TROY, MI—This Detroit suburb, once the top office market in Michigan but now suffering from business and population loss, will see some improvements soon as two firms announced separate plans to add a performing arts amphitheater and a movie theater to the city.
Met Hotel Partners LLC plans to add retail and a 500-seat amphitheater next to its 200-room Met Troy Hotel here along Crooks Road, just south of West Square Lake Road. The company, a subsidiary of Laguna Beach, Calif.-based New California Hotel Corp., will build a 35,000 sq. ft. retail strip and a two-story restaurant.
Also, the firm plans to place the performing arts amphitheater in an existing courtyard, so that guests can watch live events from their rooms. The city has been trying to gain an amphitheater since plans failed for a public facility near city hall.
"We are excited about the recent upswing in the Detroit area economy. Our aim is to maximize the opportunities on this 17 acre site as we've always considered it as having immense potential,” said Remo Polselli, CEO of New California, in a statement. "We know what the city needs in this area, more retail, dynamic tenants, and a fine dining restaurant and amphitheater that can make this site a real model of development for the citizens of Troy.
Also, Oak Park, Mich.-based MJR Digital Cinemas has announced it will break ground on a new 16-screen theater at the corner of Maple and Livernois roads, replacing a former Kmart store. The $16 million theater will see a ground breaking in September and opening by summer 2014.
“Troy has great demographics and is a great community to build a brand new and truly state of the art facility,” said MJR CEO and founder Michael Mihalich in a separate statement.