Development News

The distance between farm and table is being measured in feet rather than miles, with Zingerman's Roadhouse chef Alex Young's recent purchase of the Hoey Farm property on Island Lake Road in Dexter Township.

The 27-acre property at 8540 Island Lake Road adjoins Young's Cornman Farms, a sustainably raised livestock and vegetable supplier to Zingerman's Roadhouse. Over 27 types of vegetables comprising over 130 varieties are grown at Cornman Farms.

Young's new farm purchase accompanies his recent participation in the James Beard Foundation Food Activist Boot Camp, whose goal is to "try to effect more positive change in terms of agriculture in this country."

Hoey Farm will be used for school tours, as a catering destination, and for livestock raising. "We have a small dairy goat herd," Young says. "We're going to be milking goats there as well. And we're going to grow some pigs. A small herd of pigs, a medium-sized herd of goats, and then a handful of cattle."

On the near-term horizon is a major restoration of an 1854 farmhouse on the property, a couple of barns, and a smokehouse. "They haven't received any love or care in 20 years, probably," he notes. One building will be converted into a dairy parlor, another is to be a shelter for school tours and a place to eat.

Cornman Farms currently has five people on staff. "We'll probably be nearly double that next year," Young says. He plans to open the property to the public in the spring of 2013.

"My work through Cornman Farms has been very rewarding, and being able to share it with kids and make great food for the restaurant is fun."

Source: Alex Young, chef, Zingerman's Roadhouse
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Come autumn, No Thai! restaurant will be moving to a fresher spot on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor - the ground level of the 14-story Landmark high rise apartment building at S. University and S. Forest avenues. Construction is still in progress.

"It was kind of a logical move to move to that new building," No Thai! owner Jeff Cho says. "Everything will be new and nicer, and it's in the same exact area."

The move across the street, which Cho hopes will happen in November, equates to a more than doubling in floorspace. The new configuration will have at least 40 seats, he says; the current location at 1317 S. University seats 22.

Cho is working with the architects on a "clean, modern, and comfortable space" possibly with eco-friendly options such as LED lights.

The larger location means a small chipping away at Ann Arbor's unemployment rate. Upon opening, "hopefully we should be hiring anywhere from 5-10 more employees," he says.

Source: Jeff Cho, owner of No Thai!
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

CityFARM, an Ann Arbor-based provider of urban farms and gardening services, continues to expand the fresh food supply in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Plymouth, and is plotting out its impact on the city of Detroit. The company has installed two new gardens there and is digging deeper into the city.

Since its inception in January, CityFARM has amassed 30 garden installations, some of which are up to five beds in size, according to Lauren Maloney, business director. Maloney has partnered with real estate developer Stewart Beal in the venture.

All gardening clients have been residential thus far, Maloney says, but "I think as it gets more popular, we will see more commercial spaces with gardens." She anticipates having 50 clients by year-end. Urban packages include the design, installation, and materials to grow a season's worth of produce in a yard.

"All of the gardens I've been back to are just huge and bountiful..." Maloney says, adding, "I just went to a client last week and she had green beans and cucumbers and eggplant and basil and cherry tomatoes already, and right now, kale, and just everything bursting out of the box. She was really happy."

With each bed purchase, cityFARM installs a matching one in its donation garden at 103 N. Adams St. in Ypsilanti and then donates the produce crop to Food Gatherers. In its first year alone, the garden is already 1,500 square feet. So what happens if space runs out?

"Luckily [Beal] owns a lot of properties, including open space and lots of apartments with yards and things, so we will be able to expand in Ypsi. We'll just have to move maybe down the street a few houses," Maloney says.

Source:  Lauren Maloney, business director of cityFARM
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

It's not just beer as usual at Arbor Brewing Company tonight. The brewery will be hosting a ribbon cutting for its newly implemented solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) system. Photo boards showing the system's components will be on display.

The $95,000 cost was offset by a $20,000 grant from the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority's Energy Conservation grant program, various tax credits, and incentives from DTE.

