Auburn Hills announces grand opening of four developments in the city’s downtown

City celebrates addition of The DEN, University Center, apartments with retail space and parking structure 

Media contacts: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; 248.651.7536 cell: 586.817.8414; barbara@eafocus.com; Stephanie Carroll, City of Auburn Hills; 248.364.6802; scarroll@auburnhills.org 

The city of Auburn Hills, along with the Auburn Hills Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA), announced the opening of four developments in downtown Auburn Hills earlier this month at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new projects include:

• The DEN (Downtown Education Nook) – 1,546 square feet that includes two fireplaces and five rooms to provide students and the community a quiet and casual study space for individuals and/or small groups. The DEN’s structure is built from the log cabin, a historic landmark in Downtown Auburn Hills. The reinvention of the space, is true to the city’s motto of “Honoring the Past, Building the Future.”
• University Center – a partnership between the Auburn Hills TIFA, Avondale School District and the following Auburn Hills based colleges and universities: Oakland University, Oakland Community College, Baker College and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. The space provides 4,800 square feet on the first floor to host college level classes and 2,400 square feet on the second floor to hold classes for the Avondale Virtual Academy.
• Auburn Square apartments and retail – 97 apartments consisting of studios, one bedroom and two bedroom units aimed to bring  pedestrian traffic to the downtown area and continued success in the expansion of Downtown Auburn Hills. The additional 5,800 square feet at street level is dedicated to retail space to bring visitors and additional energy downtown.
• Parking structure – funded and operated by the Auburn Hills TIFA, the 233 space parking structure was built with the long-term growth of the downtown in mind while still meeting the immediate needs of the apartments and retail space.

“These developments would not have been possible without the hard work, collaboration and dedication of the city’s development team, as well as the architects, construction managers, interior designer, owners and renovation/restoration teams that made each project come to life,” said Tom Tanghe, assistant city manager of Auburn Hills and executive director of the Auburn Hills TIFA.  

The DEN and University Center will both be officially open January 2014 for use by students and the public; the parking structure is substantially complete and is expected to be accessible by early November; approximately 25 percent of the apartments are complete, with some units already leased; final apartment completion date is slated for January 2014.

To learn more about economic development in Downtown Auburn Hills and the city, visit www.auburnhills.org.

The following businesses comprised the development teams for these projects:

• Architects: Glenda Meads Architects, Birmingham; Mayotte Group Architects, Lansing
• Interior Design: Dakin Design, Birmingham
• Construction Managers: Frank Rewold & Sons, Inc., Rochester; Haussman Construction, Lansing
• Renovation/Restoration:

The DEN:  Renovation/Restoration, Woodlake Construction, Troy; Architect, Glenda Meads Architects, Birmingham; Interior Design, Dakin Design, Birmingham

University Center: Renovation/Restoration. Frank Rewold & Son, Rochester, Architect, Glenda Meads Architects, Birmingham; Interior Design, Dakin Design, Birmingham

Parking Structure:  Construction Manager, Haussman Construction, Lansing; Architect, Mayotte Group Architects, Lansing

Apartments & Retail:  Construction Manager, Auburn Hills Housing, LLC; Architect, Mayotte Group Architects, Lansing