NEW LARGE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ONGOING
Downtown property was formerly owned by St. Mary’s Magdalen Church
A multi-million dollar housing development is being built in Hazel Park on property formerly owned by St. Mary’s Magdalen Church.
Construction on 54 new townhouses started several months ago near Woodward Heights and Battelle just east of John R.
The project is being built by Robertson Homes, which in recent years has built scores of new houses in Royal Oak and Ferndale.
“I think this is reflective of the fact Hazel Park has a solid housing market right now and the city is increasingly seen as a desirable place to move, where we have reasonably priced homes,” said City Manager Ed Klobucher.
But the new Park 54 townhouse project is bringing a part of the housing market to Hazel Park the city hasn’t seen before.
The 1,334-square-foot homes range in price from $235,000 to $251,000. Each of the houses is outfitted with granite countertops, high ceilings and GE appliances.
“It enhances the diversity of houses we have here,” said Jeff Campbell, the city’s community development director. “We haven’t had houses like this that are (attractive) to everyone from young people to seniors and don’t require much maintenance.”
St. Mary Magdalen Church and its parking lot will remain. But the parish sold off 2.3 acres that was formerly the site of its K-8 school.
Robertson Homes is building a couple of houses each month.
“We build approximately 200 houses a year in various communities,” said Darien Neubecker, the company’s senior vice president, in a statement. “We try to focus on development housing in developed communities, and Hazel Park has been on our radar for a while.”
Construction of the townhouses is expected to wrap up in 2022.
The development fits in with efforts city officials have undertaken to revitalize its downtown areas.
“The great thing is that (the townhouses) will be within walking distance of the downtown atmosphere we’re working to create on John R,” Campbell said.
The townhouses are a short walk away from top rated restaurants on John R, such as Mable Gray, and Frame at the back of Joe Bar, he added.
Nearby, a developer has proposed building a multi-million dollar mixeduse apartment development and restaurant at a vacant CVS store at 23722 John R. City officials, however, said the development has faced delays since the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year.
The Robertson Home development is the largest of its kind in Hazel Park in more than a decade, officials said.
“One of the cool things about (the project) is that we are going to be building the first new street in the city
for the first time in probably 50 years,” Klobucher said.
The street will be named after former Mayor Jeff Keeton, who was also a longtime councilman who still sits on a couple city boards and commissions.
More information about the Park 54 project is online at robertsonhomes. com/communities/hazelpark/park-54.