By: Mark Vest | Farmington Press | Published November 22, 2024
FARMINGTON — The city of Farmington’s aspiration to add more housing recently got a boost, as the city announced that a 30-unit apartment community is set to be developed.
Construction is slated to begin sometime next spring at the site of the former Groves-Walker American Legion Post 346 building, located at 31775 Grand River Ave.
The Groves-Walker American Legion Post was demolished and relocated to 21023 Farmington Road in Farmington Hills.
Cervi Construction, a Livonia-based developer, is leading the project, according to a press release from the city of Farmington.
At press time, a representative from Cervi Construction had not replied to an opportunity to comment.
According to Todd Craft, who is the chairman of Farmington’s Downtown Development Authority board, the development is an approximately two-year project that will consist of three-story townhome-style apartments with two bedrooms and two baths and a one-car attached garage.
The apartment units will each be approximately 1,450 square feet.
There will be four buildings, with two in the front and two in the back.
The name selected for the apartment community is Legion Square. Rental prices are expected to be around $2,000 per month.
In recognition of the Groves-Walker American Legion Post, a commemorative plaque is set to be installed at the site, which is located close to downtown Farmington.
According to Craft, the exterior design will be made up of brick and stone.
He shared some thoughts about the project.
“It fits into the master plan for that area,” Craft said. “We hope that this will be a catalyst project and spur some more development in that east end of town.”
According to Farmington Assistant City Manager Chris Weber, the size of the site is approximately 1.38 acres.
“It’s a great investment in our community,” Weber said. “It’s about a $5 million private investment, putting property and buildings that have served their useful life back into productive use. That’s very important, to continue to reinvent yourself and redevelop.”
The news about Legion Square follows a previous announcement about a 53-unit townhome project known as Hillside Townes at the site of the former Maxfield Training Center at 33000 Thomas St.
That project has commenced, according to Craft.
Given that Hillside Townes’ townhomes are available for purchase, the Legion Square development provides an alternative for those who may not be in the market to buy in Farmington.
“This will give potential renters who either don’t want to, can’t afford to, or aren’t ready to buy yet, an opportunity to live in something brand new, walkable to the downtown,” Craft said. “It’s filling that gap, which is called the missing middle.”
The opportunity to increase the variety of housing options in Farmington is also something that has gotten Weber’s attention.
“The need for different types of housing for people and having 30 or more residential units is huge for the city,” he said. “That’s more people to shop in our downtown, more people to frequent our restaurants. (It) helps us move forward in the city. I think we’re definitely looking to bring more people to our downtown area, and this accomplishes that goal.”
The city is hopeful that more developments will be on the way, including multiuse projects that both house people and have space for commercial operations.
From Craft’s perspective, it is an exciting time in Farmington.
“We’ve got some momentum here,” he said. “If you’ve been to downtown Farmington recently, we’ve made some huge improvements over the last five, six years. We’ve kind of moved from the sleepy little town of Farmington in a direction that is really turning out to attract all kinds of businesses. Farmington’s one of the last affordable walkable downtowns in Oakland County.”