Saturday’s University of Michigan football opener, when Michigan lost to Utah, 25-23, was the first time we got inside to see the continuing $226 million renovation and upward expansion.  It feels like the Roman Coliseum.  See the pictures below.

I did not even get in here during the Women’s Football Academy earlier this summer.
 
So, I was looking forward to taking a break from Ann Arbor Real Estate and seeing what is done.   There were some new restrooms and concession stands, along with a new M-Den building, which is where I buy memorabilia – sweat shirts and hats.  The weather was short sleeve blue sky perfection, so I was happy.
 
Other new buildings on the north side are where the police and first aid areas are.  This is where my friends from Huron Valley Ambulance were allotted more space.

By the time all renovations are completed, which will be by the start of the 2010 football season, Michigan Stadium will have 329 seats for people in wheelchairs, about 83 suites and 3,200 club seats.
My son, at Utah State, still rooted for the Ann Arbor hometown team.  All of us wish better luck to Coach Rod and the players next time.
 
One last look at google earth professional view of U of M Stadium with an actual game day over lay picture – pretty cool!

Take a look at what’s happening in Dexter, Michigan
during the month of September!

Washtenaw Avenue traffic congestion in Ann Arbor is happily almost a thing of the past.  Morning commuters experiencing traffic delays in the University of Michigan central campus corridor shouldn’t have to worry too much after this week.  The Washtenaw paving project was originally scheduled for completion by Labor Day, however delays resulted from a miscalculation in time on sidewalk restoration to become compliant for the disability act.

Washtenaw has had one lane closed in both directions betweeen Geddes Road and the Huron Street Curve.  The project is nearing completion and will only cause a few more hiccups in regular traffic flow.  Next week you can expect double lane closure for two more days (likely on Tuesday and Wednesday).  After this intermittent single lane closures will be necessary for spot adjustments, restoration, clean-up and painting thru September 12th.

We’ll be looking forward to Washtenaw’s new and improved face!       

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There is so much going on in Ann Arbor during the Month of September.  School is back in session, but there are still plenty of fun things to do before the weather gets too chilly!  Below, find highlights for a few of the events that I found interesting for this month.  Try something new and HAVE FUN!

9/6/2008

Bring your binoculars and a field guide to observe bird species seen in the park and record dates, locations, and trends from year to year. We will explore a variety of habitats.

9/7/2008

The Kerrytown BookFest is an event celebrating those who create books and those who read them. The primary goal is to highlight our area’s rich heritage in the book and printing arts while showcasing our local and rrgional individuals, businesses, and organizations. This year we are celebrating Ernest Hemingway in Michigan in our Hemingway Homecoming programs, as well as find binding with internationally known binders and conservators Don Ethrington and Monique Lallier. We feature authors, storytellers, publishers, bookbinders, book artists, book illustrators, poets, letterpress printers, wood engravers, calligraphers, papermakers, librarians, teachers, new, used, and antiquarian booksellers and many others associated with books and their diverse forms, structure, and content. Our children’s area, with storytelling and creative activities, is always popular as well.

9/14/2008

"Creating UM Composers" Works by members of the composition faculty.

9/14/2008

Woodies! Woodies! Woodies! Non-native buckthorn and honeysuckle are everywhere, but with your help we can keep them at bay in our city’s beloved parks. Come help us chop and pull. Then eat cookies and meet other friendly people interested in saving the biodiversity of our parks. Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. Minors must either be accompanied by a guardian or contact NAP in advance to obtain a release form if you would like older children to participate on their own.

9/15/2008

All are invited to paint outdoor tiles that will be placed in the garden of the new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital. Tiles are crafted through a partnership with Detroit-based Pewabic Pottery. Registration is required by Wednesday, September 10th by calling or emailing.

9/19/2008

The Ann Arbor City Club is hosting its 56th Annual Home Tour. This event is open to the public and includes interesting homes, a loft, a scholarship house and the newly renovated City Club. The Club’s dining room will be open for lunch to the public. For lunch reservations and additional tour information, please contact the City Club.

