With renovations wrapping up at 5-7 Genesee Street and the first residential tenant about to move in, a development team led by architect Steve Carmina is readying plans for its next mixed-use project at the southeast corner of Michigan and Broadway.

The complex of buildings at 163-167 Broadway and 64 Nash Street were built over time between the 1820s and 1880s. Designed by Carmina Wood Morris, a $6 million reuse project will result in 18 new apartments and 9,052 sq.ft. of commercial space in the heart of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor.

A 3,600 sq.ft. restaurant is planned for the Broadway and Michigan corner. A banquet/flex space area will face Broadway (167 Broadway in rendering above) along with a 1,395 sq.ft. commercial space at the Nash Street corner. There will also be 1,806 sq.ft. of commercial space in a former carriage house at 64 Nash. Indoor parking is planned for 10 cars.

The 16 one-bedroom apartments will range in size from 563 to 975 sq.ft. while the two, two-bedroom units have 1,055 and 1,326 sq.ft. of living space. Fourteen apartments will be on the second floor and four units on the third level.

As at 5-7 Genesee Street, Carmina is working with developer Roger Trettel, CPA Steven A. Carmina, and Joe Piccone, owner of Bison Electrical Services. Former Common Council Member Brian C. Davis is joining in on the new project along with Ellen Mascaro, restaurateur Kat Tyler, Dr. Joseph Serghany, and Silva Banboukian.

Several years ago, the Langston Hughes Cultural Center had looked at relocating to the buildings but owner Sankofa Community Development could not pull off a deal and lost the property through foreclosure. Carmina’s team was the high bidder at a court-ordered auction.

Work on the buildings will begin immediately.

“The buildings have deteriorated significantly and we need to get them stabilized right away,” says Carmina. “We will be presenting our plans to the Planning Board in October but remedial work on portions of the roof and façade cannot wait.”

Carmina has been working with City staff and the Mayor’s office to expedite the emergency repair work.

“The Mayor understood how unstable portions of the building had become and made it a priority,” says Carmina. “He really did a great job to allow us to more forward.”

Crews will be on site this week installing fencing along the sidewalk to prepare for the necessary stabilization work. Carmina expects construction on the project to be fully-underway by late fall and the complex ready for occupancy in fall 2017. R&P Oak Hill has been retained to manage the construction.

The project joins two others along Broadway east of Michigan. At the corner of Broadway and Hickory, HELP USA is constructing a 47 transitional housing units geared towards homeless veterans. Nearby, architect Michael Anderson of Abstract Architecture is renovating the three-story building at 313 Broadway for his growing firm.

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