You gotta keep your neighbors happy. They can make your life easy, or really drive you up a wall. Developing a good or at least cordial relationship is important. Living cohesively, in the same neighborhood, on the same street – that's a community.
So, when a 25-acre mixed-used development wants to move in that might disrupt a pre-existing community what do you do? Huron Acres decided Mr. Rogers was onto something when he chose to go out and meet 'the people in his neighborhood'.
"You need the city to go forth but you have to get support from the neighborhood, too," says Sean Hurwitz of Central Real Estate Development Co. who represents the developer and the property owner. "For the last several months we've put forth a tremendous effort to get everyone board and the community and the neighborhood have been really supportive."
The property is actually 50 acres in all but the developers, Ann Arborland LLC., are only using half, leaving the other 25 acres as a natural preserve.
The development is bordered by US-23, Arborland, Huron River Drive and the Woodcreek subdivision.
Ten acres are expected to go toward residential space that would include about 140,000-square-feet of senior living and nearly 60 single-family town homes.
On the commercial side of the development, encompassing the additional 15 acres, Hurwitz says they are looking at filling it with a few restaurants, a hotel, and a movie theater.
Huron Acres is currently in the planning stage but, Hurwitz says, when it goes through, upwards of $25 million could go into the property.
Of course, it's a rather large undertaking.
"The project will take about five to seven years," Hurwitz said. "Of course, this is also driven by the market."
Source: Sean Hurwitz of Central Real Estate Development Co.
Writer: Terry Parris, Jr.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.