Regional development news round-up for May

It's been another busy month for development news in metropolitan Detroit. Let's catch up on some more development stories from the past four weeks.

A Planners Gathering is being held in the settlement of Lakeville in Addison Township, which is located in northeast Oakland County. The event will focus on the civic benefits of historic preservation. Bruce Pearson, Addison Township Supervisor, will show how preservation techniques have improved life in the township while Todd Elder, owner of the Lakeville Mill, will demonstrate his own restoration methods that saved the mill. The event is being held at the Celtic Knot in Leonard on Friday, June 3. Tickets are available online.

Michigan's Main Streets are set to see a boost as the state readjusts its historic downtown and commercial district revitalization efforts. The newly rebranded Main Street America, formerly Main Street Network, will adopt a more preservation-focused philosophy in its attempts to reinvigorate downtown areas across southeastern Michigan and throughout the state.

Cosworth, the high-performance automotive engineering and manufacturing company based in Northampton, UK, is setting up shop in Shelby Township. At least 50 jobs will be created as Cosworth establishes its U.S. presence, producing high-performance cylinder heads for an automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Michigan raced past Indiana in winning the company over, offering a $2.1 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based loan in the process. If Cosworth reaches certain job creation milestones, the loan becomes a grant.

The Townsend Hotel has begun the last phase of its multi-year overhaul with the closing of the Corner. The 2,000 sq. ft. bar is being redeveloped as a private dining and meeting space. Since renovations began in 2012, the well-renowned Birmingham hotel has refreshed all of its 150 guest rooms, meeting facilities, public areas, and the Rugby Grille restaurant.

Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
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