The East Village plan has been cut in half. Prime Housing Group, which owns most of the property east of Stoddard Ave has said it will not sell or participate in the project. The Pierce Company will continue with their plans but the number of housing units will be reduced from 1,300 to about 1,050, and the retail space will be decreased by 30,000 sq ft.
Although this changes the project, I fully agree with the Prime Housing Group in their decision to use their property as they see fit.
Some of the design elements, like the extended boulevard from Bogue to Hagadorn will probably still be included in the project though.
I doubt their holding out is noble in it's motivation, I think they are simply waiting for East Village to get built and hope for higher property values. It's a gamble, but it could potentially pay off big.
Them holding out though is a huge win for any of the property owners that were east of Stoddard that also didn't want to be a part of it. The flower shop on the corner of Hagadorn and Grand River has complained about the project, and until now, it seemed like their voice wasn't loud enough.
I color coded the second picture to show the different parts of the project that will be built. The green will continue, but the red will not. In the first picture, it is everything to the right of the circle drive.
There was an article with the owner of the Baskin Robbins across the street from the East Village. He was talking about how he thought the East Village was a pipe dream that would never happen. I believe right now they are still in the property acquisition phase, so it is going to be a while until we hear anything new.
Comments
Although this changes the project, I fully agree with the Prime Housing Group in their decision to use their property as they see fit.
Some of the design elements, like the extended boulevard from Bogue to Hagadorn will probably still be included in the project though.
Photo taken by Fran Wilcox for the Towne Courier
Photo taken by Fran Wilcox for the Towne Courier
I color coded the second picture to show the different parts of the project that will be built. The green will continue, but the red will not. In the first picture, it is everything to the right of the circle drive.
My photo page on Flickr