The system has a 2.4 kW solar photovoltaic array (visible from the roof of the parking structure across the street), 300 solar thermal collector tubes, and a high-efficiency tankless water heater system. Other savings will be realized from CFL and LED lighting and the installation of low-flow sprayers and occupancy sensors. It is expected that gas and electricity usage will decline by up to 40% and 15%, respectively. The project cost will be recouped in five years, according to Rene Greff, co-owner of Arbor Brewing Company.

A $250,000 project showcasing solar-thermal, photovoltaic, and geo-thermal technologies as well as new windows, awnings and energy-efficient chiller equipment is still underway at Corner Brewery, Arbor Brewing Co.'s sister brewery in Ypsilanti. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for August 29.

To the best of his knowledge, says Jarett Diamond, the company's sustainability director. "This is the largest installation of a solar panel array for a craft brewery east of Colorado." New Belgium and Sierra Nevada also have large solar arrays, but those breweries make hundreds of thousands of barrels every year, whereas Corner Brewery does under 10,000, Diamond says. "Relative to the next step up, this is very significant for the size of the brewery we're looking at."

Energy stats and savings will be available at a later date on Arbor Brewing's website, Diamond says. "The idea being this will validate our projections and demonstrate to the public at large that renewable energy is feasible, cost effective, and can work well in Michigan."

Source: Rene Greff, co-owner, Arbor Brewing Co.; Jarett Diamond, sustainability director, Arbor Brewing Co.
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

It's smooth currents for the organizers of the Huron River Water Trail, a 104-mile inland paddling route intended to improve recreational access and connect communities along the Huron, from its headwaters in northern Oakland County to its mouth in Lake Erie. The Huron River Water Trail is part of RiverUp!, a larger river revitalization initiative.

Superior Dam in Superior Township has just received a $33,000 upgrade for paddler accessibility; paddlers formerly had to wrangle an unmarked and unkempt portage. The overgrown brush around the portage has been cleared and a low deck for easier access, a new graded path, a sign, and a safer and easier put-in on the downstream side of portage have been installed. The Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC) partnered with the city of Ann Arbor, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Superior Township, Smith Group JJR for the design, and Michigan Hardscape for construction.

"It's the first water trail improvement project that we completed, and we're pretty excited to start getting some more experience under our belts with making these improvements on the trail, both the portages around dams and the access points for launching and landing," says Elizabeth Riggs, deputy director of the HRWC.

The HRWC now has its eye on completing the installation of wayfinding signs at key points along the river's 104 navigable miles, starting at the upstream end. Signs are starting to go up at Proud Lake and Island Lake Recreation Area. Riggs says the HRWC hopes to have all signage installed by this fall.

As funds become available, Riggs says other projects in the pipeline include installing a landing and launch point at Island Park in Ann Arbor; new portages at Ford Lake Dam in Ypsilanti Township and the French Landing Dam in Van Buren Township; and improving portage access at Flat Rock Dam in the city of Flat Rock. The existing cumbersome portage directs paddlers to a land parcel owned by Flat Rock Metal, Inc. and requires them to call ahead for a company representative to unlock a fence on the property, which runs up to the river bank.

A flipbook of waterproof maps of the entire river should be available by year-end, Riggs says.

Source: Elizabeth Riggs, deputy director,  Huron River Watershed Council
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The Chelsea police department is moving into its new headquarters at 311 S. Main St. later in July and should be running its entire operations there by August, according to John Hanifan, Chelsea's city manager.

The one-story building has 6,600 square feet on the ground level and an additional 5,000-square-foot finished-basement service and storage area. The $2.5 million project is outfitted with Energy Star-compliant mechanical systems, occupancy sensors in all rooms, and LED or high-efficiency light fixtures, Hanifan says.

Besides housing the police department's 12 full-time employees, the building has chamber space for the Chelsea City Council. The council formerly held meetings in rented space at local schools.

The police department, which has been occupying a storefront space on Middle Street, now has space adequate for its needs. "Architects Design Group did a great job with the design," Hanifan says. "It fits very well into downtown Chelsea and it looks like it belongs here."

