"Hybrid" Shopping Center Planned Business to Business Monthly Magazine Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce  Date -- February, 2000 - By Bill Milliken, CCIM             Gateway Country, the retail arm of the national computer manufacturer hopes to open there. So does the regional supermarket chain, Busch’s ValuLand. This mix may cast Huron Village shopping center, proposed for Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Parkway in Ann Arbor, as a cross between a power center and a neighborhood shopping center -- in the parlance of the industry.             Perhaps the most stunning aspect of the proposed 113,900 square foot center is that Barnes & Noble, undaunted by the appearance of Borders Books’ new Arborland store a half-mile away (23,000 sq. ft.), will reappear in a 30,200 square foot, two-story store. It will be a prototype store, the third of its kind and similar to locations Barnes & Noble recently opened in Chicago and Boston. The adjacent 20,000 square foot store they now occupy is scheduled for demolition; its site is to provide parking and an outlot with a 3,500 square foot pad for Huron Village. Walgreens’ First Ann Arbor Store             According to William J. Conlin, the attorney representing the limited partnership that is developing the center, terms have also been reached with Walgreens for a 15,120 square foot drugstore. It would be located on the east end of Huron Village, at the corner of Washtenaw and Huron Parkway, and on the land which is more or less Barnes & Noble’s current north parking lot. It was Conlin himself who rode to the rescue in 1991 and acquired the late Arbor Lodge Motel, thereby de-railing a controversial development proposal pending for the site. Conlin led the partnership in 1992 that built the building in its place, which is currently leased to Barnes & Noble. City Approvals Sought           “The Huron Village Area Plan has been placed on the [Ann Arbor] Planning Commission agenda for their February 15 meeting,” says city planner Chandra Hurd. Once the Area Plan approval has been given, the developer must submit a Site Plan and receive approval prior to construction getting underway. Both Planning Commission and the City Council review of the plans are required. The current plan sets out a 10.17 acre parcel, with 950 feet of Washtenaw Avenue frontage, that is comprised of three underlying tracts of land. The largest, the former Ann Arbor Buick dealership site, has reportedly been ground-leased to the partnership by the Prochnow family, its owners of record. Competition for this 7.5 acre parcel has been intense recently as retail and office developers vied for this last, large chunk of developable land on the high-traffic Washtenaw corridor. Huron Village’s partnership, according to Conlin, first began work on this assemblage in 1996.             A piece of the easternmost parcel is occupied by Star Buffet, a Chinese restaurant in a freestanding building. Their lease is current and they will remain at the site for the duration of it. Projected Summer, 2001 Opening             “Staging the construction will be our biggest challenge,” says Robert D. Kerr, president of Ann Arbor-based Metro Group Architects, which has designed the center. Barnes & Noble has been emphatic that they must remain in continuous operation, with the exception of one weekend when they will relocate to their new, two-story facility. Kerr, whose firm specializes in retail design, says they will construct the new store right alongside the existing store. As soon as the move is completed, the vacated store will be demolished to make way for parking and landscaping improvements. Bostleman Construction of Toledo, Ohio will be the general contractor. Pre-Leasing Underway             Rents have been set “in the mid-teens” and will be on a “triple-net” basis, an arrangement under which tenants also have responsibility for property taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses for their leasehold. Negotiations are underway with prospective tenants for the remaining 24,000 square feet of retail space, including another “destination” retail store. A restaurant tenant is also being considered. Gateway is scheduled to occupy about 5,000 square feet and Busch’s has leased 45,000 square feet, immediately west of Barnes & Noble. Busch’s operates eleven supermarkets now, and has another one under construction.      “Huron Village is not Arborland, but it is in a better position to capture traffic,” says Landmark Commercial’s Michael Lippitt, a retail broker. “The battle for market share between Busch’s and Hillers Market (49,480 sq. ft.) is going to be tough, but Busch’s has got the location.” For More Information Contact: Bill Milliken, CCIM Milliken Realty Company 100 Huron View Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Tel: 734-821-4321 Fax: 734-821-4322 Internet: info@millikenrealty.com   Property listing data is based on information believed accurate & reliable. However, accuracy is not guaranteed. Copyright © 2005 Milliken Realty Company info@millikenrealty.com