DETROIT — Detroit’s first Cambria hotel is under construction in the downtown area. Slated to open in 2020, the six-story, 158-room hotel will be Cambria’s second location in the state of Michigan. Located at 600 W. Lafayette Blvd., the Cambria hotel is part of an adaptive reuse project of the former WWJ Studios. The hotel will feature a rooftop bar with pool, onsite restaurant, meeting space, a fitness center and ballroom. A joint venture between Means Group Inc. and Koucar Management LLC is developing the hotel. The Cambria brand is under the Choice Hotels International Inc. umbrella of hotels. The hotel will anchor a mixed-use project featuring office and retail space. TCF Bank provided $25 million in construction financing for the mixed-use development.
DETROIT — A public-private partnership has unveiled plans for a $300 million, 190,000-square-foot research and education center in downtown Detroit that the University of Michigan (U-M) will occupy and operate. Kohn Pedersen Fox designed the building that will anchor the 14-acre Detroit Center for Innovation (DCI). The research building is expected to eventually serve 1,000 graduate and senior-level undergraduate students pursuing advanced degrees in a range of high-tech innovation disciplines, including mobility, artificial intelligence, data science, entrepreneurship, sustainability, cybersecurity and financial technology. Construction of the DCI is slated to commence in 2021. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan; Wayne County Executive Warren Evans; Stephen Ross, philanthropist and chairman of Related Cos.; Matt Cullen, CEO of Bedrock; and U-M President Mark Schlissel at the planned construction site on Wednesday to announce development plans. Funding for the project is backed by donations from public and private funders including Ross and Gilbert. Gilbert owns Bedrock, which acquired the land from Wayne County in 2018. The company demolished the half-built Wayne County Jail. For the development of DCI, Bedrock will transfer land ownership to U-M, pending public review by the Wayne County Commission. “This announcement represents an incredible commitment to Detroit by Stephen Ross, Mark Schlissel and Dan Gilbert that will allow us to develop, attract and retain world-class …
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Vitality Bowls is set to open its first location in Michigan. The café, slated to open on Saturday, Nov. 2, is located within the 575,000-square-foot Shops at CenterPoint. Vitality Bowls specializes in acai bowls, including the acai berries and a variety of other superfoods. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are currently more than 140 Vitality Bowls locations open or in development across the United States. Stonemar Properties owns Shops at CenterPoint.
CALEDONIA, MICH. — Taco Bell will open a 2,710-square-foot location at 6445 Cherry Meadow Drive SE in Caledonia, about 20 miles southeast of Grand Rapids. The restaurant is expected to open in November and create 40 jobs. Mike Murray of Colliers International assisted Taco Bell in securing land for the new-construction building. Wolverine Building Group was the general contractor. There are 55 Taco Bell locations across West Michigan, according to Colliers.
DETROIT — Coworking provider Venture X has leased 22,000 square feet at 220 W. Congress in downtown Detroit. Venture X is a membership-based, shared workspace and community that blends a boutique hotel and modern office style. This is the company’s first location in Michigan. It will begin occupying the three floors of the 35,000-square-foot building in the first quarter. Brendan George and Jasper Hanifi of CBRE represented the landlord, Basco, in the lease transaction. Kyle Passage of Cushman & Wakefield and Dan Stewart of SVN Stewart Commercial Group LLC represented the tenant.
JACKSON, MICH. — Twins Real Estate LLC has acquired North Pointe Apartments in Jackson, about 40 miles west of Ann Arbor. The five-building, 96-unit apartment property is located at 3021 N. Pointe Drive. Amenities include a pool, playground, picnic area and community room. Jack Johns and Stephen Hershfield of CBRE arranged the sale on behalf of the seller, Madison North Pointe LLC. Jason Brown of CBRE structured a $3.1 million Freddie Mac acquisition loan on behalf of the buyer. The 10-year, fixed-rate loan is amortized over 30 years. Andover Management will manage the property.
MUSKEGON, MICH. — West Michigan-based B2 Outlet Stores has opened its 18th location in the state of Michigan. The discount retailer occupies 6,700 square feet at 1680 E. Apple Ave. in Muskegon. B2 Outlet offers a variety of merchandise and donates a portion of all profits to local and worldwide causes. Todd Leinberger of NAI Wisinski of West Michigan assisted B2 Outlet in securing the new location. Leinberger, along with colleagues Russ Bono and Cameron Timmer, represented the undisclosed landlord. The name B2 stands for Benefit Twice.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — PREIT has opened the Woodland Mall expansion wing. In 2017, the company purchased the store formerly occupied by Sears at the mall. It was demolished in order to make way for new uses. Von Maur now occupies 90,000 square feet at the new wing and is the department store’s first in the region. Other new retailers slated to open at the property include Urban Outfitters, Sephora, White House Black Market, Tricho Salon, Paddle North, Mobile Station and REI, which opened in May. New dining options include Black Rock Bar & Grill and The Cheesecake Factory, slated to open in November.
WARREN, MICH. — Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. (IIP) has acquired a 156,000-square-foot industrial property in Warren, a northern suburb of Detroit. The purchase price was $19 million. Concurrent with the acquisition, IIP entered into a long-term, triple-net lease agreement with LivWell Michigan LLC, a licensee of LivWell Holdings Inc. The tenant intends to operate the property as a licensed cannabis cultivation and processing facility. LivWell is expected to complete tenant improvements at the property and IIP has agreed to provide reimbursement of up to $23 million.
LIVONIA, MICH. — Gerdom Realty & Investment has arranged the sale of a 23,900-square-foot retail and office property in Livonia for an undisclosed price. The two-building asset is located on Middlebelt Road between 5 Mile and 6 Mile roads. Larry Siedell, Michael Murphy and Tjader Gerdom brokered the sale. A local investor purchased the property with plans to complete an exterior renovation. Gerdom will remain as the listing broker.