Source: John Hanifan, Chelsea city manager
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Hungry University of Michigan students and Ann Arborites won't have to cross too many downtown blocks to find build-to-order salads, sandwiches, and stone oven pizza. In fact, some of them will only need to go downstairs.

NeoPapalis restaurant, a new-concept offshoot of the PizzaPapalis and RioWraps chains in metro Detroit, is set to begin serving on the ground floor of the Zaragon West high-rise apartment building at East William and Thompson Streets this fall – very possibly in September, according to owner Joe Sheena.

The 50-seat quick-service eatery won't offer table service. It will have customizable choices ranging from $3 to $12 apiece on the menu and be run by green standards, including aluminum and styrofoam-free disposable ware and energy-efficient lighting and mechanical systems.

Sheena anticipates hiring 25-45 employees to staff NeoPapalis, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.

"I think this whole idea is geared towards being on a college campus, and what better place to try to launch off this new concept than to do it in the Ann Arbor market," Sheena says.

Source: Joe Sheena, owner, NeoPapalis
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The electric tide is coming to Ann Arbor, and the city's downtown development authority wants to embrace it. Last week the city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 18 new electric vehicle charging stations placed in six city parking structures:  Fourth and William, Maynard, Ann and Ashley, Forest Avenue, and Fourth and Catherine, as well as the soon-to-open Library Lane facility.

The Ann Arbor DDA has found the usage to be higher than expected at the stations, some of which have been in place for the last month, according to Dave Konkle, the DDA's energy programs director. On average, three cars a day plug in to the 220-volt, 30-amp type 2 chargers at each station. "They can charge five times faster than the ones you plug into your own house," he says.

The stations offer free plug-ins, although normal parking fees apply. The average charge uses about 80 cents' worth of electricity, says Konkle.

The outlets were funded through a $110,000 U.S. Dept. of Energy's Clean Cities Recovery Act grant passed through the Clean Energy Coalition.

Konkle says within the next two months the DDA will be adding a link to its website showing the locations of the chargers and whether they are in use at that moment. A mobile phone app with this real-time availability information will follow.

With the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf out in circulation, and the new Ford Focus and Prius plug-in hybrid following at their heels, "Our logic was that this is certainly something that is coming and Ann Arbor needs to be ready for it," Konkle says.

Drivers can "take their electric cars and, without worrying, they can come to downtown Ann Arbor and park and plug them in and go to the restaurants or the music venues or whatever they want."

Source: Dave Konkle, energy programs director, Ann Arbor DDA
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The beer barrels are gone, and now a think tank has moved into the walk-out basement of a circa-1894 building that formerly housed the Northern Brewery. The Forge, a new collaborative workspace open for user groups, events, and other mind-sharing purposes, has opened at 1327 Jones Drive in Ann Arbor, also home to Tech Brewery.

The Forge is also the first office space for Pillar Technology, a Brighton, Mich.-based tech consultancy that employs 45 in Michigan, 45 in Ohio, and another 30-40 in six states around the U.S., according to Pillar Technology CEO Bob Myers.

"We have more work than we have people, so we could probably add anywhere from 20-30 people if we could find the talent," Myers says, adding, "So there'll be a lot of training and instruction and community events where we're helping people to learn how to do IT and put them to work."

The roughly 4,000 square-foot space can field about 30-40 workers. The company renovated the interior from scratch, installing windows, a stairwell, a kitchen area, enclosing the walls, and furnishing it with big screen TVs and collaborative-style furniture made by Steelcase.

There is no charge to use the facility, "but there's gotta be a purpose. You've gotta be in here trying to accomplish something to advance the cause ... that's what the only requirement is," Myers says.

The cause being? "The cause is innovation and bringing innovation to the area, creating jobs, helping people to figure out what constraints are real and which ones are perceived, and breaking those off. Innovation and incubation, really a place to go where you can learn and fail and it's okay. Just to really better yourself."

