Dexter considering Broad Street site for new apartments, condos

 Dexter is an inviting place to live, and with the completion of the trail connecting Mill Creek Park to Hudson Mills, even more so.

With an eye toward housing development in the downtown area, the city applied for a target market analysis grant, which will flesh out an idea of what potential is there for housing development. 

One area, overlooking Mill Creek on Broad Street, seems ripe for development and was the topic of discussion at a meeting in January. Representatives from Ann Arbor-based Peter Allen & Associates made their case for developing the site into a 128-unit apartment complex, by way of a report that's part of the Redevelopment Ready Community program offered by the Michigan Economic Development Corp.  

The city purchased the land for $1.3 million in 2012. 

The proposed housing site is just a short walk from Mill Creek Park.

Formerly an industrial site, the land would need some attention, including areas that have been left contaminated — which has an estimated cost of $1.2 million to clean-up — according to Tom Wackerman, president of ASTI, an environmental cleanup firm. Grants from the MEDC may cover that cost. He added that for now, concrete slabs have been placed over areas considered hotspots in an effort to keep any contaminants contained.

With at least another $800,000 to push back the road on Broad Street and getting the utilities in order for the proposed site, the city would also need to improve public transportation, according to Allen's proposal. The city has applied for a grant through the RRC to help with the former.  

The proposed 3-4 story L-shaped buildings are aimed toward millennials, a demographic that Allen says that Dexter is not drawing in. 

"You have an extraordinary village-city, that is ready for the next leap up,” Allen said. 

“But you’re missing something that we are trying to address tonight. You’re missing that demographic of the 20 to 30-year-old.”

The proximity to Ann Arbor would be one asset. 

Those folks who are older and looking to downsize could very well be another comparable demographic, as Dexter Mayor Shawn Keough noted during the meeting. 

"I think they are one and the same,” he said. 

“I think there are some commonalities.”

This idea is not beng pursued solely as a leasing enterprise. After two years, the complex could have a life as condominiums — perhaps marketed toward the existing residents, empty-nesters or those simply interested in downsizing.

It's estimated that a developer would need to invest another $20 million to construct the apartments, and Keough notes that the Allen & Associates' proposal is just the beginning of much to be considered when thinking of the city's future when it comes to housing. 

Moving forward, the city needs to examine the report and take it under advisement as the City Council and the Downtown Development Authority look at the possibilities. 

Click here for more on the Heritage.com. 


Chris Glahn is a licensed Realtor in the state of Michigan with RE/MAX Platinum Ann Arbor. He can be reached at 734-730-3403. 

Report indicates that Ann Arbor area needs 3137 new affordable housing units within 20 years

According to a report by Virginia-based urban planning and neighborhood development consulting firm czb LLC, the housing market in Washtenaw County is in pretty good shape.

That's not to say that it can't be better.

One fact that has been stated in the 55 page report is the lack of affordable housing units — non-student housing, more specifically — in Ann Arbor. 

Conversely, the concentration of affordable housing is located in Ypsilanti. 

The report make some suggestions to improve the housing market countywide, but one is to have Ann Arbor add over 3000 affordable housing units over the next 20 years: 2787 of those in the city of Ann Arbor and 350 in Pittsfield Township. 

Countywide, there is no doubt that the market has found a sense of stability in most respects, with renters and buyers both having viable choices. (That said, there are fewer properties available for those who rent — and rent prices are rising.)

But with regard to the housing markets in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, the report points out there is a disparity between the two: Ann Arbor, with it's rather sturdy foundation fueled by households that are more highly educated and have the ability for upward mobility, while Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township bear a higher number of homes that have suffered the scars of negative equity, along with households that are on the financial brink.

Some argue that this is a jobs issue, while others say, as the report points out, that it is more of a policy issue. Further, it continues, the two markets are expected to continue moving in opposite directions unless a considerable change in policy is made. 

If not, one could expect:

• Some workers in Ann Arbor will not be able to continue to live there as housing costs will rise faster than wages, resulting in the need to commute, which has its own drawbacks.

• In the short-term, Ann Arbor will become less affordable to non-student renters, and down the road, to many buyers.

• Ypsilanti, saddled with falling property values and families who are struggling financially, will be even more affordable and the only viable option for those who were priced out in the surrounding area. 

The report (click here to read) was commissioned by the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washtenaw County, the city of Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

Chris Glahn is a licensed Realtor in the state of Michigan with RE/MAX Platinum Ann Arbor. He can be reached at 734-730-3403.