The M1 Concourse was the prime subject today at the Sparkplugs Planners Gathering at Lafayette Market in Pontiac where over 80 business owners and County employees gathered in representation of the progressing interest in the ongoing mission to revitalize Pontiac and its surrounding communities.
Speaking at the event were Bret Rasegan, Planning Supervisor for Oakland County, host of the event Kyle Westberg, President & CEO of West Construction Services and Brad Oleshansky, Founder and CEO of the M1 Concourse.
Attendees ranged from Architect Gary R. Currier, Buck Waller, CEO of ISP Technologies, Senior Account Manager Dennis Powell of Telegration, Community Affairs Representative of Waste Management Kathleen A. Klein, and Main Street Oakland County Advisory Board Member, Ms. Eddie Delbridge, Jim Meenahan, and Todd Gulich of 4 Leaf Legacy Partners. Oakland County was represented by Senior Business Consultant Catherine Abad, Business Development Representative, Bradley Hansen, and Event Coordinator for the Department of Economic Development and Community Affairs, Julie Skene, among others. Lunch was catered by Lafayette Market, including gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.
“Pontiac is fantastic. We have great historical architecture and diversity, and as a community we learn a lot from each other,” states Kyle Westberg. “The county asked us to host and we’re blessed to have that relationship. We are heavily engaged and excited to help in the development of the area. I’m really excited to see so many people come from all over Oakland County and experience the Lafayette Market.” Originally Sears Dept. store, Lafayette Markets boasts geo-thermal heating, 46 loft apartments, full catering, as well as a cafe & retail area.
The Strand Theatre is Westberg’s next project and includes the next Sloes’ Bar-B-Que inside the theatre. “Our vision for Pontiac is shared. We the community all have a vision and focus to move it forward and the loft project really started that for us. We’re rely excited to be working with the community.
“The concept of the M1 Concourse came out of Europe. The facilities become places where community gathers,” states Brad Oleshansky. After filling out the form for the 87 acre purchase and feeling ignored for quite some time, Oleshansky was driven by the challenge of his friends and colleagues skepticism.
“The support of the area has been instrumental” says Oleshansky of the city, county and state. Phase 1 is a 30 million dollar project. 60 of the 80 condos are already sold. Pre-sale of garages, state incentives and Brownfield development funding, as well as private investments are fronting the first portion of the project. “We will bring 100’s of jobs to Pontiac.”
Many people are also adding entertainment areas into their garage. LEED building certification is not being considered, but the energy efficiency of the project is not to be denied. The entire project will be created in phases and will include retail and community, office and warehouse area, restaurants and cafes as well as a mile and a half track for driving schools and technical training. It will be exclusively reserved for owners of the garages and corporate renters. At $180-200 per square foot, the garages are not a low cost option for storage, but are considered an entertainment area and investment in real estate.
When asked about new technology, Oleshansky states, “We have been approached by many companies interested in creating and researching new technologies in the automotive field, such as autonomous vehicle testing. We’re open to anything.”
For full information on the development projects and Lafayette Market, visit:
http://www.strandtheatrepontiac.com
http://www.thelafayettemarket.com
www.M1Concourse.com.
Reporting : Cathleen Francois