APARTMENTS

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“It’s a high-end building,” Samson said. “It’s really going to have beautiful nishes and amenities. But the rates will be commensurate with that kind of product.”

As for why Sterling Group has stayed so quiet about the project, Samson said: “ ere’s enough activity and there’s enough momentum, and it’s real in terms of the ability to walk through, for prospective residents to tour the building, to talk about leasing the property, to really see what’s there in terms of amenities.” ose amenities include 24-hour concierge services, valet parking, an all-season pool with a patio deck overlooking the Detroit RiverWalk, a tness center, pet washing station, rooftop sports lounge and other features — including distinctive oorto-ceiling glass windows. still being worked out, Belt said.

Newlab does not require equity from members but often does invest in startups it assists, according to the company.

Of the current member base in Detroit, half are from metro Detroit and others hail from California and New York and as far away as Israel and Norway. In total, the companies have raised more than $500 million.

Belt said he is unsure when Newlab will bring the building to capacity, but he believes the Detroit campus has a compelling draw.

“I’m not going to say it’s not going to be di cult to ll that building up and to make sure that people stay in Detroit, but I think that it’s getting a lot of positive feedback,” he said.

A historic building

It wasn’t always clear that the building could be saved.

e 1936 Albert Kahn-designed building was built with funding from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal for the U.S. Postal Service, according to Historic Detroit, which tracks Detroit buildings and architecture.

It stayed a post o ce for a quarter-century until a new post o ce on West Fort Street opened downtown. Detroit Public Schools then bought the property to store school supplies and books. Another 25 years or so after the school system bought it, the building was heavily damaged in a 1987 re. e district abandoned it, leaving damaged and undamaged supplies inside, according to Historic Detroit.

ere had been some deliberation early on about whether to tear down the building, Sirefman said. Ultimately, it was saved and renovated, with part of the work including the restoration of a skylight and removing much of several oors to open the rst oor to the skylight.

“It’s such a powerful testament to the second life of buildings,” Sirefman said. “ e power of that decision is really evident.” e project’s budget was not disclosed, although it’s part of what most recently was estimated as a $950 million Corktown campus for autonomous and electric vehicle design and technology.

South eld-based Barton Malow Co. was the general contractor while the Detroit o ce of Gensler was the architecture rm.

Contact: knagl@crain.com; (313) 446-0337; @kurt_nagl

Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

“It’s a unique product to anything that’s really been built in the city, ever,” Samson said. “We thought it was important to di erentiate ourselves from the rest of the marketplace, to bring something to the city that really doesn’t exist. What we are talking about is a skyline property that really changes the look and feel of this part of downtown forever.” e apartment tower is just one phase of construction that may take place at the site, which is where the Detroit Red Wings played for decades before moving to Little Caesars Arena on Woodward Avenue.

Farmington Hills-based Friedman Real Estate will be responsible for managing and leasing the building. Detroit-based Neumann/Smith Architecture is the architect while Macomb Township-based Colasanti Construction Services Inc. is the general contractor.

Joe Louis Arena was demolished between 2019 and 2020.

These companies are up and running in Newlab at Michigan Central e Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority board earlier this year paved the way for a new convention-style hotel to be built connected to Huntington Place on the site, and sources have previously said that an o ce tower is also under consideration.

 Airspace Link – Drone technology, data and software company striving to be the Google Maps of the skies for drones and future aerial mobility.

 Wheel.me – Norwegian robotics company that invented the world's rst autonomous wheel that can be attached to many di erent structures for movement.

 Grounded – Company providing customizable electric RVs for purchase and subscription use, all connected by a phone app.

 Cavnue – Company that combines technology and road infrastructure to unlock the full potential of connected and autonomous vehicles. It is developing a rst-of-its-kind connected corridor in Michigan.

 Canopy – Connected and intelligent vehicle security system focused on truck and commercial vehicle customer security.

 Intermode – Modular, autonomous robotic platform being used by a multitude of delivery platforms.

 Fermata – Company that is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and the transition to renewable energy. Fermata enables utilities to enhance grid resilience and deploy renewable energy resources quickly by integrating EVs as a grid resource.

 Vela Bikes – Connected, electric bikes that recently moved manufacturing from China to Detroit.

Samson said “subsequent phases could be at a later date,” but declined to go into detail about plans other than the residential tower.

“As we’ve developed the residential tower, we’ve had great conversations with stakeholders in the area, including the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, the convention center themselves, and other stakeholders, and whether it’s the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy or others, everybody’s been very supportive of the project and of future opportunities,” Samson said.

Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

 Tubular – Autonomous, guided robotics system that utilizes tubes in manufacturing campuses and cross-facility logistics.

 Electreon – Provider of wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles built into streets for dynamic charging of electric vehicles and eet operators.

 JustAir – Startup providing data-driven mapping, visualizing and monitoring of the air quality in communities.

 Amogy – Sustainable energy startup decarbonizing heavy industry with ammonia-based powertrains for tractors, heavy trucks and maritime vessels.

 RoboTire – Robotics and automation company that engineers and deploys next-gen automated tire-changing solutions with built-in AI technology to enable faster and safer vehicle servicing.

 Pluck – Collaborative delivery service that splits delivery fees across customers.

 Biliti Electric –Three-wheeler electric vehicle intended for urban deliveries with quick swappable battery technology.

 Blue Flite – Cargo drone logistics provider piloting a pedestrian mobile illumination solution as part of studio work.

 Pliant – Marine and amphibious robotic propulsion system.