udmphikapbob Member Username: Udmphikapbob Post Number: 438 Registered: 07-2004 |
I hear they have backed down from going after LEED certification. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1612 Registered: 10-2006 |
That explains why they weren't allowed to call it a 'green' building in that article... | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 86 Registered: 07-2007 |
JPRA's new building in Novi will be seeking LEED certification. You can search for LEED registered projects here: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPa ge.aspx?CMSPageID=1452& Grand Rapids is the hotbed of LEED projects in Michigan. | ||
Crawford Member Username: Crawford Post Number: 115 Registered: 10-2006 |
Ah, the irony of building "green" out in the fields of Novi. Is there any way this project could be less green? 83 acres destroyed for a measly 188,000 square feet of space. It isn't as if they couldn't find available space in existing buildings. Metro Detroit has some of the highest vacancies in the country. Wouldn't it be more green to use existing office space? There are entire buildings sitting vacant. Wonder how many people will be commuting by public transit. Also wonder if it's possible to arrive by foot or by bike. Is there even a bus line in proximity? | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 88 Registered: 07-2007 |
"Ah, the irony of building "green" out in the fields of Novi. Is there any way this project could be less green? 83 acres destroyed for a measly 188,000 square feet of space." A large percentage of the site is wetlands. They won't be touching any of that from what I've seen about the project. I think this made the site more desireable from a security standpoint. "Wouldn't it be more green to use existing office space? There are entire buildings sitting vacant." ITC had existing offices in Novi. My understanding is that they grew out of that building. Also, they had very unique security concerns due to the control center they have which helps to control the power grid across the Midwest. "Wonder how many people will be commuting by public transit. Also wonder if it's possible to arrive by foot or by bike. Is there even a bus line in proximity?" Yes. One of the SMART lines runs to 12 and Haggerty in Farmington Hills. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2013 Registered: 06-2006 |
^None of that matters to Crawford since "the suburbs" are inherently evil... | ||
Umcs Member Username: Umcs Post Number: 17 Registered: 06-2007 |
ITC services the electrical distribution market outside of Detroit. I wondered why they expanded in Novi until I realized they have no actual business in Detroit. That sector belongs to another company. | ||
Hpgrmln Member Username: Hpgrmln Post Number: 136 Registered: 06-2007 |
Just another big, ugly buisness development in Novi. Can that city get any uglier? Might as well put in a big incinerator smokestack while theyre at it. Im not anti-buisness or against suburban development. I just hate it when cities allow ugly developments that make them less appealing places visually. Novi has this problem worse than most cities. | ||
Cwl704 Member Username: Cwl704 Post Number: 46 Registered: 12-2006 |
I currently working on this ITC building(I'm a fire protection installer).I can tell you the it is indeed mostly in the middle of wetlands..so the comment about destroying 83 acres is crock.They do indeed have a security gate being installed as well some THICK walls to protect a few "items". | ||
Hybridy Member Username: Hybridy Post Number: 138 Registered: 08-2006 |
why do people automatically think wetlands are useless lands? they are extremely vital to the all varieties of species and act as natural purifiers of runoff and wastewater. the exxon-mobile disaster actual improved the economy for the local area (hotels, restaurants) but destroyed some much of the environment, so you can decide which has long-term benefits. http://www.physics.ohio-state. edu/~kagan/phy367/P367_article s/Water/dispatch001029-wetland s.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W etlands | ||
Johnnny5 Member Username: Johnnny5 Post Number: 589 Registered: 06-2005 |
Hybridy, I don't think anyone here was implying that wetlands are useless. More likely they were suggesting that because the surrounding area is wetlands it will not be developed. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 90 Registered: 07-2007 |
"why do people automatically think wetlands are useless lands?" As I understand it, ITC views the wetlands as an amenity by providing a "green" location and a benefit in providing security to the site. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 91 Registered: 07-2007 |
"Just another big, ugly buisness development in Novi. Can that city get any uglier? Might as well put in a big incinerator smokestack while theyre at it. Im not anti-buisness or against suburban development. I just hate it when cities allow ugly developments that make them less appealing places visually. Novi has this problem worse than most cities." Really? What makes this development so ugly? In terms of suburban developments, this site has a lot going for it including a single user who wants to protect the woodlands and wetlands on site, use of a parking garage to minimize paved surfaces and some interesting architectural details when it's completed. In terms of Novi in general, there's a lot of development in town that's pretty generic but there's plenty of ugly in SE Michigan and I can point you to plenty more than you'll find in Novi. | ||
Hybridy Member Username: Hybridy Post Number: 140 Registered: 08-2006 |
"I can tell you the it is indeed mostly in the middle of wetlands..so the comment about destroying 83 acres is crock" Johnnny5 you sure did miss the implication | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5268 Registered: 08-2004 |
Is the middle of wetlands the best place for a corporate HQ? I admire that they are being extremely sensitive to the environment (although the Novi article doesn't mention it). But really, what impact could it have on the environment (future expansions, automotive exhausts, truck vibrations, etc.) And just what kind of security does wetlands really provide? If they're nothing more than flood plains, it seems like little security at all. I think we would need to know more about this particular wetlands, before making an educated decision on whether it was a good idea or not to put a large complex in the middle of it. And according to Wikipedia, there's a lot of different types of wetlands! From Novi's perspective, it may be a good way to get SOME property tax benefit out of otherwise undevelopable land. Probably the most absurd wetland locations I have ever seen in my life is the location of the New Jersey Meadowlands Stadium (across from NYC). It is located in the middle of a swamp. | ||
Crawford Member Username: Crawford Post Number: 119 Registered: 10-2006 |
"I can tell you the it is indeed mostly in the middle of wetlands..so the comment about destroying 83 acres is crock" LOL, thanks Johnny5, guess I stand corrected. I'm sure it's much more environmentally responsible to build office buildings in the middle of pristine wetlands as opposed to in existing or brownfield sites. I suppose that new mall on Hall Road will be the next to be awarded "green" certification. I'm sure it's much more sustainable than boring old infill in Detroit or the inner suburbs. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 94 Registered: 07-2007 |
"Is the middle of wetlands the best place for a corporate HQ?" The buildings aren't being built in the wetlands. The wetlands generally surround the upland portions of the property. There was an existing power sub-station on the site and the new buildings are being built adjacent to that on uplands, not wetlands. It's probably easier to visualize this with a map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f= q&hl=en&geocode=&q=novi&sll=42 .4662,-83.48629&sspn=0.148157, 0.276031&ie=UTF8&ll=42.49134,- 83.439596&spn=0.009256,0.01725 2&t=h&z=16&om=1 The buildings and parking garage are going to the north and west of the sub-station which lies west of the mobile home park. The wetlands enhance the security by limiting access to the site. The likelihood of someone driving a vehicle through those areas is pretty slim. | ||
Cwl704 Member Username: Cwl704 Post Number: 47 Registered: 12-2006 |
Thank you novine for pointing this link out.Once again it did not destroy 83 acres of wetlands.Just a follow up I'm all for the remodeling or rebuilding an excisting area/building etc.I have worked a few remodels downtown and like seeing that more then sub. sprawl etc. :-) | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 98 Registered: 07-2007 |
Sounds like a cool project to work on. It will be interesting to see it when it's all completed. What's the timeline for it being finished? | ||
Cwl704 Member Username: Cwl704 Post Number: 48 Registered: 12-2006 |
Last I heard they were looking at march/april..it will be close.We(my trade) are about 60% roughed in.We will see. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1626 Registered: 10-2006 |
Crawford, FYI there is LEED certification for refurbishing existing structures as well. |