Source: Bob Myers, CEO, Pillar Technology
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Those not wanting to wheel out the grill this summer can drop in to Jake's BBQ, Dexter's new restaurant devoted to all things cookout. The restaurant space, which opened earlier in June at 8050 Main St., formerly housed owner Bart Aniolczyk's Jake's Place, a venue for Polish cuisine takeout.

The European concept didn't pan out, Aniolczyk says, but his luck has turned for the better with the new barbecue menu. He's in the process of adding more smokers to meet the demand for, among other things, pulled pork and other artisanal comfort foods.

While Jake's BBQ's primary business is take-out, the revamped interior now seats 10 and has 12 outdoor seats. Aniolczyk will add umbrellas and bring the outdoor seating up to 20. He cites Dexter's "family feel" as reason for keeping his eatery there.

He has added two jobs, with more planned, but there is no firm count yet. "I'm sure I'll have to add more people as I go," he says.

Source:  Bart Aniolczyk, owner, Jake's BBQ
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board's vote last week to release funding for all WALLY (Washtenaw and Livingston Railway) expenditures means the station design phase will now get underway. The total AATA budget for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2012 was $230,000, most but not all of which will be applied to the station design, says Michael Benham, AATA's special assistant for strategic planning.

WALLY is a planned 26-mile north-south stretch of commuter railway spanning from downtown Howell to Ann Arbor. The rail line would run on existing track largely owned by the Great Lakes Central Railroad. The end point in Ann Arbor, however, is yet to be determined. Track ownership changes on the city's north side to the Ann Arbor Railroad, which has objected to providing passenger service, according to Benham.

The Great Lakes Central Railroad terminates in the Plymouth and Barton Road vicinity. That stop could serve the U-M Medical Center, the North Campus Research Complex, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other employers, Benham says, but, "Ideally we'd continue to go downtown and then that would open up a whole separate market for the service, namely the downtown businesses."

Site evaluation and station design work will start in either start late summer or fall, after contract negotiations with the design consultant are complete, Benham notes. Once design work is done, the next step, assuming continued public support, would be to develop management plans in preparation for a federal funding grant request.

Meanwhile, 24 rail cars, many of which are intended for use on the WALLY line, are being rehabilitated by the Great Lakes Central Railroad. "That project continues to move along. Those cars recently passed some federal tests that qualified them for service."

Whether WALLY will evolve past the design phase remains to be seen. The project, Benham says, is in the "out years" of Washtenaw County's 30-year transit master plan. "It's something we need to do the development work on now in order to prepare a fit for possible implementation in the future. So we're kind of taking it one step at a time."

Source: Michael Benham, AATA's special assistant for strategic planning
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority board's vote last week to release funding for all WALLY (Washtenaw and Livingston Railway) expenditures means the station design phase will now get underway. The total AATA budget for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2012 was $230,000, most but not all of which will be applied to the station design, says Michael Benham, AATA's special assistant for strategic planning.

WALLY is a planned 26-mile north-south stretch of commuter railway spanning from downtown Howell to Ann Arbor. The rail line would run on existing track largely owned by the Great Lakes Central Railroad. The end point in Ann Arbor, however, is yet to be determined. Track ownership changes on the north side of Ann Arbor to the Ann Arbor Railroad, which has objected to providing passenger service, according to Benham.

The Great Lakes Central Railroad terminates in the Plymouth and Barton Road vicinity. That stop could serve the U-M Medical Center, the North Campus Research Complex, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other employers, Benham says, but, "Ideally we'd continue to go downtown and then that would open up a whole separate market for the service, namely the downtown businesses."

Site evaluation and station design work will start in either start late summer or fall, after contract negotiations with the design consultant are complete, Benham notes. Once design work is done, the next step, assuming continued public support, would be to develop management plans in preparation for a federal funding grant request.

Meanwhile, 24 rail cars, many intended for use on the WALLY line, are being rehabilitated by the Great Lakes Central Railroad. "That project continues to move along. Those cars recently passed some federal tests that qualified them for service."

