A California-based retail and investment expert has purchased a building on Woodward Avenue near the north end of the M-1 Rail.

Anthony Buono, who was born and raised in Detroit, purchased the property at 6538-6540 Woodward Ave. with plans for renovation of the New Center storefronts.

"I've been really admiring what's going on in the city and I'm really excited about it, so I've been trying to help the people I know the best, who are the Midtown Detroit Inc. team," Buono said. "I've felt like they are really passionate about making things better so I got inspired and told them I'd help in anyway I can."

Buono acquired the 9,100 square-foot space for $510,000 after seeing a property listing through NAI Farbman. He said he's looking at various retail, lifestyle, health and wellness options and wants to bring the space back to its original condition of exposed brick and concrete floor.

"That would be most logical first step, then, depending on the user, they may want to take a different view," Buono said.

"My view personally would be anything interesting to us that's urban street oriented and in the New Center-Midtown emerging sub-markets," he said.

He said the planned QLine streetcar line along Woodward Avenue and the residential density it could bring piqued his interest in the property.

"I want to help the city and be a part of it in whatever small way I can," said Buono, who serves as chairman of the Global Retail Executive Committee at the Los Angeles-based CBRE, though he said this project is not affiliated with the firm.

CBRE is a worldwide real estate firm with more than 70,000 employees.

Buono said he is looking for tenants who want to do interesting things in urban environments, and plans to watch the New Center-area evolve while determining how to use the building.