If you haven’t been through Capital Park lately, you might have missed the construction that is currently happening on Grand River and Griswold Street on the site of what was most recently a parking lot and strip club. 28Grand is a mix used apartment building that is being built by Bedrock, the property management company owned by Dan Gilbert.
Two interesting points about this building. First, it is the first micro loft apartment building in Detroit. Second, Bedrock describes it as the largest ground-up resident development in Detroit since the 1980s.
The development may be large, but the units inside are not. We’re talking micro lofts.
You might be wondering what a micro loft is, and it sounds exactly like what it is. It’s a tiny apartment with a touch of a loft sensibility. Each unit will be roughly 260 square feet.
28Grand will be a 101,000 square foot building that will have 218 micro lofts and 13 floors. The units will feature nine foot ceilings and large picture windows that are 6 feet high and 10 feet long.
These units would be great for single young professionals just out of college, who do not spend a lot of time sitting at home. However, there are other people who could find the micro lofts fit their lifestyle.
“This doesn’t fill one need for one specific person. I think micro lofts fill a bunch of different needs. First of all, kids getting out of college with their first job and other people moving into the city, ” said Steve Rosenthal Principal Lead of Development for Bedrock. “But it also fills the commuter need, for those who are traveling in from Lansing everyday or somewhere else for work. Instead of staying at a hotel when you get tired, it feeds the need. It also feels the need for person who are from out of town. We have people where they come for three to four days a week.”
Each apartment will come furnished with a double bed, table, chair, and a 47 inch flat screen TV. The entire building will be fitted with Rocket Fiber 1 gigabit high-speed internet. They will be testing out Murphy Beds in the units on the 13th floor, for those who might want more room during the day.
Some might not like being able to pick out your own furniture, however I see the benefit of having a furnished apartment, if you’re already all-in on living small. For one, you won’t have to worry about buying something that won’t fit in your apartment. Could you imagine trying to pivot furniture in an apartment that is only 260 square feet? I know I can’t.
If you’re wondering about the storage of such a small unit, they have considered this and have put in numerous places to keep your belongings. There are drawers under the bed, as well as additional storage under the mattress for larger items. There is storage under the 10 foot bench along the picture window. The cabinets allow for ample storage for items as well. Plus there is a space between the ceiling and cabinets for storage.
There is a kitchenette in each unit, a full size refrigerator, a two burner range, sink, and a microwave. You might have noticed I didn’t say oven. That is because there is no oven in any of the units.
The building will have 3,500 square feet of community space for residents to spend time in. The second floor will have a communal kitchen, lounge, fitness center, onsite laundry, and a rooftop terrace. The terrace will have a grill and also a fire pit.
The community spaces are a great idea to be able to get together with your friends and hang out, especially with your limited living space. Remember how I said there was no oven in the units? They do have an oven in the communal kitchen if you have a craving for fresh-baked cookies.
The bottom floor of the building will be used for retail and a restaurant. The restaurant will be opened by Marc Bogoff and Eli Boyer. The concept for the restaurant has not been released yet.
You might be wondering how much this micro loft is going to cost someone every month. Unfortunately we can’t tell you, because they haven’t released the prices for the market-rate apartments. All utilities will be included in the rental price, but expect it to be on the higher end from a dollars per square foot perspective.
There will also be 85 apartments for those who meet the city and state requirements for affordable housing. Rent for those units will be starting at $703.
Leasing will begin in February of 2017. And the building is expected to be move in ready by June of 2017.