Posted on 05/14/2018 2:40:47 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
A need that was identified years ago may soon be filled.
Novi City Council has approved the conditional purchase and sale of a 10-acre property located along Grand River Avenue, just east of Town Center Drive and south of 11 Mile Road for $3.15 million. The developer, Sakura Novi LLC., an affiliate of Robert B. Aikens and Associates, plans to construct a $50 million Asian Village.
The village, which will feature housing, restaurants, lifestyle services, retail and office space as well as a 25,000 square-foot Asian market and food-hall operated by Novi-based One World Market, will be a significant asset to the county and region, according to Irene Spanos, the county’s director of economic development and community affairs.
“For years we’ve heard from our Asian residents and from our Asian Businesses that there is no central gathering place,” said Irene Spanos, Oakland County’s director of economic development. “We’ve for years thought this was need in our community.
Spanos said the idea for an Asian Village began when One World Market asked for help in creating a new prototype market.
“We thought this was the perfect timing,” said Spanos. “The developer One World Market selected loved the idea and off we started. This Asian Village will help us retain and recruit Asian companies in our community. The idea of the Asian village came from our Asian business owners that wanted a “central gathering place”.”
Novi has the largest Asian population of any city in the state and one of the largest in the Midwest. The county is also home to over 270 Japanese-owned firms, 50 Chinese-owned firms and 40 Korean-owned firms.
County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said it’s this large concentration of Asian-owned businesses and Asian residents that makes Novi the perfect location for this “dynamic project.”
“We’re excited that the Asian Village, once only a concept, is now going to be a reality,” said Patterson.
Developer Scott Aikens, whose company is also developing a $100 million town center in Commerce Township, said he envisions the village to be a vibrant entertainment and residential hub unlike anything else in the region.
Aikens said that in addition to the market, which will anchor the village, there will be a Japanese-style garden, 4-acre lake, an entertainment venue, a range of restaurants including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Indian, and a collection of Asian-focused retail and services.
“The residential community enfolded into the project will make the Asian Village a dynamic place to live as well as play,” said Aikens.
The project, located on a partially contaminated property that used to house a car wash and landscaping company, is in its infancy stages and is contingent on the creation of a Brownfield plan and due diligence, including survey, title review, site inspection, and rezoning plan, by Zakura, according to Sheryl Walsh, Novi communications director.
She said lifestyle amenities like the Asian Village are critical to help people feel more at home while they are living away from places like Japan, Korea, China and India.
“Novi prides itself on and embraces its rich diversity and the Asian community plays a large role in that,” said Walsh. “This initiative embraces the world. Much like Michigan, Novi is a global-facing community which is enhanced by foreign investment.”
The conditional agreement of purchase and sale, which was approved last week by city council, gives the city 90 days from the date of signing to complete the purchase. If the city is unable to do so, Sakura has 30 days to decide whether or not to go through with the purchase. Ultimately, closing must occur within 18 months.
On Monday, area residents were posting their concerns on Facebook about the impact this project will have on traffic.
Walsh said she understands residents’ concerns about a possible increase in traffic congestion but said just as with any development in the city, “traffic will be looked at and addressed” and that the project will be served by drivers coming from 11 Mile Road as well as the Novi Town Center.
ASIAN INFLUENCE IN OAKLAND COUNTY
In October, county officials announced the development of a Japanese-style garden at the Michigan State University Tollgate Farms in Novi. The project, which will feature 17 Japanese cherry blossom trees, is expected to be completed this summer.
Among the over 1,000 foreign companies, from 39 countries, located in the county, there are over 270 from Japan alone, the county’s largest cluster of foreign companies.
Spanos said the county’s recently formed “Japanese Welcoming Committee” just produced the “Japanese Resource Guide, which will help new executives and their families from Japan quickly get situated in Michigan.
The guide was distributed to every Japanese company in the county, which includes information about utilities, food establishments and supermarkets, family and child services, education, community attractions as well as work and business resources.
INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20180117/oakland-county-foreign-investment-tops-1-billion-since-2014
JAPANESE GARDEN COMING SOON: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20171030/japanese-style-garden-coming-to-michigan-state-universitys-tollgate-farms-in-novi-ceremonial-launch-wednesday
CONDITIONAL AGREEMENT OF PURCHASE AND SALE: http://cityofnovi.org/Agendas-Minutes/City-Council/2018/180507/5-ConditionalAgreementofPurchaseandSaleNorthGrandR.aspx
$100 MILLION FIVE AND MAIN PROJECT IN COMMERCE TOWNSHIP: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20180416/100-million-downtown-district-planned-for-commerce-township-featuring-dining-shopping-and-condos
TOP COUNTY OFFICIAL HEADS TO JAPAN: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20180305/top-oakland-county-official-travels-to-japan-seeking-economic-growth-opportunities
ECONOMIC FORECAST: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20180427/oakland-countys-economic-forecast-shows-job-growth-talent-gap-and-wage-increases
Yea, but will they have a really good Chinese Buffet?
I always wonder when I’m driving there whether or not the Health Department would have shut them down since my last visit
Whew.
“Asian” in Brit speak means muslim. Glad to read this is NOT what is going on here.
Kinda surprised too.
Still only one from column “A” and one from column “B”. No substitutions.
City sponsored racism.
Disgusting.
LOL about Chinese food.
I always wonder, since they changed Peking to Beijing, did Peking duck become Beijing duck?
Well, I’m all for it except for ‘housing’.
There are several strip mall type places in nearby Bellevue, WA that cater primarily to Asians (Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.). I hate going there - I would think a traffic cop could fill his quota’s easily in the parking lots.
BRING BOTH
FREE MEAL!
_____________
LOL! Are those real?
No, of course not.
This is a 50 million dollar investment that will grow the economy. And it is NOT funded by taxpayers.
I see no downside here.
For those of you not from MI and don't know about Brooks, he is to the right of Attila the Hun. He was in a nasty Limo accident where I don't think he may have been buckled in and he darn near didn't make it.
In Novi he was the guy that got a convention center going as a giant up your to Detroit ( oh my has he feuded with them for years )
There was a family on family feud the other night. The first gal introduces the family. “My daughter, my son, my ex-husband..”
“Wait! Your ex husband!!?? You know - the feud isn’t supposed to be within the family. Really? Wow - and I thought I’d seen everything!”
“And next to him his is lovely wife....”
The host feigned to have a heart attack.
Will there also be an “ahem” massage parlor?
Where do you see the city is “sponsoring” anything here? They are allowing a $50,000,000 project to proceed without using any taxpayer dollars.
This works for me.
In the 90's he got everyone in County Govt ( Unions too ) to buy into the MSA's and they got rid of traditional pensions and went with not a 401k but a 401(a)....
tribalism abounds and destabilizes
when I was growing up the Italians built an Italian center, the Jews built their JCC, the polish built the Polish Hall and the Wasps went to the country club.
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