9/20/2008

Ann Arbor - The Ann Arbor Jaycees will host its first annual health and wellness fair. Featured speaker Pete Thomas of NBC’s The Biggest Loser 2 will be on hand for a special presentation. Several workshops and demonstrations will be available. Many vendors will also be on hand. To purchase vendor space, or for more information, visit our website.

9/27/2008

The Saline Downtown Merchants Association is sponsoring the Fourth Annual Harvest of the Arts Oktoberfest. There will be a Juried Art Fair with over forty artists, the Inspiration Station where our visitors can create an "eco friendly" art bag, kid’s activities hosted by "The Scrap Box", and the popular Balloon Twister will be back. The South and West Washtenaw Consortium and Saline H.S. Culinary Arts Department will sell their popular baked goods (usually sold out by 11:30am). The Saline Firefighters will offer their chili and will participate in a chili cook-off with the firefighters paired with culinary students. There will be German Food, a Beer Tent offering German style beer and wine and a competition for home beer brewers (although no tasting due to alcohol licensing laws). Live entertainment inlcudes German music by Luther Schaible and a 7:30pm concert featuring Justine Blazer.

9/28/2008

The Big House Big Heart 5K run starts in the parking lot east of The Big House and takes you through the University of Michigan’s beautiful campus with a spectacular finish - a run through the Big House tunel and onto the field. You’ll finish on the 50 yard line and watch yourself on the Big House Big Screen! A one mile fun run will be available as well. A portion of your entry will be donated to ALS Research at the Univrsity of Michigan Program for Neurology Research & Discovery and the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital, and every penny that a team earns will go directly to a charity of their choice. Please visit the website for more details.

9/11/2008 - 9/14/2008

This dark comical musical weaves characters from some of the most beloved fairy tales–Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood–into a sophisticated send-up of the happily-ever-after stories of our childhoods. This adult take on children’s classics is for mature audiences.

Above was a sampling of what is happening in our community this month.
To view the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, click here and choose your own criteria and dates. 

Hands on Museum? It’s in Kerrytown.

Zingerman’s? Yep, that’s Kerrytown too.

Kerrytown Market and Shops owner Joe O’Neal made a conscious decision to rent space to locally-owned businesses – to choose a Sweetwater’s over a Starbucks – for example. It’s just one of those things that has helped preserve the historic neighborhood’s unique character.

The Kerrytown District is part of what used to be an African-American neighborhood, and Relyea says its history includes a lot of Underground Railroad activity.

Relyea opened the Kerrytown Concert House in 1984, converting the pre-Civil War house, one of the oldest in the neighborhood, into a 100-sea performance venue, with teaching space upstairs. The Concert House hosts everything from theater groups to kids’ piano recitals to an avant garde jazz festival in October.

Lest you doubt that there’s always something interesting going on in Kerrytown, on August 21 the Kerrytown District Association sponsored "Nash Bash"– a mini country music festival complete with beer, barbecue and performers from Nashville. Nash Bash was rounded out by "Trunk-A-Palooza," a garage sale where people sold things out of their car trunks.

I love to take a break from the Ann Arbor Real Estate Market to explore the unique shops and grab a bite to eat; I invite you to explore and let me know what your favorite is.

When Ari Weinzweig (663-9304) and Paul Saginaw (913-0059) opened Zingerman’s Delicatessen in an old, brick building in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown District back in 1982, they had two employees, five stools at the counter and no idea this thing would grow so big.

Today, Zingerman’s shares its name with a family of Ann Arbor area businesses that all build in some way upon the original plan - providing great food in a service-oriented atmosphere that is not only good for customers, but also for employees, the community and the environment.