Whether WALLY will evolve past the design phase remains to be seen. The project, Benham says, is in the "out years" of Washtenaw County's 30-year transit master plan. "It's something we need to do the development work on now in order to prepare a fit for possible implementation in the future. So we're kind of taking it one step at a time."

Source: Michael Benham, AATA's special assistant for strategic planning
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Helping to shore up Ypsilanti's ranks of homeowners is LiveYpsi, a new home loan program being rolled out for Eastern Michigan University employees. The program offers $7,500 grants to buy primary residences within Ypsilanti city limits. The proceeds may be used towards a down payment or other purchase costs and are forgivable on a pro-rata basis, at 20% of the amount each year; after five years, the entire amount is forgiven.

Funded by EMU, Washtenaw County, and the DTE Energy Foundation, the new program is a smaller-scale version of Live Midtown, which offers forgivable loans for employees of Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System, and the Detroit Medical Center, to purchase homes in Midtown Detroit, according to Leigh Greden, EMU's executive director of governmental and community relations

"We believe that having EMU employees live in the city of Ypsilanti is a win-win-win for everyone," Greden says, in reference to the city, the university, and its employees. "It's a win for the city because it assures that our employees, who tend to be highly educated and to have stable employment with the university, will own a home in the community, they'll take care of the home, they'll pay taxes, they're more likely to walk to work, they're more likely to become involved in the community, and they're more likely to shop at local businesses here in Ypsilanti."

The pilot project becomes official and will begin taking applications within the next week, says Greden. Current funds available total $70,000, or enough for nine home purchases. EMU will continue to seek additional funding sources and partners.

"Based on the interest we've received so far...we think we'll run out of the money quickly because there's a lot of demand amongst our employees."

More information on the program is available here.

Source:  Leigh Greden, EMU's executive director of governmental and community relations
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

At long last, the Dexter Wellness Center is getting in shape to open its doors. The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation has signed on to operate the center, which will be constructed by A.R. Brouwer at 2810 Baker Road, a half-mile's walking distance from downtown Dexter.

The 46,000-square-foot family center will be a full-service facility with a swimming pool, a therapy pool, mind-body space for pilates and yoga, massage therapy, a gym, and strength and aerobic conditioning equipment.

Programming for children of all ages will be offered, as will assistance for medical patients. "We'll work with local providers to transition patients from the hospital ... We have programs for them when they're discharged so we can help with strengthening and make their quality of life better," says Amy Heydlauff, executive director of the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation (CWF).

A physical therapy practice run by Medical Rehabilitation Specialists, but not affiliated with CWF, will occupy 2,000 square feet in the building.

Construction will commence after the builder removes some existing structures on the property. "We're anticipating an opening date of either summer or early fall of '13," Heydlauff says. Usage fees have not been set yet, but will be commensurate with comparable facilities in Ann Arbor and Chelsea.

She figures the center will employ, at minimum, 100 people.

Source:  Amy Heydlauff, executive director, Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Downtown Chelsea is getting its dining chops on this fall. Pork chops and barbecue, to be exact.

Phil Tolliver, who has worked with barbecue pitmaster Mike "The Legend" Mills, is planning to open Smokehouse 52 by late October or early November. Tolliver also owns a Bear Claw Coffee shop on U.S. 12 and recently sold his True North Jerky business, the proceeds of which he is investing in Smokehouse 52.

Smokehouse 52 will be located at 121-125 Main St. The 1890 building, which still retains much of its original interior, will undergo a sensitive renovation.

"Whatever I can leave, I'm going to leave," Tolliver says. The tin ceiling stays. And the original maple plank flooring, currently tiled over, will be re-exposed. The biggest effort will involve converting the kitchen into a restaurant-grade kitchen, "and then we have to figure out how to get a 3,000-pound barbecue pit to the inside walls," he adds.

The restaurant will have vintage Americana on display, such as an 1878 flag and a school bell. Its main floor will seat 180-190 for lunch and dinner, with full bar service. Tolliver expects to add 45-50 new jobs.

Source: Phil Tolliver, owner of Smokehouse 52
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar