West Bloomfield sees increase in multifamily housing

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Approximately five years ago, the West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees commissioned a real estate study to ascertain what kind of developments would be best suited for West Bloomfield, and according to Steven Kaplan, who is the township’s supervisor, the answer was surprising.

The board was advised to consider multi-level apartments and duplexes.

According to Kaplan, the study cost $28,000. Since then, a couple of major apartment complex projects have been developed.

The most recent was the Apex West Bloomfield, which is a five-story building consisting of 212 one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments.

The complex is located near 14 Mile and Orchard Lake roads.

The developers were Hunter Pasteur, Forbes Co. and Soave Real Estate.

Randy Wertheimer, who is Hunter Pasteur’s CEO, estimated that the complex is a little over 5.5 acres, with units ranging from 700-2,000 square feet.

According to Wertheimer, about four years ago a decision was made to purchase the property, and the doors to the first occupants were opened this August.

Over 75 units have been leased, according to Wertheimer.

He said that the landscaping and architecture “had to be exceptional.”

Features of the development include a pool deck that is approximately 21,500 square feet, 40 charging stations for electric vehicles, a “state-of-the-art” workout facility, club rooms, game rooms, a Zoom room for work activities, a lobby that features a collection of artwork, and wood flooring in each unit.

“We curated a great collection of artwork in the lobby, the amenity spaces and the corridors to bring it to the highest level of sophistication,” Wertheimer said. “For whatever reason, in metro Detroit there has not been really high-end developments that young people (and) empty-nesters can choose to move to, and we thought that there was a major missing component in the marketplace. There’s a lot of people in the metro Detroit market that could afford, and would like to afford, to live in a rental property that’s very high-end, very high-quality.”

Wertheimer said that the rent ranges from $2,000-$6,000 per month.

“There’s no question that if you build the best product in the best locations, there are people who will pay a little bit more to live in the very best, and we’re seeing that — we’re seeing that with the demand and the demographics that we thought would be attracted to this development,” Wertheimer said.

Kaplan shared a review of the township’s newest apartment complex.

“Apex is at the apex of apartment buildings — pun intended,” Kaplan said.  “We paid $28,000 for the study, advising the board that you need to consider building multi-level apartments. That’s what the younger generation wants. Apex fits in.”

Like Wertheimer, Kaplan also thinks there is another demographic that can benefit from such developments.

“You might have a family, they’ve lived in West Bloomfield for 25 years in a home and they raised children who graduated from college and now they don’t (want to) own a two-story home because of difficulty in navigating the stairs,” Kaplan said. “The apartment complex is perfect for them, or one-story-level condominiums.”

The Apex West Bloomfield development follows Town Court apartments, a complex with 192 units that began leasing to residents in 2021. That complex was developed and constructed by Beztak and is also located on Orchard Lake Road, near the Apex.

According to its website, Town Court was the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified residential building in West Bloomfield. The Apex West Bloomfield is also LEED certified.

Town Court also has one-, two- and three-bedroom units, ranging from 762-1,466 square feet, with features that include a state-of-the art clubhouse, a private fitness center, a library lounge and a rooftop swimming pool. Rental prices range from $1,900-$2,750 per month.

Town Court was previously reported to be the first new apartment building in West Bloomfield since 1974.

“West Bloomfield Township had a vision to encourage re-development and high density residential in the Downtown District and to require those buildings to be designed to LEED standards,” Beztak CEO Sam Beznos stated via a release that was sent to the Beacon. “We were determined to exceed their design standards by delivering a LEED silver building.”

Kaplan shared how these kinds of developments can benefit the township.

“We’re a bedroom community. We don’t have industry,” Kaplan said. “We don’t have any factories, so our tax base is based, essentially, mainly, on property taxes. So it helps with the base, but also we’re keeping residents who might’ve been with us for 25 years, and now they’re moving out. They’re downscaling, and they (want to) stay in West Bloomfield.”

From Kaplan’s perspective, aside from density helping to create excitement in the community, the recent developments also increase the diversity of housing options, which has advantages that come with it.

“When you have bare land, the building’s been demolished, or it hasn’t been demolished but it’s free-standing and not maintained, that’s not good for aesthetics, property value, peace and tranquility, and enjoyment in the community,” he said. “So we’d rather have a development than bare land — there’s an excitement about new property. When a community like West Bloomfield has new developments, they’re state-of-the-art, they’re well designed, and they contribute to the good welfare of the community.”

Kaplan said that there is an abundance of upper-style, new and creative housing developments in the township, including a 52-unit condominium complex located near 14 Mile and Middlebelt roads that have been selling between $600,000 and $650,000, another condominium-style project located near Middlebelt, south of Long Lake Road that could be wrapped up next spring, and another that features approximately 30 two-story duplexes near Haggerty and Walnut Lake roads that also may be available for purchase next spring.

While the option to purchase homes is still at play, for some, the opportunity to rent apartments may continue to be the trend.

“Travel back in time 20 years: The average post-college student, his or her goal was to buy and own a home. Home ownership – our parents and grandparents taught us that edict,” Kaplan said. “But that precept has changed. The residents who are in their 20s, early 30s, they’re not buying homes at the same level as their predecessors.”