The original deli outgrew the confines of its home at 422 Detroit St., absorbing the house next door and the space between the two buildings, which now provides sunny outdoor seating.  Zingerman’s Next Door sells pastries, chocolate and baked goodies, along with coffee roasted by Zingerman’s Coffee Company, and when Weinzweig is in, you can often find him at his desk – a table tucked in a sunlit corner near the back door.  Back in the original deli, you can find big, serious sandwiches with names like Mary’s Commute, Wayne’s Inheritance, and The Ferber Experience.  Zingerman’s Bakehouse supplies the handmade bread, and the cheese comes from Zingerman’s Creamery, where they also make gelato.  A true foodie mecca, Zingerman’s constantly strives to be better, whether that means fresher, more authentic ingredients or better service. Its customers reap the rewards.

The Zingerman’s empire also includes Zingerman’s Roadhouse, home of the best ribs in town, Zingerman’s catering and a mail order business. Zing Train is Zingerman’s customer service consulting firm, and Bake! a hands-on teaching bakery with classes for adults, kids and families.

When I have hosted REALTOR luncheons, I pick up deli trays from Zingerman’s and don’t mind if I have leftovers.  My all time favorite is pastrami and their brownies.  What is your favorite?

The stalled Upland Green mixed use project on Plymouth Road is now nearing completion.  The development will kick off with the opening of two new restaurants.  Both Qdoba Mexican Grill and Panera Bread are slated to open on or before September 15th.  A third unnamed restaurant may also sign on and open by October 1st. 

Four of the twenty available residential Ann Arbor condos have also sold already - two in the low range and two in the mid to high range.  Prices range from $135,000 to $305,000 for 500 to 1,500 sqft units.  The Upland Green project got back on track this May with an influx of new investors.  The project was delayed when one of the partners unexpectedly passed away. 

New investors Harold Berquist, Jim Jabara and Jeff Meek have the project back on track.

For more information about available condos at Upland Green contact Kathy Toth and Team.

FREE MLS Search - View Current Homes for Sale Search the local Ann Arbor MLS and find the homes for sale in your desired area. Stop looking through 3 different papers, get the whole Ann Arbor homes list here for FREE. Plus receive daily updates via email, for any new listings. All for FREE - no strings attached!

In our Ann Arbor real estate market, we provide our clients with the very best service during and after the transaction.  We partner with Newcomers Welcome Service who specialize in helping recent arrivals feel right at home.  Get to know the area’s finest restaurants, shops, and services with free Welcome Packets that these ladies personally deliver.  They have been making our clients feel at home and have been around since 1960.  You can get more info at the Newcomers website.  They service Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Plymouth, Saline, and Ypsilanti, Michigan.  Terry Reuer explains what she does for our Ann Arbor home buyers in the video below.
 

7144 Hickory Creek

Bedrooms:  4
Bathrooms:  2.1
Square Feet:  2618

The plan for a revamped $30 million Georgetown Commons (the old Ann Arbor Georgetown Mall) is held up at the moment by two items: securing a renewed lease from Kroger and getting a tax increment financing district set up for the site.  Plans are slated for a new 45,000 sqft Kroger store, underground parking garage, almost 150 apartments and several retail shops.  The developer’s original plans were to demolish the entire mall and rebuild 90,000+ sqft.  Kroger is currently the only business left in their original space. 

Original plans did not include space for the grocer, however Kroger has communicated intentions to stay in the Georgetown location and expand.  On the other hand, the developer is still waiting for a renewed lease. 

A recent community meeting discussing the site brought forth several concerns from local residents.  Number one on the list is the slated building layout - Kroger is placed  right off Page Avenue near the back of the property - some are worried it will be too close to nearby homes, creating an influx of neighborhood traffic. Developer, Schubiner, wants to make sure he has public support before moving forward.

This property was recently sent foreclosure notice and has narrowly avoided the auction block.  Schubiner assures owner Harbor Georgetown plans to pay the back taxes (of $485,000) before the March deadline.  Ideally construction on a new site would begin next summer.

For more information contact Kathy Toth and Team.

FREE MLS Search - View Current Homes for Sale Search the local Ann Arbor MLS and find the homes for sale in your desired area. Stop looking through 3 different papers, get the whole Ann Arbor homes list here for FREE. Plus receive daily updates via email, for any new listings. All for FREE - no strings attached!